From Me To You

Chapter 18 - Palacio de Cristal

"And this is the Palacio de Cristal," James says as he gestures towards the palace.

"Really?" I joke as I walk up the steps backwards. "I hadn't noticed."

James steps forward and I grab onto his shirt as I almost fall on the steps and he places a hand of his on my back.

"Everything's better when you're drunk," I smirk as he lets me go.

"Don't say that," he furrows his eyebrows and pouts at me.

"Fine," I correct myself. "Everything's better when you're drunk and with you."

We made our way from some tiny little Venezuelan restaurant in the center of the city to this place as it began to get dark. We had a couple of drinks in our system so I was a bit tipsy but generally sober.

On our way there I ask him to tell me everything about Salomé. I can tell that that made him extremely happy and when he was telling me all there is to know about her, his face lit up a little. There was a sparkle in his eyes. He has been feeling down a bit because Daniela and Salomé just visited but they made their way back home, leaving him alone again, so I tried to get him to look at the bright side of things.

James, in return, asks me about what I'm missing most about New York. I tell him everything there is to know about my friends and he says he wishes he could meet the three of them, I give him another invitation to the city and urge him to come visit soon. We'll all go out and show him a great time, he won't regret it. I tell him about Noori also and about the Brazilian and German team a bit.

We walk into the place and it's stunning. I spin around in the center of it all to take in the sight. The sun was setting and it was all too beautiful.

James' POV

I laugh at her spinning in the building. I've been here before and I never really realized how much of a tourist she is.

"I was joking about the whole 'drunk' thing by the way," she says. "See?"

She places her left pointer fingertip on the tip of her nose and does the same with the right hand until I tell her to stop.

"I get it, I get it," I chuckle as I make my way to her.

The place is almost completely empty because it's the middle of the week and I like it this way. No one has come up to me yet and I get to finally take in this place.

"Come on," she says as she takes my hand in hers and walks me over closer to a window.

She sits down on the floor and I'm quite hesitant to do so with her, but she looks up at me with an innocent smile on her face and I comply.

The sun set almost blinds me so I turn to look at her who's already looking at me.

"This is quite beautiful don't you think?" She asks.

"Very," I barely speak.

There are heels clacking behind us as a lady leaves. I turn to look at her and there's only a handful of people left. I look back at Kat who has spread her legs on the floor and put both her hands behind her for support, she only smiles at me before turning back towards the sun.

"What's your biggest fear, James?" Kat asks.

"My biggest fear?" I ask caught off guard. "I have no idea."

"Oh, come on," she says. "Your family dying? Serial killers? I don't know."

"What's your biggest fear, Kat?" I ask in return.

She runs her hand through her hair and doesn't look at me.

"I guess-"

"Don't guess," I interrupt her.

"Loneliness," she speaks. "That's probably the most generic answer I could give you, but I fear it. Not just dying alone, but also never finding anyone in my lifetime that I can say loved me back," she turns to face me. "Loved me as much as I loved them."

"I fear mistakes," I turn to look out the window. "What if I made a huge mistake, so early in my life and I can't really take it back? I fear not finding the right person."

Kat stays quiet knowing I'm talking about Daniela.

"I'm sure she's right for you," she cuts the silence.

"I tell myself that all the time," I add. "I was just so young, you know?"

"Yeah, but you felt it. At some point you had to have felt what love really is. You're lucky. Some people never get the pleasure of knowing what that is."

"Love isn't all pleasure, there's a lot of pain that goes into it."

"A pain you'll get through, if you truly love them," she says.

I don't mention that I'm just sitting in the pain. I don't mention that I've been waiting to get past it and nothing's happening. Sometimes I think that I've fallen out of love but then I look at us as a family and thank God for it all. At times I think I can't get through the pain. I know I cause Daniela so much pain and she doesn't say a word about it.

"You know they're out there, right?" I turn to her.

"Who?" She faces me.

"Whoever it is that's destined to end your pain."

"Sometimes I have an idea of who they are and I take it all back cause it's not right," she says. "I've loved, sure. Never had the pleasure of being loved."

Our eyes are locked on one another's and I see the misery in her eyes. For the first time that I've been with her, I see pain not beauty.

She scoots over to me and puts her head on my shoulder. The sun shines down on her before finally fading and I turn back to the window. I place my head on hers and clench my teeth as I think of the hurt.

She always had a light in her eyes that brightened up my day, but now- together- we sit and wallow in our own heartbreaks.