Ruben and Carla have grown apart. With Rubens career taking off he leaves Portugal to live the life of his dreams, breaking Carla's heart doing so. Years later, upon his return home, Ruben learns that Carla has moved on, happily engaged to another man, but not any man, Ruben's childhood bully João Mendes.

Enjoy!

Carla had done enough crying for one person, enough was enough. She got up and out of bed for the first time since her arrival to her parents house.

"Carla, you're up."

"Finally." Maria sighed.

The atmosphere was odd as she entered the kitchen downstairs. Her aunt and uncle stood at the sight of her and so did Carla's mother, only Maria remained seated at the table.

"What?" Carla frowned.

Her mother stepped forward, her voice soft. "How are you feeling, querida?"

"Um...better now." She replied. Sure, her eyes were still puffy from crying but it's not like she wasn't the cause of it. She broke up with João Mendes, not the other way around.

"Please, sit." Her uncle said, offering Carla to take his seat at the table.

"It's okay, uncle Martin, I'm just gonna grab a drink and go."

"Go where?" Her mother flinched.

"Up....stairs?"

"Oh, okay."

There was a unified sigh of relief.

"What's going on?" Carla asked. "Why are you all acting so....strange?"

"Strange, who's acting strange?" Her aunt chuckled nervously.

Maria rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'm guessing none of you are gonna tell her?"

"Tell me what?"

"Maria, don't!" Carla's mother snapped.

"Mom?"

"Carla." Her uncle approached, putting a hand to her shoulder as to guide her to the breakfast table. "Have something to eat, querida. You must be starving after all those days spent in your room."

"No." She shrugged him off. "Not until you tell me what the hell is going on."

"Language Carla."

She ignored her mother, turning to her cousin for answers.

"Ruben's back." Maria said, not sugar coating the big news.

"But he's not staying for long." Her mother was quick to add, seeing how Carla had stiffened. "Gloria brought him to the salon the other day. The audacity of that woman. Nevertheless, Ruben is only here for a short visit. He's preparing for a tournament of some sort."

"Of some sort." Her uncle scuffed. "What your mother meant to say is that Ruben is back training with Portugal for the European championship this summer.

"I see." Carla nodded, the initial shock having left her. However, now she understood why there was such commotion when she entered the room. "Was there something else?" She said, her stale reply shocking everyone.

"Well, we thought that you may want to stay inside as to not bump into each other in the street." Her mother said, to which her aunt and uncle nodded agreeingly. Only Maria didn't appear as high-strung. Perhaps because she was away at university during the darkest period in Carla's life. After Ruben left her to chase his dreams in England, Carla was left with no sense of direction whatsoever. The two days in bed she spent mourning João Mendes were nothing compared to the year she spent sobbing over Ruben Dias. Carla lost so much weight from not eating that her mother had to call a handful of her family members to keep an eye on her when they couldn't, hence her aunt and uncle's nervous demeanor.

"Mom, it's okay." Carla reassured. "I'm not gonna stay inside and hide from a person who is absolutely out of my life. I mean, unless Ruben shows up on our doorstep and...."

The door bell rang.

"It's him, it's Ruben!" Maria exclaimed, her head peeking through the window curtains.

"I'll go get it." Her uncle volunteered.

"No." Her mother said, her expression set. "I'll go get it."

"Mom. It's...."

"Carla." She raised her hand. "You owe that man nothing, not a damn word."

"But I..."

"Martin." Her mother said, calling for Carla's uncle."

"Yes, irmã?"

"Make sure Carla doesn't go anywhere near the door."

"Yes, ma'am."

Carla had no choice. She was held back, ushered upstairs to her room as her mother charged towards the door.

"What do you think he wants?" She asked her cousin.

"I dunno. Maybe he wants you back again."

Carla nodded. "Maybe."

There had been numerous attempts. Attempts where Ruben had called or texted her, without success. Carla didn't feel comfortable replying to her ex-boyfriend's message whilst in another relationship. She never even opened them, the messages. They got deleted right away, before João could see. God knows how he would react. He and Ruben weren't exactly friendly with each other growing up. João was actually quite awful towards Ruben, always giving him hell whenever he could. Nevertheless that was in the past, when Carla didn't know João, before the two of them reunited as adults. When Ruben was long gone, out of Carla's life for good.

Or so she thought

"Look! I think he's leaving."

Carla sighed. "Please get away from the window Maria. He might see you."

Just then Maria gasped and shut the curtains, pressing her back to the wall.

"What?" Carla left her bed, curious as to what had caused her cousin's reaction.

"I think he saw me. Quick, hide behind me."

"I will do no such thing." Carla frowned. She was not a victim. Ruben no longer had a hold of her heart. Not now, not ever.

During her brief moment of bravery, Carla reached out to remove the curtains, exposing herself through her bedroom window. She squinted her eyes as the sunlight hit her eyes and there he stood, as handsome as ever. "Ruben."

"What are you doing, get away from there." Her cousin snapped.

Carla couldn't move, however. She didn't want to move. "Ruben." She whispered.

His shoulders withered at the sight of her. He was taller than she remembered, much much taller. His expression wore no emotion, but then....a smile.

"What is he doing?" Maria asked, still out of sight, her back pressed to the wall.

"Nothing, he's just....standing there I guess." Carla didn't have the strange to diverge her eyes. They were left staring at a memory, an illusion, a dream. Her eyes were left staring at the man of her dreams.

"Great." Her cousin said. "You best get out of there before your mother...."

"Carla?"

There was a hard knock on her door. "Carla, open the door now!"

"Told you." Maria sighed.

Her mother, aunt and uncle were probably wondering why Ruben hadn't left their front yard yet. Or why he was staring up towards the second floor.

"I told you to get away from there." Maria said, Her back leaving the wall, on her way to open the bedroom door.

"Wait!" Carla exclaimed, to which her cousin's steps altered.

"Carla what are you..."

"Just wait." She said, reaching for her phone on the nightstand.

"Carla, don't."

It was too late, her mind was made up. Below her window Ruben stood watching, watching as Carla dialed the only number she had come to memorize as a child that wasn't her parents. A long shot. Ruben could have changed his a long time ago, nevertheless she let the phone ring and after two beats she watched him fumble for something in his pocket, his phone.

"Carla?"

His voice sparked through her ear like a familiar song, his deep voice melting her heart.

"What do you want?" She asked, her voice cold and distant.

"I....I wanted to talk to you." He said, watching her from below.

"There is nothing for us to talk about Ruben, now leave before my mother sends my uncle to chase you away."

Her mother was still banging on the bedroom door, a distant noise in Carla's ears. Nevertheless Maria was getting anxious for Carla to hang up the phone.

"I want to talk about our promise." Ruben said. A bit unexpected to Carla as he had never brought it up before, not even the last time that they bumped into each other on Christmas eve three years ago.

"Hello, Carla?" Ruben sounded anxious, anxious that she had hung up on him.

"Fine." She said, "Meet me at our spot, tonight."

"Okay."

"If you're late Ruben, trust me I'm leaving."

"I trust you." He said, and to Carla's frustration he was smiling up at her window. The same boyish smile he took forever to show her.

"That's it, I'm too grown to be punished by aunt Gloria." Maria rushed to open the door. Carla was quick to leave the window, returning to the bed. She sat with her hands in her lamp, anticipating her mother's wrath.

"If that man doesn't..." Carla's mother stumbled into the room, charging straight to the window. She looked puzzled. "Where did he go?" She spun around.

"Who?" Carla played dumb.

"What do you mean who, Ruben, of course. He was standing right...." Her mother paused, eyes searching her daughter's face. "Nevermind." She returned to the door, pausing in the frame. "I want you girls dressed and ready to come with us to the cemetery. We'll wait for nobody.

"Yes, mom. We will be ready." Carla assured.

"Good."

Maria waited for the door to shut before she spoke. "Carla, please don't tell me that you're not going to see Ruben tonight."

"I am."

"But why? Like aunt Gloria said, Ruben did you dirty and doesn't deserve a word from you."

"I get that. It's just something I have to do."

"And what is that exactly?"

"I have to end things. Once and for all I have to end things between me and Ruben."

And there was only one way to do it. Carla had to break her promise.

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