Never Again(9)
“To us, and all the crazy adventures ahead of us,” we toast, and with glasses in hand, we continue the tour of the suite. The next room is a bright bedroom with two beds. A beautiful cream rug covers the floor. The bedding is white, but everything else is in chocolate brown, same as the living room.
Sophie takes off her shoes, climbs on the bed, and starts jumping on it like an excited child. A few pictures of Spanish painters adorn the walls. A big glass door on the end of the room leads to the balcony. The magnificent view of the whole city is the first thing that we notice. Sitting on the balcony at night, and watching the city lights will be even more mesmerizing. The balcony is small with a round table in the middle and two chairs. In the corner there are two deck chairs. We also check out the bathroom, which is as luxurious as the rest of the suite, and finally unpack. It’s getting dark, so we decide to take a short stroll to the city center.
We’ve been in Valencia for four days now, and I’m in love with the city. Sophie and I have seen many famous sights, and museums, plus the opera house and the beach. My favorite was the zoo. Currently, we are sitting in a small café in the city center, sipping coffee and eating ice cream. The sun is gently caressing our skin. Even though it’s the beginning of November, the temperature is pleasant 65 degrees. We are planning to see some more museums, and then we are going to lie by the hotel pool, reading—a perfect way to relax. Up until today, we have gone sightseeing every day, which was entertaining and educational, but it has also been exhausting. I’m quite tired from all the walking around, so a lazy afternoon will be perfect.
“So, what do you have planned for the next three days?” I ask Sophie before taking a sip of the divine coffee. Sophie takes a deep breath as if she wants to say something, but changes her mind. She’s been behaving like this the whole time we’ve been here. I wonder what’s going on in her head. “What? Spill already, you’ve been driving me crazy the whole week. What is troubling you? I don’t bite,” I nudge her with a raised eyebrow. She takes another deep breath and finally speaks.
“Do you remember when I told you I won this trip?” I nod and wait for her to continue. “Well, I kind of lied to you.” My eyes widen at her confession, and I frown.
“What do you mean by that? Meredith also said you won the contest.” Sophie turns to the side, peeking at me with one eye. She quickly exclaims:
“Well, actually I won the tickets for a motorcycle race here in Valencia. The final race of the season is on Sunday, practice is tomorrow, and on Saturday it’s qualifying. We have VIP tickets for the final race, which also means we can go meet the racers in person.” I can hear the hesitation in her voice. She was afraid to tell me about the race because of what I went through with Josh.
“Okay... And the rest of the days we spent here? Those were not included in the package?” I try to remain calm.
“Yes. And no.” She wrinkles her forehead, waiting for my reaction.
“So you paid for the rest?” She nods. “Why didn’t you tell me this before? I’ll pay you back my half when we get home.”
“No! Matt and I wanted for you to take some time to relax because you needed it badly. I’m happy we spent the time together. I felt like you had distanced yourself from me. I miss your friendship.”
“I’m sorry,” I drop my gaze to my knees. “I know I haven’t been much of a friend the last two years. I promise to make a better effort in the future, I want us to be close again.” We hug and I’m suddenly feeling a pang of guilty.
“You aren’t mad?” she asks quietly.
“No. You and Matt were right. I needed this.” Sophie wraps me in another hug, exhaling deeply. “But don’t think for one second I won’t pay you for my half.”
“Fine,” she gives me a sour smile. “So are we going to the circuit tomorrow?” she asks in a small voice.
“A circuit?”
“Yes, that’s how they call a racetrack in MotoGP.”
“Oh.”
“So, do you wanna come with me?” I shake my head no. “Why not? Please, you have to go with me! You know how crazy I am about motorcycling and everything connected to it.”
“You know why,” I respond as I drink the last of my coffee. The memory of Josh’s death washes over me again. No, I cannot watch people who voluntarily ride around the track, constantly putting their lives in danger.
“This is completely different from what happened to Josh,” she says softly.
I shake my head again. “I can’t, okay? I swore to myself I’m never going near motorcycles again. They ruined my life.” Sophie throws in the proverbial towel, because she knows she can’t persuade me. We decide that tomorrow she’s going to the circuit to watch the practice, and I’m going to relax the whole day by the pool with a good book in one hand and a cocktail in the other.