chapter 1 - confessions

March, 2011.

It was a cold Sunday morning. As usual, Roberto waked up early, leaving Chloe enjoying the bed for a little longer. Despite being a very active girl, always doing stuff, she was a groundhog when it came to sleep.

While changing his pajamas for some sport clothes, Roberto couldn’t avoid looking at Chloe. She was so at peace and beautiful during her sleep, bathing in the morning light, just like an angel. Her blonde hair spread on top of the pillow like a sunny crown. He was lucky to have her.

Chloe had been doing great the last months keeping her weight under control. In fact, she even lost a couple of those 6 pounds she had gained during the first months of their relationship. She felt great about herself and Roberto made his best to make her feel loved. She also felt relieve after opening up with him about her ‘dark secret’ and having Roberto’s acceptance and understanding. Roberto had always treated her right, but, since he knew she had that problems with her body images in the past, he put extra effort complimenting her and giving her confidence. There were no issues in that regard.

However, she was a bit up and down about her future. She just finished the last subjects that remained from her degree and she was now a graduate in fashion design. Roberto didn’t know the slightest thing about fashion but even an ignorant in that regard like him could tell that Chloe was talented. She made amazing drawings of different clothes, incredible designs that he would have never thought of. She was creative and had the ability to always give her designs some ‘fresh touch’, even though everything is invented already in fashion, as she always said. “Fashion is like the myth of eternal return” she joked trying to explain to him that some type of print, leopard? polka dots? whatever, was making a comeback.

During the last few months, she had been putting together a portfolio with her best creations and sending it over to different companies asking for a job. She was quite excited at first, checking her phone constantly for a call that never came. As time progressed with no answer to her portfolio and no job offers either, she started to lose hope and get crankier. Her family always bugged her about trying her luck in a different field. They also tried pushing her to take a job that a friend of her father was offering her at a real estate company. She didn’t know if she really wanted to work in fashion, but she knew that she definitely didn’t want to end up working selling houses.

Roberto walked on his toes into the living room and turned on his laptop. Checking his e-mail, he noticed the name of an architecture office he sent his resume months back. He couldn’t contain a scream.

“Hey, what’s up?” inquired Chloe from the door frame with a sleepy look, her eyes were still mostly closed.

“I got a really good offer, cariño! From an architecture office! I’m finally going to work as an architect!”

Chloe opened her eyes and run to the sofa to hug him.

“Wow! That’s huge, baby. I’m so proud of you. Maybe now we can move closer to the city center. I know you love Nick, I do too; but we could have our own place… you know…”

“Err… I don’t think that’s going to be possible…”

“Why is it? Is it in Southampton, Brighton? I can do Manchester but don’t count me in for Birmingham.”

“It’s in Spain.”

“Well. At least it’s not Birmingham.”

Roberto noticed the sad face on Chloe. He didn’t know what to do. He wanted to work as an architect; it was his childhood dream. But he didn’t want to leave Chloe behind.

‘Why’s life so complicated?’ he thought.

“My parents are going to hate you so much” said Chloe.

“I don’t think so, I think they have been praying for me to go back to Spain for quite some time…”

“Yeah, but they sure didn’t want you to take me with you.”

“Shit. You sure? Do you wanna come? I can always turn this down. Wait for something here, in the UK.”

“Don’t be silly. There is nothing keeping us here. You work as a delivery guy, doing tons of extra hours and I’m jobless and I’ve no clue what I want to do in the future. Besides, you came here to learn English, and you did. Plus, you got yourself a hottie girlfriend, right? What else could this land give to you? Now is my turn to learn some Spanish!!”

“Fuck. Let’s do it!”

They kissed. And the excitement they were both feeling lead into an uninhibited morning of sex right on the sofa. Luckily for them, none of Roberto’s flat mates came out of their room while it lasted.

Satisfied and happy, Chloe’s head rested on Roberto’s shoulder. They still couldn’t believe it.

“Shit. My parents are going to trip. I think you should wear a kevlar when we tell them.”

“It’s going to be that bad, right?”

“Yup” said Chloe as her stomach protested for the lack of food after the strenuous exercise they had just performed, “Are you going to make me breakfast or what?”

“Hey! You can do it yourself, too, right?”

“I’m going to move to a different country for you, ***. You should treat me with some kindness!”

“Haha. Fair enough. What my princess wants for breakfast?”

“Dunno. Surprise me.”

Roberto went to the kitchen. A few minutes later came back with a tray full of delicious treats: donuts, waffles, fruits, milk and cereals. Chloe ate with the appetite that a new horizon brings. When they finished everything, she still asked for an orange juice, which Roberto prepared for her after she remembered how lonely she was going to be in Spain. She seemed to revel in the pampering.

“If I knew it was so easy to turn you into my slave, we would have moved to Spain already.”

“I think I would look hot in a loincloth.”

“Mmm… I like that. I might command that as your princess, yeah.”

“Haha. You are so full of shit, your grace. So, is this ‘feel bad about your poor girlfriend and make her breakfast’ going to be a thing from now on?”

“Maybe…” she joked, “Haha, hell no. I would become so fat letting you spoil me with breakfasts like this!”