Chapter 24: Chapter 24

Alfredo tightened his jaw muscles as he watched her speak, still wondering what has gotten over her, he did not come here for this and was beginning to think that it was time he tell her seriously how he felt about her and push their relationship to another level, especially now that they have graduated from school. “You were not the only one, Catalina but I plan on making you the only one, and that is if you are willing to make me the only one too, look I have a feeling that you have feelings for me so you do not have to deny it.” Alfredo said his gaze still on her.

Catalina forced herself to chuckle at his speech when she should have just embraced him and be happy for what he was willing to do, she turned a sharp gaze at him afterwards and pretended to be very upset by his words, “You are just saying that to make me feel happy, I would have felt happy though if it were a different circumstance, but I can’t let you get the best of me… I cannot allow you to deceive me Alfredo like you are doing to Lora right now, I can’t go on doing this behind Lora’s back, am supposed to be her friend, I mean I should be there for her you know.” She paused, turning her gaze away from him unable to continue to look into his eyes, “I am supposed to be Lora’s friend but here I was screwing her boyfriend, I cannot continue to do this to her, Alfredo, so please let us just end this here and pretend like none of this happened.” Catalina told Alfredo, fighting to keep herself from crying since what she was saying hurt her too like she knew it was hurting Alfredo.

Alfredo furiously lifted his hand and brushed his hair backwards, feeling frustrated at her speech, he cannot believe that Catalina was breaking up with him like this. He normally would not have tolerated this sort of behavior from her if it were before when he was hanging out with her for fun. “Do you love me?” Alfredo asked her out of the blue, his palms at the back of his neck as he gazed straight into her eyes, searching her eyes.

Catalina gasped immediately at his question and pressed her lips tightly Afterwards, as tears suddenly clouded her vision, she turned her gaze away from him as soon as she noticed the tears, not wanting him to see her like this.

“Tell me Catalina, do you love me… I want to hear you say it?” Alfredo asked again, moving to stand in front of her as he saw her look away, he could the truth in her reaction and her inability to look at his face but he still want to hear her say the words.

Catalina paused her lips as she and summoned the courage to look into his eye, still fighting the tears in her eyes, she had actually waited to hear him say this a long time now since he is actually the one she love’s most among all the guys she has been seeing but now that he had finally asked she was unable to answer him properly.

“Answer me, Catalina, do you love me?” Alfredo asked again, getting impatient as he wanted to hear her say the obvious.

“Well that’s not the point.” Catalina said as she sniffed and shrugged her shoulders to try and hide her emotions.

“It is to me, Catalina, I need to know what you feel,” Alfredo told, feeling in his guts that she love him, her facial expression and her behavior says it. “Tell me Catalina and I promise you that I am going to come clean to Lora so that she can move on with her life.” He added, so that he could make her say the word if that was the reason why she was hesitating to tell him her feelings right now.

“No Alfredo, you will do no such thing,” Catalina said immediately as he mentioned Lora, “you cannot do that Alfredo, Lora is going to be shattered.” Catalina added pleadingly and continued immediately afterwards before Alfredo could speak. “Look you are the only one that gives her hope at the moment so you cannot break up with her.” She was saying when Alfredo interrupted her, seeing a reason why she was trying to breakup with him even though she has feelings for him.

“I do not love Lora, Catalina, to me she’s just a game and I am tired of playing that game, it is time she knows about it so that she can move on, she is an adult for Christ sakes and not a child so I cannot baby sit her.” He snapped feeling irritated by Catalina’s change of heart. “I really do not know what has come over you Catalina.” Alfredo added, his tone a little high and husk.

“Tell me what has she done to you, Catalina, I could feel that she has done something to you, that was the reason why you are sounding this way… this is not you… the Catalina I fell in love with was not like this,” Alfredo said again to Catalina’s surprise. She could not believe what she has just heard and thought that she was dreaming. Alfredo just confessed to her that he had fallen in love with her, no she cannot believe this she thought, her thought drifting back to Lora and how excited she had looked shopping because she was doing it for Alfredo and not for herself, recalling that she had said that she would wear one of the dresses they bought when she has a meeting with Alfredo.

“What is this bag for?” Alfredo asked as his gaze rested on the bag that looked expensive, “where were you Catalina, who have you gone out with?” He asked furiously, taking her hand and gazing into her eyes.

“Let go of me Alfredo,” Catalina replied, slowly pulling her hands away from Alfredo’s hand, knowing why he was asking already, he may probably think that she had gone out with some guy. “I only went shopping with Lora, and the things in this bag were gifted to me by her so you do not have to worry about this being from another man,” Catalina said softly as she understood his feeling.

“Lora gifted this to you?” Alfredo asked, his gaze narrowed at her as he think that he know what was going on here. “Why did Lora go shopping you and why would she gift these to you?” Alfredo asked again, peering at her lips instead and suddenly feeling to urge to kiss her especially seeing the way she bit down her lower lip.

“I guess she wanted to give me something for my help,” Catalina replied, not willing to look into his eyes but peered down at the bag instead.

“Was this the reason you are denying your love for me?” Alfredo asked in a deep tone, gesturing to the bag, after lifting her chin in his hand so that she could look into his eyes. “Is this why you are acting like this? You feel guilty after receiving gifts from her, is that it?” He asked again in an angry tone his brows furrowed at her as he still peered into her eyes, his hand still holding up her chin.

Catalina tried to pull her face away from him as she could suddenly feel her heart racing not because of how he was scolding her but because of his warmth that she could feel very close to her, she parted her lips so that she could tell Alfredo to let her go but before she could say any words, Alfredo, slipped his tongue into her mouth and began to kiss her.

She tried to pull herself away because of how he took her unawares but Alfredo pulled her closer to himself and pressed her body against his, his strong arms gripping her waist and her hair and kissing her so fiercely just the way she liked it, she could not bring herself to fight him off again and quickly she began to respond to his kisses, she reciprocated in the ways she had done to him before and Alfredo could feel her desire for him as much as he feel for her, he stopped being forcefully and kissed her more passionately but just when he began to feel her yarn for more, he forcefully pulled himself away from her.

“What are you doing, Alfredo?” Catalina asked, sounding so honey because that’s how she feels at the moment, she wanted more of him and hated that he would pull himself away from her the way he did.

“What do you mean by that Catalina?” Alfredo asked instead, gazing into her eyes, and forcing himself to go at her again, he needed to find out something and he has, “you did not want to tell me that you love me Catalina but I could see how you feel in your desire for me… you want me very much as much as I want you, so do not allow Lora to stop us from this desire,” he said, lifting his palm and stroking her face with his finger, his gaze in her eyes.

Catalina furrowed her brows at him now, realizing what he just did, “how can you stop now?” she asked, getting furious, and holding shirt collar so that she could try and get him to finish what he started but Alfredo pulled away from her with a rather wicked smirk at the corner of his lips.

“you are mine Catalina, so until you tell me you love and beg me to touch you, I will not do that and I know that know other guy has been able to touch you in the right places like I did, that’s why you are with me right?” Alfredo said and without waiting for her to speak again he turned away from her and started walking away even though he was still having to burning urge to continue kissing her but he had to do this to teach her a lesson and make her rethink her decision about breaking up with him again.

Catalina peered after him, feeling furious for what he had done to her, he had turned her on and left her unsatisfied, and what made her more furious was the fact that she was still yearning for him even after what he has just done.