I just have to try and get that into my head before we get to the end of the week because otherwise, I might end up breaking my own heart by leaving.
Chapter Seventeen
Fernando
When the end of the day comes, I'm glad. Seeing my city through Ashley's eyes is as educational as ever, and I feel like a new man. But I'm also a man who has particular needs, and I've been waiting to fulfill those needs ever since the first moment we met on the street.
In any normal situation, I'm sure I would be able to resist, to go on putting those needs off for as long as possible. But this is not a normal situation. This is Ashley. And as much as I love Barcelona, a dusty old church can never compete with her.
I flag down a taxi in the city center and direct him back to my house as quickly as possible. I don't care how much I have to pay for the trip or the fact that it would have been cheaper if I had driven us both. I just want to get home now, to the last leg of Ashley's special day. There is still more waiting for her, and I'm not going to make her wait any longer.
We pull up outside my home after what I still judge to be too long of a time, even though it is hardly any time at all. I tell myself sternly that the taxi driver did a good job, and make myself give him a tip before we get out. Then we are standing in front of the large gates of my custom-built villa, right on the outskirts of Barcelona where it’s easy to get back into the city for business - but also easy to relax without the noise and hubbub of the center.
I unlock the gates with an automatic clicker, waiting for them to swing open and allow us inside. I glance down at Ashley, wanting to record the moment that she sees where I live for the first time. Her eyes are wide, and she can’t help herself from staring as the gates move out of the way to allow a view of my home.
I know it makes a good impression, a big impact, even. I designed it that way on purpose. I worked closely with the architects to make sure that I had a modern home that was both imposing and inviting, warm enough for a family to live in but modern enough to show that an important businessman lives here. An act of ego, quite possibly. But it is my home, and the only one like it, and I love it for that.
We walk up a short driveway, currently occupied by a couple of my cars on one side and empty on the other, where I unlock the front door and let her inside. From the outside, the front of the building is all dark glass, shiny and reflective, and impossible to see through. It gives privacy without compromising on modernity.
But once inside, the view changes. The glass walls on all four sides of the house actually allow you to see outside easily, and while this is extremely useful for checking out whoever might come to knock on the front door, that is only a convenient side effect of the intended purpose. Actually, the reason why I had the walls made of glass is because of what lies behind the house. Our own private stretch of beach, easily visible from any room in the house, lending a sense of peace and tranquility as the sea slowly laps at the shore.
It's a big house. When I had it built, I had no idea whether I was ever going to be able to fill it. I barely use any of the rooms as it is, and sometimes it feels a little lonely. But I always had a little faith that one day something would come through. That one day, these halls would be filled with the running feet of children and not just a sad, lonely old man who spent his whole life on work. Now, when I look at Ashley and watch her take in my house, I think I might just have accomplished that goal at last. I found the woman that will bear my children. I just have to find a way to convince her to stay here - and after tonight, when I make her my own, that will be so much easier.
“This place is so huge,” Ashley says, her mouth gaping open as she looks around. Everything is done out stylishly, with simple colors and textures, nothing too flashy. I spend my money on gadgets, the television that slides out of the wall, the hidden sensors that play automated smart home routines depending on the time of day, and my movement around the house.