A talk with Victoria.

It was early that very next day that Leonardo got a message from Victoria, asking him if he had time to talk. He answered yes and he was asked to go to her house. Twenty minutes later, he was there.

“You’ve eaten already, I assume,” Victoria said as she welcomed him into her house.

He chuckled. “I’m responsible for making food for six, sometimes seven people excluding myself. What do you think?”

Victoria laughed with him. “How do you manage that every single day?”

“Routine, obviously.”

“I still have orange juice to offer you.”

“Sure. Thanks.”

They sat together at the table, glasses of natural juice in hand.

“How was the festival?” she asked him.

“It was fun. It reminded me a bit of some festivities back in Chile, though very different too. I wanted to invite you, but…”

“Oh, don’t worry,” she spoke before he could finish. “I’m not a big fan of these festivals. I did watch the fireworks from here, though. So, tell me. Any troubles up in heaven?”

He smiled wryly. “No, thankfully. Though it’s only been a couple of days.”

“You’re expecting something to go wrong soon?”

“Not exactly. Just afraid it might. They tell me I worry too much, but I can’t help it. It’s all too surreal, you know?”

“Tell me about it. I’m having an affair with a man with five girlfriends,” Victoria laughed.

“It’s not an affair if they consent to it,” Leo pointed out.

“I suppose.”

They both took a sip from their drinks at the same time, knowing full well what was coming next.

“So you know everything already,” he said.

“Valerie filled me in. She says she wouldn’t mind if I joined them.” Victoria shook her head with a smile.

“It would be difficult,” Leo said. “Angela and Valerie know you. The others not so much.”

“At least you get it.”

“Then come have dinner at our place sometime.”

“Leo…”

“You have stories to tell I’m sure we’d all love to hear. I like you, Victoria, and I don’t want to keep you as a separate part of my life anymore.”

She took in a deep, shaky breath and looked down at her own glass. “Look, I don’t mind sharing, but being part of that is another thing entirely. I don’t fit in that group.”

“You’ve traveled the world, understand the importance of personal passions, have worked hard towards your goals and achieved some of them already. You share more with us than you know. Our group is far from homogeneous, anyway.”

“It would be awkward,” Victoria insisted. “You guys live together, know each other. I’m just some woman you fuck on the side.”

Leo scowled. “It’s true we don’t live together. It’s true the others don’t know you well. You’re NOT just some woman I fuck on the side.” He sighed and looked down. “But that’s how I’ve made you feel, haven’t I?”

“No, I just… said that out of frustration. Sorry.”

“Because there’s some truth to it. Let me fix that. It doesn’t need to happen overnight, but let me bring you into my life a little more, and let me be part of yours, too.”

“Want to be part of my life?” she asked with a faint grin. “Maybe I’ll hire you at the gym.”

“I know little of fitness, but I could be the best janitor you’ve ever had.”

The laugh they shared eased the tension between them. Victoria reached out and held Leo’s hand in her own, squeezing it gently. “Just to be clear. You’re not just some guy I fuck on the side, either, okay? Much as I rather that was the case. Falling for you was never the plan, but it happened and now I have to deal with it. So yeah, I’ll enter your life and you enter mine. Slowly.”

“And your stance on… the other girls?”

“I’ve been okay with sharing this long, haven’t I? Whether we hit it off as people, we have yet to see, but I’m willing to try, if only because it’s been too long since I’ve clicked with someone this much.”

“Good to know the feeling isn’t one-sided,” Leo chuckled. “I feel like I’ve learned a lot from you, and I don’t just mean how to punch. I remember thinking to myself when I first saw you that I could stand to be a bit more like you.”

She laughed. “Seriously? Why would ever think that?”

“I don’t know. You seemed so poised, so confident. To this day I still question everything I do, so yeah, that confidence is nothing short of enviable.”

“Bah. I’m just headstrong, is all,” she dismissed. “But I’m serious, okay? Let’s go slowly. The last thing I want is to clash with other women over a man, especially with Angela and Valerie.”

Leo smiled. “You’ve come to really care for them, haven’t you?”

“I’ve been watching them grow, not only in skill, but as people. There’s a light in their eyes that wasn’t there when they first entered my gym, and knowing they love what I teach them is part of why I still have this place instead of doing anything else. It’s fulfilling.”

“Thanks for looking after them, and sorry you got dragged into our issues before we had this talk.”

“Don’t apologize. I’m your coach. Our relationship is going to change from now on, but I was already involved in a way.”

Leo leaned in and lightly pressed his lips against Victoria’s. His lover deepened the kiss, probing his mouth with her tongue and slipping it inside. They made out for a full minute before Leo pulled away.

“I have time. Can I stay a while longer?”

“I wish,” Victoria groaned. “I have appointments in 10 minutes. I only have five people I teach martial arts to, but I have more clients for general fitness, you know?”

Leo gasped in mock offence. “You have OTHER students?”

“Oh, shut up.” Victoria laughed and kissed him again. “You’re the only one I get real sweaty with.”