She Won't Be Lonely Long

SIX MONTHS LATER

Madrid

"Nooo," Maral groaned, burying her face in the sand colored velvet of the pillow at her right with frustration. "Trill, you podunk American. You must trill your 'R's!"

Hannah whimpered. "But I can't!"

It had been two weeks since Hannah had made her final move to Spain, all of that time spent confined in Sergio's home being taught Spanish by the fabulously plump Maral. She had taken a break from her job and wasn't planning on returning in the near future, the growing baby she carried being a number one priority. Sergio made more than enough money to support his family so Maral decided to try being a mom and just that. If in the future she decided she needed to work, it wouldn't be difficult to reclaim her position as a physical therapist for Real Madrid, considering her choice in men. Until the baby came she occupied herself with being a teacher, and it was proving to be the wrong profession for her. When it came to the Spanish language, Maral's only pupil was truly impared.

"Pot of gold, pot of gold, pot of gold," Hannah continued to recite frantically, an excercise that was common in Spanish classes to get the feel of a rolled tongue.

She continued to do that as her disciplinarian pushed herself off of the couch and hastily waddled to answer the ringing phone. There was a brief conversation buzzing in Hannah's ear beyond that point but she paid no attention, figuring it was just Sergio calling to check up since he had been at a charity event for the entire day.

"In Spanish." Maral urged, shoving the phone towards Hannah and interrupting her vocal excercise.

She groaned, figuring Maral was making her speak in Spanish so Sergio could be updated on the very little progress Hannah had made with his primary language. He quite enjoyed mocking her bilingual disability since she had moved in.

"Hola." she sighed into the phone.

A voice she hadn't been expecting replied. "Yo oído que estás aprendiendo español?"

"Umm... umm..." she murmered, stumbling over what he had just said in her mind, and the shock of hearing Xabi's voice again. By that point her Spanish was only getting worse. "Umm.. mi nombre es Hannah."

Xabi laughed in reply, finding something about her ignorance to adorable. And damn, the butterflies in her stomach were back again! She could have swore she had gotten rid of those.

"Inglés por favor, lo siento." she squeaked, her cheeks burning red as she faltered to her own language. Being a foreigner was new to her and she found humiliation from it.

"Your accent is beautiful." Xabi assured, an effort to compliment her Spanish when there wasn't much to compliment at all.

She chuckled, smearing her hand across the sweltering hot flesh of her face. "It's nice to speak to you again, Xabi."

"I would have phoned sooner, but Sergio did not mention your arrival until today."

That seemed typical of him, so Hannah just giggled in response. Her mind was giddy, speaking to Xabi after such a long time. She wasn't used to his perfection anymore and it left her muddled.

"I have a question," he spoke, leaving her on the edge of the undefined cotton cushion where she sat. "This Saturday a dinner is being held and the team is expected to go. It's a very formal event," he stopped himself to chuckle. "Well, as formal as this team can manage. And I was wondering if you would like to go as my company."

A smile swept across her face as this proposal smoothed her thoughts back to reality. She had been hoping for a more direct, promiscuous question involving tantric sex. But she was sure that in a way, this would too.

"Of course." she chimed, her head spinning and her cheeks aching the way they always had whenever the thought of her and Xabi became a reality.

"Bueno." he let out a sigh of relief, not bothering to cover the phone so his company wouldn't notice. "I suppose, because Maral and Sergio are also going, you can go with them... and, perhaps leave with me?"

Maral watched from a distance, astonished as Hannah's teeth managed to bear themselves more. Her eyes sparkled with a specific sort of glitter, that of lust and the excitement that came with it.

"Of course." she repeated again, the only difference being her voice which had rose many octaves.

"Well..." Xabi ran his coarse palm against the scruffy cinnamon beard dusting his face and began tapping his fingers against the chillingly cold white tile of his kitchen counter as he sat with it.

His magnificent palace in Madrid was empty as he had no company over, and hadn't since his move to the city had been made. It was fully and ostentaciously furnished when he had arrived, every one of the 9 bedrooms, five living areas and eight bathrooms complete with ridiculous luxuries to conserve the villas elegance. It certainly was elegant, with marbled floors and pilars, wide staircases and crystal light fixtures. But this did nothing for him; He had been lonely since his move to Spain, solo in that cavernous house that he hadn't learned to call home yet, and Hannah returning seemed to cater to his own circumstances perfectly. He knew that once the phone was turned off and the sound of her voice was gone, he would be left alone in his manor as a pitiful specimen of royalty. Using his charm as fuel, he managed to postpone that for the next few hours as his conversation with her bloomed into the early morning.

She retreated to the bedroom where she had slept for the past two weeks and stared at the ceiling whilst his voice seranaded her into tranquility, feeling like a giddy High School girl again, secretly staying up too late although it was a school night because for some odd reason, the cutest boy in school had called her.At five in the morning, they both had decided to end the call and both agreed that Saturday couldn't have come quickly enough.