Ellos se conocieron como se conoce ahora la mayorĂa, un hola, sin mucha historia, un par de tragos y al grano.
Todo era dejar fluir y sin etiquetar, libertad le llaman. Aunque sinceramente normalmente suena más a libertinaje sin lĂmite.
SalĂan, se perdĂan juntos un par de dĂas y luego se desentendĂan otros tantos. Cada quien cn su vida, con su historia, sin mucho que compartir para no arruinar lo bonito de la relaciĂłn.
Es que todo era perfecto, mientras no se involucraran demasiado.
Pero un dĂa algo paso, no, no fue nada romántico, fue más bien un presentimiento raro, fue como si alguien le recordara que todo tiene un precio y el riego a veces es muy alto.
Oye… y si nos hacemos exámenes, le dijo ella, asĂ, al grano y sin drama.
Él se rió, un poco sorprendido y restándole importancia.
¿Todo bien o qué? Le respondió
Pues… sĂ, pero pues es justo por eso.
Y en este punto solo hubo silencio.
Porque en el fondo ambos sabĂan que, desde el principio, nada estaba bien. Que esa libertad siempre tuvo huecos y que ninguno preguntĂł mucho por miedo a las respuestas.
Se hicieron las pruebas, y esos dĂas de espera no fueron para verse, fueron para pensar, demasiado dirĂa yo.
Él empezĂł a acordarse de nombres que, a propĂłsito, no querĂa recordar, de noches que ni siquiera habĂan sido tan buenas como para justificar el riesgo.
Ella por su parte dudaba de las decisiones tomadas a la ligera, de la confianza entregada luego de unas cervezas, de ese “no pasa nada, fue solo un error de borrachera” la noche anterior.
Por primera vez el pasado dejaba de ser anĂ©cdota y se convertĂa en una horrible posibilidad.
Fue tan profundo el dolor de sus errores que se volvieron más cuidadosos, pero no entre ellos, sino con lo que pensaban, era como si evitar el tema lo hiciera menos real.
El dĂa que recogieron los resultados, el miedo los consumĂa, no era solo un papel, era todo su pasado, todo lo que habĂan hecho sin asumir su responsabilidad.
Se sentaron.
Abrieron los sobres.
Él primero. Ella después.
Negativo.
Los dos.
Se miraron, pero no hubo celebraciĂłn, solo un aire de alivio cargado de culpa.
Porque en ese momento entendieron que no era que todo estuviera bien… era que habĂan tenido suerte.
Y eso pesa.
Bueno… gracias a Dios todo bien, dijo él, intentando volver a lo de antes.
Ella asintiĂł.
Pero ya no lo sentĂan igual porque ahora sabĂan que esa “libertad” no era inofensiva.
Porque una cosa es salir negativo.
Y otra muy distinta es seguir viviendo jugando a la ruleta rusa.
🇬🇧 English Version
They met the way most people meet these days: a quick hello, no big story, a couple of drinks, and straight to the point.
It was all about letting things flow, no labels, they call it freedom. Although honestly, it usually sounds more like unbridled promiscuity.
They'd go out, spend a couple of days together, and then drift apart for just as long. Each with their own life, their own story, not wanting to share much so as not to ruin the beauty of the relationship.
Everything was perfect, as long as they didn't get too involved.
But one day something happened. No, it wasn't anything romantic, it was more of a strange feeling, like someone was reminding him that everything has a price, and sometimes the risk is very high.
"Hey… what if we get tested?" she said, just like that, straight to the point, no drama.
He laughed, a little surprised and downplaying it.
"Is everything okay?" he replied.
"Well… yeah, but that's exactly why."
And at this point, there was only silence.
Because deep down, they both knew that, from the beginning, nothing was right. That this freedom always had gaps, and that neither of them asked too many questions for fear of the answers.
They got tested, and those days of waiting weren't for seeing each other, they were for thinking—too much, I'd say.
He started remembering names he deliberately didn't want to recall, nights that hadn't even been good enough to justify the risk.
She, for her part, doubted the decisions made lightly, the trust given after a few beers, that "it's nothing, it was just a drunken mistake" from the night before.
For the first time, the past stopped being an anecdote and became a horrible possibility.
The pain of their mistakes was so profound that they became more careful, not with each other, but with their thoughts; it was as if avoiding the subject made it less real.
The day they received the results, fear consumed them. It wasn't just a piece of paper; it was their entire past, everything they had done without taking responsibility.
They sat down.
They opened the envelopes.
He went first. She followed.
Negative.
Both of them. They looked at each other, but there was no celebration, only a sigh of relief tinged with guilt.
Because in that moment they understood that it wasn't that everything was alright… it was that they had been lucky.
And that weighs heavily.
Well… thank God everything's fine, he said, trying to go back to how things were before.
She nodded.
But they didn't feel the same way anymore because now they knew that this “freedom” wasn't harmless.
Because testing negative is one thing.
And it's quite another to continue living like a game of Russian roulette.
I'd like to invite you to participate in this daily exercise.
