Daylight

08 RED

"YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL BEL,'' says Sebastian with a raspy voice. The late-night beer he had last night is probably why his face looks bloated.

"You say that every morning," I reply.

We stop at the entrance of my office building and he says, "Cause it's true. You look gorgeous Bel."

I blush and step out of his car.

I wave goodbye to him and the window of the passenger seat rolls down. I crouch down to get a better look at him and he asks, "What would you like to eat tonight?"

My lips form an O shape when I realized that I forgot to tell him, "I'm sorry I forgot to tell you. Elliot is taking me out to dinner tonight."

His face drops for a second but gives me a quick smile with a nod, "Have fun."

"Think of tonight as your holiday loverboy," then I wave another goodbye before walking into the building.

I try to ignore the queasy feeling I have. This is how it's supposed to be right? Best friends don't need to spend every waking moment together. I've grown so comfortable in our routine that I find myself having a little separation anxiety. But it's okay. Nothing is going to change between us.

I walk into my office and there are a few bouquets of flowers on my desk. I flip through the notes that came with them and nothing special. Directors, artists, and companies asking for favours. A few persistent suitors who believe that I will go out with them if they keep sending me lavish gifts and flowers. But the truth is they just enjoy the chase, the ego boost of obtaining something hard to get. The tabloids may paint me as a player who jets sets around the world collecting men. What they don't know is that I've only been in two relationships. The first one was my university boyfriend which lasted 2 years. And my longest relationship was with a girl that lasted for 3 years. The public doesn't know that I'm bisexual so it wasn't hard to keep the relationship out of the public eye.

When my career started to take off, it put a strain on my relationships. The higher I climbed and the more successful I got, my private life became more public. But there are certain aspects of my life that just aren't up for discussion. I choose not to date publicly and my last relationship ended because of this. The media can be cruel and it takes strong trust to be in a relationship when you are a public figure.

A large bouquet of red roses catches my eye. The suitors may be very forward about their motives but not very often do they show it so boldly. I read the card and it puts a smile on my face immediately.

You and I are going to make history. Tonight at 6.

E.

I hold the note to my chest to calm my racing heart. I start to feel weak in the knees so I collapse on my chair.

This is what butterflies feel like.

This is truly happening.

I'm going on a date with Elliot.

BY THE TIME I've finished working it's already six and the sky is long since dark. I smooth out my skirt, grab my bag, hold my head high and walk out of my office.

My lips twitch in amusement, watching Elliot's hungry eyes check me out as I exit the office building. He waits next to his Aston Martin wearing a black three-piece suit with matching dress shoes. He really is going all out for this. His hair is pushed back the same way it was at the masquerade ball. All I can think about is digging my fingers in his hair and messing it up.

"You have legs for days," he says with a wicked grin. He pulls me in by the waist and I let myself fall into his arms.

"I love being wrapped in your arms," I say. I rest my head on his shoulder and breath in his smell.