Just when I open the door, Scott is standing on the doorsteps with his hands behind his back like a bodyguard. I take a few steps down when I realize he is following me.
"It's fine, I can get in the car myself," I don't mean to be rude, but I think my range gets over my speaking and almost makes the sentence rude. Fortunately, he takes the cue and stands in his first position with a nod.
I step down the other remaining steps. When I get in the car, I feel somehow awkward. I don't know what Scott is thinking about me by now, perhaps some unsteady partners Andrew has. Does he even know about my contract with Andrew? Why do I care anyway?
After some minutes, Andrew emerges out of the mansion in a gray shirt and black pants, knowing him, well, it's his usual to show off his great abs even through the tiny piece of clothes. He talks to Scott a few words before glancing to the car, mostly at me. But knowing the windows are tinted, I don't think he can see me. After some nodding heads, Andrew walks down the steps and toward the car. As I think he's about to open the back door and slide in, he goes around the hood and to the driver side. Is he going to drive? Oh no, that's the hell out of it. That means he has free will to talk to me the entire ride back to LA. Hell, I don't think I can bear that.
I'm literary about to open the door and rum back to the mansion when he turns in his seat to the back seats and looks at me with his eyebrow raised.
"Aren't you going to come here?" he asks me, pointing to the seat beside him. I don't know how he can manage this attitude after he practically cheated on me with his ex. I don't know if the act of cheating even is considered in our contract.
Without saying a word, I get out of the car and take my seat on the passenger seat, not like I actually have a choice here. I know Andrew and his way. He turns the engine on and it roars to life, not long after we are heading straight to the CA-1 S.
I'm facing the window and pretend I'm watching the sea while I know the hot gaze behind my head. I can feel him looking at me once in a while, but he doesn't say a thing. The silence is creepy and awkward. I turn the music on and the sweet sound of melody fills the air, at least it's better than listening to his breathing.
A few seconds after, I hear the music getting lower and lower. I glance at Andrew, whose hand is on the pitch and is turning the music off,
"Um, would you like me to stop and grab a dinner?"
"No, I'm fine, but you can eat, clearly you have missed your dinner with your beautiful girlfriend," I shoot back, now that I'm thinking about, all he said back at the ball was probably because of her. He was looking at my way, surely, but who's to say he wasn't looking at behind me, at her. I refuse to believe any of his acts were real even buying me that set.
"Laura," the tone of his voice is horribly dangerous. He inhales and shakes his head, frustrated. "Do you want to know the truth?"
The thing is I do, but I guess I'm proud to admit it to him. Maybe, I have been expecting him to explain himself, instead of the silence he gave me. But does it really going to change it if I let him explain himself to me? Surely few words will be exchanged and then nothing. I get back to the first square and the depression gets over me. Do I really want to know the reason he danced with her? Do I really want to know why he cheated on me?
"Fine, keep this silent treatment, I deserve it," he sighs.
Calling this a gut feeling, but I feel sorry for him, not because I'm not answering him and making him miserable, but because he doesn't know how to confront with it. He knows everything but somehow he decides the silent answer for every question hanging between us. Not knowing how to do commitments, maybe a good reason for him to not to explain it, but as a partner in a relationship, if you could call it one, he must have some explanation to me
What is clear here is he doesn't see how awkward and humiliating for me it was to watch the man who just recently said that he was looking forward to a future with me and the same person who apparently showed his love to me by buying me the set, danced with his ex who seemed to have a long history.
It doesn't seem to be that much of a big deal to him. Since he decides to keep the silence and wait for my answer. But I know it has yet to come. My proud doesn't let it this so easy.
Not long after the question with the answer, he pulls over. I look outside, everything is dark, but I can make out some lights. It must be a restaurant.
"Are you sure you're not hungry?" Andrew undoes his seatbelt and turns to me. I turn my face away from him and ignore him the way I always do. I don't care if right now I look like a five-year-old, but I want to show him how actually revenge tastes like, only this way he can feel the way I felt when I saw him love dancing with her. But of course, he may not care for all I know. I'm the one here with feelings on her sleeves.
"Alright," he gets out of the car and walks into the restaurant. Ten minutes pass and there is not a sign of him. My stomach groans loudly and I clutch it with my hands. Damn it, Laura why should I be so proud? Back to the events from the morning, I can remember the only things I had today was a brief brunch of pancakes with Andrew and then back at the ball some finger food. I'm not starving. Five minutes ago I was hoping Andrew would get back with a plastic bag in his hand, but you see ten minutes have passed and I become to know he's having dinner there, alone. What an ass!
After fifteen other minutes later, there is still no Andrew or food. I think this the torture for not answering him and I think I deserve it well. And that is when I finally give up. I'm about to get out of the car when I realize the key of the car is not on it. So I can't leave the car.
I dug into my purse and find my phone. He definitely made sure I can have some tastes of my own sulking. I dial his number and what gets me by surprise is that he picks up after two rings.
"Ok, I'm hungry. Come and get me," I hiss through my teeth without saying hello or giving him time to. Why should always our relationship be this complicated? He chuckles at the end of the line before getting off. Just a few seconds later, I see him getting out of the restaurant with this pathetic grin on his face. Tell me about it, why having a grin on?
The door to my side gets open with Andrew standing and looking down at me. It gets the trigger,
"What's so funny?" I practically shout as I get out of the car and make my way to the restaurant. Andrew somehow gets his pace and reaches me. He puts his hand behind my back and ushers me in like a gentleman.
The restaurant is busy to my surprise, considering it's located on the road. But as I get a better aspect of it, I can tell it looks like a very high-class restaurant. The decoration is modern although the familiar booths are still there. Mostly there are families with their children eating and shouting. Without waiting, Andrew drags me to an empty booth, which is now filled with food, hamburgers, and fresh fries. Wow, he was having a blast here. But what gets my attention before I can judge is that there are two hamburgers and two cokes. He's been waiting for me? My heart gets the silly cheeky smile seeing that I've been mattered. But my mind only huffs. Given to his ego, he must have someone for company. Well, that is true, and I can't deny it easily.
"Come on, I have just ordered," he says when he says my hesitation on sitting down in the booth. Did he? I guess my heart is right this time.
"I thought you were a more casual food?" I take a bit of the hamburger and I moan. It's been a long time I haven't had such a thing. Well, what can I say? I can't really go and eat all, the day long, hoping that I will have a shaped body after it.
"So you don't know me at all," he gets a bigger bit of his own.
I can't complain about it, I don't know about him at all. I don't know which food he likes, I don't know which movie he mostly watches, hell I don't know what his favorite color is.
Having my time savoring the taste of the fast food, I make myself ready to ask him the question that has been eating me this while. He knows this is coming, as well, I know I should ask it to lose the weight. I drink my coke to wash away the foot down.
"Care to explain?" it is the easiest way to ask or so I think.
He extends his hand over the table and scrubs something from the corner of my mouth and then stuck the finger into his hand. Did he just eat the sauce from my mouth?
"Look, as I said, it wasn't what you think it was. I had to dance with her." He sighs and picks up with his French fries. Ok, maybe this wasn't a good place to discuss this.
"You had to? How am I supposed to believe this?"
"I know it's not the most logical reason, but you have to. It's not like you would think. I swear I have never had the intention to cheat on you or anything. It was just a dance." He looks at me, his eyes locked on mine.
"But the dance was in the place that everyone thought I was the first one to have it with you, how can you-" he cuts me off abruptly.
"I know, but I had to, you understand-" this time I cut him off.
"Well then explain. You know that I can't really believe you with this reason."
He shoves his hand through his hair as he curses under his breath and leans back in his seat while looking at the distance behind me. I know I should believe him, this is why I want us to work, but damn it, this is harder than it looks. I can't really jump into it and get the ideas of him having a force to dance her, shit even this looks even worse. Having my apparent boyfriend having the force to dance with his ex is the worst idea someone can have.
"She threaded me," he says once his eyes are back on me.
Out of nowhere, I burst into laughter. This is defined by all means the worse explanation available. By my laughter, I get some attention to me but damn it just so funny to laugh at. When I think my laughter has died, I look up at Andrew, whose frown is yet another funny thing for me. Oh God, he got threaded by his ex. I can't remember to have such dangerous boyfriend so in the future when they see me with someone else they thread me for a dance. I think she's got provoked by Andrew buying me the set and giving me more attention than he had probably he gave her.
"Laura," his voice brings me back to life. I bite on my lip to stop myself.
"Sorry go on, why she threatened?" come to think of it, what does that woman know that I don't know. But after all, I don't know anything about Andrew. Yet again, the same reason hits me.
"There are so many secrets that you don't know about me, she knows one or two and she threatened me that if I don't dance with her, she would tell you,"
"And you don't want me to know them? Why? I mean, if they are this important, why you let her know in the first place?"
By now all our food is drained and we are just sitting to resolve the problem. A waitress comes to get our trays, but it doesn't pass with a showing off boobs to Andrew and flashing him her white teeth. Andrew, on the other hand, keeps his face straight and forward to me without breaking eye contact. He waits until the waitress has some distance,
"Because she was a part of it. And as to your question, I will be the one who tells you that and when the time comes, I will." I just wonder when the time would be. As our two month contract which would be seven weeks, we have passed one week already, does that means at the end of the time, he's going to tell me. But if that's a big deal to him, why telling me? Isn't he worried I would show up like his ex and force to a dance? Wait, what... he said that she was a part of it, does that mean...? No, it's impossible, if it was true the press would have known it by now, unless... it was hidden from them,
"Hold on, is it... were you? You and her? Are you...?" damn it why can I form the question. What surprises me is that Andrew's face turns into a shocked expression, his eyes widen and he looks at me as if reading my mind. Holy shit, it's true then. "Were you married? Or better say, do you have a child?" I practically shout it.
"What? No, can't you see? I'm not a tying-the-knot person. Of course, I haven't married her," he groans. I don't have to worry if he's right or it's yet another bunch of secrets hiding between the lies. His expression is enough for me to know he's telling me the truth. I'm not a professional, but seeing the same frown line of annoyed is a sign to tell the person is either disgusted or unhappy about what they hear.
At the same time, he speaks about his anti-relationship. I guess, this man is tougher than I thought. For the millionth times, he mentions how he can't have a regular relationship; how he can't be the prince I want him to be. Speaking of the prince, I remember he once called me a princess, I wonder why? I desperately want to ask him, but I should probably put it somewhere in my mind for another time to blurt.
"For the next time you get me to some ball events, please consider taking a look at the guest list so I don't have to face another ex-partner of yours." I finally blurt out. I knew I can't keep it inside so here we are. Seeing the dinner is over, I stand up and make my way out of the restaurant without bothering to wait for him to catch up with me.
Our road trip back to Los Angeles is forty-five minutes tops without stop but now I think we have more than that one. I was considering sleeping the whole time, but that was before Andrew let Scott goes and he drive us.
As I'm leaning back to my seat and relaxing while Andrew is driving smoothly, hand presses on my thigh. I nearly jump up in my seat, but when I see where the arm leads me, I let out a sigh of relief. Jesus, I've become really scary these days. Everything with Andrew is crazy. What is crazier is that I put my hand up on his. He gives me a gentle squeeze. How I wish I could stop the car and holy this car.
"Are you going to accept the interior design company's offer?" wait for what? I was hoping he was going to ask me more of the question as if I'd like to have stopped here or there. But this is far from that. How come he suddenly asks me about it, out of the blue?
"I don't know yet," the company has personally asked me to join them, but leaving my position as a secretary as yet to come, I have to kiss them goodbye so I can have the job of my dream but is it really worth it? I like it there with all their craziness and being small. Sometimes you just need to have space to yourself and then you can get it all you want. That is why I haven't really into finding a new job; I was and still am okay with it.
"Please consider it, it's a great company," Andrew adds. He pats my thigh before leaving me frustrated.
Maybe I should. It's not like every second in your life you get a chance to live to change and to prospect. I have learned to accept those that I know if I don't I will wake up the day after and mourn over its lose, you can say that's why when Andrew asked me for the contract I didn't exactly run to heel screaming. I did a bit, but that was because I was scared, I can't tell that I'm not.
Almost forty minutes after our conversation, he pulls over my apartment building. I can't tell that I was a bit disappointed that he didn't take me to his place; I can say we both need to be alone.
"See you tomorrow then," I reach for the handle when his voice stops me,
"Actually, I have a business trip to New York tomorrow,"
"Oh," now I'm completely disappointed. I wish I could drag him up to my apartment and stay the night in his arms, but I know better he needs to have his sleep for his empire.
"But promise me we will see each other Wednesday," he gets my other hand and plants a kiss on the back of my hand. Charming, isn't it?
"Ok," can I have a choice in that? Probably not. Neither my body nor Andrew's will let that happen.
"See you then princess," he chuckles and speeds up the street. I stand here and dazed. What did he just say to me? Want it or not, I should know why he calls me that. I know it has something along with me speaking in sleep, but why did I say that is still a misery since I don't remember reading any princess story for as all I know. What is more, than it is Andrew Martinez; the powerful man whom everyone is in fear because of him calls me that.
"Home sweet home," I say to myself as I enter my apartment, although I can't deny I will miss the smell and those waves back in the Malibu.
Stepping out of the expensive blouse and jeans, I take a warm and smooth shower. Uh, this I've been so missing. They are right when they say a good shower washes away the tiredness of the day.
Since it's almost midnight, I should probably go to sleep if I want to make it to work tomorrow, but as the events of the day floods into my head, sleep slips away. So I grab my copy of Jane Eyre that I always keep next to my bed and read it for the fiftieth times. Each time, I fell in love more and more. This is the love that I'm looking for, pure and smooth. Of course, I'm not looking a married guy, or someone who has a child already. Finally, with those thoughts, I fell asleep.
The room is dark yet again. I feel someone's eyes on me, and truth to be told, it feels really creepy. I look around myself and nothing can be seen. Suddenly a hand covers my mouth and the air in my lungs sucks away. I feel the pressure on me; the person wants to kill me. I can smell the dirt on their hands.
"Come on sweetie; show me how you can scream." The manly voice whispers in my ear. The pressure is too much that I want to vomit the pit in my stomach.
I struggle and kick, but there's no progress. Then the memories of my rape night, come to my mind. Although I can't remember much of that night, I know the way the man's hand on me feel. Is this the same person?
"I know how you feel, I know your inside. Don't be shy," it's him, it's really him. The prick of tears rolls down my face. This is just a dream, wake up Laura, wake up.
I repeat the mantra and try to close my eyes to wake myself. But there is no use. It's until I feel the man's hand going down and down on me until I can feel his hand in the near of my entrance. I scream loudly as I shake back to real life. My breath is hitched and I can't wrap my mind around what is happening to me. It's been so long that I haven't had such a dream. I can't believe they are back again. Who was that man?
It's nearly six in the morning, I have two more hours to kill before my work hour starts, but I can't sleep at the same time. Although it was a dream, I can still feel and smell him, and I'm afraid if I close my eyes again, I will see him. So I choose the waking up routine of it, running.
Dressing into my yoga pants and T-shirt, I get out of the apartment. This way I can have my coffee from my favorite café shop, wasting the calorie loss I'm going to have if you ask me.
"Good morning, Ben." I greet Ben as I enter his office, his head is down on the paper as usual. I don't know if this is the thing I want, but I decide to have my chances, so here I am, in his office to quit my job. I called the agent the minute I arrived here to make sure if the offer is still on, and it was.
"Hello, Laura." He raises his head and shoots me a smile. I sit down on the chair before his desk.
"I should inform you on a subject that has been recently offered to me, I'm going to work in this interior design company, and you know the job of my dream finally had come to me. So, um... I'm going to quit here."
For some seconds, Ben looks at me with a smile. I was expecting some frowns, but that's the exact opposite.
"That is very good, congrats, which company?"
"Thank you, it's Future Dream." He gets shocked when he hears the name; this is by all means the opposite.
"Well, you see, you should have some backup, so I suggest you if you want to get rid of us, find someone," uh-oh, I haven't thought of this part. Well, it seems like I should stay here. But wait...
"Um, you see Caroline here; I think she's the one for the job. You know we have more than needed backup for the transition part, so I think she would be great for the job," why I haven't thought of earlier.
"Right, yes, she's good actually," he nods as if considering the idea.
"Good," I feel satisfied with myself. Had I known I have this much of intelligence, I would have spent it somewhere useful, like in the college. I wasn't the kind of the dating person; I mean, who does, after her severe experience?
After my meeting with Ben, I sit down behind my desk. The ringing of my phone startles me.
"Yeah?" I answer the phone without looking at the ID.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?" the familiar angry sound of Alice comes out of the phone. What is with her this time?
"What?" I calmly ask her.
"THIS IS FUCKING UNBELIEVABLE LAURA, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" I take the phone away from my ears.
"Could you please calm down so I can understand what you are saying?"
"How could you not tell me about this? You are my best friend and you didn't tell me you were dating the Andrew freaking Martinez," she hisses, more like a whisper-shouting, better, though. Oh mine, she must be talking about the photos taken of me and Andrew last night. I wish she didn't read the interview about me and Andrew having a future, a lie that I bet Andrew himself couldn't believe it.
"I'm sorry, but it's just-" she cuts me off.
"What Laura? Could you tell me about your hot boyfriend? My God, I can't believe you didn't tell me, I feel wounded and cheated."
"Alice, I was going to say, but everything with him happens so fast that I seem to lose myself."
"Listen to me Missy, I don't have time now, but you have to come to my place tonight and explain everything to me, or I'm going to drag you out of the apartment all the way to mine, did you hear me?"
One thing, I've learned about Alice is that never ever play with her. I once ignore her thread and it ended me being literally dragged. That's no lie.
"Ok," I breathe out as she kills the call. I haven't still seen the picture or the things they have written about us, but I think I should.
The news of my leaving and my last night event with Andrew travels fast in the small company. They are all 'oh my God, you are the luckiest girl'. But finally they come to the real reason here and they decide to pull out a goodbye party for me with the whole people on the floor, even those that I don't know, for a club night. Fortunately, I'm free for tomorrow night; otherwise, I had to sulk with Andrew about why he didn't allow me to spend the night with my college instead of spending it with him on some sexual contacts.
Now, that it's four p.m., I decide to have a drop at my old friend. I don't know if he's still there, but I need to talk to him. When the elevator dings, I see Craig sitting before the same front desk head down. I decide to be really quiet despite my high heels clicking on the marble tiled.
"I see you have forgotten me this soon," I suddenly say, making the poor guy jumping in his seat. I burst into laughter at his action. He curses as he looks at me. Holy cow, it was really funny the way he jumped up.
"What are you doing, Laura? You scared me," he frowns as he sits back in his seat.
"Sorry, I wanted to make my entrance dramatic," I giggle and he follows me.
"So, what take you here?"
"Well, I'm quitting my job at the OPC. So the guys are having a goodbye party for me, I thought maybe you'd like to join me?" I explain as his expression changes from the happy to sad and then to depression. Aw, it's really sad to leave my friends behind. But I promise myself to have a drop here and there if I got the time.
"Is that so?"
"Hmm," I nod. "You know, your device helped me. I think I own you for that."
"I know," well, yeah the pictures are out. Then there is this awkward silence between us. I don't know what he's thinking about, but I don't want him to mix up anything. "Are you happy with him?"
The question comes in a rush. I haven't asked it of myself, I haven't considered it before. But now here I am facing a new thing, am I happy with him?
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have fun and vote....;)