by Alice Cooper
“Sorry brother but this time I’ll pass.” I told him. My brother frowned at me and said “They won’t be happy about this.”
“Since when have they ever been happy about my decisions?” I asked him as I sat down at the counter and slowly dug into the lump of beef stew. I could feel Fran’s eyes on me as I took my first bite. The stew had an overwhelming flavor of burnt beef, at first it was alright that’s until the taste started making me cough.
I gave out a violent cough as I felt a hand hitting my back for support. I looked up to see a worried Fran. “I told you we shouldn’t be eating this. It’s bad for our health… For all we know it could be poison.” she said.
“What the hell are you eating?” Ezra suddenly asked as he stared at our plates in confusion. I frowned at Ezra who wasn’t leaving yet. “Go home Ezra. My decision is final. I’m not going to France.” I told him.
“They won’t be happy about this.” he said once more then he turned towards Fran and said “Take care of him Ms. Bla… I mean Francesca.” I saw Fran gave him a nod and it made me happy that she agreed to take care of me. Ezra gave me another frown before exiting my apartment.
Silence enveloped the room. I was about to take another bite of the stew until Fran smacked the spoon out of my hands, it clattered on the ground. “Don’t you dare eat more of that or else we might end up in the emergency room.” she said with that cute frown upon her face.
I grinned at her and offered “Would you prefer to cook something else?” Her whole body tensed at the suggestion. She hastily shook her head and said “No, I’ll leave the cooking to you for now on. You can leave the drinks to me.”
“So that means we’ll have more mornings like this?” I asked. Her whole face instantly turned red. Just seeing her like that excites me in so many ways. It’s hard to always fight the urge to be near her. I craved the simplest of touch from her, it could be the brush of her shoulder or the touch of her fingers just to make my body burn with desire. Only she could stop my horrible decision making and bring me to my knees with just a touch.
Fran avoided eye contact as she sat back down in her chair as she took a sip of her coffee. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that I’m actually dating Fran and that she’s inside my apartment. I’ve always thought that she was something that’s too good for me that I could never have her.
Yet here she was. All mine.
I walked up behind Fran who was concentrated on her drink that she didn’t notice me. I leaned forward as I wrapped my arms around her and pressed my chest to her back. I buried my head in her beautiful red hair wanting to drown in nothing but the scent of strawberries.
Zen was right, I am whipped. I bet my parents and Ezra are laughing how a young girl can bring the Ciel Storm to his knees. I was notorious in the Storm family for rebelling against my parent’s wishes and breaking away from family tradition.
Following my own path has led me to Francesca, my Habanero.
“I love you.” I mumbled into her hair. I didn’t expect an answer back, knowing her she’d probably scowl or blush. That’s until I heard her small voice softly spoke “I… love you… too.” I could sense that she wasn’t sure if she should say it out loud. I’m just glad that she did.
I scooped her up into my arms catching her off guard. Out of happiness I spun her around the open area making her squeal in delight. She laughed as I kept spinning her round and round. Her laugh was the absolutely most beautiful thing I have ever heard.
I knew that I wanted to hear that laugh for the rest of my life.
Chapter 15
Francesca
Who would’ve known that I could get distracted by some man that I couldn’t focus on the book I was reading. Mr. Darcy sweeps me off my feet but it’s annoying that every time I thought of Mr. Darcy, Ciel’s face would pop into my head.
Sure, Ciel was someone who wasn’t perfect. He’s completely flawed. But I don’t know if I love his flaws as well or love is truly blind. I shook my head furiously as I slammed it on the table where my book was.
“Someone has it bad.” Angela pointed out. It’s been two days since I rescued Ciel from his so called “hobby”. We haven’t seen each other and to say it didn’t bother me was a lie. I missed him. It annoyed the hell out of me how after dating for less than a month I could feel this immense emotion for him.
“Shut up.” I mumbled into my book. Angela laughed as she sat in front of me. Business today was a bit slow. “It’s funny how you were so against dating back then and now you’re dating someone who you claimed that you hated. Now I can see that you’re head over heels for this person.” Angela said.
I lifted my head from the table and glared as hard as I can at her.
“Remember Angie, the more you hate the more you love.” Stephen said as he casually walked over to us. “What does that even mean?” I asked.
“It means when you said that you hated Ciel you actually were in love with him.” Angela answered for Stephen. “Not to mention, she slept with him on the first date.” Stephen pointed out which made me turn red. Angela smiled as she added “And she said she didn’t have any needs.”
How did these two became my best friends?
Before anyone could utter another word the bell at the entrance rung which means we have a customer. All three of us smiled as we glanced at the entrance, my heart raced in hopes it would be Ciel. Sadly, it wasn’t.
“Welcome sir to Fancy Cups!” Angela greeted as she walked over to the counter to take his order. Stephen on the other hand elbowed me as he said “Don’t look too glum Fran. He will come.” As he gave me a wink. I frowned at him and asked “What makes you think I’m waiting for Ciel?”
Stephen chuckled and said “Who says it was Ciel?” He then walked off towards the counter as well. I could admit that I love Ciel, I’ve known him for almost a year but it seems like we’ve known each other forever.
I laid my head back on the table and sighed to myself. What happened to Mr. Darcy was the only man I needed in my life?
I guess you can’t really choose who you fall in love with.
Suddenly I heard someone sat in the chair in front of me, thinking it was either Stephen or Angela I didn’t raise my head. “What’s a beautiful girl like you sulking around?” an unfamiliar voice asked me.
I raised my head to see some brown headed guy who looked like he just got off from work. He was a looker that’s for sure but he’s nothing compared to Ciel. I mentally groaned as I realized that I no longer compare men to Mr. Darcy instead I compare them to Ciel. I’m starting to realize that Ciel is my personal Mr. Darcy.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to set that kind of mood here.” I said as I gave him a friendly smile. “That’s way much better. You have a gorgeous smile it would be a shame to not let it grace your face every day.” he said.
I felt uncomfortable as soon as he placed a hand on the table as he slowly inched towards my hand that was also on the table.
“How about you come on a date with me?” he asked as he winked at me. The wink was enough to make my head throb in annoyance. As I tried to calm down the growing headache I suddenly felt his hand touch mine. I snatched my hand away like he was poison or something.
“I’m sorry but I’m already seeing somebody.” I told him but it’s as if my words went through one ear and out the other. He had a smirk on his face and his eyes seemed to stare right through me. His smirk seemed discomforting or maybe it’s just I’m used to Ciel’s smirk only.
“It’s alright. He doesn’t need to know.” he said as he started leaning forward. Okay, now this guy was seriously getting on my nerves. I stood up from the table and said as kindly as I could “No thank you sir. I do hope you enjoy your stay here at Fancy Cups.”
Before I could create more distance between me and the creepy flirty guy grabbed my wrist. “I’m sorry if I come out too strong but it’s just that your beauty caught my attention and I can’t help myself but get to know you.” he said. I knew he was being kind but
I already told him no.
Before I could tell him no once more the bell at the entrance rang and as I turned my head I saw Ciel. My heart felt as it just jumped out of my chest and did backflips. I was happy for a second until the man who held my wrist gave a gentle squeeze. I saw Ciel’s eyes dangerously took in the situation.
“Maybe we can go see a movie or someplace quiet.” the guy who held my wrist spoke up. I could see that Ciel was pissed off at the guy but no one was more pissed than me. Before I lose my temper or Ciel goes to beat up the guy, I quickly shrugged the man’s hold on me and faced him giving him one of deadliest glares.
“Kind sir, please keep your hands to yourself. Do not touch me. I kindly told you that I’m currently seeing someone so I would greatly appreciate it if you would respect that. Now again, I hope you enjoy your stay.” I tried my best not to growl. I couldn’t exactly unleash my fire at him since he was a customer of mine.
Instead of waiting for his answer I stormed over to the employee lounge and slammed the door shut. I went over to the farthest wall and started punching it as if it was a punching bag. I was totally pissed off that I wanted to bite that man’s head off.
“Stupid man.” I hissed through punches. I was so consumed in my anger that I didn’t notice someone entering the room. Before I could land another punch on the wall somebody caught my fist. My head snapped up only to instantly calm down at the sight of Ciel.
“Whoa Habanero! Don’t punch the wall too hard or you’ll damage your knuckles.” he softly said as he gave a tender kiss to my fists. I didn’t even notice the throbbing pain in my knuckles until he gave it a kiss. I tried wiggling my fingers but notice they were a bit stiff.
“See, you should be more careful next time. Maybe you can punch a pillow or a stuffed toy.” he suggested. Did he think I was weak?
“Next time I’ll punch you.” I snapped and his reaction was only a soft chuckle. “I’m okay with that as long as you don’t get hurt in the process.” he said. I couldn’t help but blush. It’s funny how easy Ciel makes me blush but when it’s another guy I would find it repulsive.
To change the topic I asked him “Did that man left?”
“Yes, after he got his order I made sure he left.” he said. I could see Ciel’s fist clenching to the point where his knuckles turned white. I knew he was pissed at that guy, if it was the other way around and a woman started flirting with Ciel I would be pissed as well.
“Good because I was about to lose my temper with that guy.” I told him as I snatched my hand out of Ciel’s and folded my arms in front of my chest.
“I’m glad my Habanero is like that or else I would’ve lost my temper as well. I was so close to killing that guy. I don’t like other men touching what’s mine.” he said sternly. Usually I would argue that I wasn’t his but in all honesty I was. I was completely and utterly his.
“I did tell him I was seeing someone but the guy just couldn’t take no for an answer.” I mumbled. When Ciel didn’t reply I raised my head to look up at him to see him frowning. Did I say something wrong?
Ciel unexpectedly grabbed my hand as he started dragging me out of the employee room and into the main shop. We had a few customers sitting at the tables, Angela and Stephen stood behind the counter as they were entertaining a few other customers. We awkwardly stood in the middle of the shop as people were minding their own business.
What happened next wasn’t supposed to be reality. It all seemed like a romantic scene from a movie. Ciel raised his hand that was holding mine up high as he announced “This woman is the love of my life. I completely belong to her as she belongs to me. So if any man comes near her I won’t hesitate to eradicate you. Francesca Blake belongs to Ciel Storm.” Grabbing each and every person’s attention.
I felt my face burn up badly so I wouldn’t be surprised if my whole face including my ears turned red. I could see Angela and Stephen silently squealing from behind the counter, women around the shop seemed awed at Ciel’s display of affection. I looked up at Ciel to see him staring at me with love and adoration.
Ciel was no Mr. Darcy… he was so much more.
Chapter 16
Ciel
I spent most of my night researching places you can take a girl to go on a date. I thought I knew everything about women but when it came to one specific woman my mind just goes blank. She’s not like the women I’ve been with before, for one, Fran is the first woman that I’m completely serious about.
When I hold her hand I want the world to know that she belongs to me and no one else.
We still argue like we used to but I enjoy our little arguments. I find her more and more sexy every time she scrunches up her face and spits out words of fire. She gets super pissed every time she gives me her deadliest glare and instead of returning one I would simply smash my lips upon hers.
I asked Fran to go on another date with me today. This time I’ll stick to the well laid out plan that I have for our date. I was thinking we could eat at a nice restaurant and then I would take her to the beach where we’ll watch the sunset. It sounded cheesy but it was one of the best recommendation for dates, and Fran deserved nothing but the best.
“Hi Ciel.” her voice spoke. I turned around only to freeze right on the spot. Her natural red hair was curled elegantly and pulled to one side. She had light make up on as she wore a white knitted sweater that hugged her curves and emphasized her breasts paired with a purple skirt that stopped mid-thigh with black stockings upon her sexy legs. She also wore cute purple doll shoes as she carried a white bag.
Who knew that sexy and cute could mix together so well?
She noticed that my jaw was open for quite some time. She giggled as she said “Ciel, you’re going to catch flies.” I quickly closed my mouth as I mentally prepared myself to go out with this beautiful woman. I gave her my usual smirk as I said “I’m sorry, I was just admiring how beautiful my girl looks tonight.” She instantly blushed and tried to not kiss her.
I failed. Before I knew it my lips were connected with hers. As I pulled away I expected her to avoid eye contact and blush like she always did but she surprised me by looking directly into my eyes and smiled. The most beautiful thing about my Fran is definitely her smile.
“So where are we going this time? I hope we’re not going to end up back at your apartment.” she said.
“We won’t… Even if I really want to.” I said as I gave her a smile showing my teeth as I scratched the back of my neck. “And as for our destination, it’s a surprise.” I added as I gave her a wink. She smiled at me as she grabbed my hand which caught me off guard. I like how slowly Fran was opening up to me. Usually she would fight me off or shyly walk away.
I walked with Fran to a restaurant nearby. It wasn’t as pricey as the restaurant we went to on our first date but the restaurant was decorated with cute figurines and scented candles, and I knew that Fran enjoyed that sort of thing.
As soon as we entered the restaurant her eyes sparkled with happiness. A young waitress greeted us, but she greeted me a bit too friendly than she should. Then she leaded us towards a table that was decorated cutely. She waited for us to decide what to order as she stood very closely to me and her eyes were glued on me as well. I could already see the familiar frown on Fran’s face.
I mentally smirked knowing that Fran was getting pissed. Once we ordered our food the waitress put a hand on my shoulder as she said “If there is anything, anything at all that you need me to do then don’t hesitate to call me.” Before I could politely turn her down Fran was already spitting her infamous words of fire.
“Yes, I do have something for you to do.” Fran spoke sternly. The waitress looked bored as she stared at Fran awaiting her request. “Is to get your filthy hands off my boyfriend before I break that pretty neck of yours.” she hissed menacingly that even I was shocked at the amount of venom that was laced in her voice. The waitress was shocked at her bold words as she gave a timid nod and walked away.
I smirked as I gl
anced at Fran who looked like she was seething smoke from her ears. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.” I commented. Her head snapped towards me as she hissed lowly “I’m not jealous.”
“So… I’m your boyfriend?” I asked. Her frown quickly faded and was replaced with a shy look. Fran and I were dating but we never talked about putting a label on us. But being called Fran’s boyfriend was absolutely bliss. She stayed quiet as she looked at her silverware.
“Don’t worry Habanero, I’ve always thought of you as my girlfriend.” I said.
Our order came and thankfully our waitress was different. Fran did most of the talking but I didn’t mind. I love listening to her stories especially stories back when she was in high school and she talked about her family as well.
We finished our meals and left the restaurant. It took us a while to commute towards the beach and I was super excited to see her face once we see the beach and the beautiful sunset.
When we arrived at the beach I wanted nothing more than to scream my head off and punch someone so badly. The beach was deserted, it was terribly cold, and there was no sign of the sun. It was too cloudy almost as if it was going to rain.
“We’re at the beach… why?” Fran asked as she shivered a bit from the cold. I smiled embarrassingly at her and confessed “I had this romantic plan laid out for us. Where we’ll walk on the beach as we stare at the sunset… I got too excited that I forgot that it’s about to be winter.”
She gave a full out laugh. I just stood there more embarrassed than I could imagine. I only got two hours of sleep as I planned this. All my effort down the drain. Now Fran would think that I’m a lame boyfriend. “It’s alright Ciel. It’s the thought that counts… we could stay at the beach. It’s just the two of us here, that’s romantic enough. It’s terribly cold so we should stay close to each other.” she said as she pressed her body against mine. Her words caught me off guard that I fell speechless.