Opposite Worlds

by Sasha Pop

  He reached out to the closet to take out his best suit that he had bought for the prom to which he never ended up going back in high school, as the locker-room incident with Neri and Rafaello took place only a few days beforehand. To his surprise, it still fit him nicely, although it was a little tight. It did emphasize the best features of his body though without him knowing. He picked one of his trademark shirts, leaving it unbuttoned at the top like it was his habit. Realizing he now had a long scar on his neck after his meeting with Maestro, he shook his hand in disapproval. His eyes noticed a black scarf hidden among his other clothes which he used whenever it got really cold. Trying it on, he was glad for the idea - it served his intended purpose perfectly, even if he looked a little silly. Squeezing the last drops of perfume out of the bottle, he put on a sea-breeze fragrance. Still not satisfied with the result as he looked at his prominent black eye, he put on his aviator shades, hoping it was not over the top.

  As he stepped outside, and walked the eight blocks to the nicer part of town where he usually parked the car, it got increasingly hot. “Why does it feel like eighty degrees on a November evening?” He felt more like a secret agent in disguise than his real self.

  This time he felt it was appropriate to buy a real bouquet of flowers. Stopping by the florist, he chose a vase with a lavish mix of pink lilies and white roses. If he had seen the price tag a few weeks before, it would be sure to give him a heart attack, but now he felt like going all out and living life to the limit. The florist girl packed the vase carefully and looked at him with admiration, her glance going back and forth between his suit and the car parked outside the store.

  “You must have one lucky lady, Sir,” she said when she bade him good bye.

  When Rodrigo was driving through River Oaks, he could already imagine the commotion that would take place when he would arrive at the Perry Residence, dressed to impress and with a massive vase of flowers. He liked them, but didn’t want to go through the endless questions of Jessica’s parents and Mickey’s teasing. Plus he wasn’t sure if they truly liked him in return, since they clearly showed suspicion at first at his Latino origin. He just wanted to see her as fast as possible.

  Parking on the driveway a couple houses away, he stepped out and carried the vase. If anybody saw him now in this neighborhood they would surely greet him with the respect due to another successful member of society. Using his hoodlum instincts, however, Rodrigo decided to infiltrate Jessica’s house without warning. The gate and surrounding wall were a good seven feet tall, but there was a convenient ledge for him to step on near the corner of the fence. The challenge was to do so while carrying a vase and wearing a suit, but with his innate athleticism and a little struggle, Rodrigo had successfully jumped over, landing in a crouching position on his polished shoes.

  Walking quietly around the lawn, he took care not to be visible from the massive windows that were lit with light. “Stupid idea,” he thought, considering going back and ringing the bell as a normal person. Instead, he kept moving towards the emergency staircase that was on the side of the house which would lead to the second floor. To his disappointment, the door was closed, but he figured out that he could walk on the ledge around the second floor wall, since Jessica’s window was really close.

  Careful, not to lose his balance and fall downstairs, which was a real possibility while awkwardly holding the vase, Rodrigo crawled and stuck out his head to look in the window which he remembered was from Jessica’s room. “Shit!” his jaw dropped as he realized Jessica’s silhouette was dressing up.

  Chapter XVII

  He could not stay much longer on the ledge and had to either back away or knock for help. Not thinking, he chose the latter, knocking twice on the window.

  Jessica heard the commotion outside and quickly covered herself with a dress. Curious, she approached the window to see what it was. To her utter shock, she saw a man in sunglasses and a scarf strongly resembling Rodrigo crouching outside, holding a vase of flowers with a finger to his lip asking her to be quiet.

  Nothing could keep her quiet at this sight, however.

  “What are you doing there, you dummy?!” she asked, still not believing what she was seeing.

  “Well, I wanted to give you this,” Rodrigo said lifting up the vase. “But I didn’t want to cause a commotion with your parents.”

  Jessica just looked still at the scene, speechless.

  “Well are you going to let me in or not? I am kinda having a tough time around here…”

  Realizing that he was barely hanging in there holding the window frame, Jessica rushed to open it and give him a hand. As he snuck inside and handed her over the vase, they both realized she was still in her underwear, since she dropped the dress she was using to cover herself earlier during his entrance.

  “Turn away, you pervert,” Jessica said, covering her body, not remembering ever feeling this shy in front of a guy. Rodrigo didn’t need anybody tell him that, as he turned away immediately even without her command. He couldn’t help but notice the gentle curves on her body covered by the light-grey underwear, covering so little and wanting to make him look again and again.

  “I am sorry,” he said, looking at the wall.

  After a few minutes of noise, Jessica told him “you can turn now.” To her satisfaction, she could see that he was just as shocked to see her red sleeveless dress she had just bought on her as her in the underwear. The investment had its intended effect.

  “You look beautiful,” he said. Words were not necessary – she could read it in his eyes. “Thank you. And thank you for the flowers,” she said, admiring the vase that had been placed on her desk. Somehow he had guessed that lilies were her favorites.

  “Don’t pull a stunt like that again though, ok? You had worried me.”

  Rodrigo nodded.

  “Why did you really do it?”

  “I wasn’t sure if your parents really liked me or not. With me being a foreigner and all, you know,” Rodrigo conceded.

  Jessica silently made a step forward and lightly hit him on the chest where Juanito’s punches still felt fresh, grabbing his collar.

  “You dummy. They do like you. They even asked me to invite you for a barbecue at our house this weekend,” Jessica said, looking at him with disapproval. “And what is with this disguise, anyway? It is like eighty degrees outside.”

  Before Rodrigo could reply, Jessica pulled on his scarf, exposing the cut on his neck.

  “What is this, did you get hurt?” she asked. Stepping closer, she could see that his lip was bruised and his sunglasses were hiding something too. Her hand touched his face and he didn’t resist as she took off his shades. As she saw the massive black eye, her palm gently fell down, brushing his cheek.

  “It was just a fight with a friend…no biggie,” he minimized.

  “Is that why you didn’t want to see me yesterday?”

  Rodrigo just stood there resigned in silence. This girl was always a step ahead of him.

  “You jerk. You should have called me and I would have helped you treat your wounds.” He could feel the hurt in Jessica’s voice. It seemed that she had concluded that he didn’t trust her enough to reach out for help.

  “You are wrong,” he mustered the courage to say. “I really did want to see you yesterday…I just didn’t want you to worry.”

  Jessica let out a small smile. “Well, are you taking me out, or did you just come to peek on me?” she teased.

  Rodrigo just mumbled something incoherent in return, concluding with “let’s go”.

  “Don’t even think about it - I am not letting you go out through that window,” Jessica said with such an authority that no further discussion was plausible.

  “What can we do then?”

  “What, you ask? Let’s go downstairs meet my parents first,” Jessica said. She wasn’t going to let him get out this easily.

  “Like this?” Rodrigo sheepishly reached for the scarf to cover his neck, but Jessica didn’t allow him
.

  “You won’t need that. I think men with scars look cool anyway.” On that note, she grabbed his hand and dragged him after her. Obediently following, Rodrigo watched her back and admired how she was so full of energy, unpredictable, whimsical and kind at the same time. As they were stepping down the stairs, Joanne called them.

  “Oh my, we have guests? I didn’t notice you coming in,” she wondered.

  “I opened the door earlier mother. We didn’t want to disturb you,” Jessica came to his rescue.

  “What were you two doing upstairs in the room?” Mickey’s voice came at the worst possible moments, with both young adults blushing.

  “Rodrigo came to help me study for the upcoming Chemistry exam… he is in the same class at his university.”

  “I bet you two were studying anatomy.” Mickey kept teasing. Jessica threw a sandal that was lying nearby which he expertly dodged, while Joanne smiled.

  “But Rodrigo, are you alright? It seems like you were involved an accident,“ she said, finally noticing his various wounds.

  “Ah, he had an incident while helping this crazy stray bulldog on the street, right Rodrigo?” Jessica asked, hitting him with her elbow to get him to agree.

  “Ah, yes, right.”

  “He was trying to feed the poor thing, and here is how the dog repaid him,” Jessica concluded, pointing at Rodrigo’s face. He couldn’t understand how a dog attack could cause a black eye, but the explanation seemed to satisfy Joanne.

  “Be careful next time. It is better not to get involved,” she offered him sympathy.

  “Alright mom, we have to go to the library,” Jessica said, winking at Rodrigo.

  “Dressed like that?” Her mother looked at them in awe, pretending like she believed them. “You sure take your studying seriously.”

  The youngsters laughed and were on their way. Jessica was in high stilettos that looked anything but stable, so he took the opportunity to hold her hand. He enjoyed the warmth, wondering how touching such a small body part could heat him everywhere on the inside.

  As they walked outside the gate, Jessica looked left and right for the car, finally seeing it a couple hundred feet away.

  “I can’t believe you parked it that far,” she complained, emitting a sound of pain, while double-tapping on the floor with her left heel. “You are just trying to make me suffer”.

  “I did it on purpose,” he said, looking at her with a spark in his eyes, their heads almost on the same level. The five inch heels she was wearing compensated for a good part of their six-inch difference in height, which made them see each other from a whole different perspective.

  “So that I could do this,” he concluded. As she was about to throw a witty remark, he grabbed her legs and waist, getting her up in his arms.

  Jessica had her breath taken away by this sudden development but did not resist, instead melting in his powerful arms. As he carried her towards the car, she relaxed and looked at the sky, enjoying the pleasant sensation of his firm palms grabbing her tight. Usually it was quite a challenge to see stars at night in Miami, but tonight it was an unusually starry night…or maybe she just hadn’t looked and cared about such things before to notice. She just realized how erotic the scene was - a mysterious tall man carrying at night in his arms to a super sports car, and wondered if he felt it too.

  As they reached the car, Rodrigo gently put her down, her fragrance intoxicating him to the tip of his toes. He hadn’t truly had the chance to appreciate it at first, so shocked he was at seeing her in her undergarments, but she was truly stunning tonight. It appeared as if the dress she was wearing had been especially tailored just for her, so well it sat on her delicate body which he could not get out of his mind. She was also wearing a blue amethyst necklace that complemented her own light blue eyes – he realized suddenly that he had trouble facing her tonight, something in his gut making him feel like a little kid again before her who had a big crush that he didn’t have the courage to reveal.

  He opened the door for her to sit down, hoping his own nervousness wasn’t apparent. He didn’t know if it was an act or not, but his blonde companion appeared truly untouchable and so majestic radiating with confidence.

  “Where are we going?” she inquired.

  “It is a secret,” he answered. “Speaking of which, close your eyes for a bit.”

  Jessica looked at him with slight suspicion but complied. He pulled out the scarf that he had hid in his inner pocket, and leaned towards her to wrap it around her eyes.

  He could feel her shiver when he accidentally brushed her cheek while putting it on. Jessica didn’t expect him to pull a stunt like that, but decided to play along.

  “Now I can’t put on my seatbelt,” she said, playing helpless. “Can you help?”

  Rodrigo gulped and leaned it to reach for the seat belt, and paused, watching her face waiting with anticipation. He felt like he could snap and kiss her at any moment, his resolve to hold off until he returned from the mission weaker than ever. Clenching his fists tight, he regained control, his eyes still locked tight on her gentle silhouette as he finished putting on the seat belt.

  They drove into the night with the roof open, the pleasant wind breeze brushing their hair in all directions. They were both in a playful mood, even though Rodrigo was carrying the weight of his upcoming trip on his shoulders.

  “You know, I have never been tied up before,” Jessica said, continuing to tease him. She felt sure that she was now at least not indifferent to him, after all the way he looked at her and touched her spoke for itself. But he still didn’t make a move, and she was trying to figure out what was holding him back…

  “I am honored to be your first.”

  “He can be so smooth and funny, so I am sure it is not lack of experience,” Jessica thought. She finally brought herself to ask what had been on her mind for the past few days:

  “Did you have a girlfriend before?” She asked, raising the scarf to watch his reaction. She couldn’t help but notice the shift in Rodrigo’s expression, and how he was trying to come up with words. She interrupted him before he could answer.

  “She was real special to you, wasn’t she?” Jessica stated the obvious. It gave her an uneasy feeling to do so, even if it was a thing from the past.

  Rodrigo gave a slight nod, silently. After a moment, he took his right hand from the wheel and placed in on her top of her left one.

  “But I don’t think of her anymore,” he said. It was true for the most part – the more time he spent with Jessica, the less he thought about Neri, even if the striking resemblance between the two still disturbed him from time to time. He was not clueless though to show it, and would never reveal this to her, imagining that this could hurt Jessica greatly.

  “Were you together for long?” Jessica asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. He was talking, and this was a rare chance to pick up some information.

  “Three years.”

  “Wow, three years?” Jessica wondered. It must have been serious, as her own longest relationship with her high school sweetheart Drake lasted just a little over a year, counting the long-distance.

  “What was she like?” Jessica just threw the question he dreaded the most.

  Rodrigo was trying to come up with a way to change topics when the car in front of them came to his rescue by making a sudden turn, forcing him to press hard on the brakes.

  “Oh these crazy Miami drivers,” Jessica complained. She wanted to flick the guy off, but refrained from doing so with Rodrigo nearby.

  “And aren’t you going to ask me about me?” Jessica said, wondering why he hadn’t done so already. Typically guys would be eager to find out all about her previous boyfriends to badmouth them.

  “I’d rather not know,” Rodrigo simply stated. He wasn’t the type to get jealous about the past, but something told him he would not like to hear details about Jessica’s love life.

  Jessica looked at him with respect.

  “I guess it do
esn’t really matter, does it,” she said.

  Rodrigo then noticed she had taken off the scarf.

  “Hey, that is cheating. I don’t know if I can trust you,” he said with a smile.

  “You can’t trust me, I am dangerous,” Jessica said, playing along. She looked like a silly little girl saying that, and he found it funny.

  “Not taking me seriously, huh?” she asked, hitting him playfully. He just swerved the wheel slightly, pretending that her hit was going to cause them to crash.

  “You just want to end up in the hospital for a month with me, don’t you?” Jessica said, bewildered at the stunt he just pulled.

  Rodrigo considered what she just said and concluded that this outcome wouldn’t be so bad at all.

  “We are almost here,” he said and pointed at the thirty-story tall Rainbow Building that was home to the Ritz Hotel. It got the name because of the oval shape of the roof which was illuminated in different colors at night.

  Jessica quietly processed the information. Did he get a room here for the two of them? That would be so bold…. Images of a presidential suite with a king bed, rose petals on the floor, exquisite lamps and candles and champagne on the table like she saw in the movies ran through her mind. She had never been to a hotel with a guy before and the whole idea was making her increasingly nervous, even if it was a hot guy like Rodrigo that she was dying to get closer to.

  Seeing her apprehensive expression, it dawned on Rodrigo that she had gotten the wrong impression. Seizing the opportunity, he decided to scare her further by telling her how much he was looking forward to taste the champagne and the food in the most poetic words he could think of, which she assumed were a cheesy metaphor for something entirely different. As the horror on her face was reaching epic proportions, Rodrigo threw an innocent remark.

  “I hope you like this restaurant. Or did you have something else on your mind?”