by Kris Buendía
Something tel s me that my friend is also having a hard time because of men. But the difference is that I know who’s fault is it.
“It wil be a girls night, just a few drinks and we wil talk.”
“Did you tel Mona?”
“She said she would come for you after work.”
What it was about three hours ago and I have not received any cal s from Mona.
“You know what? I wil see you at your house right now.”
As I told Gracie, I would see her at home. But I could not imagine finding her looking like a mess, they started drinking before leaving home and a few minutes later, Mona arrived. Al eging that she was working late.
I did not ask questions. By now, Gideon must have told her what happened in the caffe.
And while we are in the club, having a few drinks and enjoying the girls night, she does not stop looking at me.
“You look like shit.” Mona says.
“Thank you.” I answer with sarcasm. “It is good have my best friend back.”
“I mean your lip, it is broken. Why did you not tel me?”
“She told me.” Defends Gracie with bubbles already in her head.
I take my first drink of the night and I take it to my mouth, finishing it in one fel swoop.
“I did not know there was exclusivity, I suppose that if you already found out, you should know what real y happened.”
“What is wrong with you?” She says with disdain. “Are you stil angry with me?”
“It is not al about you, Mona. I am not upset, I just want to enjoy my night where Gideon is not the topic of the conversation. He is an opportunistic son of a bitch.”
“I am glad to know that is what you real y think of me, El a.”
I close my eyes in an exaggerated way as if I expected some kind of scream or retaliation when I heard that voice behind me.
“Hel o, Gideon.” I hear Mon’s voice.
“Hel o.” Gracie continues.
“Gideon is our friend, Gracie.”
“Nice to meet you, Gideon Graysson.” I am sure that he is already in front of me greeting Gracie and my friend can not with her emotion to final y meet the dark knight of whom I have spoken so much al this time.
I open my eyes and a pair of clear eyes are glaring at me right now. His eyes rest on my bare legs, Gracie's last minute idea and I know he does not approve it.
“What are you doing?” He whispers in my ear.
Feeling him tickles my neck and more. “This dress is very short.”
“Having fun with my friends.” I avoid looking at him in the face but I know he is furious, and to the other comment I add. “Short as I like it.”
Mona talks to Gracie under her breath and I know that at any moment they will invent something to leave me alone with him.
“Gracie does not feel wel , I wil take her home.”
I look at her badly.
“It is truth.” Gracie starts to laugh , I do not know if because she is lying to me or because she is drunk. “I do not feel good, but you can feel good, you can have fun.”
That makes no sense.
This moment is when I decided that my night is finished and I am the first to get out of my seat, I drop a couple of bil s for my drink and say:
“In that case I also go, this has gone beyond the fun.”
It is my time to leave and I walk past Gideon, walking away from him. As soon as I get to the exit of the club, I can feel my back touching his chest.
“I can get to my house on my own.” I mumble while trying to cal a taxi.
Gideon's truck lands in front of me instead of the taxi and I give up. Deciding better to walk. Even though the shoes are going to kil my feet, it is worse to get into his truck.
When I think he wil give up, he starts walking next to me. It makes me laugh that a man like him walks the streets of Seattle at this time of the night, on a whim, out of pride.
“Go, Gideon.”
He says nothing.
And continues like this a few streets further until some men are looking at me more than usual, that gets his attention. Making him growl and taking my hand to stick to his body.
That aroma intoxicates me and makes me feel safe in some way. I let go and continue walking, but the gazes do not stop, until his patience has a limit and throws me to the side of the street where the truck fol ows us, opens the door for me and I am the first to enter. I am tired of walking.
When we are on the move, I can not stop looking at him and he does not stop looking at me either, this chal enge and this stupid game does not make sense.
“Your dress is very short.”
¿Do you think so? As if I care.
“You have already said it. You are very serious, by the way, that is more dangerous.”
He does not smile, but what am I saying? he never does.
“She is drunk again.”
“So that is what is al about, do you think I am drunk?” And before he answers I continue. “I warn you, Gideon. I am not drunk, nor was I this afternoon when you ran away.”
I resent it and I would accept it if I noticed it, but I know I will not.
Gideon does not stop looking at me. He is always looking at me with his eyes ful of desire and hunger. But this time is different. I am not so sure, but I would swear that he looks different to me right now.
His face is relaxed and it is as if his gaze tried to tel me or rather convince me of something. But I do not know what.
“Do you feel good?” I raise my eyebrow. “You do not look good, you are acting weird.”
Licks his lips.
“I desire you.”
I blush and realise he likes it and final y I smile.
When I do, he does too. Gideon Graysson smiles at me, showing perfect white teeth and I am about to cry.
“Your smile is terrifying.”
This makes him stop laughing and I throw myself into his arms to kiss him.
“I know. You have convinced me with that smile.”
“If I had to smile for you to kiss me, I would have dome it since the night I met you.”
“I am glad you have confidence in yourself.”
I remember that night as if it was many years ago, but in reality it is the opposite.
“It was yesterday” I mock again. “It was not long ago.”
“I think so.” He strokes my hair, my face and his hand reaches my ass and whips it. “Now that I have convinced you, I have to remind you of something.”
He fucked me in his car. He had me on top of him while the truck was in motion and thank goddess there was a large dark panel that divided the back with the driver. So Arsen did not know what was going on as he circled the city under Gideon's orders.
I came screaming his name and he said mine, I kept the image of him smiling at me again and now I am at his apartment watching him work in his office.
“If I knew that you would work, I would not have come.” I makes little lol ies as I approach him. This side of his office is different and I did not notice it the last time I was here.
Gideon is writing on his Mac. Seeing that I have realised what he is doing, he closes the computer as something forbidden to look at.
“What do you write?” He makes me sit on his lap and I caress his hair.
“Nothing in particular, but I like doing it from time to time.”
“There is a piano here, is it also something that you do from time to time?”
He moves his head nodding.
“If you tell me that you draw too, I will not be able to believe you.” I make fun, but seeing that he smiles at me shy, I am surprised. “Do you?”
“Yes. Art is part of me in many ways. It is why I have always lived.”
“I thought you were only a businesses man.”
Gideon kisses the tip of my nose.
“I am, but because of duty, not because of something that I am passionate about.”
I feel identified in some way. He is like me.
“I want that you leave the caffe.”
I reach for his look. He is being serious, which means he is talking seriously.
“It is my job, Gideon.”
“I know and you can have another one.”
I do not like where this conversation is going.
“And what do you think I can work on?”
“As a designer.”
I get up from his lap like a spring.
“How do you know that?”
My voice trembles and Gideon is so calm that it bothers me. He can not tell me something like that. It is not the only damn job I have, but that does not seem to be known yet.
“I investigated you.” I do not see guilt in his words. “I know that you graduated with Mona in the design school. What I do not understand is what are you doing working on Le Dome when you could be doing something else.”
“How dare you do something like that, Gideon?”
“The important thing is that I know, Ella.”
“You just told me you have a duty to work in your company but that it is not what you really wanted for your life. Don't you think it is hypocrite from you to suggest that I quit my job?”
He closes his eyes and let the air out of his mouth.
As for me, I do not know what else I could say to him other than to deny myself to everything and to his orders that, apparently, he thinks I am going to fol ow.
“Ella, it is not what...”
“What else have you investigated, Gideon?”
Silence.
“Nothing, Ella. It is the truth and I want you to tell me why do you work in that place.”
I wish I could tell him.
“People like me also have the right to our privacy, don't you think?”
My words sound harsh to him.
“It is different.” He tries to defend himself.
“It is different because you have money and I do not?”
“It is not what I meant.” His voice is now hoarse and firm.
The disappointment and the raw touch of reality manipulate my mind and body. Now all I can do is go out of here to get away from this.
From his orders and explanations. Because I know I will tell him the truth at any time and I am not ready yet.
It is nonsense.
“I will leave right now.”
“No, Ella. Don't go, let's talk about this.”
It breaks me inside. Actual y I would like to tell him, but I know there is something more.
“I wish you gave me a little too, Gideon.
But your look, your words and sometimes your actions confuses me. Today you acted as if you did not know me and yet you defended me.”
Gideon removes his glasses and throws them to his desk. He walks towards me and I step back.
“Don't you dare run away, Ella.” It seems that he already know each one of my intentions. “Don't you dare to flee from me, enough.”
He reaches me and clears a cheek tear that betrays me. It is the first time I have cried of this in front of him.
“I'm sorry.” It Is the only thing I can say before he took me in his arms and lifted me off the floor. I surround his waist with my legs and hug him tight until I want to pierce his soul and see what he is hiding inside.
He takes me to his desk and I sit in front of him, taking off his button-down shirt and I am naked again in front of him.
“Stop running away, Ella.” He begs me at the same time he kisses my neck. The music in the background breaks my soul when listening to its lyrics.
I think you can do much better that me After al the lies I made you believe Guilt kicks me and I start to see
The edge of the bed
Where your nightgown used to be
I said to myself that I would not miss you But I remembered
What it feels like to be by your side I real y miss your hair on my face
And the way of your innocent tastes And I think you should know this
You deserve it much more that me
I said to myself “I will not miss you”
But I remembered
What it feels like to be by your side I real y miss your hair on my face And the way of your innocent tastes And I think you should know this
You deserve it much more that me…
“When you leave somehow,” pronounces while his cock is entering little by little in me. “I feel like I lose everything.”
Oh, Gideon.
“I am not running away, Gideon.”
He is inside of me in one movement and I nail my nails into his back.
“Kiss me.” He ask me to looking into my eyes while he makes me his. “Kiss me until I am able to believe again, my sweet girl.”
“Gideon, please.” Our kisses are salty. Our souls are connected in a way that hurts and at the same time nothing more can exist than this.
Us.
I am in love with this man and he asks me to make him believe again.
He does not know that by believing too much, we expect the impossible.
“You do not have to believe, Gideon.” I grab his face and give him my orgasm in his mouth. “You just have to accept it.”
And he accepts me as much as I accept the fact that we can not be together as we want.
As he wants it to be, I will be the one who end up believing that fairy tales do exist.
16
I could not stay again. He did not look for me either.
I knew it was over when the next days he did not visited Le Dome or saw him walking through the corridors of Graysson Public.
It was as if I had never met him. But the difference was that I did not need to see him to realise that he was real and that he existed.
My heart and my soul told me that. I was looking for his smel in my bed, the smel that lingered for a while until I did not feel it anymore.
“Cinder, I wil need you to help me serve the drinks at the conference executives wil have this afternoon.”
I am not surprised he asks me. Nor is the first time that I do not only clean floors in this place.
“Al right, Mr. Clay.”
I am like a zombie walking while I change my overal s for clothes that give less pain and I head up to the top floor to the conferences room to serve the drinks.
I do not mind seeing Gideon. Or at least it is what I tel myself. Until I see him in his executive chair in the most important place on the table. The big screen in front of him is off. And he kist looks down at the folder he has in his hands. While the others talk to each other.
I also see Paris. She smiles at me from the distance and I rol my eyes.
Moron.
Mona talks to Gideon, quite close and for a second, she puts a hand on his shoulder.
I do not know why I feel jealous about it. They make a better couple.
«Do not think stupidities, Cinder»
I toss that thought aside and the screen lights up. I force my feet to move away from Gideon's view when I realise that it is a bad idea for him to see me.
He looks amazing.
His suit is a little lighter this time and his shirt is a deep blue.
Some people say that you dress according to your mood. Gideon always wears dark suits, but not today.
It makes me smile.
The drinks will not be served until the end. So the rest of the staff remains in the background and hopping that the conference wil end up soon. I wil manage so that Gideon does not see me.
A woman, the speaker I suppose, stands up and starts talking.
My stomach hurts. Suddenly I feel the need of not wanting to be here. The conference will end at any moment and Gideon may recognise me this time.
Mona has not noticed my presence. She has been pretty busy taking to Gideon under her breath as they listen to the woman talk.
As for Paris, she has forgotten that I am here and it is not like
her. I feel strange and uncomfortable to the point of wanting to get out of here. I have started to sweat cold and tremble.
It can not be a panic attack when everything around me is fine. It is fine?
Everything happens in slow motion when I walk towards the exit and the voice of Paris this time does echo in my head:
“Here! Right here we can show how a person can be two faced! How many of you like the story of Cinderel a?!... Raise your hands… I see many, that gives me a great joy, we were all lovers of the stories. Wel , let's continue with this to be more specific; in the first photograph… we can see how someone with little class, but with much desire to have a good life, work does not denigrate, does it?”
Oh my God.
“The coveralls always work for a toilet girl, this is so fairy tale. Is a petty girl! Sure it makes the floors shine.”
On the screen in front of everyone is a photograph pf me dressed overal s, I also see myself cleaning the floors of Graysson Publicity.
“What do you say, Gideon? Do you like how the floor shines where you walk?”
Gideon's hand rests on his chin holding his face, he looks thoughtful, but I am not sure if he is part of this. And I refuse to believe that he is so.
“In the fol owing image we can understand that probably many toilet girls live their own fairy tale. Look, without the overal , she is very different!”
The party.
The terrace.
Gideon with me.
«Get out of here right now!»
“What a beautiful blue dress!” Everything inside me breaks. “Even in that she combines, she is so Cinderel a, she even has a blue prince.” It is headed towards Gideon. “Gideon, do you believe in fairy tales? A person how can you be the prince of a girl who cleans the floors of your company? I thought that the seriousness was given you a lot, but I have found that probably no al have a happy ending.”
“Well, maybe our cleaning girl wants to make you live a fairy tale. Well, that beautiful blue dress shows that the woman can not only be someone who refrains from cleaning the floors of a big company, but can also afford to live a dream night without curfew at midnight.
Right, Gideon?
Gideon's gaze col ides with mine and for the first time I see a sincere reaction in him.
He does nothing.
He says nothing.
Fairy tales do not exist, nor do my story with Gideon.