by Kendra Riley
“You did?”
“Yes! He couldn’t stop talking about you -- sorry, Dante,” Pilar grinned sheepishly. “Dante’s never been one to talk about his dates, until he’s broken up with them, but you, you’re a different one.”
Dante shook his head. “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom. Could you not talk about me?” he sighed, standing up.
“Where was I?” Pilar continued. “You’re a different one. I think he genuinely feels for you.”
“We’re just dating. No titles needed.” She felt weird saying that, but it was how things were.
Pilar nodded. “But, he normally never does this. Being seen out in public was something his previous girlfriends never enjoyed.”
“I’m surprised there’s no paparazzi now.”
“He’s not dating anyone that’s a celebrity, or a socialite,” Pilar said. “And I think it’s better for you that there isn’t any. Isabella wouldn’t enjoy her cake much if they lurked about.”
Aniya nodded, looking at Isabella.
“So,” Pilar continued, “do you like him?”
Aniya blinked. What? That question right away? She had only met Pilar, and now she felt trapped. She found herself almost blushing, and she smiled and shrugged.
“I’m not quite sure if that was an embarrassed ‘yes’, or an embarrassed ‘no’,” Pilar said. “But I am glad he’s dating you. I think he’s become way more centered now, calmer.”
It resonated in Aniya, what Pilar had said, and before she could say something, Dante sat back down.
“What did I miss?” he asked.
“Just girl talk,” Pilar quipped, looking at Aniya with a hint of a smile.
***
Aniya watched as Isabella ran and tumbled on the grass, and a few dandelion bristles flew into the air. It was picturesque to look at, and it made her smile. It was the perfect end to her daughter’s day, and she took a seat on a wooden bench, with Dante by her side. She had been quiet after meeting Pilar at the café.
“You okay?” he asked her.
“Why do you ask?” she said, not looking at him.
“So there is something wrong.”
“You don’t go assuming things are wrong because I’m quiet. I’m just… tired.”
“You’re such a bad liar.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Why you’re like this.”
“You mean quiet? Is it weird to be quiet? You expect me to talk all the time?”
“What in the hell is going on?”
“Alright,” she huffed, “I’ll tell you what’s wrong. Why was she there? You talked about us? To her? How much does she know about me? What have you been telling her about me?”
He looked taken aback. “So it was about Pilar, then.”
“You knew already earlier, that I felt weird about the whole thing.”
“So you didn’t like Pilar?” his tone sounded accusing, and it hurt her.
“It’s not that I didn’t like her, it’s because I like her, and she’s so perfect, I don’t understand why you two broke up. Why are we even dating? When you can get anyone else?”
“Because you’re the one I want,” he simply replied.
Her chest heaved, overwhelmed by the sudden outpouring of thoughts and emotions. “You were testing me?”
“No, I just wanted you to meet her. I hold Pilar dear to me. She dated me and we broke up because I was a mess of a kid, and yet she stayed as my friend, in fact, she’s one of my few friends, that’s why I wanted you to meet her.”
Aniya was quiet once more, digesting everything he had said. She had thought he was comparing them, she had thought he was testing to see how she’d react. “Why me?”
He shrugged. “I don’t need to give reasons. It’s just you,” he replied, looking at Isabella. “Careful!” he called out, seeing her trip a little. Isabella stood, dusting off her pants and shirt, and then she gave a thumbs up to him, and she continued to run about, enjoying her time with children she didn’t know.
Aniya looked at him as he shouted the word ‘careful’ to Isabella . She could see the genuine concern in his eyes. Was it possible that he had become Isabella’s dominant male figure? She never had any. Who said women weren’t strong? But Isabella would be looking for her father soon, and it was Dante who filled the gap of her child’s absentee father. She didn’t want to give him that burden, even if it seemed easy now. They could break up anytime, but what he had said changed things, it changed her feelings for him. He made it sound so easy, telling her that he wanted her.
“I think it’s best if we go home,” Aniya said.
“Why?”
“Isabella needs to sleep. It’s Monday, day care and work calls.”
“You feeling weird about the topic? Or because you shared how you felt?”
“I told you I wasn’t used to this, all this dating business.”
“Shouldn’t you be getting back into the circuit?” he said, standing up. “I’m not dating you because I plan to dump you right away. What kind of man would I be if I broke Isabella’s heart?” He took a few steps forward, and he called out to her.
Isabella ran to him, and the little girl jumped into his arms and hugged him tight.
***
He had wanted to surprise her, and he had wanted Pilar to check on Aniya. Perhaps, he was blinded by the sudden fun, the sudden rush of emotions caused by dating Aniya, where he might just fail to see that she could have some lurking psycho tendencies.
Pilar liked her, in fact, Pilar loved her, and she enjoyed Isabella as well.
“She’s shy, clearly,” Pilar told him over the phone. “How are you going to go about introducing her to your parents?”
“Catalina’s met her, she likes Aniya.”
“Your parents, your mother is the issue here.”
“She won’t really have to meet them,” Dante replied.
“Sounds like a recipe for disaster.”
“Thanks for being honest. I really am hoping for the best,” Dante told her mockingly.
“I’m serious here. I can see you’ve not only become attached to Aniya, but to Isabella as well. She isn’t your daughter-“
“I know that, I’m just being nice.”
Pilar sighed. “You mean well, behind that cold demeanor of yours, sometimes…but you don’t have any in front of them. How do you think Isabella would feel if you two broke up? The fact that she won’t get to see you anymore,”
“I’m not entertaining a break-up anytime soon.”
“I’m not being the negative party here, but your track record of just breaking up with women…”
“Aren’t you happy for me?”
“I am. I’m happy and concerned. You’ve invested emotionally, and then your practicality is just gonna pop out all of a sudden, and you’ll change your mind just like you’ve decided to tear up a piece of paper. I know who you are, don’t get mad at me.”
“I’m not,” he said morosely. He had thought this through, or maybe he had denied himself a deeper understanding of the situation, because of Aniya, because of Isabella. Goddamit, he thought.
“I’ll talk to you some other time. Just… well, I wish the best for you, as always, but I’m on Aniya’s side if ever you ruin things. Isabella’s also the cutest child I have ever seen.” “I know. Bye,” he huffed, ending the call.
He leaned against his chair once more, looking out at the city, the sunset casting a wonderful glow against the buildings and the city park before him. He did enjoy the view, and it didn’t necessarily have to be a precipitous one. Preserving culture through buildings was part of the city’s charm, and he was vested in it, as was his family.
Family. He thought about what Pilar said again, and it perturbed him. It had only occurred to him that they had begun acting like a family, in which he had taken on the role as Isabella’s male parent. He hadn’t meant to, right? He didn’t want to mess things up. The pressure suddenly mounted on him. Am I doing things right? He norm
ally never questioned himself when it came to emotions. Emotions were messy, complicated.
He could have found fault in Aniya, but he couldn’t. He had accepted her without hitches, and Aniya had carved her name on his heart, and she shared that space with her adorable Isabella. What was life going to be like without them? Without Isabella?
I’m on Aniya’s side if ever you ruin things. Isabella’s also the cutest child I have ever seen- Pilar’s words rang in his head. He was going to have to rethink everything he had thought felt great, even the whole relationship with Aniya. He was going to show everyone how sincere he was. He looked at his table, and he saw an invitation to a black-tie, $1,000 a plate fundraiser. It was an expensive event, he knew, obvious with the gilded designs and text on black paper.
This was a project close to the company’s core, providing education for children in developing countries. It was something his mother enjoyed flaunting, but she had never been to any of the developed countries in the roster. That was why he didn’t like events like these. It’s for a cause, he thought, holding the invitation in his hand.
He reached for his phone and called Aniya.
*
“A what?”
“A gala,” he repeated again.
“I’m still at work, I can’t talk about something like this right now.”
“I just need a yes or a no.”
“You’re so demanding. Why don’t you just take Pilar, instead?” Aniya found herself snapping.
He gave a short laugh on the other end of the line. “She’s taking her boyfriend of five years with her.”
“Oh.” Well, that was embarrassing, was it not?
“I take the ‘oh’, as a yes?” he continued. “I’m not quite sure about your size, but we still have a week to go, so I’ve taken the liberty to send you something nice.”
Did he just get her a dress? “I don’t even know what the party is about,” she stressed, realizing she was way ill-prepared for any black-tie event, even if it was a week away.
“It’s a foundation that provides free education for children in developing countries,” he explained. “One of the people who set up the foundation is a good friend of my family. They own a pharmaceutical company, so it’s going to be a grand night.”
“Because the pharmaceutical company happens to be-?”
“Esteves,” he replied.
Figures, she thought. Esteves was world-renowned, and she had a feeling they were somehow related. “I have to go.”
“Expect a package around six when you get home.”
“I still have to pick Isabella up,” she replied, cradling her phone between her chin and her shoulder.
“Would you like me to?” he asked her. “I get off work earlier. Then, we can have dinner somewhere.”
She took a deep breath. “Thank you. Call you back.”
He ended the call, and Aniya sat in her chair, wondering how it had come to this. He was actually offering to pick Isabella up from daycare. She had given authorization weeks ago, presented his ID and all, never thinking it would actually happen. What was it going to be? She still had two hours to go before the work day ended, and she was teetering on the edge of curiosity, to see how Isabella would react to Dante picking her up.
“Aniya, did you check your email?”
Anna’s voice called out from the end of the hall.
“Not yet, I will.”
She sighed and ignored the ticking of the clock, wishing she was with Isabella and Dante all of a sudden.
***
“Isabella!” she called out, seeing her daughter chewing on a breadstick inside an Italian restaurant. “How’s my baby?”
Isabella grinned her toothy grin and she waved a breadstick at her, happily. She kissed her daughter’s head, and then she saw Dante smiling as he stood up to peck her on the cheek.
“Hello,” Dante greeted her. “Didn’t want to spoil her appetite, so I just gave her a breadstick.”
“Now, you can finish it,” Aniya said with a laugh. “Sorry I ran late. I had to finish a few things.”
“That’s fine. We had ice cream before this,” Dante said casually.
Aniya’s eyes narrowed. “You can’t feed her ice cream before dinner.”
“That was an hour ago,” he shrugged. “I’d be cruel if I denied a kid ice cream.”
“No, you’d be disciplining the kid you denied ice cream,” Aniya corrected. “What are we having? I’m starved.”
“Pizza and pasta. Carbs, just the way you like it,” he told her.
Aniya smiled. He was starting to know her better than anyone else. It was a heart dinner, and she didn’t care if she didn’t have that svelte figure, until she finished the last of the pizza slice. “God, I’ll be so fat by the end of the week,” she groaned.
“You’ll look fine. Shall we get home?”
She nodded, and Isabella was half-asleep by the time they got to her apartment. Dante gladly carried Isabella up two flights of stairs, and he set her down on the bed, taking off her shoes. “Before I go, give me two minutes,” he told her. “Need to get something from the car.”
Dante came back with a plain carton box, finished with a bow on top. The bow had an upscale brand’s name printed on it. “Here.”
She was afraid to take it. What for? It was just a dress, it was just a material object… but it was a gesture, it was a gesture of affection, it meant that he wanted her there.
“Have to go,” he said, with a smile. “See you.” He kissed her on the cheek, a soft brush, and then he left.
Aniya stared at the box on the table for a while. She reached out, and then was hesitant once more. Her fingers played in the air, touching the ribbon’s edges. She looked at Isabella, sleeping soundly on the bed, her fingers curling against the blanket, and she looked at her own fingers, curled against the ribbon. She smiled and slowly opened it, separating the paper apart. It was a beautiful light blue gown, with delicate beadwork at the bodice. It looked like tiny stars sparkling on the fabric.
She held it away from her, marveling at how he was this good at choosing a design, and it suited her skin tone perfectly. The question was, did it fit? She stripped off of her clothes, and walked to the only full length mirror in her apartment, just outside of the bedroom. She twirled around slowly, marveling at how perfect the fit was, marveling at how it made her look every inch a star, even though she’d barely worn makeup that day.
Damn it, Dante, she thought, you’re wonderful.
Chapter9
Aniya took a deep breath as she waited in Dante’s second living room. Seriously, how many living rooms did one need? She was about to check on her lipstick, when there was the sound of someone clearing her throat. Aniya looked up, and she saw Lupe standing in the hallway with a smile on her face.
“Don’t you look beautiful?” Lupe told her, inspecting her look carefully.
“Thank you.”
Dante had made sure that Aniya felt treated like a queen that night, so he had her book an appointment with one of Madrid’s top make-up artists, along with his trusted hairdresser. Aniya had never felt so glamourous in her entire life, which she knew. Her hair was done in a neat afro, with a sparkling headband- finally no frizz! Her eyes had a beautiful nude, smoky look, paired with burnt orange lipstick. She resisted the urge to take pictures of herself. There would be plenty of that at the gala, right?
They were debuting that night as a couple. No titles, but this was as close to being a couple there was. They were almost like a couple, she thought, staring at herself.
“Mama!” Isabella said, running into the room, ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’. “You’re like a fairy! A fairy princess!”
“A fairy princess you say?” Aniya laughed. “Are you read for a movie with Lupe?”
Isabella nodded. “Lupe makes me eat ice cream during movies. I like her,” Isabella announced.
Aniya frowned a little, and then she looked at Lupe who turned away for a moment. Isabella winked at Lupe and
Aniya hid her smile. “Alright. Just for tonight?”
“Yes, mama.”
“Come now,” Lupe said, taking Isabella’s hand. “Let’s let your mama prepare.”
Aniya looked at herself in the mirror, marveling at the transformation. She had asked them to just keep her hair as is, but with less frizz. She looked at the clutch in front of her, and she placed her phone inside, and her house keys and some money, and a lipstick. That was it. She hadn’t had such a small bag in a while…
There was a knock on the wall. Aniya spun around to see Dante leaning against the doorway, almost fully dressed, except that his shirt hadn’t been fully buttoned yet. “Aren’t you a looker?” he said, smiling at her. His eyes were solely concentrated on her. She felt naked with the look he gave.
“So are you,” she said.
“Seriously,” he began, walking closer towards her, “you’re the most beautiful person I think I’ve ever seen my whole life.”
She tried to say something. He had quite a dating history according to the tabloids, she had seen Pilar, and she had seen the other women in magazines (she had stalked him temporarily through gossip columns). She couldn’t say anything. It ended with Aniya smiling at him, a shy smile, a smile that meant she was tongue-tied.
“You can start with a thank you,” he said with a laugh.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
“Oh, by the way,” he continued, taking out something from behind him. It was another box, a thinner one, this time. “I think this will look great on you, but that’s just me.”
She stared at the box on his hand, it was the second time she had looked at a box like that. “What is it?”
He slowly opened it with one hand to reveal a sparkly pair of drop earrings, with aquamarine and diamonds on them.
“Dante,” she found herself whispering. “This is too much.”
“Not too much. I just figured it would pair well with your gown,” he said.
She tentatively stepped forward, and planted a chaste kiss on his lips, surprising him. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”