Sunday came.
Beth left early in the morning for her night away with Thomas, and I stayed home mustering the courage to get ready for the event. It was increasingly dreadful. For the longest time, I stared at my dresses debating on which one to wear and flaunt in front of Leo's parents. On one hand, there was a beautiful red and white gown, and on the other…well…it was a dress.
My teaching dress, to be exact. A plain blue jean buttoned-up dress. It was casual enough to be comfortable, but also professional for any random after-school teacher-parent meeting, which is what I usually go for.
By nightfall, I had picked my attire and met Omar at my doorway on the dot of time. He respectfully greets me and ushers me to his spacious car informing me of our whereabouts as we make our way to the event. We also made a bit of small talk as we got to know each other and shared our thoughts on Leo. In Omar's opinion, Leo can be a handful to watch since he is always up and going. Omar once had to put a bell in the pocket of Leo's pants to simply hear him enter and exit a room.
"As a boss, he's a bit of a child. As a person, he is amazing." Omar would say. Usually, on special occasions, Leo would allow Omar to invite his partner and pay for their time there. He understood that Omar would need some time to enjoy himself.
"How much has he told you about our arrangement?" I ask him, curious to see what Leo has told his staff.
"Well, both Stefan and I were there with Leo when his folks first instructed him to find his partner soon. They really grilled the poor guy. For an actor, he played his role well to please everyone around him, but he hated every bit of it. He's been through a bit of false relationships, none were real."
"But why does he go through it?"
"Approval. He wants approval." Omar states. "There's not a day that goes by where he doesn't worry about how he looks and how he behaves. 'Everything needs to be perfect' he would say. He was pretty desperate to scout you out."
"I could tell." I mumble.
"Though, he seems happier."
I steer my eyes away from the passenger window, focusing on the road and twinkling L.A. buildings underneath the dimness of the overflowing smog pouring out of the city.
"How so?"
"For starters, he is very fond of you. He was jumping sky high when you had agreed to the arrangement. Stefan saw it firsthand. From the way Leo talked about you, it seemed as though relief washed over the man. He was less irritable in the morning for his photoshoots."
I wasn't too surprised because Leo was always great at flattery. In our early days, I would frequently ignore him as he would say quick one-liners to me. When we did bicker, it mostly took place when he achieved greatness and I would, as usual, get second place. He'd make a condescending 'nice' compliment such as "Maybe next time" or "Your day will come to shine pequeña estrella". He then would somehow try to sing my praises in which would point out my flaws—a back-handed compliment.
It would be the perfect topper for my hurt ego.
His friends would laugh, and at times I'd storm away. When I did have some courage, I would respond with a, while I admit, stupid remark. It would be something along the lines of "I'll catch up to you, stupid tortuga." or "You'll see. When I do, it will bring you on your knees.".
What's worse is that after these competitions, I would get picked up by his mother. Sometimes my family wasn't able to give me a ride, and so they asked her. She was fairly kind and would always try to get me to come over to have a play date with Leo afterward.
It worked a few times as our mothers were more than happy to have kids of the same age living next to each other. They assumed we'd be the best of friends.
Funny enough now they think we're dating after years of practically avoiding him.
Pulling over to the back of the building, avoiding the press, Omar escorts me out of the car scanning his eyes for any hidden cameraman that may have sneaked their way through the parking garage.
When we make our entrance, I spot Leo there with his red wine suit. On his hands are white gloves. His hair is parted in the middle and fell at the sides in waves. He seemed busy as his eyes darted around the room looking for someone. Possibly a co-star or the director.
As Omar takes his leave to guard the entrance, I make my way through the crowd of people and inch toward Leo. Right when I was about to sneak behind him, I heard the sound of my mother's voice shouting from the other side of the venue. I spot her wearing a floral dress, along with the rest of my family members, my father, and my younger brother. She eagerly waves to me and gestures to come closer and greet them.
"Oh, dear god." I groan.
Leo hears my protest and spins on his heels in my direction. "There you are." His mischievous grin widens greatly when he realizes what I am wearing. He sets down his drink from his gloved hand and trails by side. It took me aback when he slipped his fingers in between mine.
"Hey!" I tug from his grip but he refuses to release. He leads me through the crowd, careful not to have them trip over me. I realize his intentions and allow him to reel me though.
Curse his natural strength and tallness. If only I was a man.
"Act natural." He whispers into my ear as we approach my family. I take his stupid acting advice and proceed with caution.
My mother glances at me and eagerly beams when she spots Leo, though I wish she didn't.
"Leo! Ay! Que chulo" she compliments him.
"Thank you." Leo flashes his teeth and kisses her on the cheek greeting her. I take my turn, and his parents join us.
I properly greet them, and together we make our way to a table for us to sit down and chat. They make little to no effort to discuss the elephant in the room, asking questions Leo and I prepared ourselves to answer.
"Qué lindo! We're so happy for you guys." His mother smiles in approval. She clutches my hand tightly in her lap as if she were afraid that I would disappear if she'd let go.
"Who knew my big sister would actually find someone." my brother snickers in between bites of his plate. I kick him underneath the table and shift my face back to a makeshift smile.
"I'd have to agree. I didn't think you'd get a novio anytime soon mija." My mother laughs.
My face warms around my falsely perked cheeks. I attempt to unwrap my hands from Leo's vined grip but he does not budge.
"Stephanie is a remarkable person. It's like that one saying, sometimes it takes time to find your perfect match." He replies, maintaining his stature.
A few more people enter the room, capturing the eyes of everyone around us. Omar taps Leo's shoulder whispering a few words to him. Leo excuses himself, squeezing my shoulder lightly in assurance.
He walks over to the main floor and joins his fellow cast members for his upcoming show. I notice one of his co-stars wrapping his arm and leaning against him. Leo politely steps away and peers in my direction.
"You know Stephanie, I was going to set my Leo up with Georgia, but there was never someone I wanted Leo to end up with as much I did with you." his mother whispers to my ear.
"That's very kind of you, Mrs. Vasquez."
"Please, call me mom or suegra. Somos familia." Her grip on my hand softens as her eyes do. "I can only hope Leo and you stay happy. I would like for there to be a wedding soon."
"A wedding?" my heart stops a beat.
The situation was getting too much out of hand.
"Why yes. Perhaps some kids?"
"Oh, no. I don't plan on having any kids." I assert calmly.
"But you're a teacher."
"Yes, but I do not wish to have children. I do love teaching, but I love my personal freedom more. Children can be a blessing, but having them is also a choice." I tell her.
She glances over to my mother, who already scolding me with her eyes in disapproval. A look I am far too familiar with. To her, I was trouble, but to myself, I was self-determined.
I refuse to disregard my own boundaries. I understand what it means to respect others, but I also need to respect myself and my beliefs. Unlike Leo, I am not an actress, and thus there is only so much time I could play this role.
I turn my head over my shoulder and make my way to Leo, excusing myself from the table. When I stand next to him, there is a slight flicker of relief in his facial expression as his smile tightens less. He pulls away from his co-star, Georgia, and wraps his arm around my waist. Georgia's expression falls in disgust as her eyebrows knit together and her lips pull downward.
Leo introduces me to each of his cast members.
"Leo's girlfriend." Georgia scans me. I was a bit familiar with her work as she often took on roles in romance films and like Leo, modeled on the side. According to Leo, from what he was able to tell me, and what I have seen in the advertisements, Georgia is one of the leads in the show.
I can now see what he meant by her being a tad bit clingy at times. She hovered over Leo's shoulder, leering at me with great displeasure, especially at the recognition of the matching bracelets.
"Stephanie," I say, introducing myself to the others.
"It's great to meet you! Will you be seeing us do our thing on set? I would love for us to hang out!" the second main cast member says.
I smile at her taking her hand and shaking it lightly. Delaware Daghner is a rising star who recently climbed from the depths of poverty to where she is today. She is an advocate for human and animal rights and participated in various peaceful protests.
"Of course! I'll try to make it if it's not too bothersome or anything." I reply, half believing what I'm saying.
"Delaware is always excited to meet people." The blonde man next to her chuckles. "Name is Tom. A pleasure to meet you. Any friend of Leo is a friend of mine." He was as equally as bubbly as Delaware and gave off major golden retriever vibes. He was a fairly new actor and name to Hollywood. There wasn't much I knew about him other than his character's name in the TV show.
"Step aside, Tom. Allow me to show you how it's done," a sly six-foot brazen brunet man wearing a silver tux rudely shoves him out of the way, capturing my hand by surprise. "Mitchell. Mitchell Sithe."
He locks his hands over mine and spins me around, allowing my dress to fully display itself. The fabric glistens and spreads open like the wings of an eagle. Michell carefully stops me and takes a moment to scan me up and down. "My Leo, she is beautiful indeed."
Mitchell winks at me and Leo tugs me closer to his side. Let's say I had a big hunch Leo did not like Mitchell whatsoever. He was the one cast member Leo warned me deeply about. Prior to becoming an A-list actor, Mitchell had been in an international boy band, one that I embarrassingly admit was obsessed with. Apparently, each member had gone separate ways after a huge dispute occurred with their record label and an unfortunate scandal. After that, The Meance Seven ceased to exist.
He makes one final move that surely upsets Leo. He bends down and gently kisses the top of my hand. It was more than enough to fluster me.
"I-uh, thank you?" I say it as a question.
Georgia scoffs, playing with the small golden necklace on her neck.
"May I have everyone's attention!" A voice roars among the crowd. Waving a cup of champagne to the sky is the legendary director, in the flesh, Eduardo Jimenez. He thanks Leo for hosting the event and gestures for him to take his place next to him.
Rather than releasing his hold around my waist, Leo anchors my body closer to his and drags me next to the iconic Eduardo Jimenez. All eyes were on the three of us. Especially our families who took every opportunity to lift themselves out of the table and march right to the front of the crowd. The lights dim everywhere except on us.
Given the attention, I couldn't help but anxiously play with the bracelet on my wrist, feeling the sharp points of the star's edges.
"To our latest project, as we begin filming the first episode tomorrow!" Mr. Jimenez cheers. Behind him is Leo's agent, Emille, who emerges over Leo's shoulder. She murmurs something to Mr. Jimenez and walks back to the background.
"And, to our newest couple!" he continues once more. The blinding light sharpens on us, breaking me into a slight panic mode.
Don't freak out.
Don't freak out.
Don't freak out.
I fight to keep my cheeks lifted as I very much want to lower them into a harrowing frown. I could feel the sensation rise in me as my hands shot at my side, unwilling to stay in their place.
Leo drops his hold from his waist and instead holds my hand, tucking it behind his back, hiding a bit of my shakiness. I give him a thankful gaze, meeting his eyes as they lowered in deep concern.
"Are you okay?" they ask intensively.
I bite the side of the cheek unable to give him a response.
I
want
to
get
out
of
this
dress.
Suffocated.
That is how I am feeling.
There's only so much time I can keep my composure; before it all escapes out of the cracks of my skin.
I want to close my eyes and disappear. Let everything fade into nothing.
Blinking, another flash hits the corner of my eye, breaking me out of my trance. I turn to the light and find a small man racing out to the door with security guards on his tail, including Omar. He ran out carrying a small camera on which he took our photo on.
Panic sets in, and my anxiety worsens. There were too many voices in the crowd. I was severely overstimulated far beyond what I was used to.
I need to leave.
Now.
Ripping my hands away from Leo, I ran through the doors I entered and struggled through the halls, blurring my vision. I crash into them, unable to comprehend where I am and what I am doing.
I just needed to escape.
That's all that occurred to me as I wheezed in uneasy breaths. I didn't know how, but I still ran. I ran in my dress all the way to the parking garage. There I found the car, hitting the window with my hands several times, screaming and wheezing like a mad woman.
"My purse." I kept saying. The tip of my knuckles was on fire.
"Steph?"
"My purse. I need my purse." Tears were streaming down my face. A soft pair of arms held my shoulders telling me to calm down. The man searched his pockets desperately finding a way to get into the vehicle. He spins around me and grabs an object, breaking the car window free. Rummaging through the car, he takes my purse and quickly entrusts it to me, opening its compartment wide open.
I take the sour candy from one of the pockets, ripping the wrapper out of its place, and like a starved peasant, I indulge myself with the candy. I fall to the ground, ruining the dress, my gorgeous dress, and brand-new shoes I had kept aside for this special occasion.
The sour candy sits in my mouth seeping into my taste buds like a symphony to my ears as all my attention focuses on the sourness. The world no longer seemed hazy as it was a few minutes again, and I was able to breathe again. There was still pressure in my throat as it tightened from all my mental restraints, but not to its severity. Although my tears had dried, I could feel the patterns on my cheeks from which they fell.
I nonchalantly pop another sour candy into my mouth as I regain my senses. The world was no longer as loud as it was. Air returned to my lungs, and I was able to recognize the man sitting on the floor with me.
He hasn't said a word.
Instead, he examines the candy wrapper, analyzing its details, bidding no mind to his injured fist and dented fire extinguisher.