9 Abs are good for your health
9
Abs are good for your health
Isabella
I sit on one of the café’s empty sofas, holding my latte cup and feeling the tiredness of the day. The last few days, in fact.
Today is Thursday. It’s been almost ten days since I went out to enjoy the sun and ended up running over a handsome English lord: Benjamin, the man who has been my companion, my flatmate, and the guy who attracts me more and more every day, no matter how much I try to control myself.
I always knew that the disappointment with Matheus would pass and, at some point, I wouldn’t think about him for days. Well, it did, because my thoughts are now occupied by Benjamin, his height, and his gentlemanly manners.
Only he’s not a gentleman! He’s lost and confused, and soon he’ll realise who he is and disappear from my life, just as quickly as he arrived.
I managed to buy tickets to go to Bath next Saturday, on my day off. Tickets there are expensive in December, but I’ve found a good price if we go by bus and return by train. I’m having adventures with Ben, that’s for sure. When all this is over, at least we’ll have stories to tell.
And I hope we can stay friends afterwards. I don’t know, I think he likes me too, because we get on really well, even in this mess. Benjamin is someone I feel I can trust.
Which reminds me that I need to do something. As much as I don’t regret hiding it from Cinthia that I invited Benjamin to stay at the flat, I think it’s time to clear things up. Ten days is a long time, and I’m bothered by this lie.
Finding courage, I finish my coffee, put the cup aside, and pick up my phone. Two rings later, Cinthia answers the video call.
“Hi, Bella!” She smiles at me.
“Hi, darling. How are you?”
“Alright, I’ve just got back from class. I’m going to take a shower and go to a happy hour with the guys. What about you? Are you feeling better about your great-grandfather? How’s your father?”
I’m always touched by her concern for me and my family. As we all imagined, my great-grandfather really was in his final days. My dad rang me five days ago to say that he had been laid to rest. Even though the old man was close to a hundred years old, that’s never happy news. Especially for my father, because now he has no other family apart from me.
“He’s fine,” I reply. “He’s upset, of course. I invited him here to maybe go for a walk for a few days, but he’s swamped with work.”
“Ah, yes. Well, mourning is like that. Time heals everything.”
I nod and swallow, trying to look as natural as possible. I love talking to Cinthia about everything, but I have to tell her straightaway that we have an unexpected guest.
“I… I need to tell you something.”
Her eyebrows furrow. “Bella, what’s wrong?”
“Remember the man I hit a few days ago?”
She nods. “Yes, what about him? Is the guy giving you a hard time?”
Poor chap. The last thing Benjamin does is give me a hard time.
“No, it’s not. But…” I shudder and decide to say it all at once: “Well, he’s living with me temporarily.”
Cinthia brings the camera closer to her face. “Whaaaat? Is this guy in our house?”
“Relax, I can explain.”
“I’m counting on that.”
Yes, yes, I know. Let me just clear things up.
“He’s mentally confused. He thinks he’s someone he’s not, and we can’t trace his family.” For some reason, I don’t reveal that Benjamin thinks he’s from the past. “The doctor said it would pass, but I couldn’t leave him there, helpless. It was my fault that he hit his head.”
“But, darling, what if the man was a thug? A rapist, a…”
“I know, and I agree. It was a risky invitation. But I swear, he’s harmless. Absolutely nothing about Ben is dangerous.”
“Ben?”
“Yes, his name is Benjamin.”
“But you’re calling him Ben, are you already that close?”
“Well, not close, but he’s nice. And he needs my help, I wouldn’t do this crazy thing if I didn’t need to.”
Cinthia sighs, cocking an eyebrow. She’s not the type to lose her temper over anything, nor does she get angry easily. Lucky me.
“OK, I believe you. But why am I only finding out now?”
The guilt makes me grimace. “I know, I made a mistake. Forgive me, but I was afraid you’d say no and…”
“I’d say no!” she speaks.
“Yeah, I couldn’t go against your wishes and bring him home anyway. So I thought it was best to hide it. But I promise everything is fine. He’s sleeping on the sofa; he’s organised, clean, and polite. He’s even been helping me round the house – he did the hoovering yesterday. Duke loves him! You’ll have to see.”
She laughs, and I follow suit.
“That dog doesn’t have a lick of sense, just like its owner.” She’s probably right. “OK, but what now? How long will he stay?”
I don’t know, but my hope is that the trip to Bath will solve our dilemma.
“Not too many days, I don’t think. Before you get back, everything will be sorted out – don’t worry.”
“Um, about that, change of plans. I won’t be back until the 2 nd of January.”
My eyes widen slightly.
“Why?”
“To enjoy a few days without studying. As it’s Christmas and my holidays don’t end until the 1 st , I’ve asked a friend to swap days with me at the shop. That way, I can wander around Paris and take a quick trip to Bordeaux.”
“Oh, how chic…” I say, and she laughs.
“Everything is chic for you, darling.”
I smile too, and a new call appears on the screen: Laura LeBlanc.
“My sister is calling me.”
“Talk to her. Thanks for telling me about Ben, you crazy woman.”
“Thanks for not sacking me as a friend and flatmate,” I joke.
“It’s only because I’ve become attached to His Grace,” Cinthia teases. “And, Bella?”
“Yes?”
Cinthia takes a deep breath. “Be careful, OK?”
I frown, not understanding. “What do you mean?”
“I know that sparkle in your eyes. Don’t get attached to him.”
Oh, that. I mean, I don’t know what she’s talking about. Benjamin is in my life for now. I know he’s not going to stay, that what we’re experiencing is something temporary.
“Don’t worry, I’m just helping him.”
We say goodbye and I answer my sister’s call.
“Hi!” I say in Portuguese.
Two little faces appear on the phone screen, Laura’s and my mum’s.
“Oh, my two daughters who’ve abandoned me together again.”
We laughed, as we always do.
“It’s not unusual. I’m a married lady, and I have to accompany my husband,” Laura replies.
“Yes, maybe.” My mum shrugs.
“I’m not going to be lectured for being single,” I retort.
Conversations with my family are always lively. Me, Laura, and my mum couldn’t be more different. Janete Souza is blonde, green-eyed, and slim. Laura was born a redhead, like my stepfather, and has honey-coloured eyes. I look like my father, dark eyes and hair, and I’m taller than them. Anyone who doesn’t know us would never guess that we share the same blood, but we do have one thing in common: we like to chatter.
I’m not sure how long we talked, but there’s some great news. Pierre, Laura’s husband, has some paperwork related to his family’s paintings to sort out here in London, so they’re coming here next week to spend five days in the city. I haven’t seen my sister since her wedding four months ago. I have no doubt it will be fun.
My mum’s fine; she asked about my dad and said she spoke to him this week. Despite their distant relationship, they get along. As for me, when they asked me about news, I quickly told them about a friend I met at the café who is staying at the flat. I didn’t see any reason to mention the scooter incident, and I have no idea why I brought Benjamin into the conversation, but, well… that’s that. They also wanted to know if I’d been writing anything, but I changed the subject.
It wasn’t as if I had anything new to tell, although a few plot ideas have occurred to me. As usual, I’ve jotted them down in my notebook.
I switch off my phone and look at the time: 5pm. It’s time to go home.
I put on my headphones to walk back to the flat. Today’s playlist is a mix of Taylor Swift, Adele, and Selena Gomez. I barely notice the time passing, engrossed in the lyrics. The next thing I know, I’m at the door of the building.
I go up the stairs, taking the key out of my jacket pocket when I reach the third floor. I open the door, singing along to “Come and Get It”, close it behind me, and go into the lounge.
The world absolutely stops with what I find there.
Seriously, there’s no way to describe it. The music slows down; the air thickens; and my lips dry and part at the sight of Benjamin, the shirtless Greek god, doing sit-ups in my living room. Duke is lying next to his head, quietly. But it’s not Duke that my eyes are drawn to. Not by a long shot. My eyes are locked on the man exercising. And, wow, I can see every little bump standing out on his strong, hard-working torso. I want to lick them one by one.
“Bella?” He notices my presence. “My God, look at me.”
Yes, yes. Look at that. So, so hot.
“Hi, Ben.” I take off my headphones.
“Forgive me.” He starts looking around and reaches for his T-shirt. “I went to exercise with those videos you showed me, but I got hot. I’ll get dressed.”
“No!” I gesture with my hand. Benjamin stops with his T-shirt in his hand, surprised. “I mean, you don’t have to be hot. That would be inhumane.” Just like depriving me of this marvellous view. I continue, “Carry on with your exercise; I don’t mind if you’re shirtless.”
I try to avoid it, but I can’t. He’s standing up now, and my eyes run down his perfect body, his muscular arms, the line of hair that starts on his chest, heads down his torso, and disappears into his joggers.
The scriptwriter in my life has just redeemed herself.
Benjamin suddenly looks uncomfortable. He puts on his shirt and turns round quickly. “I’d already finished. I’m going to the toilet, excuse me.” He disappears down the corridor and locks himself in the bathroom.
Now I’m the one who’s uncomfortable. Have I been too forward?
The worst thing is that I don’t even regret it.
* * *
Benjamin
I’m more aroused than I’ve ever been.
Bella gave me such an intense look that my cock responded instantly. If I hadn’t run to the toilet, I’d have been mortified. After all, this fabric can be very revealing.
Feeling my erection throbbing, I turn on the tap, dip my hand in the running water, and bring it to the back of my neck. I already knew I was attracted to her, I just didn’t realise it was reciprocal. I know a woman’s debauched glances. It looked like she wanted to lick me. And I wouldn’t have minded being licked by her. Or licking her in return, after she’d finished.
I let out a moan, pushing the thought away. The idea is to leave the bathroom in my normal state, not even more aroused. God, I really am a mess of a man. I’m looking forward to Saturday when we can get to Bath and I can try to get home.
I’ve been thinking about it for the last few days. I forced myself to remember exactly what happened: I was in the study; I thought about what it would be like to disappear; I found the cameo; my wish came true, and I woke up in 2022.
I can’t find an explanation for all this, but that’s what happened. So I’ve made a decision. When we get to my house, I’m going to repeat, as far as possible, what I did that afternoon, but instead of wanting to disappear, I’m going to wish to go home.
I look at my face in the bathroom mirror, taking a deep breath. The guy I see in the reflection looks nothing like the one I used to know. I’ve changed so much in recent years, gone through so many different phases, that it’s hard to define who I am now. A libertine, an older brother, a responsible duke, a time traveller. All of those things, perhaps.
I come out of the bathroom and find the dog staring at me.
“Your Grace.” I nod as I pass him and return to the living room. The sound of paws on the wooden floor indicates that Duke is following me.
Bella has her back to me, preparing something in the kitchen. She realises my presence and looks at me with a smile on her face. So beautiful.
“I’m making guacamole for both of us.”
“Guacamole? What is guacamole?”
“Avocado with onion, tomato, and lemon.” She walks over to me and leaves a round bowl of green mixture on the coffee table. “Oh, I forgot the Doritos.”
I don’t even find these different foods that Bella presents me with strange anymore. With the exception of a sour worm made of gelatine, I’ve liked everything she’s offered me.
Minutes later, that guacamole with Doritos goes on the list of approved foods. Bella smiles so sincerely as she observes my reactions every time I taste something, that I’d like to have that smile recorded in a painting. Or rather, in a photo, since that’s possible nowadays.
“Are you excited for Saturday? I’ve already printed the tickets,” Bella says, popping a nacho into her mouth.
“Yes!” I wipe my lips with the napkin. “I need to clarify something with you, actually.”
Her shapely eyebrows frown when she looks at me.
“You see, Bella, I’ve been thinking about everything that’s happened and… I think I should use this visit to my old home to try and get back.”
She swallows, nodding slightly. “Back to the nineteenth century, you mean.”
“I’ll try to repeat what I did the day I disappeared into the house. Maybe it’ll work.”
“And what did you do?”
“I found an old cameo locket that my grandmother gave me.”
Her expression is suddenly curious. “Can I have a look? I’ve never seen a cameo up close.”
“Sure, let me get it for you.”
I get up and walk over to a piece of furniture in the living room where I’ve kept my clothes. The cameo is there, along with my jacket, shirt, waistcoat, trousers, and boots.
“Here, this one.” I hold it out to her and settle back on the sofa.
Bella looks shaken as she stares at the garment. Her delicate fingers, with nails painted in blue, carefully outline the feminine silhouette, as if she were holding a precious treasure. “It’s beautiful. You said it was your grandmother who gave it to you?”
“Yes, she gave it to me just before she died. I found it by chance. It’s the last thing I remember before I got here.”
Bella puts her hand to her face reflectively, but I know what she’s thinking.
“You must think I’m more of a lunatic every second you’re around me, mustn’t you?”
She denies it, handing the cameo back to me. “It’s not that. I just… do you think this whole story is about a play you’re in? A film? A book you’ve read?”
I laugh. Bella has already told me about her theory that I’m an actor in a film or a TV series.
“Bella, I’m not an actor. And no, it’s not from a book.”
“Yes, I know you think it’s not…” she mumbles. “OK, everything you’ve told me makes sense. But we agreed to consider both options, yours and mine.”
“I know. For you, I’ll get there and realise that I was just confused. But if I’m right, and I know I am, I need you to know that I can disappear.”
She swallows dryly, sighing. “Which means we’ll never see each other again.”
“Precisely.”
Only then do I realise what my return means. As right as it is, the thought of never seeing Bella again makes my chest tighten. I’m… attached to her, something deeper than physical desire or the friendship we’ve formed.
“OK, Ben. On Saturday, we’ll see what happens. And if you make it back to the past… well, I’ll miss you.”
I love the way she takes me seriously, even if she thinks I’m mad.
“Yes, we’ll see. And I’ll miss you too.”
More than I imagined, I suddenly realise.