21. Neve
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Neve
I didn’t realize how much I needed a girl’s day out to clear my head.
Dalila arrives at the house around eleven in the morning and from the moment I climb into her car we are smiling and laughing.
Walk around the mall in the air-conditioned atmosphere, people hurrying back and forth around us while we browse clothing stores and look at handbags and shoes and accessories - I am thinking about how crazy the changes in my life have been and where I’ve landed up .
And the thing is - where I’ve landed up isn’t bad at all.
“Celso is busy planning our honeymoon with me.” I say, holding up a blue sweater to show Dalila.
“Mm. Maybe try the darker blue on, I think it might bring out your eyes more. So, where did you guys decide to go?” She asks, turning back to the rack of clothing she was browsing.
I pick up the darker blue cardigan, holding it up against my chest.
“He’s been talking about Peru. Because I mentioned hiking Machu Picchu.”
“That one looks great. Definitely that one. Machu Picchu - that sounds like your style of holiday. So Celso isn’t pushing for Hawaii or some luxurious tropical island?”
“No, he’s going with what I want - and he seems to be excited about it too.”
Dalila narrows her eyes and sighs.
“At the wedding I was watching him and I kind of have to admit - I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smiling that much in my life. It was unnerving.” She packs up laughing.
“What do you mean unnerving ?” I say in horror.
“It’s Celso . He’s always been serious and moody and broody. I don’t know. It was weird to see him that happy.”
I grin, my heart flickering. “Why do you think?”
“Obviously because he was getting to marry you, idiot.” She answers me before I can finish my question.
I choose the blue sweater and a pair of bubblegum blue Nike hi-tops in almost the same color and carry them towards the check-out desk. Dalila has found a white summer dress and a pair of tan sneakers with a thick platform sole.
She glances at her watch while the lady rings up our items.
“Are you ready for a little lunch and a cocktail?” She asks. “Then we can do the other side of the mall after that and with two cocktails in us it’ll be a much more reckless choice making experience.” The grin on her face is classic .
“Sounds perfect. I need to make some reckless fashion choices. I was always so perfectly groomed when my father sent me off shopping.” I giggle.
Dalila leads us to her favorite sushi restaurant on the top floor of the mall. The wide glass walls overlook the shoppers down below us and we find a table near the edge so that we can watch the other people walking around.
“So, Mrs. Vece, how’s life?” She teases me as sit down on the table we’ve chosen.
I go quiet as I contemplate her question because - while it is a normal question - it’s thrown me off guard.
She scrunches her brows and looks at with her head tilted to the side. “What’s going on?” she asks, worried.
The server arrives and right away Dalila orders two Mango and lime cocktails and a sushi platter, then chases him away.
She turns back to me, her forehead lined with worry. “Neve?” She says reaching out to touch my hand .
I giggle and shake my head. “Stop looking so worried.” I laugh.
“Well, you went all quiet and weird and all I asked was how’s life?”
“I got caught off guard.” I shrug.
“By what?” she says confused.
“By my first thought when you asked it.”
“Oh for crying out loud will you tell me your answer?” she huffs, throwing her hands up.
I grin and shake my head again. “The very first answer that popped into my head was ‘life’s great.’ But I had to pause for a second and think about it - because - well - my life hasn’t been great before. It’s been good. But controlled. Structured. Ruled. All those things - you know how my father was.”
“Ok—” Dalila says, waiting for me to explain more as the server sets our drinks down on the table.
I take a long leisurely sip. It’s lovely.
“Since I married Celso - ok, so in the beginning I was furious. But he isn’t at all I thought he was going to be. He lets me be who I am. I never feel judged - in fact it’s the complete opposite. I feel beautiful, and adored - I feel like he sees me?—”
Dalila’s face has relaxed, and she’s looking at me with a trace of surprise in her bright green eyes.
“Are you happy , Neve?” She asks, confused.
“I am. I’m happy. How crazy is that?” I giggle, my cheeks turning warm pink as I confess something that I had not even realized yet. Not fully. Not enough to admit it out loud.
I take a deep breath. “Even my brother’s campaign is soaring. He’s doing so well. So, he’s happy and my family name has been recovered after that disaster with my leaked photos of my father and his bullshit - and my brother doesn’t seem to care about what I do. He is on his own mission, so he isn’t trying to impart all this stupid rules on me like my father did. Celso is - he’s amazing. I never expected—” My voice trails off. My heart is flickering with excitement. “I think I’m falling for him.” I whisper, quiet and mumbled, a confession I wasn’t ready to say, but it slipped out of my lips.
“Love?” Dalila says. “Celso? Have you got Stockholm syndrome?” She asks, laughing even louder than before .
“Ha. Ha. Funny.” I throw the napkin at her and grin. “I’m serious.”
Dalila’s eyes soften as she stares across the table towards me. “I can see you are. And - as much as I’m still furious with Celso for what he did - I’m happy for you. I’m also a bit worried you understand? I mean I don’t want to make things weird or make you worried - but it’s Celso. I don’t know. He’s always been so - he’s always been Celso.” She shrugs.
I nod, I understand what she’s trying to get out. I’ve always known Celso was trouble and her warning doesn’t fall lightly. He’s dangerous and unpredictable and I am still worried about him being obsessed because I’m something shiny and new - and when it wears off and I’m me - what will he do then?
“Be careful.” She says a soft smile on her lips. “I want you to be happy, Neve, but be careful. I don’t want you to get your heart broken.”
I nod. “I am being careful. I know I have to be.” She’s right. I’m falling way too deep, way too fast. It could all be an act, a game of some sort .
“Ugh.” Dalila says, rolling her eyes and shaking her shoulders as though she is trying to shake off some weird vibe. “Let’s not talk about my brother anymore.” She grins. “Another cocktail? And I think you should get that body con dress we saw at Le Perla. It will be so hot with your new sneakers or a pair of heels. Win win.”
“Alright. Another cocktail and this sushi is incredible.” I pop another salmon rose into my mouth and wince when I taste it, I added a little too much wasabi.
Dali giggles.
Girl’s day out is perfect. Talking to her gives me so much perspective regarding where my head is at - what direction my thoughts are going on. It’s weird to admit that I am falling for Celso, and a little bit terrifying too. What if this is a game to him?
What if I’m the newest shiniest toy on his shelf and soon this all going to wear off and I’ll be - what will I be? What will happen to me when Celso gets bored?
“I don’t think I can carry any more bags.” Dalila laughs, adjusting her fingers around the shopping bags she has in her hands. “Shall we go back to the car? My feet are sore anyway. With the amount of walking we did I feel like we could have climbed Everest.”
I laugh at how dramatic she can be sometimes.
“Sure, my legs are tired too. I can head home and curl up on the sofa to watch a series.”
“Yes, that’s what I want to do too.” She nods as we head towards the exit and out to the car.
The funny thing is that while Dalila chats about Nevio and what they’ve been up to, driving through the city with our windows open and the breeze whipping our hair into the air, my sunglasses down and the sunshine pressed against my skin - all I can think about is that I’m excited to get home and see Celso.
Home.
Because that’s how I feel about his penthouse now. It feels like my home. It is my home.
And Celso - he’s my person. And I’m excited to be back with him .
I want to show him the cute things I bought, maybe even do a little fashion show for him. I want to tell him about how great the cocktails were and how we should definitely go to that place for sushi one day. I want to tell him I might be falling in love with him - but that - that would be stupid of me, wouldn’t it?
A crazy little smile flickers across my lips as I enjoy the fresh air rushing into the car window. Dalila turns the music up and starts singing to an old Cranberries song. I join in, out of tune and too loud, my smile stretching all the way across my lips now.
I message Celso to tell him I’m on my way home and he replies with a little heart saying I can’t wait.
When we pull up outside the building Celso is waiting down stairs for us. Dalila climbs out of the car, parked near the entrance, to help me unload my shopping bags. I bought half the amount she bought, but it still seems like way too much.
Celso walks over to help by taking the shopping bags and holding them in one hand. The other arm, he wraps around me so that he can pull me up close to him and kiss me.
“I missed you.” He grins against my lips.
“I missed you too.” I whisper.
“Gross.” Dalila shouts, slamming the back door closed.
I let go of Celso and walk back over to her to hug her goodbye. “Thank you for an amazing day.” I say.
“Yeah, yeah, get yourself back into the house so no one else has been tortured with your gross lovey-dovey stuff.” She laughs, pushing me away. She climbs into her car and waves as she leaves.
Celso pulls me towards the elevator, and we head up to our penthouse. I snuggle against him in the elevator and he leans close to my ear and whispers “I can press the emergency stop button. We’d have at least twenty minutes before they got it going again.” My cheeks flush pink and I glance at the security cameras.
“Actually, I thought I would do a little fashion show for you to show you what I bought today.”
“Oh, really?” he asks surprised, his blue eyes narrowing as they stare down at me with mischief and curiosity. “Now, that sounds like what I want to be doing this evening.” He pulls me close to kiss me again and my body sparks with desire.
I am genuinely happy to be with him again. I missed him today. It’s so strange to miss him.
It’s exciting and terrifying to feel this way about him.
It’s Celso. Dalila’s words whisper a warning in my mind.