"I don't need liquor, your scent intoxicates me enough."
❣
Bellona analyzes herself critically in the mirror. She wants to look perfect. She was adorned in a dark blue strapless dress, that exposed her collar bones and shoulders. The material of the dress was smooth and shimmering. There was silt on the left side, ending right on her mid-thigh. The fabric hugged her figure flawlessly but yet she felt strange. She wished she wasn't chubby and had the hourglass figure or close. But a part of her was glad, Chase chose a perfect dress for her. He had it delivered by his assistant and there was also a handwritten note with the dress, apologizing for not being able to contact Bellona. Bellona has always been a soft and forgiving person so she decided to forgive him this once.
Chase is a sweet guy (according to her) She met him at a party three months ago. He was a shy guy that was staring at her, she was staring back at him until her clumsy ass spilled wine on his expensive suit. She kept apologizing more than a million times then her heart froze when he asked for her number. At first, it was just exchanging texts, then calls, and finally a date that led them here.
Smiling at the memories, Bellona assigned her skin to minimal makeup. Just compact, eyeliner spotlighting her hazel eyes, accompanied by a sparkling soft eyeshadow on her eyelids, a glimmer of highlighter on her cheeks. She usually shirks blush cause her chubby cheeks possess a saffron complexion. She completes her look with diamond studs and a delicate rose gold bracelet braced around her wrist.
"Oh my, you look so pretty!" her mom steps inside her room, looking at her daughter in awe.
Feeling a bit optimistic about herself Bellona asks, "I am hot, right?"
"You are my daughter. Hotness streams in our DNA," her mother rolls her eyes and adjusts her dress a bit, "You are looking beautiful, Bella."
She doesn't like being called Bella. It reminds her of the Disney princess. Bellona knows the fact that she ain't a princess in some stupid fairy tale.
"You should have come along. Chase would have been glad to see you there," she tells her mother, sliding on her black heels.
"Parties are not my thing," her mother dryly replies. Bellona doesn't press further cause parties aren't her thing as well. But it's a big day for her boyfriend, so she concedes to build an exception.
"Is everything okay?" Bellona asks, both the ladies amble downstairs. Her mother has eternally been her top priority. They are the only family for each other. Seeing her mother breaking down after the divorce was the hazardous thing Bellona went through. She never wants her mother to cry for the man who abandoned her soul. The one who vowed to her mother that he will cherish her in front of thousands of people, who promised to watch the moon with her every day but instead, he sucked the sun away from her life. The pain weighs on Bellona's shoulder but she didn't get crushed under the thumb of ice, instead, she chased away the sadness that was hovering over their world like thunderous clouds. She held the hand of her mother who was lost in the abyss of agony and pull her in the glowing medallion in the sky.
She became her sun.
"Yeah. Get going. The driver is waiting downstairs," Ariel places a kiss on her cheek.
"Bye. Don't wait up, I will be late."
❣
When she reached the luxurious building, nervousness found solace in her. The fancy parties are shitty. Most of the people hanging in them are shitier.
I am here, she texts him and he responds immediately.
I will fetch you, baby.
She smiles and loiters around for her boyfriend, letting the cool gust of wind soothe her. Being a nature lover, Bellona likes star gazing. If the idea of being a doctor didn't beset her mind, she would certainly have been an astronaut.
"Bella" his soft voice calls out and Bellona jumps in his arms, nuzzling into him tightly.
"I missed you so much, Bellona," her boyfriend murmurs in low voice. Bellona pull back and stared at his face. They know each other enough to detect the tone of their voices. Before lovers, they were friends.
"What's wrong?" The chubby girl asks him, looking into his sapphire blue eye. Chase skims his fingers on her cheek and smiles.
"N-nothing. Just work and stress."
The fact that he stuttered or his eyes glistened with guilt, was something Bellona couldn't interpret. She is excellent at reading people- Being a Pisces, that's given.
"Nothing is wrong, baby. Don't bang your pretty little head. Give your thoughts a break," he kisses her cheek, and Bellona breathes out in relief, eyeing his stunning features.
Chase is indeed very handsome. He has scythe-shaped eyebrows. His sharp nose and half-dome cheekbones sat above his oaken jaw. His burly physique is something that made him look a hundred times more attractive. He has an exquisite smile that never lagged to race her heart.
He led her into a magnificent and lavish gathering hall. Bellona noticed how refined everything was orchestrated. The room was spacious and the gigantic sparkling chandelier over the ceiling brightens the hall with a luminous golden glow. People dressed elegantly were conversing with each other with a glass of wines or other quenchers in their hands.
"Chase! There you are!" a soft voice calls out and Bellona stops along with her boyfriend.
She sees a woman approaching them. There was a curious style, a great sense of high voltage about the lady. Her hair was kohl-black and it plunged over her shoulders. She has slender eyes brows, sea nymph ears, and a dainty nose. Her body was wrapped in a shimmering evening gown. Her luminous, heavenly-white teeth flashed as she smiles at Bellona then at her son. Bellona knows nothing about his family. He once told her about his younger brother and his sister, but not comprehensively.
"Mom," Chase whispers and liberates his hand from his girlfriend's grasp.
"Oh, you have a guest. Hello, I am Emily, his mother," the beautiful lady extends her hand with a welcoming smile. Bellona smiles back and places her hand in hers.
"I am Bellona Ellis, his-
"She is my very good friend"
Bellona's heart sank hearing her boyfriend's response, she stares at his side profile.
A very good friend?
"I see. You are very beautiful Bellona. Mind if I take my son for a while?" She asks her politely, and the chubby girl just shook her head with a slight smile.
Her clueless stare doesn't go disregarded by Chase, he mouthes later, waddling behind his mother.
What?
How can he introduce me as a good friend?
"Ma'am, would you like to have some drinks?" The waiter asks her. With a frustrating sigh, Bellona grabs a glass of wine and mumbles thank you.
Sitting in the corner of the hall away from all the living species, she just stuffs her mouth with food and wine. Chase was busy meeting people, another woman tugged in his arms as he parades around the hall.
I shouldn't have been here.
She felt out of the environment. The group of ladies bathed in expensive perfumes and makeup made it obvious with their looks that she didn't fit in here.
Chase shuffles towards his girlfriend with an apologetic look.
"Sorry, I am sorry, love. I know you are upset. I swear I had my reasons. I couldn't introduce you to them abruptly, please believe me," he whisperes holding her cool hand in his.
"Who is that woman?" Bellona asks pointing at the lady, who was swathed in a tight red dress.
"She is just a daughter of my business alliance. I had to walk with her for business purposes," Chase replies tugging the strand of her hair behind her ear.
"Did I tell you how sexy you look tonight," he mumbles, taking out a velvet box from his coat.
"No, you didn't since you were busy," Bellona rolls her eyes.
He laughs, "I guess you are drunk babe. Don't drink more. Should I get you some cheesecake? It's your favorite"
Bellona shakes her head, taking a sip of wine. The bittersweet wine flirts with her tongue before traveling down her throat, a hint of sourness prevails.
Chase swipes her hair over her shoulder, baring her back to him. Before Bellona could resist, he drapes a necklace around her neck. The cool metal against her skin glimmers in the golden lanterns of the room. With her index finger and thumb, Bellona picks a tiny star mold.
"I know you don't like gifts, but I wanted to get one for you today. I am sorry Bellona, for everything," Chase murmurs lowering his gaze. Bellona doesn't get why he apologized but before she could say anything, she glimpses his mother.
"Chase your mother is looking for you. I will be here," she tells her boyfriend who was acting strange.
"Ugh...Sorry. I will be back in a bit. Stay here, okay?" He stands up. Bellona nods and watches the wine in the crystalline glass. The blood-red liquid weaved with specks of violet and brown swirls in the zinfandel glass, just the way her thoughts are whirling.
Something is wrong. She could just sense it.
After an hour or so, she concludes to get some fresh air. Chase was nowhere to be found. Her tipsy and wobbly legs carry her to God knows where. Clambering upstairs and she notices there wasn't a single soul around her drunk ass. Breathing hard she sailes another set of stairs and an unexpected vista froze her.
A couple kissing each other aggressively, the girl was pinned to the pillar, and the man's back appears familiar. She shakes her head and scrapes her eyes to get a clear vision.
Realization slams into her like a tight slap on her back, compelling the wind out of her lungs, an audible gasp eludes from her mouth in the sour atmosphere.
They stop kissing.
Chase turns his head and his eyes enlarge looking at his girlfriend. "Bellona," he mutters under his breath, their surroundings abided by the deafening silence that allows her to hear his murmuring voice polluted with remorse.
She takes a step down the stairs, then one more.
"Bellona, please just hear me out baby," he urges walking close to her.
Taking a step back, she staggered. Her back smashes into a hard chest and an arm wrapped around her stomach from behind. A familiar earthy scent hugs her senses.
"Here we meet again," he softly whisperes in the veil of her velvety dark threads, cascading down her waist.
Bellona elevates her head and encounters his pelagic eyes.
"Ocean eyes" she murmurs staring at the man vividly, breathing in his woodsy scent.
"What are you doing here?" Kaiser asks. Voice soft. Tone hush. His fingers curl around the soft skin of her arms as he aids her body to stand. The essence of strawberries meshed with alcohol gushing from her, rendering his sane mind in inebriety.
"Bella, please," Chase begs, stepping towards her. There was a hue of red lipstick on his lips. Kaiser frowns looking between the chubby girl then at his brother, then finally at the woman near the pillar.
Did they know each other? He thought.
"Don't," her voice changes drastically and she occupies a notch closer to the man with ocean eyes.
"Chase, sort this shit out. I call will call you later," a woman who Chase was kissing, rolls her eyes, scaling past the three.
"Bella, I have my reason!" Chase exclaims rubbing his temples.
Please, not this. Don't tell me that my brother was the boyfriend she was talking about. And my fucking brother just cheated on her.
"Bussiness? You know what Chase? Just shove your business up in your ass," she spat and turns around like a wind, darting downstairs.
Chase glances at Kaiser, who has a subtle frown on his face, then scurries behind Bellona. Kaiser witnesses his brother clutching her wrist, she yanks her hand as if it burns, and a hard sound of slap echoes in the foyers.
Oh, man.
She shoves him harshly and descended downstairs. Still immersed in confusion, Kaiser slowly approaches the man who tasted a hot yummy slap across his face.
"Kaiser, Shit! It all went wrong," he rubs his face in frustration.
"You know Chase? You are an asshole," Kaiser let out and ambles downstairs to track down the intoxicated chubby doctor.
He catches a glimpse of her slowly jumping down step by step like a little bunny. Her dress heaved up in her hands in a massive hodgepodge.
"Hey, Chubs," he calls out, stepping beside her. Her hazel eyes turn to convene the puddles of blue diamonds.
"Ocean Eyes," she grumbles looking at him, her inky long eyelashes flutter slowly and so does Kaiser's heart.
"Ocean eyes? Why that?" he asks, knowing she still doesn't even know his name. Bellona continues to hop and Kaiser keeps his hands poised in the air, circling her. In case she tumbles.
"You have marine eyes, very pretty," she giggles, the meadow of saffron on her cheeks sparkles with a pigment of bronze.
"Your eyes are prettier," he honestly admits. Words can't describe her eyes. They are extraordinary, with a blend of orange, amber, and lavender, stirred with flickers of green and brown. They twinkle as if the whole galaxy resides in those somniferous orbs.
"What a lie. All men do is lie," she murmurs. The soft sunken tone rings in his ear like a sad melody.
He takes sluggish steps to keep up with her hoping game.
"Fuck!" The chubby girl yells abruptly, startling the man with ocean eyes.
"What?" He asks shortly.
"I forgot to throw my heels at that bastard!" She exclaims and sprints upstairs.
"What!" Kaiser darts upstairs, hot on her rungs.
She discards her heels, still jogging. Kaiser beholds his brother settled on the stairs and his little sister Emma, standing with a worried look. Chase's eyes expand like a saucer when the two appear back.
"Bel-
"You fucking jerk!" She flings a single heel at him.
"Bellona! What the hell!" he screams, safeguarding his face with his arms.
"Miss, why are you hitting my brother?" Emma cries out in terror, staring at the messy girl fuming in wrath.
"Why don't you ask that to him?!" Bellona keeps her hands on her waist.
Emma glances at Kaiser, who was only a sane person for a moment, Kaiser shakes his head, wordlessly warning his sister not to intervene.
"I scorn strawberries yet I bathe in strawberries essence, shampoo, body wash, and lipstick because your rotten ass likes it! Fuck you! Fuck you, fucking fuck fucking fucking fucking fuck you!" Bellona hoots and toss another heel at Chase.
Kaiser finds the situation so funny that he fight an intense battle with his inner self so he won't explode into laughter.
"Hey, that's enough Dr. Bellona," Kaiser gently reaches for her wrist and the rage-filled girl bestows him with a scowl.
He instantly let go, installing the information in his mind that she doesn't like being touched randomly.
Kaiser hesitantly asks, "Let's go?"
"Yeah, let's go. This party sucks," she rolls her eyes at the elder man, turning around like a model, wiggling her hips theatrically when she walks.
"Emma, tell mom and dad that I went back to my apartment. Goodnight," Kaiser informs his sister. He doesn't glimpse Chase and just follows Chubs. He made sure to collect her purse and helps her walk through the obnoxious rich ass people. But while striding to the entrance they stumble upon Kaiser's dad.
"Kaiser, where is Chase? Oh, and who this beautiful lady?" the old gentleman smiles politely at Bellona.
"I am Captain America!" Bellona shoves her hand up in the air and lets out a giggle. He looks at his son with an amused smile, Kaiser just shakes his head in response.
"She is a bit high. I will just talk to you later dad," he tells his father.
"Okay. Make sure she gets home safe," his father pats Kaiser's arms, who nods and guides Bellona out of the hall.
He was watching her for an hour.
He started at her sitting alone, having a date with her food and wine. The whole damn hour Kaiser was debating whether he should approach her or not. When she disappeared from his sight, he decided to talk to her. But, what a surprise! He just came to realize that she is Chase's girlfriend.
Oh, ex-girlfriend.
Kaiser never thought his brother would do something like this. He was always humble and a gentleman. The more fucked up thing that just four months prior he agreed to get engaged to his business alliance daughter. The respect Kaiser had for his brother was the height of Mount Everest, but now it fell over to the plume of anthills.
"Are you walking home?" he asks her when the chubby girl starts sauntering on the clear street.
"Would I fly?" she shoots him an irritating look. Kaiser clicks his tongue and runs his fingers through his well-groomed hair.
"Come on, I will drive you back," he says and with the tips of his finger holds the fabric of her dress, hoping she won't think he is taking advantage of her.
"No," she firmly states and stumbles. He grabs a fistful of her dress steadying her.
"Bellona, it's late at night. You can't walk alone. Not to mention you are drunk and looking extremely hot," he asserts pulling her to another direction where his car was parked, " Let me drop you home."
"Oh, God! This man is kidnapping me!" she cries out dramatically causing two men walking by to stop and stared at them.
"Dont mind her. I am her boyfriend and she is just drunk," Kaiser instantly tells them, standing close to her to make his lie obvious.
The two men don't appear to be convinced and give the military boy skeptical looks.
"Oh come on, does this handsome face look like a kidnapper?" Kaiser points at his face, hoping his charm would work.
"What an idiot!" The man mumbles and walks away with his friend.
"Bellona you are such a.....
His words fall in the pit of his stomach, breath far away from normal, heart committing innumerable summersaults when her head naps on his hard chest. She was much shorter than him, which makes it easier for her to listen to his heartbeats. The heartbeats which she caused to pound in rhythm.
He lowers his head to stare down at her face and all he can see was a beautiful mess. Sprinkles of rose eyeshadow smudged to her eyebrows, the as black as coal eyeliner blurs on her closed eyelids, her cherry tint lipstick must be edible since she devoured it all. Kaiser slides off his coat and drapes it around her bare shoulders. She pulls her plum cheek away from his chest and looks into his eyes. All the breaths from his lungs flee off staring in those honey pools comprised of clusters of stars. The crystal ball must have brushed against her cheekbones as the flecks of glitters occupy them. Her gaze bore in his, making him nervous.
"Wh-what?" he asks when she continues to stare at him intensely.
"You are that asshole's brother," she narrows her eyes and pushed her body away from him.
"Yes. I am his younger brother. Now let's get you home," he says again, hoping she will obey.
"Nah! I am gonna wander on the streets and explore the mysteries and unravel them," flipping her hair she walks ahead of him.
"What mysterious are you even going to find on the damn street!" Kaiser catches up with her.
"Like Oh! There!" she points her index finger at the corner of the street light and jogs towards a tiny kitten. He sighs and follows her. He can just ditch her drunk ass and go home.
But he doesn't want to.
Bellona hunches down and gently pats the white kitten. Her blue gown is like a quilt of constellations in the starry night wrapped around her body. The fabric lays on the silver path and the girl doesn't give a damn about getting her dress dirty.
"She is so cute!" she giggles softly. Kaiser's lips stretch in a smile of their own accord.
"Ocean eyes!" she yells unexpectedly.
"Don't yell, I am right beside you," he kneels, adjusting the coat around her.
"Take your shirt off," she demands pointing at his shirt.
"Wh-what?!" he gapes, perplexed.
Bellona rolls her eyes, "Kitten is feeling cold!"
"And what about me? Won't I feel cold?"
"Bro you are a tough guy!" She punches his shoulder hard then gestures at the kitten.
Damn, she flips 360° when she is drunk.
When Kaiser doesn't give his shirt, Bellona slips off the coat which was draped around her and protectively covers the kitten. The tiny creature snuggles in comfortably.
"I wish I could take you home. But my mom is allergic. Sorry, you will find someone," she mumbles to the animal as if it would understand.
She is kind.
Bellona stands with a gloomy face and reluctantly turns away. The thunder strikes with a boisterous sound- a warning from nature regarding the downpour. He needs to get her home before it the water droplets abandoned the clouds and began to dance on them.
"Bellona, let's go back. It's gonna rain. We will be stuck," he urges, once again clutching the material of her dress.
"But if I go home, mom will be sad to know I am sad. I don't want her to be sad," she mumbles, biting her lower lip. Kaiser glances at her side profile- her lips set in a thin line, eyes on the shadowy. He knew that feeling well- when the precious smile of our mothers slips off because of us.
And before he can stop himself, the words elude from his mouth"Umm....would you like to come over to my apartment?"
The chubby girl halts dead in her tracks and looks at the nervous man warily, "Do you have food at your house?"