Page 2 of Faking With The Frenemy

I laughed again as she finished speaking. It did not surprise me to hear Kelly speak so boldly. She was by far the wildest of the group. With Jenna the serious type and Rachel having a calmer disposition, Kelly made up for that with a healthy dose of energy and humor. The last member of the posse, Louise, was somewhere in the middle.

“Not to mention your aunts!” Kelly continued. “All that gossip? My goodness, I could literally die. That’s why I am also terrified of going home.”

I groaned and sank into the chair. “Ugh, you’re so right. I haven’t even thought about that yet. The whole family is going to be there, and it’s not just the family; there are also family friends and friends of friends. The list of people I would rather not speak to is endless. Can I come back to Paris now, guys?”

They all laughed, but it was Louise who spoke this time. “Nice try, but no. Come on, Alessia, you can't avoid your family forever. It's your dad's birthday tomorrow. You should be there to celebrate with him. I know your family is a handful, but would you really miss your dad’s 70th?”

She was right, as usual. I knew it would be practically impossible for me to shake the party. Despite how suffocating being with my family was, I still missed my father dearly. Going home wasn’t something I wanted to do, but I had committed to it, and it was only right to see it through to the end, at the very least.

“Fine,” I replied with a deep sigh.

“You know we got you, right?” Jenna spoke up. “You can always call us when you feel too overwhelmed. Like I said, you’re not alone in this.”

I smiled gratefully. "Thanks, guys. I know I can count on you all."

Noise floated toward me from my right. I turned to see that a small group of people were entering the deserted pool area. I did not know how long I had been sitting there, but I was pretty sure it had been a while. Two girls jumped into the pool with rubber tubes around their waists and arms and started splashing noisily. They looked at me and waved excitedly, and I waved back, smiling as I did.

“Got to go, girls,” I said into the receiver. “People are coming into the pool area, and it’s time I headed back up to my room. Let’s do this again soon?”

"Okay, bye, Alessia," my friends said in unison.

I ended the call and stood up from my poolside chair. I took a deep breath and reminded myself that I could do this. Regardless of the circumstances, I was grateful for my friends and their unwavering support. And with that, I made my way back to my hotel room to prepare for the journey home.

Louise was right; I couldn’t run away from my family forever. I might as well get it over with. My stay here was only for a week, and I could still get home with a day to spare before the party, so that wasn’t so bad, or so I thought. A part of me did miss my brother and father, who I rarely saw. However, I just needed to prepare myself to be with them.

I picked my way through the small crowd that had formed around the pool as I headed inside the hotel. I hated how I got when my mind was occupied and I needed to distract myself.

Working was the most effective way to distract myself when I was deep in thought. As an artist, I was able to lose myself in a painting when I felt overwhelmed by my thoughts. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find inspiration over the last few weeks.

The fact that it was a really big celebration with so many people present disturbed me profusely, as I preferred smaller gatherings. Perhaps the thought of being with my family had caused a mental block. Nothing I tried worked, and my art suffered as a result. Doesn’t hurt to try again, I figured as I walked toward the elevator, despite not being in the right head space.

I was a few feet from the open elevator when I suddenly tripped on the hem of my silk kimono cover-up. I lurched forward in a flurry of limbs as my eyes widened with fear. I fell head first and squeezed my eyes shut as I waited for the painful impact of striking the metal interior of the elevator, screaming as I fell.

And then I stopped falling. I yelped like a startled puppy and cracked an eye open. I felt a strong arm hold me firmly in place, and I breathed raggedly, thankful that I had escaped what could have been a painful face-to-face introduction to the cold floor.

When I found my feet, I turned around to thank my savior, and my jaw dropped dramatically. The finest man I had ever seen stood behind me, and my only burning desire was to draw him.

He took his arm off me and cleared his throat politely, taking a small step backward. “I’m sorry. Are you alright?” He asked with a voice that dripped honey and a serious expression on his face. “You should be more mindful of your step so you don’t hurt yourself next time.”

I managed a nod in response, still staring at him wide-eyed and jaw slack, like a doddering idiot. He walked briskly past me and stepped into the elevator, and after a second, I walked in after him, regaining some of my composure. We reached for the panel together and pushed the same floor.

“Oh, sorry,” I said, smiling nervously. “Didn’t know you were stopping on my floor.” he didn’t seem to notice me talking to him. He didn’t even seem to notice my presence in the elevator. His face was buried in his phone, and he didn’t once look up.

I took the time to look at him, though. I turned slightly to take him in, not wanting him to catch me staring. He was at least 6’4” with an obviously muscled physique. His dark brown hair was slicked back in a fashionable way, and the horn-rimmed glasses over his nose gave him a studious look. His eyes were the palest silver-gray I had ever seen, and they looked like they could pierce the soul. He looked like a stone sculpture given human life.

I really wanted to draw this man, and it wasn’t just his sturdy appearance; it was his aura as well. He had a presence that enveloped me, swallowing me whole and drawing me into his world, making me a part of his life. His persona was commanding and assured. He had an air of silent competence about him, instigating a compulsion to do right by him and make him proud.

He seemed pretty serious, ignoring me entirely the moment he realized I was unharmed. His seriousness, mixed with his build and aura, all combined to give him an air of mystery; all I wanted was to capture all that on a canvas. The hunger and passion to paint that had been lying dormant in me for weeks stirred and raged, driven to a frenzy. I wanted to know the man, understand him, and capture him.

I decided to try my hand at profiling him and telling his story. His suit was a dead giveaway. It was a dark blue, a pin-striped Italian cut, with a black shirt underneath. It must have cost a small fortune. The first two buttons of his shirt were open, and his face looked worn. His watch and shoes are bespoke of his style and casually oozed luxury as well.

My conclusion was simple. He was an important businessman on a business trip, definitely American from his style and outfit, probably one of the famous Wall Street boys. He was probably the head of some profitable corporation, the type of guy used to people jumping when they saw him.

It all fits nicely with his physical appearance, and I couldn’t help smiling to myself at my musings. A few floors from the top, a couple who had gotten on earlier got off the elevator, leaving me and the stranger alone once again. I wanted to talk to him but didn’t know how to break the ice. I figured it didn’t hurt to try again.

“Thank you so much for saving me,” I said aloud to get his attention.

He glanced at me for half a second and then turned back to his phone, waving it away. “Oh, you’re welcome. It’s nothing, really.”

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