Page 90 of Cloud Storm

Where are my balloons, Suit? I ask him silently, raising an eyebrow.

Of course he knows what I’m thinking. He simply raises one of his fingers and flashes me one of his smug smirks.

From the corner of my eye, I see someone coming toward me.

What is that?

After the first young girl, another one comes and then another, and another.

What did you do, Suit?

I’m dumbfounded for a second time today.

If only I could take my eyes from him to thank the girls who are bringing me the balloons. I don’t know what more to say and I’m pretty sure the cameras are recording all of this.

I’m holding an insane amount of Mylar balloons and they keep coming. In this moment I really believe I can fly.

I want to fly directly, with no detours, into his arms.

Still standing in the same place, I see him jumping over the security rails, running toward me.

He’s coming to me running!

I run to him too and he catches me in the air. We’re spinning and suddenly more tiny papers are floating around us. This is so intense, it feels as if it’s a scene right out of a romance novel.

“I’m so fucking proud of you,” I hear him saying in my ear. “You’re awesome, baby, and all mine.”

I know I just won the contest, the money, and the prestige. But here in his arms, with his body warming mine, I feel like I just won the jackpot.

The gold pot at the end of the rainbow.

And then he kisses me. An earthquake shaking me, with every stroke of his tongue over mine, my entire world accelerated over his axis.

“Leave some Ariel for us,” Mr. Hatz cuts our passionate embrace. “All of us want a piece of our star girl.”

This man is like a father to me. He knows me, he granted me an opportunity and took me off the streets. He put a roof over my head and I turned it into my home.

“You did it, girl,” Mr. Hatz says, hugging me. Our hug is short and awkward because Roselynn cuts in between us to celebrate.

“I’m so fucking tired,” I say to Lancelot two hours later, after leaving the stadium. Katie helped me a lot overseeing the cupcake packaging and storage. They need to stay fresh and delicious for the event tomorrow.

I can’t say a word about the contest until they air the show later tonight.

“Let’s go home and sleep for two days straight.”

“I have some news for you. Roselynn planned a huge celebration tonight and tomorrow you need to go to The Park for the game. I’m sure you won’t want to miss it.”

No, I don’t, but I’m exhausted.

“I have a huge bathtub at home, with some nice settings. I’m sure you’ll relax in it.”

“Relax?” I hear Roselynn cry out. “Oh no, girl, Michelle is waiting for us in the bar, we are going straight there to have dinner and drinks. She’s doing a huge event for this, you can’t miss it.”

Fuckity fuck!

“Rain check,” he murmurs in my ear. “We own tonight.”

Those words sound like music from heaven.

---