Aella

XIV

I stand in the full length mirror in my closet, staring at myself. My dress is a deep olive green satin with a cowl back. I choose gold heels and complete the look with pearl drop earrings. I blow out my hair and spray is with just enough hairspray to keep it from falling flat through the night. 

After running my hands through my hair one more time, then leave my room. 

Downstairs in the driveway, my driver, Antoni, sits right outside the front door. I hop into the back seat. "Good evening, Antoni."

I see him look into the rear view mirror at me. "Good evening, Miss Penelope. Are you excited tonight?"

"I am, Antoni, thank you", I smile a little at him. "Do you know who I'm going out with tonight?"

"No, Miss, I'm sorry", he tells me as he puts the car into gear and accelerates . "Aella simply told me an address to bring you to, she'll meet you there to make sure you're safe."

I look down at my lap and smile to myself. No one literally has any idea. I kind of like it like that though. Everyone knows everything about my life. I like my little secret.

We drive about half an hour into the city. He stops in front of an empty building. "Antoni", I study the building from my car seat. "Are you sure we're in the right place?"

"Yes, Miss. This is it", Antoni reassures me. "Aella assured me it's supposed to look like this."

As I start to take off my seatbelt, Antoni shuts off the car and gets out. He meets me on the sidewalk, opening my door for me. "I was told to take you to the elevator. Aella would meet you upstairs and bring you to your date."

The building we walk into is dark and empty, but extremely clean. Only the exit signs light the huge space we're in. The elevator is to the left side of us, so Antoni walks me over and presses the button. He waits until the elevator arrives, then watches me get in. 

"I hope you have a wonderful time with whoever this man is, Penelope. You deserve everything good in life."

I look over at Antoni. "You're the sweetest man, Antoni. Thank you." He smiles at me as the doors close.

The ride is incredibly slow, and the anticipation of seeing Aella is killing me.

When the doors open, a huge amount of light enters the elevator. I look up, and everything I see is an absolute dream.

In front of me is a beautiful rooftop canopied with strings of Edison bulbs that glow gold. The city glows behind it, like a movie scene. There is a table in the middle of all the lights, with a single candle in the middle of it. I step out onto the concrete rooftop slowly, breathing is every ounce of this beautiful moment. 

To my right, is a sitting area with a couple of cushioned couches and a living room table in the middle. Aella sits in one of the chairs, a glass of champagne in her hand.

"Do you like it?" she asks, standing up and adjusting her suit coat.

I look around again. "This is beautiful, Aella."

"You look absolutely beautiful." Aella sets her champagne down on the table and walks towards me.

Aella is dressed in an all black suit with black satin lapels, adding a subtle flare to her outfit. Her hair is curled and pulled back partially and perfectly.

"You look stunning." I tell her. She smirks, and takes a step closer to me. Aella wraps one of her arms around my waist, and electricity pulses through my body. Aella towers over me, which just makes my stomach flutter.

"You are the stunning one, Topolina." She places a very light kiss on my forehead. "Are you ready to eat?"

I start to turn around when Aella motions for the table. Out of nowhere, dinner has appeared on the table. Aella unwraps her arm from around me, and we walk over to the table. On the plates sits a huge piece of steak, risotto, a couple scallops, all covered in a dark sauce and what looks like microgreens.

"Oh my god, this looks amazing." I exclaim.

Aella pulls out my chair for me, and then pushes it back under me as I flatten my skirt under me. I don't take my eyes off her as she takes the few steps to sit in her own chair. Her eyes gleam under the Edison lights, almost matching the stars above us. 

"I hope you like it, I didn't know if you liked scallops."

I continue to stare at this beautiful plate. "I love scallops, I just can't usually eat them because Papa is allergic."

A glass of champagne sits above my silverware, so I take a small sip. "Eat, Darling. Before it gets cold."

I pick up my fork and knife and cut a small piece from the steak, which is cooked to perfection. It's so tender, it practically melts in my mouth. I accidentally moan to how good it feels, and I see Aella pause. 

Though slightly embarrassed, the look on Aella's face is more amused than judgmental, which stops me from crying from embarrassment. "It's really that good?" 

I giggle slightly, and wipe my mouth with the cloth napkin I had laid out in my lap. "This is, I believe, the greatest steak I've had in my life."

"Well", Aella grabs her glass of wine, placing her elbow on the table to hold it up, "This is just the start of a wonderful night."

I grab my own glass and clink it against hers, cheersing to hopefully the greatest night in my life... so far.