Aella

XIV

I stand in the full length mirror in my closet, staring at myself. My dress is a pale red with the tiniest of polka dots on it, flowy sleeves, a tie around my waist, and a very short skirt. I strap on tan heels and pearl earrings, and I tussle my hair once more.

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, Penelope. Are you excited for your night 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 drive and leaves our front gate. "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, closing 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 in just a moment.

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 those aesthetic 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, my heels clack with each gentle step.

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 closer to me, she's about two feet from me.

Aella is dressed in an all black suit with black sequined lapels, so it adds 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. She pulls me closer to her. 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 I pull my dress under me as I sit, slinging my purse over the back of the chair. I take a whiff of the plate as Aella walks to the other side and takes her own seat.

"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 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."

For just a moment, Aella and I are silent, cutting into our amazing food. "Aella", I say quietly. I feel her look up at me with her beautiful eyes. "Why would you ask me to come to dinner with you?"