Romanticismo Per Caso ❤

Carnival and Quarrels (Lorena's POV)

The date Elias had prepared for me was absolutely the best date I had ever been on in my whole entire life. Well, I hadn't been on many dates but just thinking about a few of them made my skin curl.

Peter, the workout buff. He arranged a gym date, but upon my arrival, he seemed to forget my presence entirely, hopping from one machine to another every time I attempted to engage in conversation. What made matters worse was that he kept his headphones on the entire time, lost in his own world of music. Feeling frustrated and ignored, I made the decision to discreetly exit through the back door midway through the date. Leaving that date was one of the top ten best decisions I made in my life.

And then Dave the plumber. When we went on our date, he completely talked about himself the whole time and seemed validated the whole time. I was debating whether or not I could tell him I had business to deal with and leave the date. I was nice enough to wait until the end of the date to leave. Worst of all, he tried to kiss me on that date. It was awkward because I completely rejected the kiss and left immediately.

Once the date with Elias ended and he drove me to my apartment, I walked into my front door and laid down in front of the TV barely keeping my eyelids awake from my drowsiness.

"Breaking news, we are holding a carnival with a bunch of games, food, music, entertainment and dancing on Tuesday this week. The admission fee is only 5 dollars! Get your tickets now before they sell out! Another breaking news, the weather for this week will actually be on the warmer side..." Suddenly, I composed an idea. What if Elias and I go to this carnival?

I reach for my phone and look up the link to buy tickets. I would ask Elias tomorrow whether or not he would be able to go. I save the link and head for my bedroom. I look into my closet and slip on some PJ's. Desperate for some sleep, I flop onto my bed. I close my eyes and think about just how amazing my day was. Elias was truly something.... He was so mysterious and dark that I just wanted to figure him out every moment that I spent with him.

How I had fallen in deep.

Monday morning

Around 7:30 in the morning, I force myself to wake up and get ready for work. Goodness, it was a Monday alright. I reach for my phone and go to my text messaging app. I press on Elias's name and text him asking about the carnival tomorrow night.

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Lorena:

Carnival date tomorrow?

Elias:

Already found another date we could go on?

Lorena:

Do you want to go or not?

Elias:

Of course I would.

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I notice my cheeks burning in the mirror. They are burning with such intensity I look like a tomato. My goodness, I really have fallen for this man.

After I buy the tickets for tomorrow, I head out to my car to drive to work. Today shouldn't be too busy, but I never knew what surprises would pop up at the workplace. A short staff, a clogged toilet or a supply shortage were always the worst surprises.

Once I walked into Offredi's, I didn't see Tracy by the front desk which was weird. I pull out my phone and get a beep.

Tracy: Hey sorry Lor for the short notice, but I have a doctor's appointment so I will be a little bit late this morning.

I texted her back that it was alright and that I could cover for her. She has been working her butt off here for the past few weeks, but she's always been a hard-worker. I remember some of our childhood memories. The one summer she spent the night over at my house and us sneaking out in the middle of the night. I had the "bright" idea to sneak out because I wanted to go to our "magical" treehouse. We would play games, tell jokes, and spook each other out with ghost stories in this tree. To this day, my parents remain oblivious to that night. Tracy likes to joke that in my youth, I was far more mischievous, and looking back, I can't help but agree.

The work day was light and things seemed to be looking positive. I refilled beverages, led some families to tables, asked families about their meal, and even got a good tip. Just as Offredi's was about to close, when only Elias and I were in the building, I saw a tall figure which I eventually realize is a male, walk up to me.

"I'm sorry sir, but we are about to close." I tell him to remain in a polite tone. He looked at me with fury like a hot water heater that was about to explode. He puts his pointer finger on me and begins to yell. "GIVE ME ALL YOUR MONEY RIGHT NOW OR I WILL KILL YOU."

Never in my life have I ever felt so frightened than I have been at this moment. His gaze pierces through me, leaving me paralyzed amidst his fury. He was towering over me, his 5'11" figure making me seem like an ant. I hear Elias running over to me. "No," I say as I raise my leg with full force and kick him where it hurts.

Immediately he curls into a ball, gasping for air. Elias places a reassuring hand on my back and then confronts the man. "If you don't leave this restaurant now," he warns, "you'll endure far greater suffering than what you're experiencing now."

Looking at Elias, I see the fierce shield of protection he has over me. He was my protector.

The man finds his way up, not wasting another moment before he runs away. Once he is gone, I look up at Elias. "Thank you," I say out of breath. He runs his hands through my hair and wipes a faint tear out of my eye.

"No one will hurt my daydreamer," He responds. I grin lightly, still traumatized by what just happened. One thing for certain, however, is that whatever my parents said about Elias was still weighing my head down.