The Alchemy

Slut!

These last few weeks have been quite intense. With all the shows, I haven't had any time to myself. I have a few days off between my shows in Brazil, so I decide to explore the city. I've never been to Rio before, and everything looks so beautiful.

I'm tired of never having time alone; there is always someone with me. I need to be by myself for at least a day. I sneak out of my room early in the morning while everyone is still sleeping. Will is going to be mad when I come back, but that's a problem for my future self. I'm wearing denim shorts with a white tank top close to my body. I don't forget my black sunglasses and green cap.

Once I'm on the street, I make sure no one sees me. The sunlight hits my face, and I take a moment to feel it as I close my eyes. I wander around the city all morning, sit at a café, and take out a book from my bag. It's The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath; I love this book. After a while, I head for the Feira Hippie de Ipanema market. I walk between the stands and buy some earrings and a dreamcatcher, thinking it might be helpful.

I am looking at a stand that is selling all kinds of things—bags, mirrors, postcards. I look up in one of the mirrors and notice a man staring at me. He is wearing all black and has a black cap. I see him taking out something from his backpack and directing it toward me. I have a second to realize it's a camera. I drop what I was looking at and put my hand in front of my face, trying to hide it. I walk fast between the stands with my head down. I adjust my glasses and cap. If I notice one paparazzo, that means there are at least a dozen all around the market.

I'm almost at the exit when I hear my name coming from a woman in front of me. She has a camera in her hand. Fuck, I think. What am I going to do? I turn to my right without looking where I am going, walking faster and faster. I'm used to paparazzi, but I usually have a car nearby and bodyguards. Here, I have neither of those.

I stop—there is a stand in front of me, on my right, and my left. I am stuck. I feel my breathing getting faster. I turn around, but there are at least 30 paparazzi yelling my name. If I want to leave the market, I have to pass through them, but there is no way they will let me go without taking a thousand pictures of me. I hear them shout:

"What are you doing here, Taylor? Who are you meeting?"

"Are you meeting a boyfriend, Taylor?"

"Taylor, look over here!"

"Taylor, are you pregnant?"

"Taylor, are you getting back with Joe?"

My breathing becomes more and more uneven. I try to hide my face the best I can as I move further away. I feel two hands on my arms pushing me to the side. I try to resist, even though he is stronger than me. I feel his face closer to my head, and he whispers in my ear,

"It's me. I'll get you out of here. Keep your head down, I'll guide you."

I let out a breath of relief as I recognize the voice. He takes my hand, making me follow him through the crowd that has formed of paparazzi, fans, and curious people. Once we are out of the crowd, he places me in front of him, still directing me on which way to go. I can feel his body against my back, his breathing heavy. We walk fast towards the black pickup that was waiting for us. He opens the door for me and helps me get in. He then follows.

I try to catch my breath, as does he. Once I regain full control of my breathing and finally stop shaking, I look up at him. He is looking at me with fiery eyes. As I meet his gaze, he looks away. We don't speak the entire ride.

Once in the hotel room, I let my bag fall to the floor and take off my shoes, leaving them in the middle of the front door. I go sit on the sofa and let out a gasp,

"What a day!"

"What a day? Are you joking?" he asks, pissed.

"I know, I messed up."

"Yeah, you messed up badly!! We spent the whole morning looking for you. You could have been kidnapped or worse!! And you, you were just wandering around the city without anybody knowing where you are!! What if something had happened to you?!" he yells.

"I... I'm... I'm sorry, I didn't know. I just wanted some alone time. I am so sorry," I say, looking down, ashamed. "I didn't imagine all the issues my excursion would cause. To be honest, I didn't really think it through."

"No, you didn't think at all!! People say that you're a smart woman, but since I began working for you, you've made a lot of stupid decisions," he snaps.

I look away to hide the tear dropping on my face.

"I said I am sorry, okay? You don't have to yell at me," I tell him, unable to hide my tears anymore.

I can't stop myself from wondering what he meant by "bad decisions." Obviously, wandering around Rio alone was pretty dumb, but what are the other ones? Dating Matty? Going to the bar? I can't even look at him; my hand shakes again at the thought.

His eyes are searching for mine as his face relaxes. His body moves quickly towards me as he pulls me closer. His hands are around mine, one behind my head, the other slowly rubbing my back.

"I am sorry, Princess. I didn't mean to snap at you. I was just so scared that something would happen to you," he murmurs with a soft voice.

I let my head rest in the crook of his neck and put my arms around his neck, squeezing him closer to me. He gently pulls away a little, just enough to take the hand that was behind my head and place it on my chin. He turns my face towards him so our eyes meet. I can't control myself and look down at his lips. I think he catches me. As if waiting for validation, he closes the space between our lips.

Right before our lips touch, someone knocks. We quickly pull apart, both blushing from what almost happened.

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I was suppose to release this chapter tomorrow and publish one every day but I am to excited to let you know the next chapter. Tell me if you rather have a chapter a day or multiple one in one day ( but some days I could not publish) I don't know if it's makes sense ;)