Truth or Dream

Diana

The moment I opened my eyes I felt lazy, only sweetened by the memory of him, of his lips, which in the middle of the night made their way to mine, whispering sweet words against my mouth while helping me to lose myself in the sweetest of fantasies. "Only that Michael is not a fantasy," I repeated to myself as I woke up.

Smiling as perhaps I had not done in a long time, I stood up, and before going downstairs I decided to clean myself up a little, noticing that there was something different about me that morning. Was it perhaps because of the blush that was creeping up my cheeks, or maybe it was due to the smile that didn't leave my lips?

I went down the stairs two at a time, hurrying to find him, smelling the aroma of coffee and something else in the air, and my stomach growled in retribution.

"You know?" I started to say, as I walked toward the kitchen, knowing he could easily hear me. "One day you should let me do the cooking. I may not be as good as you, but I promise you'll love my chocolate chip pancakes just as much as..."

I was about to finish that sentence, about to say, "I'm not as good as you, but you'll love my pancakes," when I noticed something. Or rather: I noticed her.

The tall blonde sat with her back to me, on one of the swivel stools on the large counter at Michael's table, but as soon as she heard me, she turned to look at me, and her gaze swept me up and down, as a predator would an enemy.

As I watched her, I froze helplessly, suddenly feeling as if I was made of stone. The woman was young, though probably a little older than me, closer to Michael's age, no doubt. She had long blonde hair pulled back in a high ponytail that fell to her back and made her look like she was styled to appear on the cover of a magazine, and she wore her lips perfectly red. She wore a white shirt that fit her curvaceous figure elegantly, and a black leather skirt that exposed a scandalous portion of her well-turned thigh. In short: this woman was absolutely and completely perfect, and next to her I looked more like a little girl than a full-fledged woman.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you had company..." I started to say to Michael, who didn't seem to notice the tense way one was looking at the other. He smiled in my direction in a sweet way and went on about his business as if nothing had happened.

"Don't worry, Diana. Laura is my assistant. She has come to drop off some company reports, that's all."

"I see," I whispered, and then I looked at her, as the woman smiled at me in a false, dangerous way. Everything about her was dangerous, I said to myself.

"I didn't know you had company either, Michael. I would have passed by at another time had it been more opportune for you," she whispered confidently, making me feel annoyed, for even the timbre of her voice was perfect.

She rose gracefully from the chair, walked toward him, and placed her hands on his arms, securely, slightly possessively, smiling as she watched him. The intimacy of that gesture caused me deep discomfort.

"It's not polite to invite a girl home when you have another one at home, you know?" she joked, while laughing, making me click my tongue.

"And I haven't," he affirmed, pulling away from her touch politely, but subtly. "It's you who has arrived unannounced. If you had called, I would have told you I had company."

"I suppose so," she said as she poured herself more coffee.

"Well, if you're busy..." I started to say, thinking of going somewhere else, of disappearing, so as not to witness the obvious way she was eating Michael with her eyes.

"No, we are not. Please, Diana, sit down," Michael said, and I reluctantly agreed. "You were late coming down, so I prepared a heavy breakfast," he said, serving me a plate that smelled wonderful.

"Thank you. I had no idea I was so tired last night," I confessed, letting him serve me a cup of tea. He had obviously gotten used to my preference for herbal teas.

"So, tell me, Diana, are you from around here?" Laura asked as she moved a little closer to Michael. "Oh, let me help you with that," she said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder and taking the knife from his hands.

"I'm from New York," I said, frowning slightly.

"The Big Apple! Wow, I thought that accent didn't ring a bell. And how have you liked Bamberg so far? Do you plan to stay long?"

"Maybe," I answered in a sharp voice. "Actually, I love it here. I may extend my stay longer than expected," I replied.

"Are you really planning to do that?" Michael then intervened, his gaze fixed on mine, his frown suddenly serious, but curious.

"Well, maybe..." I started to say, slightly embarrassed. "I had thought that it might be a good idea..."

"What about your studies?" he asked.

"I could put them off for a while," I replied.

He frowned, and at his silence, Laura seized the moment to speak again.

"But is that a good idea? Education is one of the most important things, you know," she sighed, taking a sip of her coffee and I secretly waited for her tongue to burn. "You shouldn't put them off... But, anyway, that doesn't concern me, of course. Michael," she called him then, and her hand found his arm again. How did this woman manage to touch him so easily? "We have a meeting due in half an hour, and there are some plans I'd like you to review before we talk to the overseas partners."

"Sure," he answered immediately, wiping his hands as he passed me. "I'm going to be gone for a while, okay? Feel free to go wherever you want inside the house," he told me, his tone of voice sweet as he approached me. I lifted my face, looking for my lips to meet his on the way, but his mouth found my cheek in a chaste kiss before he turned his back to me and said goodbye.

"Anyway, it's been a pleasure, Diana," Laura said as she left with Michael. I heard her laughing up the stairs, with an angelic timbre that to me sounded more like the laughter of the wicked witch in the story.

Annoyed, I stood up. Suddenly, I was not hungry and didn't feel like eating, so I paced around the house, but finally ended up giving up, my thoughts still wandering around the woman and Michael, so I left the house, thinking that maybe the cool air in the area might calm me down a bit.

The truth was that I hadn't been out to the back of Michael's house until now, but I found the property absolutely beautiful. The house opened majestically toward the forest, which was on the other side of the river, and the trees grew around the house as if protecting the privacy of its owner with their protective presence.

Perhaps at another time, if I had walked that joyful little path with him, I might have marveled and enjoyed it a little more, but now I just felt myself burning with anger. Was that anger? I didn't even know why I was so obfuscated; I only knew that I was annoyed by the presence of that woman, who had invasively come between Michael and me, in what should have been a perfect morning, her perfumed presence filling my body with strange bitterness, as I sat on one of the benches in the backyard, contemplating the forest, and thinking uncomfortably that I couldn't compete with such a girl. And who could?

Anyway, there was nothing to compete about; Michael had shown feelings for me. We possessed a rare connection that strengthened with each new brush of our lips... It was me he had accompanied in the middle of the night, until I fell asleep, watching over my dreams, watching to keep the nightmares away.

But if that was so, and if blonde Laura was not a threat, then why couldn't I get this uneasiness out of my mouth, this thought that, no matter what I did, she was a storm that I couldn't avoid and that possessed the ability to destroy my newfound happiness?