Love Struck (12 page)

The orange glow from the afternoon
sun shined serenely over the composed hotel on the front, but past the calm
surface, scratched further, it was gripped in troubling disturbance within the
tranquillity that not even a peaceful settling evening could fix it.

Gloria lay on the couch, in a tensed
up discomfort, trying desperately to take her mind off her problems by reading
her book. It wasn't working, she could not focus on the words to the steamy,
seductive pulp romance aimed at the girls looking for a thrill with a romance
that was uncommon for many in the real world due to the aesthetics being
different from that on paper and ink written by an author who controlled the
fate of the love story and where the searing heights of passion would play out.
The tales of carnal attraction created a fiction where the body was taking
importance over the soul instead of the soul taking importance over the body.
It worked in filling the masses with a reflection of their own lives which
lacked the same active sexual life for some and the high strung dreams that
more often than not would not be coming true for others unless they were
fortunate to personally set their standards high enough and manage to find a specific
targeted man who fitted the novel's humanly impossible description and
personality, rejecting anyone who was human and normal with a beauty that
surpassed any novel's perception, obscured in their eyes devoted to chasing a
two-dimensional fantasy rather than seeking a three-dimensional reality.

The incredibly ludicrous, escapism
story appealed to many who were interested in only the physical beauty rather
than the spiritual beauty of true romance, indulging in wetting their appetites
with raw, carnal sex.

She could not get lost in the sensual
and sultry attractive love scene that should have been holding her undivided
attention with the heavy petting on the heroine's sleek, sexy body that could
have belonged to a supermodel and the hero's muscular, brawny build that would
put a body builder to shame. She could not get sucked in by the intense
sexiness. Her agitation showed no signs of easing.

She looked at the window, her
expression showed a growing unease, a rising insecurity, he was out there with
his diva, doing anything together, she could feel something was going on
between them, it was too good a temptation for her boyfriend to pass up on.

Gloria faced the book again, tried
her best to concentrate on the juicy portion of the story. It was no use, she
constantly kept looking at the window, even when facing the book she was
looking to the side in the corner of her eye. Tension, aggression and agitation
grew rampant.

Finally, enough was enough, unable to
sit quietly any longer she slammed the book shut and got up. “Damn it all.” she
growled frustratedly.

Edgy and upset, she tried taking deep
breathes to calm herself down, a valiant attempt that did not work. She was too
concerned with Paulo, the more she remained sealed in the suite, the more
intense she got. She was being suffocated in the claustrophobic room, it's
space seemed more compact with Paulo nowhere in sight. Her tolerance wore out,
the tether had snapped off with a sharpness, she would not remain cooped up,
enduring such unbearable anguish on holiday while her so-called boyfriend was
out having the time of his life, it was not fair at all, why should she suffer
for his enjoyment. “Screw all this.” she scowled, putting her foot down on the
end of the line. She had all she could stand. Gloria stormed out the suite, she
had to get some fresh air and fast, bask herself in the outside to take her
mind off Paulo and Sara.

Gloria walked outside, taking in the
crisp air, embracing the cool breeze. She sighed contently, her tension was
easing fast, her worries were fading into obscurity, sidetracked by the
paradise outstretched all around, as far as the eye could see. She could have
turned her back on her problems and never turned back around to face them while
out there in the sanctimonious resort. “That's much better.”

She looked around at the beautiful
paradise made even more stunning by the afternoon sunlight. There was no point
letting a day like that go to waste, she walked onward, taking it all in,
calming herself to a zen like state. “If Paulo thinks I'm going to stay cooped
up inside while he enjoys himself, he's got another thing coming.”

Her stomach rumbled, emitting the
growl of a hungered lioness on the hunt for sustenance. “First things first, I
better get something to eat, all this worrying has given me a fierce appetite.”

Sara and Paulo were lead to a table
outside a quaint and humble little seaside restaurant, their lanky, weary
waiter, an eighteen year old who dreamed of bigger things than writing orders
and filling seats up showed them to their destination.

The star and her admirer sat down at
the table placed with a glorious view of the beach and ocean painted by the
evening sunlight cast down over it.

“I'll be back shortly to take your
orders.” the waiter said robotically with no humph in his delivery or drive in
his wooden performance.

The Waiter gave them their privacy,
unaware that he was in the presence of a celebrity. Much to Paulo's annoyance.
“You should be getting the star treatment.”

Sara thought nothing of it, she
couldn't get bouquets of astonishment thrown at her feet all the time, “It's
not a problem. Can't expect to be remembered by everyone. The kids today have
their own stars to idolize.”

Paulo could not accept such an
audacious thing. “It's a crying shame. Stars that should be idolized are ones
like you, one's with style and substance. The kids can idolize the latest
actors and actresses that will come and go, but I will always idolize you. I
idolize you, not because it's a fad but because I admire you. Your beauty,
talent and grace is unmatched.”

Sara did not know where to look.
“That's the nicest thing anyone

has ever said to me.” she placed her
hand on Paulo's hand, the potent spark of chemistry was conducted between them,
coursing from one to the other. “Keep this up and I'll be inviting you into my
hotel room a little earlier.”

Paulo placed his other hand on hers,
adding more currents to charge through them. “I'll love you so good.”, he
leaned closer to her, on the verge of connecting with her and triggering an
another jolt from their electrified contact. “So gentle.”, he rubbed her hand,
gyrating an ecstatic friction. “So soft.”, their lips were moments away from
pressing together and starting a new batch of fireworks to go off. “So tender.”

Paulo and Sara could not hold
themselves back any longer, their lips had been parted for too long since they
left the cliff side, they drastically required some contacting stimulation,
craved it like a narcotic. They fed their addiction, they kissed steamily, all
the while his hand caressed her hand.

Customers seated outside could not
help noticing Sara and Paulo's hot display.

The Waiter returned to take their
orders, he spotted their kissing, waited with the roll of the eyes and click of
the tongue for them to finish.

Sara and Paulo savoured every second
of it. It took a great effort but they finished their steamy kiss. “I would
like you to love me so very good.” Sara said out of breath from his potent
suctioning lips. “Gently, softly, tenderly.” The two lovers affectionately
rubbed their noses together.

The small break was over, their
breath had regathered itself, they kissed again, their affectionate display was
cut short by the sharp sound of a young woman clearing her throat. Her shadow
loomed ominously over them.

Paulo turned around, fearing who had
made the aggressive, displeased sound directed at him. His face quickly turned
pale in shock at the sight before him: Gloria, her enraged, piercing eyes could
have burned a hole straight through him. His fear was right, he had been caught
giving in to his impulses, powerless to deny his heart its throbbing devotion
for his adored starlet, he had broke his word to his girlfriend, everything he
swore to her was obscured by the voice of his will driving him.

Paulo couldn't find a single word to
say, he was numb from the sheer dread of being caught red-handed, and guilty
for knowing he had betrayed her trust, an unforgivable act that was hard to
make amends for.

“Enjoying yourself?” she asked
sarcastically, the dryness in her sarcasm reached a new intensity, it sucked
all moisture from the air.

Paulo managed to get one word out his
stuttering, awkward lips. “Ah.”

Gloria looked ready to lash out at
him, she held her anger within, why she did was a mystery to her, some love she
had for him was preventing her from dealing him the hurt he had inflicted on
her. “I hope you remember what I told you if I found out you were doing
anything other than being a tour guide.”

She strived to refrain herself from
crying, she did not want him to see he had beaten her down, winning over her
and having his way with her. It was no use, the tears forced their way through
her eyes.

Paulo got up in a vain attempt to
atone for his actions and ease her distress. It was the wrong move he had made
with his scorned, furious girlfriend.

Gloria lost all her composure, she
could no longer hold herself back and be responsible for her actions. In a
sudden outburst of anger, she swung her fist across his face knocking him
backwards onto the table.

“Stay the hell away from me.” she
screeched in an hysterical frenzy.

Sara helped Paulo up. He wiped his
bleeding nose, unable to believe what had just hit him.

“I want you out of my life. We're
through. Finished. Over.” Gloria bellowed as she stormed away. She stopped to
give Paulo one last look and get one last thing off her chest. “I hope you're
happy now. You can finally have your precious Sara Sarracini.”

Gloria turned her back on Paulo,
never to have anything to do with him anymore, she left him to the choice he
had made.

“Gloria. Wait.” Paulo yelled, pulling
himself out his haze, it was hard for him to bear the awareness he had hurt his
girlfriend, or rather ex-girlfriend.

Gloria did not stop, she did not turn
around, she carried on walking as far away from him and his diva. “I'll leave
your things at the reception. I don't want to hear from you again.”

Paulo could not sit idly by, he went
to chase after her, to try and make it up to her, to explain it to her and hope
her could understand from his point of view.

His arm was grasped by Sara, she knew
what his girlfriend was going through better than he could understand, she gave
him some advice, “Give her some space.”

He calmed himself down, found the
logical reason in her words. All he could do was helplessly watch Gloria drift
far from him. He had lost her for his dream starlet, what hurt him more was
that Paulo did not regret having lost Gloria and having gained Sara all to
himself without any complications, he was actually kind of relieved, he knew it
would be worthwhile.

“I'm sorry.” Sara said softly to ease
the blow of losing his girlfriend.

“Don't be. It's not your fault, it's
mine.” Paulo sighed in both relief and concern. “What am I going to do?” he had
nowhere else to go. His future was uncertain during the remaining days on the
resort.

Sara put a comforting arm around him,
he was not alone, she was there for him. “I can think of something.”

Paulo looked to Sara, the obvious
signs of her hospitality flew over his sidetracked head, he was still dazed over
what had transpired with him, the effects of her punch of the face was as
prominent as when she struck, he did not know she had it in her “What?”

Sara gave him a look, his
ex-girlfriend must have hit him harder than she thought. “Isn't it obvious?

Sara raised her eyebrows, he caught
the subtle hint directed at him. “Stay with you?”

A wide smile graced her red, robust
lips, “You got there in the end.”

Paulo was speechless, he did not know
what to say to her generosity and the fact he would be staying in the same
hotel suite occupied by none other than Sara herself. “I'm... really honoured.”

“I knew you would be.”

“Are you sure I won't be a bother?”
Paulo asked tentatively, he would have loved to have shared the suite with her
as long as she was happy with his company.

Sara loved his polite behaviour, he
was living up to his stature as a gentleman. “Don't be silly, I'd be happy to
have you.”

“Even after discovering I had a
girlfriend?” Paulo had to bring it up, he had not only deceived Gloria but Sara
as well by giving the impression he was a single man, not once bringing her up
and preventing them both from going past the point of no return and ending a
relationship for their own pursuits.

“Yes, and while I don't approve of
what you did, I'm flattered

that you would do such a foolishly
reckless thing such as risking your relationship with your girlfriend for the
chance to be with me.” Sara moved close to his cheek. “That's so brash, so
romantic.” and kissed it “If things go well, this may be something more than
just a holiday romance.”

Paulo smiled at the thought of being
with Sara with something much more long lasting than a holiday romance, he had
hoped for it from the start but was tied back by his girlfriend, it wouldn't be
a problem now, but even as it was, there was a prominent deep lamenting inside
for losing Gloria, it was a case of guilt and grief, he would overcome it and
move on from it, as would Gloria. Time would heal the wounds of their scarred
relationship.

Sara noticed the painful look in his
eyes, he was hurting inside, she was familiar with it, they would heal his
wound together, “Do you still want something to eat?”

He was glad she was there to support
him, otherwise he had no idea what he would have done. “Yeah, maybe food will
help take my mind off it all.”

Sara and Paulo sat back at their
seats, like nothing had ever happened. The restaurant pulled itself back on
track, the patrons resumed eating their meals, waiting for their orders to be
written or to arrive. Passers-by who had stopped to gawp at the commotion up
ahead continued to go on their way, minding their own business instead of
minding the business of others.

The Waiter approached their table, a
lot more lively and less weary than when they first saw him. He was wrong about
his line of work, it wasn't the same dull routine, day in and day out like his
life was put on instant replay, exciting and unexpected scenes could take
place.

In his year working to sustain
himself while looking for a more adventurous career choice, that was the most
action he had ever seen.

That was better than watching
television or even a movie to see some larger than life theatrics play out.