Running Away to London

by Geiza Stefany de Oliveira

  “Where do you know him from?”

  Elliott asks me a little angry. I'm out of patience for him now.

  “That's my ex-boyfriend, Elliott.”

  I say without looking at him. I was wondering how is it possible for my boss to meet my ex-boyfriend.

  “Excuse me, Liz. Are you all alright?”

  Elliott makes me stop in the middle of the sidewalk, he asks me worried.

  “It's a long story, so no. I'm not well, but what matters is that I came to do my job.”

  I look away at the buildings above and realize I'm at Knightsbridge in London, in the company of the editor-in-chief of Pollentier. I can not fool myself about being strong and resilient.

  Clinging to the past is stupid when there are brilliant things up ahead and if I could not make it for myself then I should have a little faith. I take a deep breath for the last time. I smile at my boss, relaxing him.

  “Make up your mind, Liz.”

  He says, smiling back

  “Okay, I can decide mainly with this sudden concern...”

  “It's just that I can give you the rest of your life to decide. I need people focused on me, not girls in the body of someone who should be light-years into a professional career like you.”

  God, how is he so cruel? I remain serious and blood boiling on my face. My boss takes the smile off his face and simply crosses the road without saying goodbye to Hyde Park.

  He leaves me alone here with a horrible feeling in my throat. I have no idea how I am going to sleep tonight so nervous, uh! This man is horrible. And to make matters worse I don't even know how I am going to keep sanity with Fernando around.

  Chapter 15

  God, I have nightmares all night with my boss. Why does it chill me sometimes? I will never understand him, especially about how much he is an executioner without any need. He only thinks about work, especially after being kicked by Jordan.

  No one can save that man, no matter how much Kim disagrees. We chat on Instagram now and then when work permits. She is having tense situations with Mia, but she can not tell me why. My cell phone rings at 6 pm awakenings me abruptly.

  “Liz, I need you in the office early.”

  Even before I greet and or answer my boss, he hangs up. I find myself climbing the elevator to the office. My boss is there, he even seems to sleep here. His face is a little swollen from sleep like mine.

  Even before greeting me he picks up the coffee I was drinking, from my hand. It would be comical if it were not tragic. When I arrive in his office I have to look into Fernando's eyes. What's worse is that Elliott does not take his eyes off me anymore.

  Then: “It's just that I can give you the rest of your life to decide. I need people focused on me, not girls in the body of someone who should be light-years into a professional career like you.” sounds shouted in my head.

  Fernando is only here for the interview he will give, and I have got to translate for Margareth. She is a sweet, South African and Jojo Moyes addict. At no point do I talk to Fernando personally and he much less talks to me.

  When we enter Stuart's office, the new photographer Elliott has hired, I leave quickly. Let Fernando there, unassisted translational why I do not want to see him more, much less in photographs as which he is doing. I am happy for him, for growing up within a year. Now I am just an assistant, but this is not bad for me. I work hard and love it, by the way.

  “Here is the list of changes of clothes that I'll need for the London Fashion Week. Francesca will go with you.”

  Great, so we will walk... I look at my incredulous boss and he wastes no more time looking into my eyes. I leave the building and Fernando behind one more time. Francesca chatters about the upcoming fashion week. She will go with the boss, and I will not.

  I know she is going because we will not have got a car and my boss wants to protect me. God, why does my life have to be like this? So we walk and the more we walk the more melancholy I get. It feels like there is something inside me screaming that I am seriously wrong at all.

  I do not listen. I keep walking with my boss's orders in my hands next to his new favorite assistant. We arrived finally in front of the building Elliott in Bayswater and exhausted! From Francesca's face, she knows why we walk all these miles.

  I should have called an Uber! Suddenly she turns to me and practically throws the orders into my hands. I have to balance well, otherwise, I will fall with all that.

  “Excuse me, Liz, but I have to go back to the office.”

  Francesca does not even stare at me. In her French accent, she speaks and calls an Uber.

  “Things must be intense over there.”

  I laugh, then she looks at me very happy.

  “You have no idea! Leave your orders in the wardrobe, it's in the middle door of the hallway.”

  I look at Francesca almost shocked.

  “So have you been here?”

  “Yes! But you have to go now.”

  Uber del approaches her and I quickly go to my boss's townhouse, concentrating on the one thing that matters to me now: my work. I dump my boss's orders all on the entrance floor when I come across his house.

  What a sophisticated place! I love every detail I see except his sculptures. The place sounds like money! The walls are all white, the floor and the furniture are white, but the decor details will the ultimate sophistication. There is a beautiful black mirror over the fireplace.

  I do not explore much — this place makes my apartment look like an abandoned cell — but I take a close look at his wardrobe. There is a lot here and Elliott's scent is delicious spread all over the place. God, he has everything, but at the same time, he seems to have nothing.

  I leave the closet to go to the kitchen: it is a floor marble — mostly on the island — and wood. So far everything is impeccable. I fill a glass with water and then look for a device where I can hear loud music: I've never had the opportunity since I arrived in London.

  I find a room after climbing the stairs. So, on my cell phone there is a special song: “Amor I Love You ”, by Marisa Monte. I hear and melt inside. I sing along very badly. I drink water and dance in my boss's living room, exhausted...

  The music is interrupted in the middle as if Elliott caught me here and with a sound control ... it is just someone calling me. I return everything in place at the same moment. I answer down the stairs back to the kitchen.

  “Hi, this is Liz...”

  “In Portuguese, it would be better.”

  “Fernando!”

  I glide across the floor, crashing into the island. For a little while, I would break the glass...

  “I didn't see you in the building anymore. Where are you?”

  “At the moment, I'm working.”

  Telling him I am at my boss's house would be weird.

  “Liz, I want to see you.”

  “I'm sorry, but I can’t...”

  “Don't play hard, we're not teenagers anymore. I want to tell you something.”

  I sigh, leaning against the island.

  “Alright, in Hyde Park.”

  The truth is that I am a real mess. Fernando was my love, but I left him in the past because clinging to my past is stupid. Last night I saw no ring on Fernando's finger. We could just start over, but it is not what I want and it is probably not what he wants.

  It is insane, but I remember Elliott. Not from him being an idiot to me, but from when he protected me. He needs help like I once did and still needs, but who could help us?

  Our wounds and traumas that brought us our lost up here seem to be too deep. Anyway, I find Fernando sitting next to a sculpture after he informs me. He is sitting on a stool with a cup of tea for me while drinking another.

  My back can not stand it anymore, and I need that tea more than talk now... anytime it can rain. I sit beside him taking the glass from his hand. He just is not scared that he'd seen me and smiled modestly.

  “You need a vacation.”

  I smile at him. I just wanted a
hug.

  “I'm fine.”

  “No, you are not. Do not say you are fine if you are not.”

  He looks at me a little angry.

  “What do you want to tell me? I think we should get this over with.”

  Fernando looks at me casually.

  “We started nothing. Just to make it clear, it's all over between us. I called you here because of your father.”

  I control myself, but in my thoughts, I would throw the teacup on his head.

  “I don't want to hear anything about him, Fernando. Save my time, please!”

  I take a deep breath, staring at the sculpture.

  “Why are you so easily manipulated?”

  I look at him about to grind my teeth.

  “Fernando!”

  I scream, attracting glances. He shrugs without any passion for me.

  “Your mother manipulated you, Luiza. Your father showed me reasonable evidence...”

  I get up, holding my purse over my shoulder. I am about to screw up. Fernando gets up too.

  “Enough, man!”

  My eyes water and I need to control myself.

  “Look at yourself. You are unhappy, living a life that is not yours because of it. Deep down you know it's all wrong...”

  “You know nothing about me!”

  “I know, Luiza. I know a lot.” he approaches and I stand firm here. “Your father hired an investigator. Your mother betrayed him, and he let her have it all in the hope that at least she would tell you the truth...”

  “Where is this evidence? It's very easy for you to say such things...”

  “If you want to see it, you'll have to call your father. He's in depression, jumping from country to country trying to find you.”

  A chill in my stomach, a terrible fear... I do not want to see that man. My mother can't be this monster.

  “Okay, Fernando. I appreciate the tea, but this will be the last time we will talk.”

  He smiles.

  “It's fine with me.”

  Carelessly, he turns his back on me and I feel butchered.

  Chapter 16

  I get to my apartment brooding over everything I've heard from my ex-boyfriend. By some miracle my boss does not call me anymore, maybe he will call me later... it does not matter. I look into my mom's eyes pretending I am fine and she keeps babbling about her boyfriend.

  We never met. My mother talks about him as if they had known each other for years. She is leaving without receiving any questions from me. And I force myself to keep blocking my dad in every way so he will not take my peace here. So will be my afternoon: first of all, I hear Adele on my iPod.

  I cry a lot until Rebekah finds me with my cell phone in hand... and I have to dry my tears because Elliott wants a meeting with his assistants. Fashion Week is about to start... my next few days should be hectic, but they make me my boss' housewife. My heart hurts so much!

  While Hisashi stays in the office, Francesca accompanies Elliott, I have to get between events and get the details of what he will wear: I enter his closet while he is still entering. I leave my clothes in my boss's room and then go to the kitchen to reheat lunch, afternoon snack or even dinner.

  We barely meet in here, because every second is too much. It does not matter, but my life is back to my English boss and everything he needs. I am here at his house to do everything that makes his life easier.

  Sometimes, I think if there was a chance that he would pay people to carry him and give him food in his mouth, he would hire the service. I smile thinking about it because it is ridiculous. So I ride his plate on the kitchen island and get everything ready so he can go back to today's show.

  Now I can go back to my flat, or walk around the mall. Maybe take a subway to another place in Europe? Oh, my life is about my boss! I can not go anywhere. The truth is, I wanted to be attending Fashion Week. But Francesca is in my happy place in life.

  I jot down my schedule as I walk down the stairs to Elliott's house: “I need to get my boss to lose the trauma of putting me in a car.” The damn accident managed to wreck me a little.

  Suddenly, as I walk, my cell phone starts ringing and an expectation that it is Elliott calling me to join him at work is reborn over me. But it is Kim.

  “Stop everything you are doing and come to The Francis Golding Terrace!”

  I go, full of expectations. Kim manages to get me in there and we participate together in the reception of some brands. Mia chats with other models on the other side, probably vlogging to her Youtube channel. She does not notice us here which is perfect.

  “Kim, you're a good friend.”

  She laughs at me skeptically.

  “You know I need someone to tell the things I see.”

  As much as she pushes me with all the curiosity in the world, I control myself by running a sample of cream on the back of my hand.

  “If that won't result in your boss suing you...”

  “Oh, she tells me everything! She dates a boy, he is from a wealthy family who has tried to buy Pollentier several times.”

  I look at Kim, now she has my attention.

  “Continues.”

  Kim smiles a little closer, looking into my eyes.

  “So nobody knows they are together. Elliott cannot suspect that.” She blinks at me for a description. “A friend who works with this guy's team told me that he went to Pollentier's office a few minutes ago on Instagram.”

  “For what?”

  “I don't know, but something tells me this guy is just using Mia. He is a little older, very persuasive and she does anything for his attention.”

  “Kim, this is terrible!”

  I whisper. She shrugs with a casual look and her head bowed.

  “I'm going to the office.”

  “What?”

  She despairs.

  “Who knows what this guy wants to do? If he has interests in Pollentier Magazine and is using Mia, then someone has to do something. I'm going there now.”

  “But Liz...”

  I leave her behind. Uber arrives very fast, thank God! This man, whoever he is, will find the most unarmed office possible today. The editors are at Fashion Week, most assistants...

  Looks like I am going to stop the apocalypse because it is not fair for someone to use a naive girl and destroy the Pollentier family's work! I have an intense fear of getting in the car, especially when the driver accelerates but I control myself.

  I arrive so fast at the office, I press the elevator button frantically. I run by hallways full of racks with clothes hanging. I do my best to get into Elliott's office as soon as possible until I come across Hisashi, typing on my computer. He looks at me strangely.

  “Liz...”

  I do not stop to answer him, but I head to my boss's office.

  “Hey, where are you going?”

  Hisashi's voice gets lower until I enter. With a shock, I realize that there is no one here. It makes me feel such a shame, and I put my hand on my forehead and think how stupid I was now.

  “What happened to you, creature?”

  Ask me Hisashi.

  “I made a mistake... can I keep you company?”

  Hisashi frowns at me for a moment.

  “But you have no work to do?”

  We smile, our next hour is chatting and drinking tea, and the other time we go to the wardrobe. That's where we have fun. And I wear a gold dress from Dolce & Gabbana — an exclusive sample — realizing that it is Italian only a while later.

  I parade, feeling like a powerful princess while Hisashi takes pictures for me. He experiences a little of everything because every moment his gaze comes upon a larger piece of art.

  “Come on, let's take a selfie!”

  Hisashi calls me excited in a beautiful French suit. I go to him, but I hear my cell phone ring right away... it is not my boss's personalized ring. Quickly, I approach seeing that it is Francesca.

  “Hello, this is Liz!”

  “Liz, today is your lucky day. I'm just calli
ng to let you know we're going to a party, so you don't have to go back to his house.”

  Oh, how convenient! Elliott and Francesca are going to have fun, but I still have to go there and settle tomorrow. I change clothes quickly and run out of the wardrobe — I do not know why — but I stumble upon a man I've never seen around here...

  An intense suspicion falls on my head to the extent that he holds me in his arms and helps me regain balance.

  “Madam.”

  He is tall, rather thin. I notice the brown hair he has, a little long. He wears a black turtleneck and a gray blazer over the top... his gaze is so determined, I still notice his thin beard. He is in his early 20s...

  I smile blandly and move out toward the elevator. The moment I turn inside the elevator, I still see him standing talking to Hisaishi... It is him. Whatever it was, this man got what he wanted here, damn it!

  Chapter 17

  I arrive at my boss's townhouse, full of worries. Oh God, I should not have, but I have a heart. I can take care of my boss in part of his personal life, but I am not into this and I have no idea what's going on in his personal life.

  That's why I take care of the wardrobe and kitchen mess. Kim insists on asking me if I saw anything, but I do not answer until I can sit on Elliott's couch. I get everything in order, including the clothes he will wear next time. I keep the purchases I made in the market before coming here.

  I brought several types of bottles with different drinks each, so that is all Elliott asked me to buy. His pantry is full of things that barely fit the drinks. Finally, I sit on the white couch just for a moment afraid of getting things dirty.

  I kick my heels for a moment and put my feet up until I find myself lying here. It is so relaxing... when I let my thoughts go, though, I remember my father and that is terrible. I know Fernando will tell him that I am here, so it is a matter of time for him to come to me and find me.

  Oh damn! Why did not I make him promise not to talk? I try to relax by answering Kim. She keeps sending me selfies about Fashion Week even when she is escorting Mia out of an event. Both are so perfect and I am here, falling asleep...