Episode 20

Benjamin

I'm feeling something different. She's the complete opposite of all the women I've dated. I see she has a very sharp tongue and seems to always be challenging me. I'm liking this. It's an engaging game; it's not the same old thing. She has innocent eyes and, at the same time, the personality of a lioness: avid and very self-assured.

It's obvious that I already investigated her life, and I know many things, but I want to hear her talk. This sweet voice of hers, with her ironies and the jokes she cracks, captivates me and makes me want to always be near. I ask her to tell me a little more about herself so that I can get even more information.

Angeline: So, Mr. Know-it-all, I moved here a few weeks ago. I came to study. I used to live in a very small town, but I believe you must already know that from your investigation. Since I was raised there, I don't have much of these nightlife habits, and that day at the club was the first time I went out for something like that, besides being the first time I kissed someone. I believe your investigation didn't have that, did it?!

For a few seconds, I'm processing this information I just heard. Was I her first kiss? How is that possible? I made a face like I wasn't surprised by that, as I never imagined that kiss had been her first. She seemed so experienced to me that I would never have suspected it.

Benjamin: Interesting, I'll have to find a better investigator; this one really failed in bringing me the right information. Ask me a question, was your first kiss with that guy who was bothering you? That must have been traumatic.

Angeline: It could have been, but it was with a guy who came later, playing the superhero. I figured he deserved a kiss from me.

Benjamin: So, you have a thing for superheroes?

Angeline: Not all of them, he was the first.

While we were talking, the food I ordered for us arrived. It didn't take long since I had closed that restaurant for us. I didn't want much speculation about her, as all my steps are disclosed in the press. I decided to keep this one a secret.

We ate, and her presence was very pleasant; she made everything seem lighter. I can't even recognize myself, but I'm not going to open up like that all at once. Since my parents passed away, I've never found anyone capable of providing me with such quality time.

She continued talking about how happy she was to have gotten a place at the university, but that now she was worried about getting a job, as she had to support herself and didn't want to be a burden to her parents or her aunt, with whom she currently lives. While she was talking, I was just thinking about having been her first kiss, so I conclude that she is still a virgin. I can't do this to her. I can't just use her and throw her away; she doesn't deserve that.

I promptly offered her a job in the administrative sector of my company, and she said that she couldn't accept because she hadn't started her course yet. I told her that it was no problem and that she could start interning and progress over time. I saw her eyes sparkle with all the innocence that only they possess.

Still, she was very reluctant to accept because she said that her cousin deserved a job at my company because it was her dream to have a position there at our fashion publishing house. I told her that this was not a problem and that if that was the only impediment for her to accept my proposal, they could stop by human resources and start working this week.

Her eyes filled with tears, and in the heat of the moment, she came up to me and threw herself into my arms, thanking me for the opportunity and that she and her cousin would not disappoint me at any moment. At that moment, all I could imagine was kissing her lips.