Now, it was Callea was the one who got cold feet. He would kiss her again and this time, he wanted to prove something. Kissing was not for the sake of kissing at all. It was a competition for him right now.
And she couldn't let him kiss her or he would drive her crazy for real. He would have a harder time making her normal. Maybe she would have a nightmare afterward. Of course, she won't tell him how his kiss would send her system in haywire. He would only play her emotions in the end and she would end up a loser.
No. She won't let him kiss her or intimidate her in any way. She didn't want them to transform her into a goddess. There must be some other way to get out of this.
She covered her face with her palms before he claimed his kiss. "Wait. Maybe we can talk about this first. Look. I can be beautiful in front of our grandfathers. I can be a goddess to impress your friends."
"You mean pretend as you did before?"
She slowly lowered her hand and smiled at him. "Yes. You were none the wiser then. I am sure it would work again."
He nodded. "Yup. You are right."
"And you'll save money, too. You don't need to spend money on my make-over. Look. I can stand being normal and beautiful for a few days. I can be shining, shimmering, and splendid to impress your friends and colleagues. I won't do weird stuff. I won't write for a few days just to make sure that I won't think or do anything weird while spending time with them."
"And afterward, you will go back to your dark world? You will stay inside your room again and talk to the bats."
"Yes. Just please, don't put me in this torture." She clasped her hands together. "My idea is brilliant, right?"
He smiled sweetly. "Yes. It's a brilliant idea."
"So, that's a yes. You agree with my idea. We can now leave them alone and go home?" she asked in an excited voice.
The smile was suddenly gone from his lips. "No! I won't risk it."
"What?" she cried in dismay. Just when she thought she was winning, he would suddenly drop her.
"You are a horror writer, Callea. But you don't need to be a breathing and walking horror book. If you want to cosplay while you are writing, then stay in your room. I am cool with that as long as you are working. You don't have to spend a lifetime living like a horror queen."
Callea shook her head. "No! I want to be like this."
"Then you will lose Villa Celesta. My grandfather is a good judge of character. He will know if there is something off with you. I don't want to risk it. He could find me another woman to marry. Someone who is not weird. Someone I could show to the public and won't have a problem that she might transform into another creature at night. But how about you? Do you think your grandfather would be easy on you once? You can't live in the shadows forever."
The world is cruel. Callea only wanted to have a peaceful life. Nobody would bother her on how she wanted to dress up, talk, look, and feel. She had a safe haven where no one would hurt her or judge her.
Now, she was being forced to step out of her shadow.
She tightly clutched the arm of the swivel chair. What would she sacrifice just to get Villa Celesta. She was scared to step out of her comfort zone.
She felt exposed. Naked. Vulnerable. Unprotected.
But Deive was right. She must take a risk. If she would gamble with him, she would surely get Villa Celesta. He was only helping her out. They were partners.
"Okay. My hair can be trimmed. Bangs is okay but is it okay if it will cover my eyes? I will just brush it sideways if needed."
"Sure!" Then he called the stylist. "Joselito, she's ready."
She was not moving on her seat when the stylist put some keratin hair formula on her hair and he started discussing its benefits on her hair. She was still scared to change herself. She still didn't want to be beautiful.
Deive put his hand on the top of her clenched one. "Don't worry. You will be fine after this. Just think that you have a much-deserved relaxation after a long year of working."
She didn't know if she could relax if he was holding her hands in comfort But it made the whole ordeal bearable at least.
What's not bearable was the unsteady beat of her heart.
She slowly let the air out of her lungs. She must get used to this setup. She must get used to the feel of his hand holding hers and she must be comfortable with his stare. If she wanted things to look natural for them, she must conquer her emotions. She must turn this weakness into a strength.
She closed her eyes. I can do this. I can.
"Emegerd! You are so gorgeous!" Joselito cried while dusting off the hair from her. He created bangs that framed her face and put on some hair shine for finishing touch. "I wanna cry. You don't have to hide that beautiful face anymore."
I wanna cry, too.
After more than an hour of battling against hair keratin treatment cream, the streamer, and every once in a while blow-drying and combing, finally, her ordeal was over. She had been dreading somewhat seemed like hours. Her neck and back were in pain. Her mind was tortured while she was thinking what her final look would be like.
"Thank you," she whispered and refused to look at the mirror. She didn't want to see her new look. That was one of her requests to the stylist and he must not take it personally. She faced Deive who had his brows drawn together while looking at her. "Have you paid the bill? Let's get out of here."
Deive halted her by touching her shoulder and combed her bangs with his fingers. "Why is it too long? It should be shorter the tip won't sting your eyes."
She felt giddy when he touched her hair combined with the worry in his voice. Ugh! She felt like melting again. He got what he wanted. He didn't have to make her feel excited about his touch.
She brushed off his hand. "That's enough! You got what you wanted. I just want to go home."
He didn't argue anymore and led her to the counter to pay. The other staff were cooing and praising her as if someone had just put on the Miss Universe crown on her head. While she felt like she had a crown of thorns. Her hair was felt glorious and the great smell was addictive. She felt pampered and it did great to her well-being. But she won't give Deive the satisfaction to know that. He might take her a trip to the salon monthly just to torture her.
Joselito, the stylist was dancing with glee as he received a handsome tip from Deive. "Sir, please come back. I will make your girlfriend more beautiful."
Callea growled at him like an angry dog and gave him a sharp look. Joselito stepped back in fear. She thought her eardrums were bleeding because he kept on harping how he transformed her from a scary white lady to a goddess-like woman. It was starting to grate into her nerves.
When they leave the salon, she felt people's eyes on hers. Looks of admiration where thrown her way. Some would study her from head to foot with a hint of envy. While some men would stare at her as if she was a morsel to eat.
She suddenly stepped behind Deive until her face almost touched his back. He kept looking at her back. "What are you doing there?" he asked in half-wonder, half-irritation.
"They are looking at me," she muttered.
"Because you are beautiful but you look like you will join the parade of Katipuneras (Katipuneras are female members of Katipunan. It was a Filipino revolution launched against the Spaniards in 1892. They wear bodice or blouse with angel's wings sleeves or bell sleeves with cuffs and floor-length skirt.)"
"Can we just go home? Please!" she begged and clung to his polo shirt. She really couldn't stand people looking at her. She was starting to melt.
"No! We still need to buy appropriate clothes that will match your look." Then he dragged her to the nearest women's boutique they passed by.