Bruno woke up to the soft light filtering through the curtains of his luxurious bedroom.
The first thing that caught his eye was the image of Beauty on his PC screen.
He had spent the previous night scrolling through her Instagram page, wanting to see if she posted about the gifts he sent, until sleep claimed him.
Doesn't that make him a stalker?
However, unlike his sister Abigail, who posts any little thing, including a pimple update.
“Ew a zit, you don't belong here, but it's cute, though. My face makes it cute. Schedule calling, I will get emergency laser treatment. See ya soon lovelies, xoxo.”
Beauty never posts even a picture of herself. Only the cropped profile picture.
The pictures on her wall are mostly Jessie's, her parents and family members he had no idea of.
Pushing aside the covers, Bruno sat up and ran a hand through his tousled hair, the remnants of sleep slowly fading away.
He took a moment to appreciate God for another day before swinging his legs out of bed and standing up.
Then sluggishly walked into the bathroom to brush and freshen up for the day.
He turned on the shower, letting the water warm up as he glanced at himself in the mirror.
His piercing eyes reflected, as he brushed his teeth.
Thereafter, he stepped into the shower, the hot water cascading over his muscular frame, waking him up fully.
He lathered his hair with a rich, invigorating shampoo, the scent of cedar wood and citrus filling the air.
He took his time and his mind wandered back to Beauty, wondering what she might be doing at this same hour.
Taking her bath too maybe?
He thought and closed his eyes.
His mind opened to retrace Beauty's unclad body from the night she was drunk.
“Don't do it”.
He murmured and opened his eyes instantly.
After rinsing off, he reached for a soft, plush towel and dried himself off before wrapping it around his waist.
He returned to his bedroom, and glanced at his outfit for the day.
Selected by his own personal stylist according to his request.
Well, he intended on having a conversation with Beauty another try.
This time he better be a man and do it.
Never had he really thought of asking his stylist for an outfit just for a regular day in the office.
Bruno finished putting on his outfit and adjusting his tie when a notification buzzed on his PC.
Curious, he looked at it from a distance. It was a new status update from Beauty.
Immediately he rushed to his bed and opened it to view.
*Won't be at work tomorrow, dealing with some awful cramps. Ugh, wish this day was over already.*
“12 hours ago!
Why didn't I get this notification earlier?”
Bruno yelled in his head with frustration.
He sighed and pulled off his tie.
The excitement that had driven him earlier vanished.
The office will feel like a prison without the prospect of seeing her, and the idea of spending the day buried in meetings and paperwork suddenly seemed unbearable.
What a misery!
He is a workaholic and an introvert.
How fast things can change.
“Also cramps? Does it mean she is sick?
He asked himself extremely worried
Should he call her?
*****
After getting herself from the unexpected message and shock.
She decided to check the message.
She went to her unborn and found a picture of her old school, the familiar brick building that hadn’t changed a bit since she graduated.
She froze, her toothbrush still in her mouth, as memories of high school, long forgotten, came back flooding into her mind.
High school had been a difficult time for her.
It had been years since she had seen any of her classmates.
Would they even recognize each other?
Had they changed much?
And what about her?
Would they see her the same way?
Faces of old classmates and the sound of lockers clanging shut. The scent of fresh-cut grass on the football field during pep rallies, and of course, the many times she was bullied and shamed for her size.
They all came rushing back.
“Fatty is running like a whale! Run faster!”
“She can’t be in my team, let her not participate at all, it’s unfair to have her in any team!”
“That pig stinks, I am sure she was the one who farted during math class”.
“Fatty, here is a perfume, you stink, we can’t breathe properly in this classroom!”
That was followed by her being surrounded by ten other kids from her class spraying her with both insecticide and perfume.
Others laughter echoed in her ears.
The whole class was punished, of course, but it only increased their hatred for her.
She was all alone.
No friends.
She had been bullied mercilessly for her weight, called names, and made to feel like she was worth less than everyone else.
The thought of facing those same people, ten years later, filled her with dread.
Beauty felt a drop of tears down her cheeks.
She dried them off and finished brushing her teeth absentmindedly, her mind still on the reunion.
She rinsed her mouth, wiped her face with a towel, and set her toothbrush back in its holder.
She thought about the reunion again as she stood there, staring at her reflection in the mirror, her phone clutched tightly in her hand.
Fear and insecurity gripped her, making it even hard for her to breathe.
Would they judge her even more now that she is supposed to have done something about her weight as an adult?
Would they laugh behind her back? Whispering about how she hadn’t changed, how she was still the same
“fat whale” from high school?
Beauty’s thumb moves over the button to decline and avoid the pain altogether.
However, if she declines she will only expose her fears and insecurities to them.
They will all know she was afraid to attend because she hasn’t achieved anything.
Not a relationship!
Not a good body!
Nothing!
With a trembling hand, Beauty set her phone down on the counter, unable to decide.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm inside her.
Maybe she could find the courage to face her past, but right now, she just wasn’t sure if she was ready.
“Beauty…what are you going to do?”
Accept or Deny the invitation.