Narrator-
Liliana spent the entire weekend without seeing Mr. Cavalier. After she apologized, Lili headed back to her room feeling sad, and dejected. She tried calling Carlos again, but couldn't reach him, so then she called Chamille.
"Hello!" Chamille answered her tone as bright and chirpy as usual.
"Hey..." Liliana replied, and the tone in her voice had Chamille feeling cautious.
"Hey what's going on? Are you okay?" Chamille asked, her chirpy tone quickly changing to concerning.
"I screwed up." Liliana admitted as she shook her head, while a disappointed tear dribbled down her cheek.
"Hey, come on, what's going on? Tell me what happened." Chamille offered, and Liliana drew in a deep breath as she began to explain, "so you know how for a few weekends I haven't flown with Mr. Cavalier?"
"Yeah?" Chamille replied, her tone indicating that she was listening.
"Well, today I had a flight with him. I went to the plane early. I made sure I double, and triple checked everything in time for his arrival." Liliana continued.
"Okay." Chamille answered, her tone intrigued.
"As you know I have been going on a few dates with Carlos, and you know we're getting closer and closer with each other, so today he called me while he was outside the plane. His actions were meant to be romantic, he just wanted to see if I was nervous to face Mr. Cavalier after so long."
"Okay..." Chamille replied, her tone now cautious.
"Anyway, while we were fooling around, Mr. Cavalier arrived, and pretty much caught us in one of the most awkward and embarrassing situations ever." Liliana explained, her face hot and flushed as she relieved the moment over and over again.
"Ooo..." Chamille commented in understanding.
"I know! But that's not the worse part. He didn't greet me, understandably, but when we got on the plane and in the air, when I tried asking him for his choice of drink, he stood up and pretty much disappeared into his cabin for the whole flight." Liliana pointed.
"The whole flight?" Chamille emphasized, her disbelief clear as day.
"The whole flight." Liliana confirmed.
"Wow." Chamille noted, and Lili sighed exasperated as she said, "I know. When we landed here, he left without saying a word. After I got settled at the hotel, I went by his room to apologize for my unprofessional behavior, except he didn't open the door, and I had to speak my apology through the door, hoping he heard me."
"Well, maybe he just needs some time to cool off." Chamille thought, and Liliana sighed as said, "I hope so, but I'm sure I just gave him the perfect reason to fire me. Besides spilling wine on his shirt and all that."
"Well Mr. Cavalier is not as harsh as you would think, so just give it some time, I'm sure everything will be alright." Chamille tried to encourage.
"I hope so." Liliana sighed, then she added "now that's not the only thing I have to worry about. I tried calling Carlos at least three times, and I haven't been able to get through to him. I just hope he's okay."
"Mmh." Chamille simply hummed, and Liliana could tell something was off.
"Seriously, Milly what's going on? Ever since I've mentioned my dates with Carlos, you've been very quiet, is something going on?" Liliana asked, confused as to why Chamille didn't share her excitement when it came to Carlos.
"Lili, it's really not my place." Chamille replied, as she tried to sidestep the conversation.
"What? No Chamille come on." Liliana begged, suddenly on edge.
"I- if I were you, I'd just be careful. That's all." Chamille warned, and Liliana frowned, "Chamille come on. You're my friend and I trust you."
"I know, but it's not my place to stir trouble, and you seem to like Carlos, and I don't want to change that." Chamille replied,.
"Well you can't say that and not expect me to be curious." Liliana stated, her tone frustrated.
"It’s just... he has a history." Chamille revealed, and Lili could feel Chamille's discomfort through the phone.
"History...?"
"It was a long time ago honestly, and maybe he's changed." Chamille rushed, as she realized she may have said, too much.
"Chamille-"
"Lili I'm sorry. It's not my place to say anything, but just be careful with him okay? I have to go." Chamille cut Liliana off, then she ended the call.
Confused and slightly frustrated, Lili tried calling her again, but she didn't answer. Now on edge, Lili tried to call Carlos again, and it went straight to voicemail.
Liliana spent the entire weekend anxious and alone. Besides speaking to her mother, Liliana had no other form of socializing. Early Monday morning, Liliana headed to the plane and prepared for Mr. Cavalier's arrival. She was ready for a silent treatment this time and was not surprised when he once again excused himself to his cabin after takeoff.
Lili had to admit, she missed his taunting and teasing, and everything in between. But she told herself it was for the best, and that nothing good would've ever come from the cat and mouse game she was playing with him. Liliana loved playing hard to get with Mr. Cavalier, but now that she had Carlos, she figured it was best that she stopped playing around. Especially since her heart was on the line.
When Lili landed in the states, Frantz exited the plane without a goodbye, and Liliana was shocked to find Carlos there ready to pick her up.
As Lili descended the stairs, she frowned. She wasn't too happy to see Carlos's smiling face, especially after she spent a weekend without being able to reach him.
"Hey, how was your trip?" Carlos stated, as he gave her an embrace, and Liliana remained quiet.
"What happened to your phone?" Liliana asked, as soon as she pulled away from his hold.
"Uh yeah about that, every time you called me, I'd be transporting someone. I had to pick up a few extra shifts, you know since I've been out of work for a few. I'm sorry. Did I worry you?" Carlos asked, and Liliana frowned as looked away and shrugged.
Carlos smiled at her actions and placed his hand on her thigh. Liliana instantly tensed. Carlos seemed to be a lot more forward than she was ready to be, but being in the quiet car with him, she almost felt unable to tell him that she was uncomfortable.
Since Chamille sparked Liliana's suspicion and curiosity, Liliana felt the need to be cautious around Carlos.
"Hey, everything okay? You're pretty quiet over there." Carlos noted, his hand still resting on her thigh.
Liliana felt her face flush in heat as she gulped, "uh yeah, just tired."
"Oh I see, so I guess dinner would be out of the question?" Carlos asked,.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, I just- I'm tired." Liliana replied, avoiding Carlos's side glance.
"Mmh, okay." He agreed softly, his hand giving her thigh a light squeeze before he glided it down to her knee.
Liliana felt as though she was holding her breath the entire car ride. Her face and head felt hot. Her skin was disturbed with unwelcomed goosebumps, and in that moment, Liliana felt powerless.
When Carlos pulled up to her house, Liliana sent a quick prayer to the heavens. She opened her car and exit as quickly as possible.
"Jeesh, are you that excited to get away from me?" Carlos asked, his smile no longer as charming as Liliana once saw it to be.
"No, just really have to pee." Lili found herself blurting. When did she become such a good liar? And why did lying suddenly feel like a survival mechanism?
"Oh I see. Well here you go." Carlos handed Lili her bag, and Liliana turned to leave only to be stopped by Carlos who said, "hey, no kiss goodnight?"
At his words Liliana felt an unwelcomed shiver slither down her spine. She sent him a quick smile and landed a soft peck against his lips, but her stomach churned uncomfortably. She wanted him gone. Liliana turned to enter her home, and Carlos chuckled darkly as he turned her around, grabbing the back of her neck and forcing her lips against his.
Liliana placed her hands on his chest to keep herself stable. His grip behind her neck made her feel meek and weak, and his other hand groped her breast, followed by her left butt cheek. Liliana was shocked. Too shocked to move. Her eyes remained open wide the entire time.
She has never, in a million years, ever been touched by a man this way, and it made her nauseous.
When Carlos had enough, he placed his lips next to her ear as he said, "next time I ask for a kiss, this is what I expect." Then he was gone.
He entered his car, sending her a wink, then he left her standing at her door, feeling lost, violated, and victimized.