Chapter 10 – Zorro is confused

Besides purchasing a new Toledan sword and a massive new desk with the money collected from taxes, De Soto had also got a new cat, a grey ball of fluff he could stroke slowly while plotting his evil plans. It was a mischievous creature that stayed most of the time curled up in a basket in the Alcalde's office, or curled up on his lap. That cat meowed loudly and repeatedly after Zorro thrashed the desk, to alert his owner.

Cristina grabbed the cat from its basket. It twisted around in a frenzy, struggling to escape, scratching wildly at the unwanted contact, yowling and spitting. Its front claws caught her right shirt sleeve, tearing it slightly before she could throw the cat out through the open window. The cat landed perfectly on the street and run away hissing. When she returned, her sleeve had a small blood stain showing through.

"He got you," Zorro said, pointing at the Italian's arm.

"Oh… sweet," Cristina said, coming back near the desk, ignoring the scratch. She saw the glasses at the bottom of the cat's basket. "There they are; what a cheeky cat." She took them and put them on.

The Alcalde, alerted by the noise, stood up and walked towards his office. Zorro, hearing the sound of his steps coming in, urged the Italian to hide under the desk with him. He thought it would be much more fun playing hide and seek rather than knocking De Soto off once again with a punch.

"Arrghhh! That bloody Zorro! Not again! My new desk!" De Soto cried when he saw the large Z. He paced up and down the office simmering in his hatred for Zorro, dripping water all around him.

De Soto didn't realize the Italian and Zorro were hiding under the large desk, waiting for him to leave the office. They sat very still, with their bodies close together in the uncomfortable confined space, feeling each other's respiration, rubbing their skin against each other with every respiratory movement, inhaling each other's scent. Cristina turned her face towards Zorro, who lifted his gloved hand to sign her to be quiet, putting his index finger over his own lips, smiling lightly. She stayed still in that position for a while, looking at his masked face, his eyes, his lips… when a sudden urge to come even closer to him took over her will. Shortly after the alcalde left the room through the back door, she came forwards and kissed Zorro, softly to begin with, then passionately for a few seconds due to his eager response. She opened her eyes and suddenly realized that, at that precise moment in time, she was Leonardo, not Cristina, and she pulled back away from him.

She saw her own uneasiness reflected in Zorro's eyes, who stayed there with an utterly confused face, his mouth opened in disbelief.

What the… he thought, I am kissing a man! His body jerked involuntarily due to the shock, trying to spring to his feet, and he banged his head hard on the table top. Luckily, the Alcalde was already outside and didn't hear the loud thud he produced. Cristina crawled on her knees from under the table, jumped on her feet, and ran to the front door. Zorro followed her, a bit dizzy and unstable on his feet, his head throbbing in pain.

"Wait!" he called, but she ignored him. She stepped out whistling loudly, and sure enough, two horses came by the door shortly after, also looking at each other as confused as horses can be. She jumped on her bay horse, sank her heels at his flanks, and galloped away from Zorro as fast as she could.

"Look, it's that damned Italian again!" one of the lancers cried, pointing at him, following him with his finger.

Zorro jumped on Toronado and also set off quickly, galloping in the opposite direction.

"And look, there is Zorro!" another one said, also pointing.

"Zorro!" the Alcalde said, coming out of the garrison. "Lancers! Go after him!" he ordered, unsheathing his sword, running with it in hand to the middle of the plaza.

By the time the soldiers were ready, mounted back on their horses, neither Zorro nor the Italian were anywhere to be seen. The soldiers stayed in the plaza, hesitating. They didn't want to set off on a wild goose chase for the second time in a row.

"Argggggghhh! How can he escape yet again?!" De Soto yelled, cursing. Frustrated, he hit hard the stone fountain in the middle of the plaza with his new sword, which broke apart in many pieces. He looked at the hilt in his hand, which had a very short portion of the blade still attached, and cursed again. Toledan steel? Impossible! he thought. It would never break in pieces like this!

"MENDOZAAAAAAAA!"

ZZZ

Toronado galloped fast towards the Hacienda de la Vega. Zorro's mind was running even faster, reeling over and over the episode under the table. He didn't understand how it happened. He had noticed before some unsettling low intensity new feelings for the cheeky Italian, which he had ignored and dismissed quickly, convincing himself it was due to his admiration of his fighting skills, nothing else. But, when they were under the table, so close to each other, he started to feel a vague sensation of desire, the kind he had only felt around Victoria before, a sensation that he once again repressed more or less successfully, until the Italian suddenly kissed him. The contact with his lips sparked off a wild reaction he could not control. He didn't understand why, and he could not approve of himself and this improper behaviour, which felt so right and so wrong at the same time. Besides, he thought he was still in love with Victoria. This could not be happening.

Diego was so confused he remained in a haunted state of mind for more than a week, worrying Felipe and Don Alejandro, who thought his son was going crazy.

ZZZ

Cristina was also very confused herself. She didn't understand how she could have been so careless as to let herself go in such a way. But she was so attracted to Zorro at that precise moment under the desk, she surprised herself. And he did respond to the kiss! That was also very upsetting, to find out that he could be interested in men. She was quite sure he didn't suspect she was a woman, so in a way, she was quite disappointed with this discovery. And, because she had heard about Victoria and how difficult her relationship with Zorro had been —to the point of getting married, running away from him— she blamed herself for being so stupid as to fall in love with a man she didn't know, and who could end up being homosexual.

She decided to keep the Italian man in the closet for a while, and watch Zorro closely as Cristina over his next appearances in Los Angeles. And she suffered in silence in the meantime.

ZZZZZ