The rain fell at a steady pace, but Holly barely noticed. The only thing of which she was blissfully aware was the man who stood in front of her, showering her with kisses. She
returned his kisses with reckless abandonment in an apologetic sort of way.
She'd been so naive; assuming that Jose da Silva Pereira actually cared about her. And until Paul had brought her to her senses, she had been moments away from boarding
a plane for South America. All of those hours that she'd wasted, immersing in Brazilian food and culture, simply to win the heart of a man who wanted nothing to do with her.
She'd read so many books and listened to so many language instructional tapes that it had been easy to imagine herself as Jose's wife, living happily in his ranch house,
raising their children. But deep down, she knew that a South American lifestyle wouldn't have suited her at all. She was, by all accounts, a New Yorker and in New York she
planned to stay.
It was hard to imaging giving up the lifestyle that she'd grown so accustomed to; pursuing men who were rich and handsome. Men like Sid Arbuckle, Rusty Trawler, and most
notably, Jose da Silva Pereira. But that's where it would end. She'd found someone better; someone who truly and honestly loved her.
Cat meowed, obviously uncomfortable wrapped in her coat and sandwiched between her and Paul. She drew back, stopping to pet Cat's wet fur.
"I think he's had enough." Paul said as he guided her down the sidewalk. "And you're soaked. Come on, let's get you someplace warm." His strong arm around her, she
huddled close to him, aware of Cat's distressful cries. Cat was most likely furious with her for practically abandoning her but she promised to make it up to him. She'd start by
giving him a name.
"Here we are." Paul announced when they'd reached the cab. He helped her inside and nodded to the driver. "Clayton Hotel, 84th and Madison as fast as you can."
The driver nodded. "Right away, sir."
On the way to the hotel, Paul kept his arm around Holly, making sure that she and Cat were as comfortable as possible. But it was clear that it would take some serious TLC
to make it up to the no-name slob.
She couldn't help but smile. Jose would have never taken the time to care for Cat. He was too interested in his money and his reputation. In fact, he would have forbidden her
to bring Cat to Brazil at all, and who knows what would have happened then? No, she could never love a man like that! Who cared about money? And what was money
anyway, but a gateway to trouble? At least that's what she was beginning to think, as strange as it felt. Money, it seemed, could only do more harm than good. But the good-
well, it was very, very good.
"Clayton Hotel" the driver announced.
Holly looked up, surprised when she realized that the cab had stopped in front of the beige high rise hotel on 84th and Madison. Paul paid the driver the calculated fare along
with ah handsome tip and opened the door. He quickly gathered Holly's belongings and wrapped Cat in a blanket. His hand felt warm in hers and she dutifully followed him
onto the sidewalk, once again drenched by the pouring rain. But minutes later they were standing in the hotel lobby, which, Holly had to admit, was very impressive, what
with its marble floor and beautiful light fixtures overhead.
"Wait here." He instructed.
She watched as he approached the front desk and made brief conversation with the hotel receptionist. He shook her hand and then returned to Holly, holding a small
envelope. "We're in room 1075. The lady says it has a nice view. I certainly-."
"Paul-." Holly interrupted.
"What's wrong?"
She pulled him toward her and kissed him deeply. And from this kiss she could tell that Paul wanted more-so much more. But he gently drew back and smiled. "Let's go to
our room."
In the elevator, she couldn't resist kissing him, not even caring that at times they were in the presence of other guests. When the doors opened on the tenth floor, Paul took
her hand and guided her onto the colorful carpeted foyer. And soon they were wandering around past rows of doors with gold numbers. "Our room should be right down this
hallway and around the corner or-Ah yes. Here it is." Paul inserted the key and turned the knob.
Her breath was at once taken away as she looked around the room. It was huge; perhaps even bigger than Tiffany's (in her mind, anyway), decorated in shades of blue,
some that matched Paul's eyes.
"Oh…"
Paul smiled. "I take it you approve."
She turned to him, holding Cat in her arms. "It's wonderful!" The kisses that followed were wonderful, too.
Cat, meanwhile, wasn't happy with the situation at all, and he jumped out of her arms, scampering across the room. He settled himself directly on the windowsill, content to
take in the view.
"Poor Cat." Holly sighed. "You're soaked!"
"I'll take care of him." Paul said. He disappeared into the bathroom and returned with a small towel.
Holly kissed him gratefully hoping that Cat would appreciate Paul's kindness. While Paul and Holly worked to dry Cat as best as they could, Cat surprised them by staying
right where he was, as though he didn't notice that he was being rubbed with a towel.
"I'm sorry, Cat." Holly apologized, leaning to kiss his head. "I promise I'll make it up to you."
"Now we need to take care of you." Paul said. "You'll catch cold in those wet clothes."
Holly shivered. "You're right. I am a bit-c-c cold."
"Go take a hot bath. I have some dry clothes for you in this bag. I'll take care of Cat while you're gone."
No words were needed at that moment. She hoped that her kisses conveyed her gratitude.
The bathroom was the most luxurious place she'd ever seen and she lingered in the bathtub that was filled with mounds of bubbles for much longer than she'd intended. By
the time she got out and dried herself off, her fingertips were shriveled, but she simply didn't care. In fact, she felt better than she'd felt in years. She wrapped herself in the
plush terrycloth robe and dried her hair with a towel. Taking one last glance in the mirror, she opened the door.
Paul smiled, conveying his approval. "You're absolutely beautiful."
"So are you." She breathed, bringing her lips to his. "You need to get into some dry clothes. We don't want you getting sick, either."
"Yes, ma'am." He nodded and kissed her before heading into the bathroom.
Holly walked over to the windowsill where Cat was sleeping soundly. He'd certainly had a rough day. Holly could tell why he'd chosen this particular spot. When she glanced
out of the window, her breath was taken away by the incredible view of Central Park and the surrounding areas. It was absolutely perfect.
Suddenly she felt his arms around her and she turned to find him wearing a robe that was identical to hers; white terrycloth with the logo for the Clayton Hotel stitched in
gold on the upper right side.
"You must be tired. How about a nap?"
Holly sighed. "That sounds nice."
"And then later we can order room service. I'd take you to see the city, but it's best not to be seen in public-not for a while anyway, until this thing with Sally Tomato blows
over. If they find you they'll lock you up and throw away the key."
Holly gasped. She hadn't expected this. "But-."
"I mean it, Holly. We'll have to stay here for at least a month."
She nodded. "I-I see. And then?"
"And then I don't know, but-."
At once her world came crashing down; all of the broken promises, the one night stands, losing her beloved Fred, missing her parents, wishing she'd never married Doc, Jose
not loving her-all of it came rushing out in huge sobs.
Paul immediately softened and touched her chin. "Don't cry. Sweetheart, please… I promise, everything will be all right."
As sweet as his words were, she simply couldn't make herself believe them. And that, in turn, mad her cry even harder.
Instantly Paul's arms were around her, holding her close as he had when she'd found out about Fred's jeep accident. Slowly Paul guided her to the bed and settled her among
the mound of pillows. He climbed in beside her and held her while she cried. He was still holding her late into the night, as she fell into a deep sleep.
She woke the next morning to find Paul asleep beside her. Cat was prancing lightly on her back. A knock on the door made Cat meow. Holly considered answering the door
herself, but then she remembered what Paul had said last night. She honestly wasn't worried about her own safety, but of Paul's. Surely he'd be in some serious trouble if the
authorities knew that he'd helped her escape her apartment. Yunioshi, on the other hand, was probably thrilled that she was gone.
The knock came again and she shook Paul lightly until he awakened. He sat up, disoriented.
"Huh?"
"The door."
"What? Oh yes, breakfast. I'll take care of it." He returned seconds later with a tray filled with delicious food, which they shared at the corner table where the windows gave a
panoramic view of the city.
Holly smiled. "I can't thank you enough for all of this, Paul. Its lovely."
"I'm glad you like it."
Their breakfast finished, Holly looked around the room. The place certainly was beautiful. "It's too bad we can't go exploring the city. But I suppose we'll have to find another
way to occupy our time."
Paul grinned. "I can think of at least one."
Her eyebrows rose as she watched him reach into the pocket of his coat that hung on the door. In his hand was a small velvet box.
"I know it's not much." He began as he slowly opened the box. "… After all, it came from Tiffany's, but hopefully soon I'll have more writing jobs and I'll be able to afford a
nicer ring. After all, an engagement ring should be special."
She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Did you say 'engagement ring'?"
Slowly he lowered himself to one knee and took her hands. "Holly Golightly, I love you. I've loved you since the moment you climbed into my bedroom window. I want to ask
you something. Something that only takes four little words. Will… you… marry… me?"
New tears filled her eyes. "Yes! I'll marry you Paul Varjak! I want so much to be your wife! And I promise to be a good one!"
He smiled and removed the ring from the box. "Read the inscription."
She glanced at the inside of the tin ring where the words Paul Loves Holly were engraved.
"No."
His smile faded. "No? You mean you've changed your mind? Just like that?"
"No, of course not. But you don't have to buy me a new ring. This one is perfect."
He gently took the ring from her. "May I?" Slowly he slipped the ring onto her finger. "I love you, Holly Golightly."
"I love you too, Paul Varjak."
After several kisses, he drew back and laughed. "What happened to calling me Fred?"
Holly smiled. "Oh, Fred. I love him so much, even though he's gone."
Her words brought Paul's arms around her and he held her close. "I know. I'm so sorry. He must have been a wonderful brother."
She smiled sadly. "He was. And he would have liked you a lot."
"Well, if you want to call me Fred, that's perfectly all right."
Holly smiled and crossed the room, lifting Cat from his spot on the windowsill. "Actually I was thinking that Fred is the perfect name for this slob, isn't it?"
Paul smiled as Cat-now known as Fred, nuzzled against them, his tail swishing back and forth. "It's a perfect name."
"I can't wait to become Mrs. Paul Varjak."
"Soon, I promise. But in the meantime we can at least pretend to be married." As they kissed and held each other close, Fred didn't seem to mind being sandwiched between
his owners and he purred contentedly.
Holly leaned against Paul and closed her eyes. She'd finally found something better than Tiffany's; true love.
The End