I hear someone whisper my name softly. I look around for the person behind the voice but I'm met with white fog. I walked aimlessly for who knows how long until I came across a big room, there was a California king bed with a canopy bed frame. The drapes hanging off the frame were a deep red. The floor was covered with red rose petals.
I was curious so I walked into the room. There were candles everywhere. A man with his back to me was looking at the night sky, the balcony doors were open. As I continued to stare at him, I noticed how defined his back was. His hair was a sandy blonde, he was tall.
I wondered why he was here, why I was here. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't notice that the man had turned around.
Is that… Luke? Why is he shirtless? And why is he so muscular? And what is that feeling creeping up my chest?
He walked towards me until he was inches from my face. Has he ever heard of personal space? He has this indescribable look in his eyes, his pupils were blown, and there was mischief flashing in his dark brown eyes.
What is he up to?
The next thing I know, I'm back in the outfit I wore a few days ago. An LBD with my black pumps. Luke was behind me, I could feel his breath on my neck. His arms come around my waist, pulling me into his chest. I felt my heartbeat rapidly. He pushed my hair to the side to gain access to my neck. He's not going to do what I think he is? Luke begins kissing my neck.
He grabs onto my hips and squeezes. A moan slipped out without permission. His hands slid further down till he reached my inner thigh. He lifted the hem of the dress until it was sitting on my waist, revealing the bottom of the corset, the lace underwear, and the garters I was wearing underneath.
One of Luke's hands traces the edge of my underwear, my navel clinched in anticipation. He dipped his fingers into my underwear, I threw my head back and moaned.
I wake up with a gasp. What the fuck was that? I look at the clock. I had class in an hour. I don't have the time to analyze my dream. I don't want to, not yet.
That evening I arrived at the community college early but waited in my car until Spanish class started. I was trying to get my wits about me before I saw Luke. That dream affected me more than I thought.
I took a deep breath and walked inside.
It's been two weeks and I'm getting somewhat better at conversational Spanish.
" ¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás esta tarde?"
"¡Hola! Lo estoy haciendo bien. ¿Y usted?"
"Lo estoy haciendo bien. Hoy vas a escribir algunas frases en la pizarra en español. No entrar en pánico. Si cometes un error, siempre puedes arreglarlo." My hands start sweating. You can do this Manny you've been practicing for weeks.
I walk up to the whiteboard and pick up the marker. I turn to Luke to see what he wants me to write.
"I want you to write. Vamo a Starbucks. ¿Puedes traerme un Skinny Vanilla Latte? Asegúrate de obtener crema batida extra. Oh, y tráeme un pan de limón con semillas de amapola." When I finish writing, I look at it in confusion. Did he just … give me his Starbucks order?
"Luke, why did you give me your Starbucks order?" I see mirth light up his eyes. I roll my eyes.
"I think you know why?" I sigh and give him a frustrated look.
"If you wanted me to go to Starbucks you could have just asked." He just smirks at me. I shake my head.
"Let's go."
We're waiting for our orders to come out when I ask him why he chose me to be his pretend girlfriend. He looked sheepish and even blushed. He told me that I was the first person that popped into his head. I felt a bit flatted. But I didn't tell him that. This was already getting way too uncomfortable.
This makes me a bit sad because we used to be able to talk about things like this without issue.
It showed how distant we are from each other even though we're sitting right next to one another.
We sat in silence until our order came.
We went back to the classroom for some more lessons.
Luke told me at the end of class if this whole fake girlfriend thing could continue until he felt it was appropriate to "break up" with me. His friends were expecting me to be there when they went out. For some reason, I don't have a problem with it. So, I affirm that it was okay.
Luke and his friends were going salsa dancing. Go help me. Just because I'm Latin doesn't mean I'm good at salsa dancing. But, I'll give it a try.
I called my mom to ask if she could show me some moves, for both the male and female parts. She didn't question my request.
I spent three hours learning these moves. I didn't want to embarrass not only myself but Luke in front of his friends. These people think I know how to dance when in fact I don't know-how. I would like to keep up appearances.
I look at myself in the mirror for the millionth time. Today, my insecurities are rearing their ugly heads. I know I'm not the most attractive person and my weight brought my attractiveness meter down to a three. I put on a brave face when I walk out the door.
But, sometimes it gets harder to do. Sometimes charm doesn't always work. I get surprised by some of the people that are interested in me. I guess the reason I get so upset at the thought of people thinking I'm gay or too "girly" is that I already have two strikes against me. I'm Latino and I'm overweight. I have to compete with guys that look like Luke.
Anyway, I'm getting off track.
I'm wearing a maxi dress with two slits on each side. It is more risque than I'd normally wear. But, I was hoping it would make me feel better about my appearance. I'm wearing heels with the shortest heel I can find. I don't know if I want to wear my hair down or up.
I'm pretty sure you guys don't care either way.
I told Luke I would meet him at the club. My dream flashed through my mind. I was going to be closer to Luke than I've ever been before. The entire time we've been doing this charade, we've managed to keep touching to a minimum. How we haven't gotten called out for it is beyond me.
I walk through the door and I look around for Luke, when I spot him I walk over to him.
He pulls me into a hug and kisses me on the cheek.
"Are you ready to salsa dance?" A purple-haired girl asked. No, I'm not.
"Yeah." I try to say it with as much enthusiasm as possible.
Salsa dancing was much more fun than I thought it was going to be. I didn't trip over my own feet or step on Luke's feet. So that's a win.
All was great in the world until I spotted my old roommate. I stiffened, I felt panic build up in my chest, my eyes welling up with tears. My mind flashes with unpleasant images. I hear my fake name being called.
"Michelle, Michelle, Michelle!" I snap out of it. I look over to see Luke's concerned face as well as everyone else's.
"Um, I have to go to the restroom, I'll be right back." I don't wait for anyone to talk before bolting to the restroom. Once I was inside I clench the bathroom sink. It took me a second to realize that I was hyperventilating, I took shallow deep breaths
Why the fuck is he here? If I just had the strength to go to the police maybe he wouldn't be able to roam around so freely.
"Manny, can I come in, please." I sigh deeply before affirming that he could.
He came in and locked the door.
"What's going on? I've never seen you so upset before." Should I tell him? I haven't even told my parents what happened. I remind myself that he's trustworthy.
"I saw my old roommate. The last time we saw each other it wasn't on the best terms. He um blackmailed me and when I didn't do what he wanted he retaliated. He got away with it. No one believed that he could do something like that since he is the star athlete at my university and one of the richest students. His family is richer than Jay's." Luke looked more distressed the more I talked.
"Manny, what did he do?" I stiffened a sob, I took a deep breath. Archibald Bamford was the son of a wealthy businessman, he had hotels and financial centers all over the world.
I was showering in our shared bathroom when Archibald walked in. He pulled the curtains back and when I jumped to cover myself I thought that he would close it when he realized that someone was in there. But, he didn't; he leered at me for several minutes. A shiver of fear ran down my spine. I tried to pull the curtains back to cover myself properly. But he wouldn't let them go.
He propositioned me, he said if I let him fuck me then he wouldn't tell everyone about my unusual genitalia. I refused angrily.
I don't know how but, he got a picture of my genitals and he asked me again if I would take his offer. And I stood firm and said no again. Within thirty minutes of our conversation, the picture was airdropped to almost all of my peers.
I stupidly went to campus security about the incident and I was told if I file a report I would be facing a lawsuit from the Bamfords and I would be kicked out of school for distributing pornography on school grounds. I listened.
From then on everyone mocked me every time they saw me. My social standing at the school had plummeted. No one wanted anything to do with me. You would think they would be more open-minded about someone having different sexual organs. But, that was all for show.
Luke was shell-shocked, his eyebrows downturned, eyes darkened in deep anger. I knew that he wasn't angry at me but at the situation, at Archibald.
"I understand why you went radio silent on me for so long you were closed off. You were going through something horrific. Why didn't you tell me or the rest of the family?"
"I was scared of what everyone's reactions were going to be. I was scared that the Bamfords would find out that I told someone and do something awful. They have the power to destroy Jay's company and Phil's reputation in the real estate community. They could ruin Alex's career prospects. I had more than myself to think about in this situation." His eyes softened, he took my hand in his and squeezed gently.
"I appreciate how selfless you were being, but I wished you would have protected yourself first. The rest of us could have dealt with whatever those rich assholes would throw at us. We have your back." I could feel myself tearing up again. I've officially ruined my makeup.
Luke pulls me into a hug. I missed his hugs. They made me feel warm and safe.
We decided to call it a night, the excuse was that I wasn't feeling well.
Luke asked if I wanted to stay in his spare room at his apartment instead of going back to the dorms.
I said yes.