Chapter 15

“Inform Mr. Cesar about this.” Oh no…”

“It will have to wait because this young lady already has an appointment with me,” said Mr. Keylef suddenly from behind Joffre, who didn't seem pleased. He placed his hands on my shoulders and walked with me toward the exit.

“Mr. Keylef, I request that you wait for Mr. Cesar's instructions.”

“Don't worry, Joffre, old friend. You'll give yourself a heart attack if you keep this up. I'll bring Belle back to the mansion before nightfall. She seems to have become quite popular,” he said with a smile, making my cheeks blush with a feeling of importance. It was the first time so many people had sought me out.

“But Mr. Keylef!”

“Goodbye, Joffre, see you later!” he said with a smile.

“What if he gets angry because we left?”

“Who, exactly?”

“Both of them?” he smiled.

“They'll both get angry anyway, but I think you deserve to go out a bit, don't you? Tell me something you would have liked to do when you lived on the street... if it doesn't bother you to remember.” I shook my head slightly with a smile.

“It doesn't offend me... I know where I come from, and I still have friends I want to visit who are on the street. Honestly, I've always wanted to eat those crepes with pretty decorations, buy a new book, nice clothes, and... go to the movies!” he smiled, looking at me and said.

“Is that a bit silly?”

“It's not silly, it's lovely to know someone who radiates so much enthusiasm…” I looked at him, puzzled as we walked side by side. Why say something so incomparable? To me, he shone too brightly, but I could never tell him.

“You are very kind too.” When we reached his car, he opened the door and looked at me for a second.

“Belle... I have to tell you something, I'm not as good as you see me... I have lied to you,” he said seriously.

“Lied?”

“Yes, I'm only using you for my convenience.” I stayed silent and said.

“Is it for something good or something bad?”

“It's good for me, but very selfish for you…”

“Why is it selfish for me?” I asked as he sat in the driver's seat.

“Because it's not right to use people for your convenience.”

“If I am as helpful as it was for me, I don't mind if you use me to fulfill your desires. It makes me feel like I'll be by your side for a long time,” I said shyly, unable to look at him.

“Belle, could you look at me?” I raised my eyes, feeling like I was about to explode with emotion.

“I want you to promise me that the moment you feel hurt, you'll refuse to follow me, don't let people take advantage of your kindness…”

“It's not kindness…”

“Then you do it out of gratitude for helping your grandmother. You should know that I took advantage of your vulnerability at that moment so you couldn't refuse my request,” he said with a guilty expression. “I have no excuse, but I still need you to punish him.”

“I don't care because those aren't all my reasons for helping you. Maybe I'm also using this situation for my own benefit,” he smiled, surprised, and asked.

“Then why?” I looked at his face, my heart beating rapidly. It was very hot in this car.

“I can't say, it's too embarrassing, so don't ask me,” I said, smiling faintly, and he indicated.

“Will you be able to tell me someday?”

“I hope so because if not... I’ll explode.” He laughed softly, turning on the car, much more at ease after that conversation.

“You're unique, Belle. Come on, let's celebrate this friendship with an amazing day, I want to make it up to you.” I smiled bashfully, hearing those words.

“Yes... friendship,” I said, taking his offered hand.

♥

Mr. Keylef first took me to a crepe stand where they made them live and in person. Memories of my days wandering the streets, seeing the stalls completely full, and hearing my stomach growl with hunger. It smelled so good that my legs trembled with excitement.

“Is something wrong?” asked Mr. Keylef.

“It's just that I'm very excited,” I said, watching as they poured the crepe batter onto the hot stove. They all looked so great... they even made a decorative duck. When the man finished assembling my crepe with theatrical slowness, I applauded, attracting the most scrutinizing looks. He finished decorating it with whipped cream, gummy candies, and colored syrup. I took it with excitement while Keylef looked at me, resting his chin in his hand, encouraging me to try it. I took a bite and squealed.

“This is delicious! Can I do something?”

“What?”

“This!” I held up the crepe to him, smearing whipped cream on his mouth. I burst out laughing.

“I once saw someone do this with their partner, they looked so happy that I was mesmerized watching them…” I opened my eyes and saw him smiling as he wiped himself.

“You surprise me more every time,” he said, licking his thumb, leaning towards me, and when I thought our noses would touch, he bit into my crepe, leaving me with almost nothing.

“Hey!”

“That’s for being such a prankster…” about to eat more of my whipped cream crepe, I opened my mouth and swallowed it quickly, hearing his laughter.

“You're going to choke, Belle, drink some water,” he said, smiling kindly as he watched my cheeks full. He raised his hand, stroking my cheek, cleaning it, and with a guilty expression, he moved away.

“We need to finish so we can continue our outing,” I nodded quickly as I watched him pay. I swallowed with difficulty and said,

“When I get paid, I will treat you to dinner!” I said confidently, he smiled and as he finished paying, he said,

“Do you want to invite me on a date?” I quickly shook my head, saying the first thing that came to mind.

“You don’t interest me at all, you're not my type!”

“You just hurt my ego, I thought at least you found me handsome.” I quickly shook my head, turning completely red, and quickly shouted,

“Sorry! I don't really think that,” I exclaimed, running to the car.

♥

The day continued at the cinema, smelling of popcorn and caramel. I remember once sneaking in through plastic, seeing a half-eaten bucket in the trash and taking it. I was very young and wanted to try it. After that, my Beethoven smacked me on the head, telling me I wasn’t a dog to eat the first thing I saw on the floor, that I had to have dignity... but what was dignity living on the street? I didn't understand what it meant. Living on the street, you ate what you found, but she explained that getting your own food and accepting others' will didn't take away the only thing you had. And that was your dignity, the respect you had for yourself... breaking that rule made you a being with nothing, and that always scared me. After that day, I learned that my dignity was the most important thing I had as a human being.

“You seem distracted.”

“I was just thinking…”

“We can change the movie.”

“No! I want to,” I said, holding his hand in the large theater. Danilo squeezed my hand, making me smile.

♥

“I think I’m a new fan of musicals, especially La La Land,” I said with immense excitement to dance through the streets like the protagonists. Then I saw those ground fountains from a distance, and I ran to one of the jets, getting completely soaked. I missed these showers when I wandered the streets; it was fun to bathe in these places.

“Belle, for heaven's sake! You’ll hurt your arm... you can’t get the cast wet.”

“Come, Keylef, let's go to the center to see the water rise,” I said, taking his hand, dragging him to the center of the fountain where the water came from the ground. I stood him in front of me, excitedly.

“We're going to get soaked, I don't know why we're doing this, Belle,” he said worriedly, pulling me towards him. I could feel his warm hand on the back of my shoulder, so firm it made me tremble.

“Because it’s fun...” I was mesmerized, looking at his worried expression as he looked around, waiting for the water to shoot up. I wished we could stay like this forever... when the water shot up from the ground, he pulled me into a tight embrace, while a light rain soaked us. I squealed with laughter, pressing into his chest to keep my face dry.

“How are we going to explain this later!” he laughed, feeling his chest vibrate. I clung tightly, smiling with excitement. This was the best day of my life.