Sweet Dreams-19...So Snow White; Are you gonna order the apple? Part One

Chapter 19

It’s just getting onto the start of evening and I’m looking down at Alex and he’s standing in front of the limo and the sun’s behind it and him and he’s dressed like that and the wind is blowing his dark hair to one side.

I know I’m just playing the part of a girl, well trying to be a girl now but the way that my heart does this huge heavy thud in my chest at the sight of him it's all girl.

I take my time going down the steps using the railing to help myself glide and I walk towards Alex and Alex walk to me and somewhere between here and there we just slip into each others arms and then we’re kissing.

It’s not a make up smearing kiss by any means but it’s a capital K Kiss rather than a lower case k kiss.

And someway that Kiss makes this feeling like I’m finally really alive flow through me. Add that in with the way he’s holding me, and looking at me and while I’m all calm and stuff on the outside my inside me is naked, holding a bottle of champagne and dancing on the table screaming Girl!, Girl!, Girl!

That’s why when I break the kiss I’m giggling.

He gives me this look and an eyebrow. I beam a silly grin at him. “It’s not my fault; this is my brain on hairspray.”

His face twitches and I almost made him laugh in from of Adam and April. I lean up to kiss him again and as I do I cross my eyes. He kisses me anyway and whispers in my ear. “Stop that. You’re going to make me laugh.” I can’t help but smile at the playful notes there though. He’s hiding it but he’s smiling. Well he’s smiling on the inside.

Alex and his Dad get us both into the limo and I slid in first and do it as graceful as April’s shown me and do this whole slide on my butt and sideways slip my legs in like a lady is supposed to do in a dress. April’s next and she makes it look like she does this all of the time which I figure she has. Then the guys. We drive for a few minutes before Alex smiles at me. “You look amazing Hunter.”

I blush and smile back at him. “Thank you, you look just amazing too Alex I didn’t really know that guys actually could look like that in real life. Mr. Donavan you look perfectly handsome as well.”

He’s looking at me not with the usual look well it’s the usual look but a bit more laid back, kind of a laconic sort of predatory thing going on. “Thank you, you ladies look ravishing tonight we should have a good time. Not to pick Hunter but just so I’m braced just how much did this new look cost my expense account?”

“Dad...” Alex looks like he’s going to get angry or start to head there. I should have known that he’s got it packed away but that’s still there right under the surface.

“Alex, it’s a perfectly good question.” He’s not even looking at Alex instead he’s staring at me.

“Alex it’s alright.” I reach over and take his arm in mine and wind the fingers into Alex’s. “This isn’t a going out having fun night we’re helping your Dad out by filling in space at one of his business events. He’s got a right to know how much that was spent.”

I smile at him and stare him right back into his eyes. “Actually I paid for all of this save the makeover out of my own money.”

April pipes in with. “And the make-over was my treat so you’re expense card is safe honey, you can afford to splurge tonight on our guests.”

Alex looks at me. “I told you, you could have put it all on my expense card.”

I know but I wanted to do this I’ve been broke for so long that it actually felt really nice to buy something brand new for me out of my own money. I hope you and your Dad don’t mind?” I smile at Alex this warm and little sexy…I’m sneaky and I love you smile and I look at Adam and hit him with the triple eyelash hit… blink, blink, blink…

He smiles this slow smile and he lights a smoke. I wonder, no he likely knows that I’m quitting.

Alex looks at him. “Not everyone smokes in this space you know.”

“Oh, sorry that was careless of me.”

He leans forward and puts it out. We’re quiet and the drive takes us to two other houses in even more upscale or equally upscale neighbourhoods of the city and when we stop the guys get out and then let the wives in or in one case definitely girlfriend or mistress even. They start speaking in a mix of languages, I’m pretty sure a lot of it is Italian.

I don’t speak Italian or any other language for that matter other than a smattering of German and Polish and Norwegian. Some of it from Mom but mostly stuff I picked up by growing up in a house with a skinhead Aryan brother for a stepfather.

I’m not sure that it’s on purpose but I’m suddenly in the back of this limo with these people who are all from wealth and likely power and experience, and these lovely and beautiful girls and women who all outshine the little stick wearing a dress. And they’re all talking so fast and so loud in Italian and I’m hearing French and Alex is getting caught up by all the questions they’re asking him and he’s trying to answer them and trying to translate for me and…they’re touching him, his leg and his shoulder and his chest in that flirty I mean it but I don’t European way and leaning over showing off one magnificent set of breasts after another and it hurts.

I want to be that real for him. I want him to be able to see me like that. Not like this…I feel really fake for the first time in awhile and I don’t… can’t follow the conversations and they’re going so fast….

It makes it really obvious that I’m not just stupid but I’m so outclassed really. And they start smoking and drinking and I really….It takes everything I have not to start to cry right now.

You know how amazing I felt when all this started?

I feel like Cinderella must have felt when the clock hit midnight and everything around her turned to crap.

And Adam’s staring at me with this I told you so look.

And I’m Billy Hunter all over again the kid of a methe-head-hooker and a psycho skinhead stepfather pretending to be something I’m not and I’m sitting here in all these girly clothes pretending to be a girl when I just some little cross dressing fag.

Honest to god, I… I was in spot where I could’ve thrown myself out of the car door and into traffic I would have.

Then that hits me as that’s what Alex’s mom had done and how could I even thing of doing something like that to him…I couldn’t, not if I knew how to properly love him.

I feel so sick to my stomach right now.

So of course that’s when we arrive at the RecCen and we get dropped off at the entrance to the elevator and stuff and we go to this place called Andiamo, very Italian looking and very fancy and very expensive.

I don’t belong here.

My head is pounding; I think I’m close to having a panic attack.

We head up to the elevator and it’s crowded and I keep getting someone between me and Alex and I feel my stomach left behind on the ground floor. From there it’s us getting our coats checked and then escorted to the table, the host for the front of the restaurant escorts us there and the men seat us I smile a trembly little smile at Alex….it’s not Alex who pulled out my chair…it’s his father.

He’s staring at me and I’m not sure just how I haven’t tossed my cookies yet and he seats me and leans over and whispers into my ear.

“I know it, you know it.” That’s all he says and he backs off.

But that’s all that he really has to say isn’t it.

The menus arrive and their in Italian with what they are in English but again as the others are ordering I’m out of the loop. I can say it and stuff but not that way it just seems to roll off the tongue with them here. I know that I’m going to sound foolish if I even try.

“Alex…can you order for me? I…I…I don’t know what’s good and what isn’t.”

Alex looks at me and he smiles and says. “Sure thing Hunter.” He leans over closer to me and he’s explaining or trying to explain what a lot of the stuff is and I feel stupid. He’s trying to keep me close and sort of shield me from them and stuff but they’re just sort of steamrolling the conversation and stuff.

It’s all adding up…My head’s killing me and I’ve never really been in any kind of place like this except when April took me out today. I’ve been to a lot of hole in the wall places and dives but rarely in a descent place where the public could see us.

I blanche at the prices of the food, just little plates of stuff is like twenty, twenty five dollars and Adam looks at me every time I say “Okay I’ll try that” is like I’m stealing from him. I’m getting a small salad and soup, then a risotto?, the lamb chops as the courses and they’re small things but I figure just me’s going to cost between eighty and ninety dollars without drinks, desserts or a tip.

I’m terrible with all the stuff. The waiter does that snap napkin thin and that makes me jump and I keep using the wrong cutlery and stuff and even holding things wrong and I drop one of the things from my salad onto my dress and I can’t help but just about burst into tears.

One of the women zips out something in Italian and Adam laughs. I’m looking at her and she’s staring at me like I’m a bug. The she says. “Alex’s tastes has changed much, you’re very….cute…in that sort of pretty woman kind of way.”

I blush some more and I feel the trickle of blood starting down my nose. “Excuse me, I get up and leave the table trying not to run, and trying to find the bathroom.”

I hear her say again as I’m leaving. “It’s a pity she’s not actually like Julia Roberts, but she has the….meretrice…down pat, doesn’t she?”

I run into the bathroom once I find it and try to find the nearest stall.