More Than Words

More Than Words
Mirela
Missed voice call at 1:49 PM
Daughter, I know Simon made a mistake, but he deserves a chance to explain himself. Talk to him.
Nathaniel
We need to talk about what Pierre and that weird guy said.
Paola
I found out!
Okay. Mirela found out and told me. She thinks I know where you are.
If I knew, I'd be there pulling your ears. Seriously, sis, the reason is the jerk without a handle?
Paulina
The reason is that Simon advised Nathaniel to cheat on me.
Paola
If I advised you to jump off a bridge, would you jump?
Jesus, Paulina, I love you... but you're so dumb!
~~
Paulina left her phone on the couch next to her. She was tired of the messages she had been receiving ever since she sought refuge in Henrique and Thiago's house. Everyone had an opinion to give, and most of them were on Simon's side.
She had more important things to think about and do, like opening the company. While everyone wasted time defending Simon, she spent the day doing calculations, taking notes, and analyzing everything her cousin had said she would need to put her plans into action.
She was so focused that she didn't notice the passing of time until she realized the darkness outside, when Thiago, dressed to go out and enveloped in a cloud of perfume, entered the room.
"We're going to a friend's show," Thiago said, smiling. "And you're coming with us."
"I have nothing to wear."
"Nonsense! Nobody will notice your clothes where we're going," Thiago put his arm around Perez's shoulders and moved her away from the desk where she had been leaning for hours. "Have a relaxed night with your best friends."
Paulina smiled, happy with Padilha's enthusiasm and being nominated as best friend.
"I'll be late..."
"We'll wait."
Thiago continued to insist until Paulina agreed, defeated.
~~
The taxi stopped in front of a club with a huge Hibiscus-shaped sign, which was the name of the place. Paulina was fascinated by the colors and joy that the nightclub emanated.
Outside, there was a lot of movement. People, mostly men, talking, laughing, flirting. Inside, the place was similar to another club where her friends had taken her. Immediately, she was suffocated by memories of how that night, weeks before, had ended, growing the desire to go back to the small room she occupied and cry.
Holding on firmly, she allowed herself to be led further inside, noticing that, unlike the other establishment, there was a performance area in the back, a large stage with red curtains dominating the environment, surrounded by tables and chairs, some already occupied.
"Come on!" Thiago called, wrapping his arm around hers. "We know the owner of the place and the main attraction."
"Thiago, I don't think it's a good idea," Henrique objected, not for the first time. Since she appeared in the room ready to accompany them, he had seemed uncomfortable and reluctant to take her to the club.
"Why?" Thiago questioned, dragging Paulina to the back, to the dressing room area.
Henrique said something that was lost in the buzz around them. Soon, Paulina found herself passing through a huge security guard and entering a colorful room with dolls in one corner, women's clothes, shelves with shoes, lots of lighting and colors.
In the center, someone was finishing their makeup. Their long navy blue hair was styled and supporting a crown of shells and glitter. The face was fully made up, with purple lips, smoky black eyeshadow, false lashes, and lots of glitter and small stones around the eyes.
Sitting next to her, a man with red hair and aquamarine eyes stopped talking to stare at Paulina with a surprise similar to hers. What was Gabriel Saadi doing in a gay club, alone in the dressing room of a drag queen?
"Paulina?" He stood up.
"That's what I wanted to warn you about, Thiago..." Henrique spoke. "That maybe Khaled, being Simon's brother, knew Paulina," he explained, adjusting his glasses. "But I didn't expect to find Gabriel here."
Paulina looked at him confused. She didn't know Khaled and had no idea what his older brother had to do with the situation, but one fact caught her attention.
"Do you guys know Gabriel?"
"It was Khaled who introduced us to Gabriel and Simon," Thiago recounted, realizing that in his excitement, he had forgotten this detail. "I'm sorry, Lina!" he whispered, afraid that his mistake would cause an encounter she didn't want.
Paulina downplayed the situation but was interested in Saadi.
"Is Isabele here too?"
"But what manners, huh? Since no one is going to introduce us, I'll do it myself!" The drag queen stood up, her tall stature, combined with her heels, forcing Paulina to look up. With a long navy blue mermaid-style dress studded with diamonds and lace gloves up to her elbows, she was definitely stunning and knew it, maintaining a pose that accentuated her curves. "Aisha Nayir, Gabriel's sister. Paulina, I've heard a lot about you in the last few minutes."
"I'm sorry, but..." Paulina stared at her in confusion. "As far as I know, Gabriel only has one sister, Tamara."
Aisha smiled, seeming to expect Paulina to say something more, but Perez had no idea what it would be.
"When I'm in drag, he has two, honey."
"Aisha and Khaled are the same person," Gabriel explained.
"Ah...!" Paulina exclaimed, amazed, looking from one to the other, still processing the information. "Wow, I had no idea...!"
She had never been introduced to Gabriel's older brother, only knew vaguely that he had been kicked out of the house by their strict father. Now she knew why.
"I can understand Salvatore's fear," Aisha said to Gabriel.
The mention of the surname made the tension push the surprise away, immediately making her angry.
"Aisha, the curtains open in five minutes," a man warned after opening the dressing room door, giving the group an inquisitive look. "Your visitors can wait until after the show."
"Time to slay!" Aisha exclaimed, giving one last look in the mirror. "I'll see you in the front row, and that includes you, little bro."
Paulina made to leave, but Gabriel held her hand.
"We need to talk," he said, not waiting for her response, and requested, "Aisha, can you give me the dressing room, please?"
"It's all yours, darling! But no eye-fucking my friend, okay?" she said, blowing a kiss before leaving with Henrique and Thiago, the latter whispering that he would stay outside, which Paulina thanked him for the support.
Alone, Paulina realized Gabriel was watching her, his clear eyes lingering on her short hair, the strangeness present in his features.
"If you want to defend your friend, it's better to forget it," Perez informed him, wanting to leave. "I only agreed to listen to you to ask that you don't tell anyone who I am with."
"I won't tell, nor do I have any intention of interfering," Gabriel said, indicating the chair Aisha had occupied. "Please, have a seat."
"Can we finish this soon?" she asked as she sat down, her nervousness causing her to clasp her hands tightly in her lap. She wanted to return to the safety that her friends provided. "Your... Your sister will be upset if she misses her show."
"I'll be quick," he promised. "What happened on Friday was a setup by Pierre. I'm here precisely to warn my brother about the danger he represents to us," he explained, advocating for Salvatore. "He wants to harm us and kept someone following Simon, who at some point realized that you were his weak spot."
"Pierre sent Nathaniel to betray me?" Paulina asked sarcastically, ignoring Saadi's conspiracy theory.
"You should talk to Simon," Gabriel advised.
"I hate Simon and never want to lay my eyes on him again!"
"Simon seemed to hate you," Gabriel commented, causing discomfort for Perez. "But I recently remembered when you used to bring us snacks when we studied at his house. Simon always made a stupid comment to get you to leave quickly. And I wondered why he had such aversion to such a kind girl," Gabriel stared at Perez, who was looking at her own hands. "All this time, when I couldn't find a good reason for Simon's actions and his hatred for Nathaniel, the reason was right next to Muller."
Paulina fell silent, all the muscles in her body tense, her ears deaf to the arguments, justifications, or anything Gabriel said in Salvatore's favor. She wouldn't fall into this trap again.
Saadi, realizing that Perez didn't want to or wasn't ready to hear anything about Simon, played his last card.
"He wants to marry you, Paulina... And that says more than words."