Daydreaming

Daydreaming
"That relationship of yours with Nathaniel is nonsense," Simon declared irritably. Paulina's heart skipped a beat when she saw Simon appear in front of her.
"Excuse me, Mr. Simon!" She tried to go around him, but he grabbed her arm.
"Do you love him?" He asked, his expression turning to disdain. She pressed her lips together, trying to hold back the urge to say it was none of his business, and just nodded her head.
She waited for him to make some cutting remark, but he let her go and left without saying anything else.
Could the hatred she imagined Simon felt towards her and Nathaniel mean something else?
"Did you draw these conclusions because of a photo? Even though there were more than one person in the picture?"
As if propelled by springs, she almost ran to Simon's office, anxiously picking up the only picture frame there and scrutinizing it carefully.
No, there wasn't just one person in the photo. There were three couples standing and smiling, but it was a detail that sparked more memories in Paulina: the male fingers on her waist and how they got there.
In the reception hall, she spent the first few hours sitting at the table reserved for the bridesmaids and groomsmen, nervously sipping the juice she grabbed. No, it was Simon who called one of the waiters, the one Paulina kept following with her eyes, hoping he would finally bring the drink she wanted to their table.
Ironically, it was Simon's presence beside her that made her nerves fray, waiting for some cutting remark she knew he held at the tip of his tongue for when she made a mistake. They had decreased over the years, but Paulina knew they would appear when she least expected them.
Mirela approached their table with a huge smile, holding onto the photographer's arm.
"I need a picture of the bridesmaids and groomsmen with the newlyweds."
"We've taken several," Simon grumbled, glaring at the photographer, who immediately became as tense as she was.
"Great! One more won't be a problem."
Mirela practically forced them to get up and follow to the spot where the bride and groom were waiting, exchanging kisses and affection that made Paulina's cheeks blush.
"Love demonstrations are new to your life, Perez?" Simon quipped, leaning towards her and speaking in a low tone so only Paulina could hear.
Perez twisted her lips, enjoying the rude response that popped into her mind. Simon smiled smugly, his sharp gaze fixed on her like a cat watching its cornered prey.
The photographer indicated their places, asking them to stand close to their partners, which made Paulina uncomfortable, but not as much as when the professional asked:
"Hug your women."
Too afraid to correct him, Paulina waited for Simon to do it, but instead he slid his hand around her waist, his touch making her shiver and look at him in alarm.
As if it was no big deal, Simon looked at the photographer with an impassive expression. Then she resigned herself and forced a smile for the camera.
~S2~
She couldn't take her eyes off the photograph, her fingers gripping the frame tightly, her heart beating fast as she remembered that when they separated, Simon went to talk to the photographer while she returned trembling to her seat. It was crazy, but she considered that maybe he had asked for a copy.
She sat in Salvatore's armchair, her legs trembling, her mind spinning, stirring the past and even the present in a vortex: The abnormal hatred for Nathaniel; How he always made a point of questioning her about the lack of feelings in her relationship with Nathaniel; He hadn't gone out with anyone since he started teaching her to seduce...
No. Impossible. She was fantasizing because she wished...
"Paulina!"
She looked up and saw Simon in the doorway, her chest rising and falling quickly, her hair disheveled, deep dark circles under her eyes, and sweat staining her dark hair and flushed face. He looked terrible. She stood up and took a few steps, instinctively wanting to take care of him, but stopped next to the desk.
"How are you, Simon?"
"Bad, terrible, since you left," he confessed, slowly regaining his breath. She shifted her weight to one leg, biting the inside of her lip, unsure of what to do with this declaration. She had also been feeling awful since she left. She ran a hand through her hair, and once again, her fingers were unfamiliar with the shorter length. She looked uncertainly at him, waiting for the same expression of surprise mixed with horror that had dominated the faces of everyone when they saw her new haircut, but Simon continued to stare at her intently, showing no negative reaction.
He saw in her discomfort and the fact that she had not insulted him or left yet, an opportunity. It also helped that he noticed she was still wearing the ring he had given her. He tightened his grip on the doorframe, holding it tightly to contain his urge to go to Paulina. Not even the need for air after climbing the stairs was greater than his desire to hold her tightly against him so she would never leave again.
His dilated pupils were fixed on every detail of the woman in front of him, tracing her curves, desiring her; noting her worn face - hoping it was a sign that the separation had not been good for her either - arriving at her hair. She looked different and absurdly beautiful. Paulina still had bangs, but the once long strands now sported a modern cut with short strands in the back and longer ones in the front, highlighting the white neck that Simon dreamed of attacking with kisses and bites.
"And you look even more beautiful with short hair," he murmured hoarsely, the desire to embrace her coursing through him like embers. He needed her again. "Thank you...!" Satisfied with the comment, Paulina felt her cheeks warm up and suppressed the silly smile that threatened to adorn her lips, focusing on Salvatore's presence in the apartment when he should be at work. "What are you doing home so early?"
"My mother told me you were here," he replied, guessing the reason for Perez's puzzled expression. "I suspect someone in the building keeps her informed." Paulina nodded in agreement. The fact that she was still in the room, listening to him, ignited Salvatore's hope. "Paulina, about what Pierre said...."
"You didn't encourage Nathaniel to cheat on me?" Paulina interrupted, wanting the answer to be no, but by the way Simon's features contorted, she knew what she would hear next.
"I told him to sleep with Cherry...."