Simon's Revelation

Simon's Revelation
Paulina pushed Simon and nervously adjusted her robe, closing it even more tightly. After what she had been through with Paola, she had once again been foolish in a short amount of time, focusing on Simon instead of noticing that she had left the door open.
Extremely disturbed and embarrassed, she gathered the rest of her dignity, her mind working a mile a minute without making a coherent connection, her face extremely red, and looked at matriarch Salvatore, who was moving her eyes from one to the other with a small smile.
"M-Mirela... it's not what you th-think..." she nervously stuttered, unsure how to explain herself. "It's not... I-I... Simon..." she persisted, trying to control her nerves and say something at least acceptable without success.
"What Lina means is that we are together," Simon said without inhibition, hugging a surprised Perez by the waist and planting a kiss on top of her head. "We wanted to wait for a better moment to announce our relationship, but I believe it's time to publicly admit that we are in love and plan to get married."
Paulina felt her jaw drop in disbelief. And the shock only increased when, instead of reprimanding them, Mirela embraced them both, huddling them in a warm hug, her ear-to-ear smile lighting up her face.
"Oh, you have no idea how happy I am for you!" Mirela looked at Paulina and then Simon with affection. "I knew you were meant for each other since you were kids!" she declared before starting to make plans for the future wedding. "Do you have a date in mind? It can't be too soon, so we have time to prepare the event, invite all our relatives. Don't even think about declining," she said to Simon, still excited. "But I also don't recommend delaying. It would be beautiful for your child to be close in age to Iolanda's. I saved the contact of Alessandro's wedding planner..."
Paulina's head was buzzing with Salvatore's excitement, in a panic she sought Simon's gaze, but he was deliberately avoiding her, focusing on Mirela instead.
What kind of game was he playing? Why had he involved his own mother in the lies he had created? How could she ever have thought that Simon had stopped playing with her feelings?
~~
Caught up in Mirela's whirlwind of plans, Paulina had a few moments of respite when Salvatore matriarch agreed to wait for them in the living room while they changed, smiling as she did so. And there was no doubt that they wouldn't be the only ones waiting there.
She was grateful when Simon headed to the bedroom, although she still trembled inside. She finished getting dressed and slowly descended the stairs, delaying the inevitable. Mirela's reaction was positive, probably because she thought her son would finally leave his bohemian lifestyle behind, but Paulina feared for the other Salvatores.
What would they say? What should she say? Well... there wasn't much to do now after Simon's revelation.
She had thought a lot about Simon's reasons for lying to his own mother. She understood his decision to say they were together - the scanty clothing and the kiss made it difficult to come up with a better excuse - but claiming they were going to get married was going too far. Especially considering his mother's excitement about the topic of marriage.
Rubbing her hands together to calm her nerves, she entered the living room, not surprised to see the entire Salvatore family waiting for her, nor by the champagne and glasses despite the time. But it was with bone-chilling shock that she laid eyes on her father and Paola. They were facing away from her, but there was no doubt about why they were there.
Biting her lower lip, she shrunk back and turned to leave, thinking of the best way to escape unnoticed, when Simon called out to her. She turned around to find his black eyes fixed on her, walking towards her, leaving her no escape from this confrontation, as everyone followed his gaze, watching her with different expressions.
Her father's was indecipherable, but Paulina was sure that whatever it was, his disappointment with her would double when another "engagement" was broken. So it was inevitable not to stare at Simon with irritation as he approached. If they were alone, she would tell him some harsh truths. He deserved a reprimand, he deserved...
All coherent and angry thoughts slipped through her fingers like water when Simon held her face in both hands, tilted it back, and covered her lips with his. All the tumultuous thoughts vanished. The tension, the fear, and the doubt disappeared under the effect of the gentle and affectionate kiss.
When their mouths parted, Paulina let out a groan, her senses tingling from every pore in the face of the intense black fire that was staring at her. The enchantment was broken by euphoric applause, leading Perez to return to the room with both their families, the tremble of passion fading in the face of panic.
She stood still, fearing that her legs would give way under the weight of her body. She wanted to run, but Simon circled his arm around her waist, holding her close to him, guiding her towards the others. Everyone seemed prepared for this occasion. In a matter of seconds, Paulina found herself being hugged by the Salvatores and her sister, with wishes of good luck, happiness, and jokes that they knew they would end up together.
In the midst of the excitement, Paulina could only stare at Simon in shock, trying to convey through her gaze all her despair at the absurd situation he had created, but with a smile on his face, Salvatore seemed to be enjoying her suffering.
She barely felt herself being dragged to the sofa facing the one occupied by her father. Like her, he didn't seem comfortable with the announcement of the engagement and demonstrated it by restarting the torture.
"Paulina should come back home," he imposed, leaving her uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. "Being engaged, it's not right for you to live together."
~
Note: Boemia > practice of unconventional, cheerful, and carefree lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties.