Lessons In Being A Flapper (16 page)

I took out the mistletoe and twirled it between my fingers, wondering what he was getting at. Then I took out the note. On a lovely mint green piece of paper that smelled of pine trees and for
ests, Bayani had written a letter

Darling cupcake,

I hope you’re not too disappointed to find that this exquisite ring box had no ring inside of it. I just thought that you might want to let your imagination run wild for a bit before you realized that the inside only contained a single piece of mistletoe.

I saw this lonely mistletoe hanging at a local shop when I went to buy a small tree for my apartment the other day. It reminded me of you instantly and the times we’ve shared and will continue to share in the future.

I decided to stick it in this ring box, which I obtained in a mysterious way, and send it off to you for safekeeping. Don’t lose it because I want to be able to kiss you under it soon, my love.

I
Hope your trip is going well and that no one else has snatched you up on me. Single New York men can be brutal.

All my love,

Bayani x

Yes, I was slightly upset with him for getting me all worked up but it was the thought that counted
so I let him off the hook – for now. I decided to hang the mistletoe right above my bed as a reminder that within a few weeks we would be together again.

T
he next day I went out with Maxie and her sister, Isla. Since there was so much to see and do, I let them lead the way and take me to the best places in the city.

We started out at
The Met, where they had the most elaborate Christmas tree I had ever seen. I posed for some photos with it and then took some photos with Maxie and her sister too.  I felt a little pang of homesickness at that moment, though, not for my home back in Hampton but for my home in San Francisco. It had been too long since I heard from Marisol. I missed all her 1920s innuendo and wanted to hear her voice and laugh at her mannerisms. I also missed Clara too, of course, though Bayani and Jeanette had been texting me photos every now and then of her in various locations; by the pier, by the Painted Ladies and by The Sticky Bun Café where Bayani and I first met.

After leaving The Met, I sent one of the photos
to Bayani with a message.

“I hope this makes you smile as much as it made me smile! X”

I then joined Maxie and Honey on the sidewalk as they tried to decide where to go next.

“How about ice skating?” Maxie suggested. It sounded good to me since I
hadn’t been in so long. Though ice, skates and I didn’t really mix well. I was horribly uncoordinated when it came to doing something other than walking. Actually, I was often uncoordinated while walking too. It was worse when it came to anything on wheels or blades though.

The lines to get into Rockefeller Center were crazy long. We spent almost two hours in the freezing cold just waiting and when we finally got to the front of the
line; our toes were so frozen we thought we had frostbite.  That wasn’t going to stop us from ice skating in the iconic rink though. Lacing up my skates and attempting to stand up without falling over, I wobbled over to the rink and joined my new friends. While others were doing twirls and other intricate moves, I could barely even keep one foot in front of the other. I have to admit, I’m a horrible skater. No Olympic medals for me in the future!

After an hour or so, we called it quits and headed over to Serendipity for a quick warm up. I wanted to try the frozen hot chocolate so bad but my insides were quivering already so adding anything cold was going to make me turn into an icicle.

“Thanks for showing me around, girls. I had so much fun even though I’m an embarrassment to ice skaters everywhere,” I said, toasting our day with a warm hot chocolate and a double chocolate chip muffin.

T
he next few weeks flew by so fast that I didn’t even realize it was Christmas Eve until I noticed some stores closing early and flocks of people heading to those that were open late. Last minute shoppers, no doubt. I was one of those once, but now I did all my shopping during the summer just to be safe.

Since most places were closing to allow their employees time with their families, I decided to stay in my hotel room and watch
old Christmas movies all night long while pigging out on ice cream. I felt I deserved it as I had done so much work the past few weeks, trying to do my best and show Sophie that I wasn’t easily disposable. She could bash me all she wanted when it came to Bayani, but there was no doubt that my work was top of the line.

When someone knocked on my door around 10:30, I assumed it must be room service bringing my request for some wine (over two hours late
!) however I was beyond shocked to discover that it wasn’t room service at all, but instead it was Bayani dressed head to toe in a Santa suit and bearing a bottle of wine with a bow.

“You called, my lady?” he said, handing the bottle of wine to me as I stared at him, completely stunned.

I wasn’t sure what to do first, so I carefully laid the bottle of wine on the bed and then ran back to Bayani, yanking off his white moustache and pressing my lips to his in a way that told him just how much I had missed him. God, how I had missed him.

Eventually we came up for air and I asked him what in the world he
was doing here at my hotel on Christmas Eve.

“It’s the second half of my surprise. I came to make sure that
the mistletoe was put to good use this Christmas.” I couldn’t help but smile. Here he was dressed in a fat suit with rosy cheeks and white hair all because he wanted me to have a good Christmas. Things couldn’t be better.

Or maybe they could…

Bayani stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He made sure to pull the bar across the door and lock it before he walked over to me and pushed me back onto the bed. Luckily, I had moved the wine or else it wouldn’t have been such a pleasant experience. Broken glass and red stained sheets weren’t my idea of a fun time. He in his Santa suit and I in my Christmas pajamas were surely quite a sight to see. However, there was no one around to witness our silly ensembles as we rolled around on the bed and removed layers of clothing piece by piece. I knew without a doubt that I wanted every ounce of him at that very moment.  Being away from him for the past few weeks had only made my desire to see him grow stronger, until it was nothing but a burning flame that I couldn’t extinguish.

As he removed my top and slid his masculine hands over my bo
dy, I trembled with longing. I needed this. I wanted this. He kissed the corner of my mouth, my neck, my collarbone. He trailed kisses over my stomach and made me moan with pleasure at the lightest touch of his fingers. When we were both fully naked, Bayani lifted himself up and looked at me with pure lust. He tucked a piece of hair behind my ears before saying how much he’s been anticipating this very moment. I knew what he meant; I too had been waiting for the moment when we would become one.

“
Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked, so softly that I almost didn’t hear him.

“Yes, I am,” I whispered back.
It was true. I had never been so sure of anything in my entire life.

A
fter what I can only describe as the most passionate night of my life, I didn’t think anything could compare ever again. Bayani was such a gentle but firm lover. He made me feel things I didn’t know I could feel and made me do things that I had never imagined doing with anyone else. Waking up next to this amazingly sensitive man was something I could definitely get used to. I woke up before him and decided to just stare at him in undisguised awe. He was a sound sleeper so I could get away with it.

I was
taking this time to mark off things I loved about him in my head.

Oh. My. God. Did I just say
loved
? Did I? That was completely unintentional, just so you know. I don’t fall in love easy as I feel like I have to protect myself from being hurt.  Did I really love him or was I just in love with the idea of being in love?

I knew I loved the way his long eyelashes hung over his azure eyes like an awning; I loved how his smile made me weak at the knees and his touch sent shivers down my spine; I loved the way his eyes crinkled up when he
smiled; I loved how he talked about his parents and treated them with respect; I loved how he was kind and giving and helped Marisol when he could; I loved how he had a compassion for animals and volunteered at local shelters; I loved the woodsy smell of him after he got showered and dressed in the morning. There were so many things that I loved about him that I couldn’t fit them all here. So all in all, I guess I did love him. What a wonderful thought to have after our first night together.

When Bayani awoke a few minutes later, I worried that he could read my thoughts. Though he had said that he loved me before I left for New York, he hadn’t said it since and I was afraid that if I told him my true feelings I would scare him off.

“Good morning, my delicious little cupcake,” he said, yawning and showing a patch of tanned skin where the sheets had once been. I melted. I could definitely go for another round of lovemaking but I didn’t want to miss the breakfast buffet.

I had my priorities, you know.

“Morning, handsome.”

“What time is it?”

“About 7:30. I’m going to head down to the breakfast buffet. Do you want anything?” I asked, picking up my scattered clothing and trying to put it all back in order. Jesus, we must have been like Neanderthals last night. Everything was everywhere and I couldn’t even find my underwear at all.

“I’ll meet you down there in a few. I was thinking we could explore the city today because unfortunately, I have to leave tomorrow,” he said, giving no explanation as to why he had to leave. I knew it couldn’t be for work since the offices were closed until New Year’s.

“I want to go visit my brother upstate,” he said, as if reading my mind.

“Absolutely. We’ll do all kinds of stuff today. Just as soon as I have my coffee and something sweet,” I replied before heading out the door in my clothes – but no underwear. I couldn’t find the damned things!

The breakfast buffet at The Plaza was legendary and so far I hadn’t missed one day. The creamy cheese Danishes and freshly made crepes were divine and not something you’d get the chance to nibble on every day. I decided to take advantage of it. One day I even pocketed a few pastries in a napkin, stuffing them under my shirt to avoid detection when I left. They were just too good for words.

Back in the room, Bayani and I got showered and dressed then headed out in
to the cold and snowy city around 10:30. Though it was still snowing lightly, the city was so alive. People were out walking their dogs and children were making snowmen in Central Park. I loved everything about this glorious Christmas morning.

“Your chariot awaits, my lady,” Bayani said, motioning to a horse drawn carriage sitting
outside the gates of the park.  The white horse was excitable and looked ready to run so I jumped on board quickly with Bayani behind me. Once we were sitting down the driver (is that what he’s called? I was going to call him the horseman but then could only picture the headless horseman and didn’t want to picture our driver headless) pulled out into the streets with ease. He must do this a hundred times a day, I thought.

Bayani wrapped me up in a provided blanket and held my hand underneath as we watched the sights of New York City go by. People on the street waved to us and I waved back cheerfully, hoping that my happiness would spread to them as well.

“What do you think?” Bayani asked me.

“I think this is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me. Well, besides send me an empty Tiffany’s ring box. That was pretty romantic too if you like that kind of thing,” I teased. I had yet to find out where Bayani had gotten the box. I hoped it wasn’t a leftover from a prior relationship in which he proposed and kept the box for a souvenir.

When our ride was over, we arrived back at Central Park. Bayani told me that he had another surprise for me.

“C’mon he said. We’re going to be late!” What was it with him and being late? It seemed like we were always rushing somewhere because we were “going to be late”. Couldn’t we just slow down for a minute?

As Bayani and I whizzed through the streets of New York, past The Plaza, down Fifth Avenue and around a corner, I wondered where we were going. There’s so much to do and see in New York that wherever Bayani was taking me had to be somewhere special.

When we finally stopped, I was completely perplexed as to where we were and why. We appeared to be in front of one of the most non-descript buildings in
the entire city. It was a basic building, not too tall but tall enough that it gave me a fright. There were no signs on it nor were there any indication of what was inside.

“Where are we?” I asked, still looking around for clues that didn’t seem to exist.

“You’ll see,” Bayani replied opening a heavy metal door and pulling me up two flights of stairs. Thank heavens we weren’t going all the way to the top!

“Well, well, well, Chickadee. I have missed you,” Marisol said when she saw me enter the room. I ran to her and hugged her tight, holding her frail and fragile body close to me.