My Life with Hades

CHAPTER 10

After saying that, he approached me and hugged me. He stayed like that, hugging me for a good while. I think he really needed it. Every day, I learned more about him, and it broke my heart. Ramsés felt so alone and lost, just as I had felt my whole life. I wanted to cry, but I held back for him because I didn't want to make him uncomfortable or feel bad.

After several minutes, he pulled away from me as if something was burning him and walked away, leaving me standing there alone and not understanding anything. I didn't know whether to run after him or just leave him be, as maybe he needed to be alone. I opted for the latter and continued my walk alone. An hour later, I went to the hotel. When I entered the suite, I looked for him everywhere, but there was no sign that he had even returned. I lay down to watch a movie and immediately fell asleep.

I was woken up by the sound of the room's phone. Who could be calling at this time of night? It put me in a very bad mood, and I ended up answering the call angrily and reluctantly.

“Mrs. Knight, I apologize for the hour, but it's necessary for you to come to the hotel bar. Your husband is very drunk, and I need you to sign off on the bill as well. We tried to take him, but it was impossible. He doesn't want anyone near him,” said a girl with a somewhat funny English accent.

“I’m on my way, thank you very much,” I replied, ending the call.

I put on a pair of sneakers and rushed downstairs. He was at the bar, more than drunk. There were no other customers except Ramsés. Poor bartenders. I didn't even want to imagine how he must have treated them. But it wasn’t like that; he was chatting with them, slurring his words to the point that it was obvious how drunk he was. I immediately approached him, and he smiled at me.

“Now I can leave, guys. My wife came to get me,” he said, saying goodbye.

“Ma’am, you need to sign this,” one of the bartenders said, handing me a bill with too many zeros. I looked at the paper in surprise, and he smiled.

“It’s all paid; it’s just that they don’t want any problems because they say I’m too drunk,” Ramsés told me, shaking his head.

I nodded and signed the bill. He got up from the chair and staggered a bit. He leaned on my shoulder, and we walked like that. The bartenders offered me help, but he didn’t want anyone else to touch him. Help wasn’t necessary either because I could manage on my own. When we got to the suite, I sat him on his bed. He immediately tried to take off his shirt but couldn’t even unbutton a single button. That made me laugh a lot.

“I’ll help you,” I said, moving his hand away.

“Thank you,” he replied with a smile. I don’t know when it happened, but in the blink of an eye, he took my face in his hands and kissed me. It took me so much by surprise that I was left motionless. He pulled away from me and frowned, a habit he had even when drunk.

“Was the kiss so bad that you didn’t respond to it?”

“You’re drunk, Ramsés.”

“I am, but I’m not stupid. I know the beautiful woman I have by my side,” he said, shaking his head.

Then he threw himself on the bed and fell asleep just like that. I took off his shoes and tucked him in. Then I left the room, and my mind couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss. His lips were so soft. Damn, Bree! What the hell are you doing, thinking about that!

After tossing and turning for hours in bed, I finally fell asleep. When I woke up, he was already dressed to the nines. How could someone be such a mess a couple of hours ago and get up as if nothing had happened the next day? I didn’t think he remembered the kiss, and it was probably for the best for both of us.

“Good morning, Bree.”

“Good morning. How did you wake up?” I asked him, still a bit sleepy.

“I’m fine. Sorry for getting like that; it usually never happens,” he said, a bit embarrassed.

“Don’t worry, I understand.”

“About the kiss, Bree, I didn’t do it because I was drunk,” he said. I looked at him, confused. Did he really remember that?

“Why did you do it then?”

“I did it because I wanted to kiss you. I always want to kiss you, Bree.” His response left me completely shocked. So, it was time to do what I knew best: ruin awkward moments. This time, I was going for a fight.

“If you think I’m like any of those women you date, who melt for you and let you get away with anything, you’re wrong, Ramsés.” Bravo for this performance, Bree! You could be a great actress. He looked at me with a frown.

“First, Bree Knight, that’s in the past. I used to go out with that kind of woman; now I don’t. Second, stop doing that; every time I say something nice, you find an excuse to change the subject. And this time, I do want to talk about this because I think it’s important for you to know that I like you and I want to date you. It’s not an obligation; I’m not going to pressure you. This is only if you want,” he said, not taking his eyes off me. “But I want us to talk about it.”

“You’re right; I’m sorry. But shouldn’t you have asked me this before we got married?” I asked, crossing my arms as I saw him smile.

“I know, but here I am now, asking you.” I sighed a little frustrated.

“You should stop doing everything in reverse.”

“I’m trying, believe me. That time was an exception because—” he didn’t finish the sentence.

“Why?”

“For nothing, don’t worry. So, what do you say?” he asked, approaching me.

“Alright,” I said, sighing. “But no more kisses; you have to earn them.” I crossed my arms.

“I promise I won’t. Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. The alcohol gave me some courage.”

“Can we talk about what happened yesterday?” he nodded.

“But only if you accept a date with me.”

“I accept; start talking.”

“I’ve been alone since I was… mmm, I don’t know, twenty years old. I’m used to handling everything alone. I felt sad and wanted to distance myself; that’s all.”

“I understand, but now you’re married, and we have to be like leeches all the time. Mind you, those are your words,” he started to laugh.

“Will you ever forget a word I’ve said?”

“I don’t think so; I’m not forgetful,” I replied, proud of myself. “Do you want to tell me about your family? So far, I only know your sister’s name, Rachel. It’s a beautiful name.”

“It is,” he told me with a half-smile. “My mother’s name was Brooke and my father’s was Ramsés. So, literally, I’m Ramsés II.” He laughed.

“Wow! If I have before my eyes the very third pharaoh of the Egyptian Dynasty.” I joined in his laughter.

“For a girl from an orphanage, you know a lot about various topics.”

“What can I say? The nuns are very strict.”

“Will you ever tell me about that?” he asked.

“I’ll tell you someday, far in the future,” I said, and he gave me a half-smile.

“Now go get ready for our date.”

We went to lunch at none other than Le Jules Verne, a restaurant located on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower. Damn! I never imagined myself here. The food was exquisite, and for the first time, I didn’t want to eat in silence. He listened to me talk while we had lunch, and I could swear he looked at me with pride.

The second place he took me was the Jehan Rictus des Abbesses park. There, we walked hand in hand. I thought Paris was too romantic a city not to walk hand in hand with someone. We strolled for a while until we reached the Mur des Je T’aime, or the Wall of I Love Yous. In that place, there was the most beautiful of all love declarations, written in every language.

I didn’t want to think about or ask why he had brought me to that place. It was a very beautiful place; I couldn’t deny it.

Finally, we watched the sunset at The 7th Bar, perched on the rooftop of the Terrass Hotel in Montmartre. The view was incredible; you could see the whole city from that place. We had a few drinks at that bar because the cocktails were delicious.

A little more happy than drunk, we went for a walk in front of the Eiffel Tower, always hand in hand. At a certain moment, he stopped and pulled me towards his body. We stood like that for a couple of seconds, facing each other.

“Can I kiss you, Bree?” he asked with a slightly hoarse voice.

I nodded, and he devoured my mouth. Damn! That consensual and reciprocated kiss was the best kiss I’d ever had. And so, ladies and gentlemen, that’s how our first kiss happened in front of the Eiffel Tower. I could swear I was not romantic at all, zero, but this… this had been damn romantic. He said something in French to a person who was returning his phone. Then he looked at me smiling, as if he could read my mind.

“Our first kiss was here, in front of the Eiffel Tower, and it was recorded,” he said, showing me the photos. They were really good photos. I hugged him and stayed there, happy. This had been a beautiful day.

In the following days, he took me to amazing places, places I had no idea existed. He didn’t kiss me again, and part of me felt a bit disappointed. To be honest, I had no idea why.

The days flew by, and it was time to return to our routine. I had loved Paris, so I was happy to be going back home. We were both happy to be returning.

Once we returned to our routines, we locked ourselves away in our offices. Two weeks had been a long time to leave everything unattended. We were both so full of work that we arrived home late and left early. When the weekend came, I was grateful it had been such a busy week because I just wanted to hole up in my room and sleep for forty-eight hours.

As soon as we got home, the doorbell rang. It seemed very strange to me because we usually didn’t receive visitors. When I opened the door, I found a woman holding a baby. She looked me up and down with a frown.

“Who are you? I’m looking for Hades.”

“I’ll get him right away. Who should I say is asking for him?” I asked her with a frown.

“The mother of his child,” she replied with a raised eyebrow, and I felt like dying. Just at that moment, Ramsés arrived in a hurry. He looked at me with a worried face, but I turned away. When he stood next to me, he tried to take my hand, but I pulled it away. I turned to leave, but before I did, I looked at him.

“Get your mess sorted, Hades!” I said to him before angrily going up the stairs.