Delayed Apologies

Good afternoon, people!

As you may have noticed, there wasn't any activity here in the past couple of weeks. The partial fault of that has to do with my college load (honestly, I no longer have time to write, but I read a lot to keep me sane. That's a consolation), but the other part relies (sp?) in the fact that my laptop isn't allowing blogger to upload photos, hence it freezes! How annoying can THAT be?

But anyways, now from a computer at university, in between Design & Multimedia class, I uploaded until chapter Nº 8 of 'The Capital', and since it's a work in progress, as soon as the stock wears up, I'm evaluating which other story to upload until I find the time to continue writing this story.

And that's about it here. Off to upload the other blog...

Have a nice one :)

N.

(Mood: Focused / Now Playing: Lady Gaga - Paparazzi)

The Capital / Chapter 8

8

Sooner rather than later, Lauren could finally call it a done job. She couldn’t complain, since the spaces and decorations of apartment 23 were much more than what she expected. It was composed of a wide living/dining room area, a kitchen with all appliances included (included a bar-looking table and stool), a common-looking bathroom, a bedroom that had a walking closet, and even a small balcony with enough space to put up a chair and read. What she brought to the table wasn’t much. Some pictures, clothes and decorations. Werner had also left an envelope with money for groceries, since the cupboards were empty. Thankfully, she had brought part of the breakfast leftovers to survive until the next morning, because stores were closed, the weather conditions worsening by the second, and she was too lazy to make it earlier. But that wasn’t the only change around. She had traded the pants and sweater for a purple dress and a matching flower band. She didn’t know why, but ever since her encounter with Enrique, she was blushed and couldn’t wait any longer to see him. Thankfully for the two of them, around 9 PM the doorbell rang. She slowly walked up and peeped down through the keyhole. When she recognized who was on the other side, Lauren smiled and opened the door. Enrique stood calmly by the threshold, a box in one hand and a bottle of wine under the other arm. The tie was gone, and the few top buttons of his light green shirt were open, making it a perfect contrast against the light gray pant he wore.
“Hi” Lauren said, her voice sounding as if her breath had been taken away.
“Good evening, neighbor. Thought I’d drop by to see if everything was working. May I?” Santa Maria asks.
“Sure. Come in” Lauren replies, moving away from the door to allow entry. Enrique heads for the kitchen counter and leaves the two elements he had brought earlier there.
“I had a bottle of wine at my place, and that is chocolate cake leftovers in the box. From a colleague’s birthday party I held not so long ago” he explains. Casenave suddenly felt as blushed as a teenager.
“You didn’t have to, since you’ve already done more than enough for me today. I have some money to, uh…buy groceries”
“I think it’s a little late for that, so you’ll have to wait until morning. Plus, I think we agreed to order take-out”
“Right. I let that minor detail slip by”
“This place is nice” he points out while looking around at the simple decoration.
“Thanks. Do you want to sit down or…?” Lauren offers, making Enrique chuckle. With that, her cheeks reached a whole new shade of red.
“What’s so funny?”
“You’re not a very good host, Lauren. You’re acting a little stiff, so I would suggest we sit down in the living room and talk. Simply relax” he encourages her while leading Casenave by the waist. They both sit down across a red fabric futon.
“So…what can we talk about?” she starts, just to break the ice.
“Getting to know ourselves is a good starting point. Do you want to go first?”
“I’d much rather ask the questions for the time being”
“Okay, I’ll be your open book so you can be mine later. Go ahead. Ask” Enrique says in a confident tone. He couldn’t stop looking at her, as if this really was meant to happen. Even though they had met that same day, he felt like he had known her all his life, and it was implied in the air that by the end of the night they would start getting closer.
“You don’t look American” she points out.
“Well…I am. A legal one, just for the record. But I wasn’t born here”
“Where were you born?”
“Madrid, Spain. It’s a beautiful city, if you ever get the chance to visit it. When I was 18, I took my chances and played my luck by coming here to live and study by myself. I ended up liking it, so I followed all the steps to apply for a citizenship. So now I have a nice apartment, a good job and I pay my taxes like any other person. Can’t complain, since I already set roots here” he calmly explains.
“What did you study?”
“Journalism at GWU”
“There’s the first thing we have in common: Our profession. Where do you work at?”
“I really don’t want to brag about it. Don’t want you to think I’m arrogant or something”
“Enrique, you said you were an open book” Lauren playfully confronts him, like good reporters did. Santa Maria chuckled at her stubbornness.
“I like your style…Okay, but don’t tell me I didn’t warn you. I’m a White House Correspondent for The Post, and also correspondent and columnist for ‘El País’, a big newspaper back home” he said. She was surprised at the amount of experience he had being so young.
“Aren’t you a little…young?”
“I’m only 30, ma cherie”
“Well…young, smart AND handsome. I’m sure women are all over you”
“Not exactly. But for now, what do you say I bring you a glass of wine and order dinner? At least I’m getting hungry” Enrique says and stands up to find a phone, but not before giving a frowning Lauren a look.
“You’re trying to get away from my interrogation” she protests.
“No, ma cherie. We’re just taking a break. Then remember it’s my turn to ask the questions” Santa Maria says and smirks at her. He wanted to hold and kiss her so badly, but knew it was better to let some time pass.
“Fair enough”
“What would you like to eat tonight? Chinese, maybe?”
“Surprise me, Santa Maria” she playfully challenges him, feeling the same way he did, but still afraid to make a move. With her smile as incentive, Enrique went to another room where the phone was fixed to a wall and came back just in time to pour two glasses of white wine.
“Here you are, ma cherie. The surprise should be here in 30 minutes. Now…where were we?”
“Do you have a girlfriend? Since so many women are after you”
“Believe it or not, I don’t. And I’m not gay, either…as some have presumed. What happens is that I’ve had relationships, but I haven’t found what I’m looking for: the perfect companion” he tells Lauren, fully aware of the fact that the quest could be over.
“Wow, I didn’t expect that. To be honest, I thought you would be in a long, steady relationship with a gorgeous girl that was your match” Casenave comments.
“Sometimes things can be unexpected. More wine?”
“No, thanks. I’m a very responsible professional who has to work tomorrow” Lauren excuses herself.
“Good point. Is there anything else you would like to know about me?”
“Hmm…about your family and if you have any more talents. The rest will be a secret for you to find later on”
“My family is spread in different locations all over Spain. I’m the youngest of two brothers. My dad owns a financial business, and is constantly travelling across the country. My mother, Anna, lives in Barcelona. She’s a university professor. And my brother, who lives in Madrid, is more into the audiovisual arts”
“Now for the other part of my question”
“I’m a great chef. One of these days I shall invite you to my place and cook a nice paella. I also paint on my spare time and read a lot of books. Does that satisfy your inquires, lady reporter?” he asks. Before Lauren could muster her response, the doorbell rang.
“You’re lucky. Food’s here” Enrique announces.
“Here, let me go get money to pay half of it”
“Hush, darling. It’s on me” he says, but before Santa Maria could take out his wallet, Lauren was giving the delivery boy a few bills.
“You’re quick. I like it” he tells her while carrying the bags over to the kitchen counter.
“There’s so much you don’t know about me” Lauren says, her voice clearly inviting to mystery. Santa Maria left the bags and felt like a magnet drawn to her. And she didn’t seem to reject him, either.
“Well, I hope I do in the course of this dinner. Shall we? I DID order Chinese, after all”
“Sure. I’ll be at the living room, setting up the table” she says and takes a handful of cutlery to put on each side. As she did that, he takes all the boxes and leaves it on the middle of the table.
“I still don’t know you so well, so just attack whatever you like. Plus, with a full stomach I can have a better questioning” he says, kneeling down next to her and attacking the duck.
“I had asked you whether you had enough information about me”
“Does it for me. So that means…?”
“My turn to ask the questions. Oh, and just for the record…I really like how you look tonight”
“Thanks” she replies, taking over the spring rolls.
“Hey! I want those too. You’re owning them!”
“Sorry. Just ask, will you?”
“Okay…why don’t you start talking about your family?” he politely asks. Lauren was a little caught off-guard with a topic she didn’t like to discuss with strangers. But if he wanted an answer, she would give him an honest one.
“Enrique, to be sincere…I’d much rather discuss that subject when we get to know each other better. It’s not as perfect as yours, so I’ll tell you that family is for me my best friend, Colette, and my editor, Pete. I hope you respect this” she explains. Enrique immediately understood that he was walking on thin ice, asking something he shouldn’t.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have, I didn’t know. But I understand”
“It’s okay. After all, you had no way of knowing it. But I’d much rather handle another type of questions” she asks, trying some of the tangerine chicken with rice.
“Okay. Got a boyfriend?”
“No. The loner stand works better on me”
“I would’ve expected things to be the other way around”
“If that was the case, he would be here”
“Touché. So that makes us two single journalists. Where do you work at?”
“Oh, there he goes again. I feel like a spy on these situations” Lauren thought to herself. Earlier, when her alter-ego was a simple experiment, Pete had helped her to create a story that was credible and didn’t give room to the overwhelming amount of coincidences.
“Well, I work on the political section of the Beltway Gazette. You know…I’m young, so they hang me out to dry already. But I love what I do. And I’m also part of their investigative team”
“I know that paper. Lauren Caffrey writes there, right?”
“Yes. At work they call me ‘Lola’ to differentiate us. I’ve never seen her, though”
“I’ve heard that too. Nobody has”
“Hon, if only you knew that she’s right in front of you” Lauren wickedly thought to herself. That was part of the benefits: Everyone imagined the character to be very different.
“Well, I don’t ever miss her columns on Sundays. They’re quite entertaining!” Enrique comments, and she took the praise in silence.
“What else do you want to know about me?”
“Whether you like chocolate cake. It’s dessert time” he says, both cleaning the paper cups. He served the cake and she took out the trash.
“Wow…this looks really delicious. Thanks for bringing it”
“My pleasure. It’s much better than eating it solo…I would like to know what you like and dislike. Just a few basic notions, because looks like it’s gonna be a long work”
“It will be. Let’s see. I love music, but I never learnt to play an instrument. Unlike you, my cooking skills are non-existing. I’m not only a journalist, because I’m currently taking courses on political science and law. Always eager to learn and travel. And I love swimming and jogging as a way to relieve stress. Enough basic pointers for you?”
“And you have a nice style. But yes, that satisfies my curiosity…for now…Oh, it’s really late! And I take it we both have to work” Santa Maria points out, with a dash of worry. After adjusting her flower band, Lauren turned around to peek at the wall clock and realize her companion was right.
“I could’ve sworn it was earlier! But I guess that happens when you’re having fun”
“I know I did. And I’m sure as well would like to do it again. Why don’t you give me your number and we’ll arrange a lunch date in the middle of our schedules”
“Here you go” Lauren says, handing Enrique a slip of paper with her number on it. He, in turn, recorded it on his iPhone and then pointed it at her.
“Smile” he shouted just as he caught her by surprise by taking a picture. He seemed pleased with the result, so Enrique put it back in his pant pocket.
“Hey!”
“Don’t be like all women. I know some basics of photography, thanks to Emilio” he says, referring to his brother.
“It’s that…you should’ve told me, that’s all. And answering your previous question…I’d love to see you again” she says, standing up to escort Enrique to the entrance.
“You can keep the food. After all, you don’t have any until tomorrow” Santa Maria points out as they reach the door. Now there was more proximity between them: They held hands and little by little all barriers were destroyed as they look at each other deep into the eyes and moved closer. For a long moment they stayed there until Enrique Santa Maria decided to make the first move and gave her a peck on the lips first, then a kiss on the forehead.
“Good night, Lauren” he whispered in between giggles.
“Good night, Enrique. Thanks for coming” she replied and embraced him for a moment. With dreamy eyes she saw him walk back to his apartment. When he was out of her field of vision, she closed the door and went to clean the last remains of the dinner. When those traces were gone, she headed into the bedroom, traded the dress for her pajamas and fell asleep, that way wrapping up a special day.

The Capital / Chapter 7

7

The following morning, Lauren woke up in the hotel room, not completely used to being in such a circumstance. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t help but think of all of this was an actual gesture of kindness from Werner or if he was putting up a show for her to write what he wanted to hear. As promised, she tried some of the commodities the suite had to offer, starting with a nice soak in the tub. Then she called Room Service to ask for a simple breakfast. But she was bound to be surprised when the staff brought something more than a tray with what looked like a small banquet.
“With this I won’t eat for the rest of the day” she thought to herself since she was used to a simpler lifestyle, part of that courtesy of her family history. Just behind the trolley, the image of Werner and his Chief of Staff appeared in her field of vision.
“Good morning, Lauren. Enjoying the facilities so far?” the Senator asks at the same time he got close to her for a hug and a peck on the cheek. Just to not look rude, she accepted the courtesy.
“I haven’t had the chance so far, Senator” she replies, putting on a robe she had found earlier.
“Well, I hope you do. This hotel has an amazing customer service. I’ve had the pleasure of staying here in the past”
“Who is he?” she asks with her finger pointed at the other guy.
“Right! I haven’t made the proper introductions. Lauren, this is Richard Maguire, my chief of staff. Richard, I want you to meet Lauren Casenave. She’s an old friend of mine” Werner introduces, Maguire being the first to make a move by walking up to offer her a hand.
“Nice to meet you. Senator Werner has told me that you are a reporter” he said. Richard was near 35 years of age, and exuded enthusiasm in every single one of his actions. As many people she had seen before, he wore a flawless suit and couldn’t detach from the Blackberry that contained information on all the Senator’s activities.
“I’m getting started in this business. Your boss might be exaggerating a little. My pleasure” Lauren replies, accepting the offer of a handshake.
“Senator, not to be rude, but you have a meeting in like an hour or so. Shall we get going?”
“Richard, walk ahead and call to see if you can delay it. I need to have a word with Miss Casenave” Werner calmly explains.
“But, Senator...”
“Richard, please...It’ll just be a few minutes” Joshua insists. Maguire’s cheeks are blushed and decides to say nothing as he does what his boss ordered.
“I take it he doesn’t know anything” Lauren finally says behind closed doors.
“Promises are promises, Lauren. As I told you, not all politicians are liars” he explains in his usual tone. Sometimes she wondered if, with that charisma, Werner thought he was in an eternal campaign mode.
“What did you want to talk to me about?”
“About Philip Weiss”
“I will contact him as soon as I’m settled somewhere...that is, until I go back to my house”
“I insist that you should move into the apartment. It has a better location, and it’s safer than, well...”
“In that sense you might be right. I’ve been robbed several times”
“See what I’m talking about? Told you not to bother with the expenses. I’d much rather give it to you than hand it over to Richard”
“And why would he need it?”
“Sometimes he’s such a workaholic, that his wife kicked him out of their house” the Senator explains as he moves closer to a phone resting in the night table of the bedroom.
“Want me to order some room service while you take a shower?”
“I can take care of that myself, since I did that already. Why don’t you better wait downstairs? As far as I’m concerned, the ‘talking to you’ line was a bogus” Casenave said, walking away from him, the last sight seen is of her taking off the robe. The Senator just shook his head and smiled, as if he wanted to say how stubborn she could be. Then he picked up his phone and made two calls. One to order more room service for breakfast, and another to a moving company. Just as he hung up, the door knocked. A young girl pushed the trolley inside, amazed with the sight of the man she was serving.
“I know you. You’re that Senator! Werner, right?” she asked with anxiety.
“Yes, I am” he replied with a big smile, his charisma exuding from every pore.
“Are you going to be the next President?” . The remark made him giggle lightly, and also made her blush as she set up everything.
“Could be. But the new Administration just took office. You have to give them time”
“I would definitely vote for you” she humbly admits.
“Thanks. Here’s a little something for you” he said, taking out a generous tip from his wallet and depositing on the tray.
“Thank you. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Not for the time being. Have a nice day, sweetheart” he said. She just smiled again and left without saying a word. Just as the door closed, Lauren reemerged dressed in jeans and a dark blue sweater.
“Suit yourself” he offered Casenave as he sat across a coffee table.
“I told you I had ordered earlier”
“It wasn’t enough. Now, could you please leave your pride aside and sit down?” Werner replied. Lauren breathed a sigh and knelt on the other end of the table. Grabbing a fork and a knife, she attacked an omelette.
“Wow, this is delicious!” she commented while pouring coffee.
“Thank you. See? Waiting a little longer was worth it. I took the liberty of having your things packed and moved to the new apartment. I sent Richard to take a hike there. And don’t worry about the other’s costs. It’s all covered”
“Does that mean I have a new permanent residence?”
“You took the words off my mouth”
“Thanks” she replies, more focused on the meal than on him.
“I’ll pay for the room an extra day, just in case. But neither me nor Richard are going to be able to join you. I have a tight schedule to follow, although I would’ve liked to offer you a hand” he says, honestly. But Casenave tried to change the course of things quickly.
“Shall we get going? As you said, there’s a tight schedule to follow” she replied, her words with a dash of sarcasm.
“Quick and to the point. I like your style, kiddo”
“You can read me every Sunday”
“Just pack your bags. I’ll take a short trip to the bathroom” he says, standing up to head to the toilet. Walking to the bedroom, she packed her clothing (and other possessions) into a couple of bags, uncertain as to what surprises she would encounter during her stay.
“Okay, we’re ready. Go ahead” Joshua offers, letting Lauren exit the suite in front of him. He closed the door and together they called the elevator and headed across the main lobby and into a black car with driver that waited for them outside. Being the gentleman he was, he let her walk in first before closing the door and the vehicle speeding away from its hectic entrance.

After what felt like a couple of hours (due to an accident that deviated all traffic), the Senator’s driver announced that they had reached the desired destination. Behind them there was a small truck that contained the few belongings the journalist owned. For once (and much to her surprise), he stepped out of the vehicle and helped unload boxes out of the car and into towers by the entrance.
“Your now former landlord said furniture was part of the place, that’s why there’s so little” he explains, taking out a tower of three small boxes.
“I knew that. Same system here?” Lauren asks back as she takes out others to help out in something.
“Yes. But how many times have I told you to not worry about that? I think I did quite a good job in decorating it”
“I’ll take your word for it”
“Okay, I made my part of the deal by giving you all the facilities you could possibly need. Now it’s time to fulfill yours”
“I can’t promise anything, but if my informants do their job well, I may have enough data to set up a meeting with you by next Monday” she says, as if with that the journalist imprinted honesty to the statement.
“Sounds like something to hold on to. You sure you don’t need an extra pair of hands with that?” Joshua asks, looking at the pile of boxes.
“I can ask around to my new neighbors. Now, with all due respect...it looks like your workaholic chief of staff is really trying to catch your attention” Casenave points out at the car. Maguire was, indeed, making signals from the side of the black vehicle. With this scene, Werner just chuckled lightly.
“I believe your words are right. I’m off to get scolded. If there’s any new developments, just call me, okay?”
“Don’t tell me how to do my job, Senator. I already told you everything” Lauren says, signaling that their conversation was through. Each of them took a path, and she got a dose of free entertainment watching Richard scold his boss as if roles had reversed. Once they were gone, she took a glimpse at the address engraved in a plaque: 112 Embassy Row. The surroundings were nice and quiet, full of big houses and tight security.
“Can I help you?” she heard a male voice ask behind her. It made her jump off the scare. It wasn’t American, judging not only by the accent, but by this man’s looks. He was tall, thin and the color of his tie matched his light gray suit to perfection. His eyes and hair were both of a dark brown color, and looked like if he had decided to start growing a beard that same morning.
“Don’t worry, I got it covered. Thanks anyway”
“Doesn’t look like that to me. New neighbor?”
“Not exactly. A friend told me to use it while my old place is going through repairs” Lauren replies. The man chuckles lightly, since he was absolutely amused.
“Half-neighbor it is. Apartment?”
“23. Are you sure I’m not bothering you?”
“Nah. It’s a slow news day. Wait here, I’ll go get your keys at reception” he says and runs inside, like a knight in shiny armor that came to her rescue at the right moment.
“Number 23, correct? Follow me, ma cherie” he said with a smile to then grab part of those boxes in the first of multiple trips across the stairs. To not abuse of his generosity, Lauren helped in any way she could. And in a moment she found herself looking at him. His European air was attractive and mysterious.
“Okay. This is the last one. You’re all set” he says, looking at Casenave put down the keychain.
“I’m sorry I abused of your good will. But you came in just the right moment”
“Don’t be. I liked helping you move in”
“Is there any way I could thank you, helper?”
“I could come over in a couple of hours, order take-out and get to know my new neighbor in an intimate housewarming. Sounds good?”. With the proposal her face seemed to light up and nodded eagerly.
“Great! I’m in Apartment # 21, in case you need anything”
“I appreciate it, mister...?” she asks, wanting to know the identity of this gentleman with a clear Spanish influence.
“Enrique Santa Maria. My pleasure” he says, holding out Lauren’s hand to kiss it tenderly.
“Lauren Casenave. Same I say” she replies, shaking his hand.
“Okay, Lauren. I’ll leave you to your business. Remember I’m across the hall if I can be of more help”
“Thank you, but I have it covered. I’ll see you in a couple of hours” she says. Enrique heads back to his place, and once a wooden door divided them, the feeling was one and the same for both. She smiled as she started to count down minutes while unpacking boxes. And Enrique Santa Maria had just found the woman of his dreams thanks to destiny.

The Capital / Chapter 6

6

“I’m not pretending. I just want to ask you for a lunch. Is that too much to ask?” Werner keeps insisting. Everything in that moment looked like, even though she had pride to keep, she also had a stomach to fill and by this time of the month she was technically broke.
“With one condition” she finally spat, her laptop being her exclusive point of focus.
“Finally I hit some sense into this kid!” the senator thought to himself. Although what he really said was a whole different thing.
“What?”
“Ask my editor for permission. I don’t want to be fired for wasting a day’s work”
“Fair enough. Let me go get him” Werner says, standing up to go get the door and go get Pete, but Lauren got in the way.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asks, surprised at how childish her behavior was turning.
“You can’t go out just like that. Call him instead” Casenave replies with the device on her hand and dials Zanetti’s number.
“Alright, put him on the line” Werner says as the reporter’s hand was stretched, slowly handing him the device. She started to think that perhaps it wasn’t the best time to be dealing with this. Whatever good intentions he might’ve had wouldn’t make her stop. In a few minutes, Pete and a secretary came into the office...carrying a bag with props.
“Oh, I’M NOT DOING THAT!” she exclaims when seeing where this mess with the wigs and clothes were going to take her.
“Dear, it’s just to avoid that some photographers take a snap picture of the two of you eating lunch together”
“But...why?”
“Please understand that it’s not only because the man is a senator, but because you can’t be by yourself. Your secret could be out” Pete explains. There was an awkward silence between everybody until Lauren breathed a sigh and said she would do it. Between everybody, they put a disguise on both Lauren and Werner to get them to his car without being spotted.
“Damn it! Run!” Werner screams, trying to keep it as low as possible to not be heard.
“I can’t see anything. Help me!” Lauren whispers back. Her head was lowered, and that caused her to not knowing where they were. For her surprise, and bringing down the myth that the senator never cared for anybody but himself, he held her hand and helped her to get in the car as flashed had no intention to stop.
“You know where to go” was the single order given to the driver, who sped off to that special place the senator liked to go when he had to make business happen.

“You need to follow that lead. It’s of vital importance” Werner says, cryptically. The setting for both enemies was now a private table in one of the capital’s most fashionable restaurants, one of those in which power people could fix or destroy the world.
“Yeah, right...liar” she says, remembering what had happened the previous night and wanting more than to walk out and get back to work.
“Hey, watch what you say. I know we don’t get along, but you should show more respect. I’m a senator”
“Professionally speaking, I’m willing to do so. But otherwise...I don’t care. You can send in your goons, threaten me or actually attempt against me. But I’m not scared”
“What’s with the violent behavior?” the senator asks as a waitress comes with a couple of menus to take their order.
“Would you like to order now?”
“For me, the usual. And for the lady...?” Werner asks Lauren. Looking at the menu and its prices, her stomach growled but she knew she couldn’t afford the big majority of those.
“I’m not decided” she just lied, setting down the book. The waitress went away and Joshua retook the way of the conversation. He could see that Casenave was starting to crack and used that to his advantage.
“I had asked you a question”
“I’m sorry, I was distracted. What was it?” Lauren replies. The last person she needed to be showing her demons to was the man sitting across her.
“What’s up with your behavior? Looks like you took the defensive side”
“I don’t need you to meddle in what happens or stops happening to me”
“Would you please chill out? I’m not going to bite you or anything. You should start breaking down the same barriers you brought around yourself and open up a little more. Has it been like that always?” he asks. That same question was replied with silence.
“I’m trying to help you...in more than one front. Please work with me a little”
“That takes time” was her plain response.
“Then I’m more willing to spend that time. Look, Lauren...You and I might be enemies to the death, but I am confident...that underneath that image of the most poisonous pen in D.C...”
“Have they said that?”
“Believe me...there’s an equilibrium between the number of fans and haters you have in this city”
“Wow...I feel strangely flattered” she says just as the waitress comes with his food, then looks at the woman with him.
“Are you ready to order?”
“Nothing for me, thank you” she says, handing back the menu. This causes Werner to raise an eyebrow, as if he wasn’t pleased with this.
“It’s on me. Please don’t pay attention to her. She’ll have the grilled chicken with herbs risotto, three chocolates cake as desert for both of us, and water to drink for her”
“Right away, sir” the waitress says as she takes the menu, and with a smile she walks away. Lauren’s cheeks were now red.
“Senator, with all due respect...”
“Please, it’s Joshua now” he politely says, the smile mixed with the action of eating.
“Okay. Joshua, with all due respect, I cannot accept that. I can’t afford to eat here”
“As I said, it’s on me. And don’t think about giving that money back, because I will reject it”
“Well...thank you”
“As I was saying, there is something very valuable behind that. So I’m willing to put my differences aside and spend all the resources I need to discover that. And if it backfires on me...at least it will allow me to have some arguments for disliking you”
“I don’t trust you”
“I promise you that whatever you tell me won’t be of public knowledge...starting with your identity. I will even sign a legal document if that gives you more peace of mind”
“Sounds fair”
“So that means I broke the first wall?”
“You could say that. But I want to know something first”
“Shoot. From now on, I will try to be as open as possible with you. And I hope it’s the other way around”
“Are you being sincere, or all this show is just for you to have me drop the charges?”
“As ironic as you may find it...I am being an honest politician. And about the charges...I may be able to offer you a temporary solution”
“What are you talking about?”
“I have an apartment that I use every now and then. It’s furnished and everything, located near your workplace...”
“I said I can’t afford a lunch, let alone that”
“Relax, I don’t need you to pay me a rent or anything. The problem you have is that you think you’re supergirl. Well...you’re not”. Suddenly, Lauren started laughing. This reaction was received positively by him, even though he didn’t understand.
“What’s so funny?”
“In what part did our conversation drift away?”
“I have no idea!” he replied, laughing as well. Her food was brought, and they managed to at least eat dessert together. Slowly, both felt comfortable around each other. Some of her previous fears were left at the door, and something deep inside her was telling her, like a voice, to trust the guy and follow the damned lead.
“I should get going” Lauren has to excuse herself when looking at the hour. Even though she felt a lot more composed after the hangover, she wouldn’t be able to make it back to the paper. So the wisest thing to do was to head back to the apartment while there was still daylight.
“Wait” Werner says as she stands up.
“What is it?”
“I can’t let you, in all good faith, let you stay another night in that ‘box’ that is unsafe. I’ll get you a hotel room for tonight, and tomorrow I’ll make some time to show you the apartment personally”
“But...my things”
“Let’s make a deal: Now I have to head home to my wife and daughter. But afterwards my driver will take you to your place so you can pack whatever you think you will need. I also need you to give me your mobile number so I can contact you later with all the details. Is that okay with you?”
“Wait. This isn’t a bribe attempt, is it? Because that could be unethical...”. As she was talking, Werner silenced her with a finger over her lips.
“Hush, Lauren. This is not a bribe, and for this to work you’ll have to leave your nature aside and stop with the questions”
“Fine”
“For now, let’s get going. You can abuse of room service responsibly” Werner says, paying for their meal and enlisting the help of a group of employees to help them get out through the back door because photographers were waiting for their prey. Thankfully, this technique allowed them to hop in safely and stop a block away from the Werner residence. That was a precaution taken to avoid a bigger misunderstanding. In fact, Norah wasn’t home and Violet had sports practice. When that was confirmed, the car moved forward and left the senator outside the front door of the estate.
“Well, this is my stop. It was great having this day with you. And now I hope I can get to know you better” he says, politely kissing her hand. Lauren had left most of her doubts at the door long ago.
“I could say the same. We could stay as enemies in some fronts, and even get to be good friends in others someday”
“Don’t forget the name!” he calls after her from the doorway as he sees the car leave.
“I hope you tell them the truth” Werner mutters to himself, thinking that he wasn’t trying hard enough. But all he could do for now is to book the hotel reservation and wait for his family, knowing that whatever she published now could either wreck his career or help it. Taking out the napkin that had the journalist’s number on it, he just sent a text with the information she needed to know before calling it a day.

“Are you sure that this is the right place?” Lauren asks the senator’s personal driver as he stopped outside the capital’s most elegant hotel. Something completely opposite to what she was used to.
“Yes. These are the instructions sent by the senator. All expenses are on him” he briefly explains to only enhance her amazement.
“Make sure you thank him for me”
“There is someone named David who’s in charge of you” he explains as she takes out her belongings from the back seat.
“Thank you. Goodnight for now” Lauren says as the car drives away, her luggage in hand. She finds David with little difficulty, who, in turn, escorted her to the presidential suite. Casenave’s jaw drops at seeing the wide space, that was more than her office and apartment put together. Added to this was the luxury of the room. He rejected the tip because Werner had taken care of that already. But she decided to wait until tomorrow to try all that out, since she was starting to become sleepy. So she dropped the bag and changing into a more comfortable attire, she fell into a deep slumber the second her head touched the soft pillow.