Eliezer’s Ange by Eden Auclair
XXVIII
cassiopeia is twenty-three
she is a first-year doctorate in university
“Cassiopeia! Look atthis!” Starlie’s giggling voice was faint to Cassiopeia who was slowly falling asleep with her head resting on Eliezer’s shoulder in the bistro’s booth. A tired moan left her lips as her eyes fluttered open to find Starlie holding her phone across the booth for her and Eliezerto read with Cheshire grins on both her and Niccolò’s faces. She felt his shoulder shake and heard his deep, raspy laughter as her eyes came into focus. In bold letters, the article read, “Mr. Badeaux Sighted with His Mystery Girl.” Just underneath showed a photograph of Eliezer and his signature panty-dropping smile and Cassiopeia’s face buried in his chest. The caption read, “Eliezer Badeaux, CEO of Badeaux’s Glasshouse, spotted with his secret lover outside Dania Beach Creamery.”
“What?” Cassiopeia shrieked, her cheeks blooming crimson and her head fell back on Eliezer’s shoulder.
“Oh, this is so rich, check this one out, Cass.” Niccolò snickered moments later. Eliezer fell into hearty, wild laughter and Cassiopeia whined softly, desperate for sleep as she lifted her head to read.
“Eliezer Badeaux, The East Coast’s Most Desirable Bachelor, Finally Tied the Knot?”
Cassiopeia’s eyes widened as her eyes skimmed the article.
“Mr. Badeaux was sighted last night with his mystery lover outside Mediterranean eatery on the pier,” the caption read. Underneath the lettering had a photograph of the two hugging on the pier in front of Aladdin Mediterranean Palace—his arm around her waist whilst hers were wrapped around his neck. The tiny rose gold ring on her ring finger glistened in clear-cut clarity for all lingering eyes.
“But that’s... that’s my Pandora Ring of Hearts!” She exclaimed. “I wear it every day!” She huffed as Eliezer teased, “I guess our secret is out, bébé.” He stared at her with a sober expression, telling her how somber he was and she stared back with her jar ajar and horrifically widened eyes. Seeing Eliezer’s face remain solemn and Cassiopeia’s horrified, Starlie and Niccolò’s laughter suddenly silenced and the two stared at Cassiopeia and Eliezer with dazed eyes and equally dazed glances.
“Are you two... engaged?” Starlie questioned, feeling nervous—for if word escaped that the article was, in fact, clear-cut, Cassiopeia and Eliezer were damned to be thrust in the limelight. Eliezer held his expression for a few moments—those moments in which Cassiopeia felt ready to faint—before intertwining his hand with hers and a thigh-clenching laugh escaped him.
“Hell no.” He declared. His face housed a smug expression for scaring his girl and his friends. He pulled Cassiopeia flushed against his body, bending his head down to her ear. “Not yet,” he whispered and he bit her earlobe softly. Her face immediately blossomed a deep pink and her eyes glazed with lust as she met his smoldering gaze.
“Isn’t that right?” Eliezer teased her in his normal voice, his hand running up and down the length of her back under her blouse. Involuntarily, she shivered, her eyes flickering nervously between Eliezer to Starlie and Niccolò across from her, the latter two staring at her with curious eyes begging to know what Eliezer just said.
“R-Right,” the breathless whisper left her lips before she could think.
“Good girl,” Eliezer kissed her temple before smiling cheekily at his best friend and Niccolò, who was much like a brother to him.
“Insatiable man,” she whispered and he smirked. “I’m going to sleep,” she murmured with flushed cheeks, burying her face in his chest as he peered down at her with adoration and the other two stared, wide-eyed and jaws dropped.
For the past five months, news and rumors spread like a wildfire for Eliezer and Cassiopeia though Cassiopeia remained a mystery to the public eye. Eliezer’s relationship had found the glare of publicity. Five months prior had only been the calm before the storm but the exposure had been profuse for them—from the very first time, Cassiopeia rushed to hide her face meanwhile Eliezer would pull every string he could to shut down every tabloid publishing his life story; he never felt so bare to the public eye—Cassiopeia being his secret (in a pure way) and never having journalists chase him for his personal life.
Cassiopeia could remember the first time a tabloid published an article about “Mr. Badeaux and His Secret Love.” Eliezer had become a raging mess seeing his girl frozen in surprise and anxiety. She wasn’t fond of the attention, he knew, and neither was he, for the young boy inside him was still as camera shy as he had been since he was little. And as far as he ever knew, ‘he was hers and she was his, he was her secret and she was his secret,’ he had once told her and only Starlie, Niccolò, and Slater knew.
But together the two inhaled the storm, they entertained the tabloids—as they had moments earlier in the bistro’s booth—always laughing, teasing, and smiling cheekily at the articles and photos published almost daily. Quite the creative posts they were, since there was only so much to be said about a mystery girl, for her face alwaysremained unseen.
The sound of glass clinking and clanking from the kitchen harshly jolted her from her sleep-induced state and Eliezer momentarily stopped talking with Starlie and Niccolò to nestle Cassiopeia closer in his embrace.
“Rest, darling,” he whispered gently and his voice lulled her back to her in-between state.
Sleephad also become foreign to her and Eliezer knew. His heart broke every morning when he’d wake up early, hoping to surprise her with breakfast, only to feel his heart burn once he found her already lying awake, staring blankly at the ocean from his bedroom window or when they were in her loft, lying quietly with his arm around her waist and reading a novel and he’d stir from his sleep to find the worry etched in her face.
The past week had been the roughest to Cassiopeia, he knew. It didn’t matter how long they spent loving each other, molding their bodies, and having him whisper sweet nothings and dirty promises in her ear as they lost sight of where she ended and he began, and then lay cuddled in each other, she just couldn’t sleep. Her swirling thoughts never ended and he felt pain seeping through his veins because he couldn’t fix his girl.
Last night had been the first night in what felt like an eternity that they hadn’t spent the night together since she was stuck at Niccolò’s, working on their thesis’ and Eliezer was stuck in his office, securing deals with two ambassadors of two renowned companies. And Jesus Christ did his whole world shatter when he showed up at her doorstep and she opened the door for him to find her pale and shivering with hellish bags under her eyes. He blamed himself—the glasshouse was reaching a quarter close and the building was an unruly mess, and he knew Cassiopeia was stubborn, working wicked late hours of the night on top of balancing her classes.
Cassiopeia felt trapped in an abyss of her thoughts, it just never ended. Though she was enveloped and surrounded by his warmth in the cozy booth, she felt like she was freezing. She knew her brute was worried sick for her lately and he was blaming himself for thrusting upon her so much work. But that wasn’t weighing her down the slightest bit. It was today, and she wasn’t sure how to bring it up to Eliezer, Niccolò, and Starlie, remembering the last time she spoke of Ansel, her little family turned murderous.
“Your plates are here!” A chirpy waitress’s voice roused her from the tiny ounce of sleep she felt and she lifted her head from Eliezer’s chest, sitting up straight. Her eyes found the waitress standing before their booth, the young girl’s top tight enough to accentuate her curves and her velvet pink skirt mid-thigh. Her gaze was on Eliezer as if she were undressing him with her eyes and Cassiopeia felt jealousy burn her body as she curved her head so her hair would frame her face and her hand grasped Eliezer’s under the booth tightly. A subtle smirk tugged at the edge of his lips, knowing just the reason for her minuscule action, and fell deeper for her. Eliciting such a reaction from his woman sent pleasure straight to his cock.Flickering his eyes to the provocatively dressed waitress for the first time, his glaring gaze immediately made her falter back and tremble nervously.
“Thank you.” His voice eliciting a shiver of terror through the young woman’s body. “Can I just request a jar of confectioner’s sugar?” He cradled Cassiopeia to his chest once again,.“My wife is feeling rather sick lately and she loves to sprinkle extra sugar on her crepes.”
“Y-Yes, of course,” the girl said hurriedly, rushing away to the counter and into the kitchen.
“Eliezer!” Cassiopeia shrieked as her head shot up and her face paled hellishly just the same time as Starlie and Niccolò murmured his name.
“What?” He queried innocently, tilting his head to face her with a cheeky smile.
“Elie-
“You-
“My-
“Your-
“I-” Cassiopeia sputtered to find the right words as he stared at her indifferently.
“Eliezer, she couldn’t have missed my face since we arrived here, she’ll say something,” she whispered, tears glazing in her eyes as Eliezer just smiled goofily.
“Eliezer,” Niccolò said through gritted teeth, kicking him under the booth.
“Yes?” Eliezer replied in a sweet tone, his smile only widening when he turned to Niccolò. The waitress brought a jar of sugar, setting it on the table before she hurriedly left again. Eliezer’s eyes flickered to Starlie and he pouted childishly seeing her glowing eyes of anger, her murderous glare.
“What?” His little frown made Cassiopeia’s heart melt and she leaned over, kissing his cheek softly. A sincere smile etched its way to his lips from her small gesture, knowing he had her and he stared at his two friends quietly before he laughed. “This bistro is mine, my employees know to keep their mouths shut.”
“Ouch!” He yelped moments later, his hand finding his head where Cassiopeia smacked him. He looked over to her to find her wobbling lips pouting with her doe-eyes.
“Bébé,” he whined, getting lost in her adorable as fuck puppy face.
“Fuck, fine. I’m sorry,” he breathed dramatically, claiming her lips in his in a split second for a loving kiss before pulling away to glance at Niccolò and Starlie with an expectant look for them to accept his apology. Niccolò scoffed in incredulity whilst Starlie facepalmed.
“Ouch!” He yelped, again, when Cassiopeia smacked his arm and the other two stifled their laughs.
“That’s for almost giving me a panic attack.” She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest and pushing herself flush against the window.
“Cassiopeia.” He reached for her. “I- ouch, woman!”
“That’s for scaring Starlie and Niccolò.” She huffed.
“Well, Starlie knew! And no one cares about that brute. So- ouch, fuck’s sake!”
“How rude,” she chastised Starlie.
“She gets a ‘how rude’ and- ouch, Cassiopeia!” He groaned when she smacked his chest.
“That’s for speaking rudely about my friend,” she said as a matter of factly, glaring at him.
“Niccolò, I love you, so much, I’m sorry.” He grunted, flickering his eyes to a snickering Niccolò for a split second as his body ached. For a small woman, Cassiopeia could certainly cause damage.
Of course, she could, you are her trainer, asshole, a sarcastic voice retorted in his mind.
“Much better.” She chimed happily. “Thank you, querida.” And she kissed his lips chastely. Eliezer huffed.
“Even though it’s like you own everything in Florida, this bistro is my favorite of yours,” Cassiopeia said quietly as they devoured their plates.
“I do own everything,” Eliezer said cockily while the two girls rolled their eyes.
Starlie snickered to herself and Eliezer’s eyes widened once he locked gazes with his best friend and her irises glinted wickedly.
She wouldn’t dare.
“Tell her, Eliezer.” Starlie taunted him, immediately catching the attention of Cassiopeia and Niccolò and Eliezer averted his eyes.
The audacity of this woman, he internally grunted.
“Tell me what?” Cassiopeia’s eyes were fixated on Eliezer, hoping he’d look in her direction.
“Eliezer,” Starlie said in a sing-song voice and Eliezer shook his head, the faintest of blushes coating his cheek.
“Eliezer,” Cassiopeia whispered, intertwining their hands together. Starlie smirked devilishly as Niccolò watched curiously. Eliezer’s eyes cut to Cassiopeia, and her orbs unknowing to her expanded.
“Imaybemayhavesortofkindofnamedthisbistroafteryou,” he said in one breath, gazing around the entire bistro, refusing to meet her eyes. Starlie and Niccolò had smug smirks plastered on their faces catching onto his words.
“What? Can you repeat that, slower?” Cassiopeia cupped his cheek, forcefully turning his head for him to face her.
“I may be, may have, sort of, kind of, named this bistro after you,” he whispered, his cheeks tinting a deep pink and Cassiopeia’s eyes widened in awe.
“The name of this restaurant is Persian for ‘ethereal constellation.’” He explained, his irises glazing with adoration and love for her.
“Persian? So beautiful.” She said with a hint of awe in her words. “I didn’t even realize the bistro’s name when we arrived.” She frowned.
“That would be because Eliezer pulled you inside before you could even find the name sweetheart.” Starlie snickered as a fresh blush crawled up Eliezer’s neck.
“Estou apaixonado por você.”
I’m falling in love with you.
The smile on her face glistened brighter than a thousand stars.
§
“Healing isn’t simple, especiallyonce you’ve lost someone you’ve known forever, held dear to your heart, and felt as if they were a piece of you.” Cassiopeia sniffled as Eliezer held her to his chest. Still in the bistro, his other hand clenched and unclenched on the table. In a stark contrast from their playful and teasing spirits earlier, the four housed the booth, a gloomy and melancholic aura rolling off of them in waves.
Across from Cassiopeia and Eliezer, Starlie inhabited the corner, flush against the window as a frown settled on her lips and her brows knitted together. Cassiopeia reached over and enveloped Starlie’s trembling hand in hers with a delicate smile on her face. The wobbling smile on her face only conveyed how much she felt for Cassiopeia. Moments like these were when Starlie truly saw Cassiopeia for everything she was—delicate, sweet, and soft. But she never knew just how much her eggshell-like friendship with Ansel weighed her down. Even then, they still didn’t know the truth from the last time she went to Ansel. And Cassiopeia was planning to keep it that way a little while longer.
Eating their brunch was when Cassiopeia felt her resolve of staying and resisting her emotions encompassing Ansel slowly ebb away until she was left falling apart entirely, seeking warmth in Eliezer as she cried softly.
Through her stutters and cries, she expressed, “I woke up this morning heavy-hearted, a feeling darkening over itself because today is the anniversary of our friendship since we were babies. And it hurts because we haven’t talked in almost a year and a half and I know he forgot about me. This morning, his parents called me, wondering how I’ve been and how he’s been and I just couldn’t lie. I said I don’t know myself, he changed so much and his mother cried as she said they haven’t spoken to their baby boy in months. My heart broke and I felt so lost. It hurts like hell because whilst he’s living his life, it just feels like I’m left here picking up my broken pieces. We have such a bitter end, it tastes like hell, it’s something I would never wish upon a soul.”
Granted, she sounded as if she missed him romantically, but Eliezer, Niccolò, and Starlie knew she felt anything but. The bitter end of their friendshiphad filled her heart with windows, blown the door to her heart to pieces. Cassiopeia was left on her knees, sobbing wholeheartedly in the mirror of her reflection wondering just where the hell she went wrong.
Eliezer and Niccolò shared a mere look once Cassiopeia fell silent, just burying her face in his chest. The two men felt a rush of bloodlust and Eliezer just wanted Ansel to burn.
Cassiopeia sighed.
“Dinner is served.” Cassiopeia whispered, despite the silence that draped the air. Her eyes flickered to the waiter setting their plates in front of them, giving him an appreciative nod as he left before she gazed at Eliezer, Starlie, and Niccolò, but they were too lost in their thoughts.
She huffed, realizing she’d get their attention very salaciously. A smirk played on her lips, she’d forever disturb Starlie and Niccolò and she’d frustrate Eliezer; she fluffed her hair. Pushing herself against Eliezer, her lips found his jaw, slowly placing tantalizingly light and feathery kisses.
“Cassiopeia.” He whispered as he tensed and his breathing became erratic as her lips trailed down the column of his neck as her hand torturously trailed down his chest, down his body, until she met his throbbing cock through his dress pants.
“Ange.” He groaned quietly as she palmed him, but thunderous enough to snap Starlie and Niccolò from their daze.
“Cassiopeia!” Starlie shrieked.
“You two are not fucking having sex in front of me.” Niccolò stated blankly, his eyes burning holes in Eliezer for allowing Cassiopeia to do such a thing.
“What!” Eliezer nearly shouted in incredulity once he saw Niccolò glare. “I am absolutely weak when it comes to her.” He dipped his head to claim her lips in his and pry her hands off his rock-hard appendage. “Over my lap tonight, Cassiopeia,” he murmured huskily in her head, biting her earlobe softly. Cassiopeia pulled away, her eyes glinting mischievously.
“Finally, I have your attention, I’d like to eat now.” She smiled childishly, blatantly ignoring Starlie’s horrified face, Niccolò’s burning glare, and Eliezer’s lustfully murderous gaze, as if she didn’t do a single thing and she stuffed her face with food.
“To you two, Cassiopeia, mon amour,and Niccolò, mon frère, on starting the next chapter of your lives.” Eliezer held up his champagne flute as he toasted to the two on starting the doctorates classes in university.
“Thank you, Eliezer.” Cassiopeia murmured shyly as the glasses clinked together and she kissed his cheek.
“Thank you.” Niccolò nodded appreciatively.
“Eliezer and I cannot fathom into words how lucky we’ve been to have you in our lives.” Starlie said, smiling. “Words can’t express how much we love you both and since we were once in your positions, we know how hellish a doctoral program is. We’re both unbelievably proud of you and just know you guys will always have us to help.”
“In more ways than one.” Eliezer coughed as his hand found Cassiopeia’s bare thigh for she was wearing a romper and Starlie glared murderously.
“Thank you.” Cassiopeia and Niccolò murmured together and Niccolò faintly blushed when Starlie murmured something in his ear in what Cassiopeia thought was Romanian.
“My God, did I just see Niccolò Glásier blush?”Cassiopeia feigned an overly high-pitched shriek.
“You were about to fuck your boyfriend in front of my face!”
“He isn’t my-” she started to yell.
“Her husband’s doughnut you mean?” Eliezer said innocently at the same time as Niccolò and Cassiopeia merely sighed, face-palming.
“She’s pretty good at doing it too,” Eliezer added cheekily after a moment.
“Eliezer!” Cassiopeia shrieked just the same time as Niccolò yelled, “We are not discussing my sister’s sex life here!”
“Starlie, you’re the worst!” Cassiopeia exclaimed seeing her best friend latched onto Niccolò’s arm, stifling her laughs behind her hand. “I’m going to finish eating.” She murmured, dipping her head and shielding her face with her hand as she took a forkful of food in her mouth.
“So back at my place then?” Eliezer continued innocently as if his girl wasn’t right next to him.
“Ever.” Niccolò growled, his eyes glowering.
“Glásier, it is quite the pleasure to get on your wick.” Eliezer snickered.
“Asshole,” Niccolò grunted, forking the food on his plate.
“Niccolòòò,” Cassiopeia said in a sing-song voice, poking fun at her best friend, “what’s wrong?” She cooed seeing a little pout settled on his lips. The four of them finished dinner, the waiter collecting their plates mere minutes ago and they now sipped their drinks as they waited for dessert. Niccolò gave her a pointed look, his eyebrow arched.
“I’m four months older, sweetheart, let’s skip the formalities,” Cassiopeia mockingly sneered, arching her brow herself.
“But I’m taller aren’t I?”
“Jesus Christ.” She breathed dramatically.“I didn’t ask Jesus, Allah, God, Guru Nanak, and Buddha, to be five freaking feet forever!” She huffed.
“I find it sexy,” Eliezer whispered in her ear but she was too distracted by the tosser in front of her.
“You’re adorable, sweetheart,” Niccolò mocked.
“Filho da mãe,” Cassiopeia hissed.
“Tell me,” she whined moments later.
“Our doctoral thesis is three hundred pages, Cassiopeia,” he exasperated, “three hundred!” She giggled softly while Eliezer and Starlie burst out laughing.
“What the hell did you think you signed up for?” Starlie queried, laughing wildly.
“Mine was four hundred pages.” Eliezer said casually. Cassiopeia’s head whipped in his direction as she gaped at him and he dipped his head to meet her gaze, smirking.
“Kill me now.” Niccolò whispered, horrified.
“Pretentious ass.” Starlie muttered, rolling her eyes.
“Jealous!” He looked at her, grinning goofily.
“I didn’t know you studied English,” Cassiopeia grinned.
“We were Business and English majors,” Eliezer smiled as Starlie nodded enthusiastically, recalling memories in her mind.
“The wicked late hours of the night we spent awake writing.” She smiled fondly.
“Oh, the utter horror.” Niccolò uttered dreadfully.
“Will you revise mine for me?” Cassiopeia whispered adorably to Eliezer.
“We’ll go on little dates to coffee shops and everywhere you want, house a cup of tea and coffee while I revise for you, ange,” Eliezer whispered back, promisingly.