Strange calm
Virginia
Mariana was right again, and I pulled her into a tight hug.
"Thank you for coming. I feel stronger knowing that I have you by my side.”
" Let's get this over with, " Mariana asked, as we pulled away "We can't waste any time, either.”
I agreed with my friend and added a comfortable mid"heeled sandal, and a pink gloss to finish my makeup, and grabbed my cell phone, ready for the first half of the game. When Mariana was also satisfied, we both went down the stairs together, arm in arm, trying to give each other strength.
The first thing I saw when I arrived in the room was Bruna standing next to Murilo as they greeted some people who seemed to have just arrived, while Lavinia and Aquiles chatted with another couple a little further away from the entrance hall.
Besides them, there was another group consisting only of men, six in total, chatting near the windows with a panoramic view of the beachfront.
To announce myself, I said an audible "good afternoon to you all," which was followed by Mariana and promptly answered by those in the huge living room of the luxurious mansion by the sea.
I walked over to where Murilo was and smiled at everyone, extending my hand to greet those who were there.
" I want you to meet my girlfriend, Virginia " Murilo introduced me to the others, bringing me closer to his body as he put a hand on my shoulder.
From now on, I would take my place as the CEO's girlfriend, and for this very reason, I positioned myself next to Murilo, while I also wanted to prevent Bruna from getting too close to him.
" It is a pleasure to welcome you here today, " I said, trying to be as nice as possible.
Bruna didn't disguise her anger at my arrival, and I wasn't the least bit worried about it. The problem was hers and hers alone.
But she didn't leave our circle either, making a point of taking a position on any issues that were brought up by the group.
However, other people were arriving, and Arlete, Murilo's secretary, also showed up to help us welcome everyone, doing her best to make sure that no one felt left out of the group.
Arlete and Mariana gave us all the support, especially about the organization of the party that would take place at night, while Aquiles, along with Lavinia, was also helping us to welcome the guests.
The afternoon passed quickly, and although I felt tired from smiling so much and trying to maintain the pose that the position of the girlfriend of the CEO demanded, I was satisfied that we had not had any problems, as I imagined would happen once all the snakes had gathered.
" Shall we go upstairs? " Murilo called out, pulling me into a hug "I'm sure you're tired.”
The night was falling, and the guests had already spread out over the various rooms of the house, and only we and two other couples remained in the living room, but each one was in his little world.
" I need a massage," I said Weepy in his ear.
" I can do more than that " Murilo offered, his tone full of malice.
" I won't accept anything loaded with ulterior motives " I teased him, with an amused smile.
He hugged me again, now speaking softly in my ear and giving me goosebumps.
"I don't have only second intentions with you, Virginia. I have all the intentions in the world.”
Hearing this when we were going through such a tense time, surrounded by two women who seemed willing to make all kinds of trouble for Murilo because they still wanted him, made me feel even more loved and special.
" Have I told you how beautiful you look today? " he asked, his expression full of seriousness.
"Not today.”
"You are beautiful, Virginia. Always. Every single day.”
" I get it, Murilo " I interrupted him, jokingly.
"I like to always make things very clear.”
We both smiled at his statement, but it was still true.
" We need to go upstairs because I want that massage you promised me " I pulled him up the stairs "And don't try to seduce me because I need to rest and then get ready for the party, two things that take a lot of time.”
"I think I'll be used in a vile way.”
" Who will use who? " Mariana asked, listening to the last part of our conversation.
" Your friend intends to use me and discard me afterward " Murilo complained dramatically.
"To tell you the truth, he is whining because I don't intend to use him if you know what I mean, my friend.”
Mariana and I exchange a complicated look, and we laugh, while Murilo pretends to be upset with us.
" Changing the subject... " My friend said "We have no problems with the organization of the party so far. Everything is going exactly as planned.”
" I am very happy to hear this, Mariana. I also want to thank you for helping my secretary with these last details.
"I like to help, even more, when our friend drags us to a beach house but spends all her time with her boyfriend.”
I knew she was referring to me, of course, and so did Murilo, but we pretended not to understand her hint and she, realizing this, hit me with the pad of paper in her hand.
"Ungrateful friend!”
" Where were you going? " I asked.
We were standing in the middle of the corridor, which was just past the stair hall and quickly divided in two, each leading to a different wing.
"To the west wing because Arlete is there, and she asked me to help her with her makeup.”
" Aren't you afraid of being ambushed by snakes? " I teased her some more.
"Did you notice that Naja and the anaconda were very quiet this afternoon? That is worrisome.”
" Wait a minute... What are you talking about, or rather, who exactly? " Murilo got involved in our unique dialogue.
We then explained to him who we were talking about and ended up laughing a lot. After all, it was better than being in a bad mood and suffering for something that was out of our control, at least for the time being.
" I noticed that Lavinia and Aquiles don't seem to be getting along very well today, " I commented.
" I think it might be because of the conversation I had with my cousin earlier, " Murilo suggested.
" And where is everyone now? " Mariana asked.
" For our peace, the couple went upstairs earlier and Constantino did not spend the afternoon with us, " I told her.
I had noticed that the atmosphere was too calm, even with the presence of the group in the house, and I feared that this was just the calm that usually precedes a storm.
