The Cinderella Trap
He was not an extroverted boy; on the contrary, he knew that among his classmates he was called “the mute” because he spoke little. But with Alicia it was different. With Alicia, Lorenzo was eager to talk, to ask her questions and tell her many things:
"Hey, how are you doing. How well you look in that red blouse. Can I invite you to the movies?" - Lorenzo rehearsed in front of the mirror or imagined, lying on the bed, a thousand possible conversations:
"If you want, let's go for a bite to eat. Do you like pizza? What a coincidence: I make the most incredible pizzas in the world" - thought Lorenzo at home, but when he arrived at the office, there were few words he exchanged with Alicia.
"The most beautiful lady in the office has arrived",_ he would exclaim as he saw Alicia walk through the door. Alicia blushed and smiled at Benito's insistent flattery.
While it was true that Lorenzo would have liked to complain to Benito about the harassment, his lack of respect, it was also true that he envied the other boy's attitude, his confidence, his fluency with words, his lack of fear.
One day the friends at the office decided to throw a birthday party for Alicia and although at first they thought Lorenzo would not go, they got a big surprise when Lorenzo offered his house for the celebration:
"I offer my house. Also count on something to eat and drink" - he said and felt a little dizzy when he saw that Alicia was smiling at him with her eyes. Was that possible? - Lorenzo asked himself in a low voice or had he imagined it.
On the day of the party, when the guests arrived at Lorenzo's house, they found that it was decorated and the tables were set. Alicia arrived and thanked the host:
"Thank you, Lorenzo. No one had ever done anything so nice for me" - then Lorenzo felt that after those words, his effort had been worth it and he put a gift in the girl's hands. Alicia opened the box and found some slippers:
I saw that the ones you have are old,‘ he said to the girl's surprise:
"You are a very observant man, Lorenzo," assured Alicia with a beautiful smile.
At 12 o'clock, when everyone was saying goodbye, Lorenzo wanted to take Alicia by the hand and ask her to stay a little longer with him, to share, to tell her the things he had pending, to tell her about his insomnia, to open his chest and show Alicia how his heart was, furnished for her, waiting for her, but he was afraid and said goodbye to her with a kiss on the cheek.
While Lorenzo was tidying up the house, he heard someone ringing the doorbell. Not knowing who it could be at that hour and imagining that it could be one of his colleagues in the company, he opened the door and found, leaning against the frame, Alicia, who was smiling:
"Do you know what was the trap that Cinderella set for the prince?" - Lorenzo, surprised, did not know what to answer, he only asked:
"Which one?"
"She left the slipper on purpose," said Alicia and pointed to the gift Lorenzo had given her, which was lying on one of the tables in the house. Then, Alicia entered Lorenzo's house and his life and Lorenzo finally stopped suffering from insomnia.
*Images from Pixabay and the text is translated with Deepl
Thanks for your reading and comment, my friend. Until a new opportunity
Reveal spoiler
(Click here to read in spanish)
Alicia llevaba tres meses, dos días y 12 horas en la empresa, la misma cantidad de tiempo que tenía Lorenzo con problemas para dormir. Cada vez que Lorenzo llegaba a la casa, por la noche, se ponía a rebobinar todo lo vivido en el día o por lo menos todo lo concerniente a Alicia: la sonrisa de Alicia al dar los buenos días, su caminar por las escaleras, su café sin azúcar al llegar y luego después del almuerzo. Todos estos pensamientos le quitaban horas de sueño a Lorenzo.
Él no era un chico extrovertido; por el contrario, sabía que entre sus compañeros lo llamaban "el mudo" porque hablaba poco. Pero con Alicia era diferente. Con Alicia, Lorenzo tenía ganas de hablar, de preguntarle y decirle muchas cosas:
_Oye, qué tal. Qué bien te queda esa blusa roja. ¿Puedo invitarte al cine? - ensayaba Lorenzo frente al espejo o se imaginaba, acostado en la cama, mil conversaciones posibles:
_Si quieres vamos a comer algo. ¿Te gusta la pizza? Qué casualidad: yo hago las pizzas más increíbles del mundo - pensaba Lorenzo en casa, pero cuando llegaba a la oficina, eran pocas las palabras que intercambiaba con Alicia.
También estaba Benito, quien era el programador del primer piso, siempre tan jovial, tan encantador con Alicia. Aunque Benito tenía novia, le gustaba coquetear con Alicia que sólo respondía con sonrisas:
_Llegó la dama más hermosa de la oficina - exclaba al ver que Alicia entraba por la puerta. Alicia se sonrojaba y sonreía ante las insistentes adulaciones de Benito.
Si bien era cierto que a Lorenzo le hubiese gustado reclamarle a Benito el acoso, su falta de respeto, también era cierto que envidiaba la actitud del otro chico, su seguridad, su fluidez con las palabras, su falta de miedo.
Un día los amigos de la oficina decidieron hacerle una fiesta de cumpleaños a Alicia y aunque al principio pensaron que Lorenzo no iría, se llevaron la gran sorpresa cuando Lorenzo ofreció su casa para realizar la celebración :
_Yo ofrezco mi casa. También cuenten con algo para picar y beber - expresó y sintió un pequeño mareo cuando vio que Alicia le sonreía con los ojos. ¿Era eso posible? - se preguntó Lorenzo en voz baja o se lo había imaginado.
El día de la fiesta, cuando los invitados llegaron a la casa de Lorenzo, hallaron que estaba decorada y las mesas dispuestas. Alicia llegó y agradeció al anfitrión:
_Gracias, Lorenzo. Nunca nadie había hecho algo tan bonito para mí - entonces Lorenzo sintió que después de aquellas palabras, su esfuerzo había valido la pena y le puso en las manos de la chica un regalo. Alicia abrió la caja y encontró unas zapatillas:
_Vi que las que tienes están viejas - expresó ante la sorpresa de la chica:
_Eres un hombre muy observador, Lorenzo - aseguró Alicia con una hermosa sonrisa.
La fiesta fue amena: hubo comida, bebida, buena música y mucha alegría. Lorenzo, al estar en su espacio más seguro, su casa, se atrevió a conversar con Alicia un largo rato sobre temas intrascendentes, e incluso, bailó algunas piezas con ella.
A las 12, cuando todos se despedían, Lorenzo quiso tomar de la mano a Alicia y pedirle que se quedara un poco más con él, compartir, decirle a ella las cosas que tenía pendiente, contarle de sus insomnios, de abrirse el pecho y enseñarle a Alicia cómo estaba su corazón, amueblado para ella, esperándola, pero tuvo miedo y se despidió de ella con un beso en la mejilla.
Mientras Lorenzo ordenaba la casa, escuchó que alguien tocaba el timbre. Sin saber quién podía ser en aquella hora e imaginando que podía ser uno de sus compañeros de la empresa, abrió la puerta y halló, recostada al marco, a Alicia, que sonreía:
_¿Sabes cuál fue la trampa que le puso la Cenicienta al príncipe? - Lorenzo sorprendido no supo qué responder sólo preguntó:
_¿Cuál?
_Dejó la zapatilla a propósito - dijo Alicia y señaló el regalo que le había dado Lorenzo, el cual reposaba en una de las mesas de la casa. Entonces, Alicia entró a la casa y a la vida de Lorenzo, y Lorenzo por fin dejó de sufrir de insomnio.
A sweet, heartwarming story about silent love, quiet gestures, and a Cinderella twist that turns a dream into reality.
Sometimes if one doesn't take the first step, the other can! Greetings and thank you for your comment
This was really good.
Alicia gave Lorenzo another shot at her, and I can also understand Lorenzo. Sometimes, the fear of getting rejected or not being able to communicate feelings can be overwhelming.
Fear of rejection is perhaps one of the reasons why some loves only remain platonic loves. Greetings and thanks for commenting
I'm glad Lorenzo's dreams finally came true :) ...
It is good when love relationships develop and there are happy endings. Greetings and thank you for your comment
A beautiful love story you share with us. Everything Lorenzo did for Alicia was rewarded, and he was the winner in the race to win her over. I loved that ending, where you reference Cinderella and give her an excuse to finally start a relationship despite his fears.
Thanks for sharing your story with us.
Good Saturday
Sometimes women can also take the initiative and perhaps, Cinderella did when she forgot her slipper. hahaha. Greetings and nice day to you
Thank you very much for your appreciation. Best regards
hehe I have to say that I, Cinderfella, love this one Nancy. I was thinking it was Cinderella at the door.
Another great story as usual. A big slippered hug to you my friend.
Wow, this is an interesting story of love.
Lorenzo was really thoughtful, I won't even dare to reject a boy like that, and thank goodness he got his chance, because if I was his bestie,Benito...ma man would have been put in his place. Don't flirt with other people's crush while you have a girlfriend. Really enjoyed this.
Awwn
A love story that warms the heart.
Quite wonderful ✨♥️