Ella - The World According To A Disney Doll

Chapter 23 - "Hideaway" - 26th September 2012.

After deciding that I'm not up to facing all the DRAMA surrounding our new addition's presence, I try hiding from the rest of the gang ... Funnily enough however, that doesn't stop THEM seeking me out instead. And after a bit a chat, and a wake-up call to remind me that I cant HIDE from my problems forever, I'm rather stunned by an unexpected proposition which follows !! ... Ooooh-errr, hey ...

You can find the FULL story on my facebook blog here ... https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.151110938376948.35167.150797015075007&type=3

 You can check out the music slideshow to this chapter on Youtube here ... http://youtu.be/-sLfp1_uUn4

Chapter 23 - "Hideaway".

I wasn’t hiding, well I guess I was a little bit, oh dear this sounds familiar, but I promise this time its leading in a totally different direction ! After the curious events of yesterday had left us with a new arrival, who seemed to have taken a bit too much of and instant liking to me, I sort of decided to try and stay out of his way for a while, in the hopes that Anthony would come to his senses and realise he didn’t know me, and his advances were not at all wanted or welcome.

So, I made the decision to spend the day in my room, the wardrobe that is. It was nice to have a bit of time to myself to think, but I did miss my friends, and of course Rocky. But then I had to keep reminding myself that my actions had a purpose, and once Anthony had gotten over his rather instantaneous interest in me, then Rocky would also see that there was nothing to worry about, and things could go back to normal … or at least I hope they will ?

I was sitting in a little corner or the room, lost in my own thoughts when I saw Holly approaching again … oh no, what does she want this time ?!?

“Ella, there you are, what are you doing hiding up here ?” she said looking a little confused. At this point I was just praying she would not ask me anything about how things went with Prince Prettyboy !! … oh no, I really shouldn’t call him that … Rocky why did you put that name in my head ?! … I mean Anthony… Oh dear. Anyway, luckily Holly did not wait for an answer from me, and just continued on saying “oh, I forgot to give you these yesterday” she then proceeded to present me with a lovely new set of dresses.

I now felt a little guilty that I had reacted in such a way when I had seen her coming, as this was actually a very nice gift, but I’m still not sure if I have quite forgiven her for meddling in my love life yet.

I thanked Holly for the present, and she then placed the dresses on the floor in front of me, saying “Have fun” as she walked away to carry on with her daily business.

As I looked down at my new clothes, I could see they appeared to be a little glittery, hmmm, you all know how I feel about glitter ! … But they were a gift after all, and maybe they wouldn’t be anywhere near as bad as my original dress was, when it came to shedding sparkles. So, I excitedly proceeded to free them all from their plastic packaging.

It was whilst I was sitting there, happily having a proper look at all my new goodies, when I spotted Jem coming over to see me.

“So this is where you are hiding … Ooh new clothes ?!” she said rather excitedly.

I wasn’t quite sure at first which one I should respond to, but as I didn’t really want to get into the whole, I am hiding but I’m not thing again, we all know how well that conversation had gone with Rocky before, so I decided to focus more on the dresses part.

“Yes, Holly just gave them to me, aren’t they pretty” I replied, full of enthusiasm that I now had someone to share this girly moment with.

Jem sat herself down on the floor alongside me so that she could have a better look at everything, and I continued by showing her a necklace that I had found in the set.

“Oooh that’s nice” exclaimed Jem, looking at the little string of pale blue plastic beads in my hand.

I glanced at her a little as we talked, and came to the realisation that the necklace looked as though it would match her dress rather nicely, and so I offered it to her to try on.

She was a little hesitant at first, but when she finally agreed to give it a try, it was very clear that it really looked so very lovely with her dress and hat, and complimented the hint of blue colour in her eye shadow so well. I knew in that moment she would have to keep it, it was never going to look ‘that’ good or well placed on me.

“Oh Ella, I couldn’t possibly” was Jem’s initial response after I told her to keep the necklace.

“Look, I have more than enough new stuff here” I replied hoping that I could convince her to keep the little gift “besides, I never really wear necklaces anyway, so it would just go to waste, and end up getting lost … so in a way you would be doing me a favour”

“Oh alright then” she agreed joyfully “Thank you so much Ella”.

I really didn’t feel like she needed to thank me, after all the help and support I had received from her during my time here, I owed her much more than just a little plastic trinket. But I was pleased all the same that it had made her so happy.

Jem then looked at me full of excitement saying “So, which one are you gonna try on first then ?”.

I had been pondering that very question a little myself, but as I stood up I instantly knew the answer. It was the pink dress, it had to be the pink one, something about it was calling to me, so I picked it up and asked “how about this one ?”.

“Great” replied Jem, almost as though she would have started with exactly the same choice “well go put it on then, I cant wait to see you in it !”.

I went behind the little pile of boxes beside us to change, and when I came out again I felt ever so pretty, I strutted over to Jem and did my very best ‘bad’ hand on the hip model type pose, whilst enquiring “How do I look ?” in a playfully joking voice.

“Wow, Ella” said Jem, looking ever so impressed “Rocky’s gonna bust a limb joint when he see you in that !!”

She was probably right as well, Rocky has commented before on the fact that he loves it when I wear pink, supposedly he adores it when the colour of my dress matches my cheeks, when I get a little embarrassed and shy that is. And anything that helps me out, even the tiniest bit, during one of my awkward little moments has to be a good thing, doesn’t it.

Anyway, onto the next dress … This one was nice and comfortable, and was made of a stretchy fabric that felt all soft and silky to the touch. It was nice to have another version of my simple day dress, but for the life of us, Jem and I could not quite figure out why oh why they had made the apron part all sparkly ? What on earth use was that ? … oh well, still a nice addition to my wardrobe though.

The 3rd gown was a version of the classic blue Cinderella dress, but this one had a much slimmer skirt and a darker colour to my normal classic princess gown. Jem said she thought I looked ever so regal in it, and I must admit it did make me feel a bit more like a princess. At this point I caught myself wondering if my self-righteous twin would have treated Rocky and I better the other day had I been wearing this dress ? But I didn’t really want to dwell, and who cares what she thinks anyway !

“Oooh, I like the headband” said Jem, looking quite interestedly at my hair decoration as she continued “that really sets off the whole ensemble”.

I was pleased that she thought it looked so good on me but, in reality it was a little tight on my head, so I doubted that I would wear it that often, but then us girls always like to have options of extra accessories for when the need arises, don’t we ?!

This last outfit was my favourite one though, I was so very excited to have my very own nightdress! It’s not at all that common for us dolls to have night clothes, we usually end up having to sleep in whatever we have worn throughout the day, so this was a real novelty.

“Taa daaah !!” I blurted, oozing my overly eager enthusiasm for my new night wear.

“I like that” replied Jem with a big smile on her face, I could tell she was feeding on my excitement “I bet that will be so comfy to sleep in”.

And she was right, I felt so relaxed and at ease wearing it, so I decided I might as well keep it on for the rest for the rest of the day, after all it’s not like I would be going anywhere, seeing as I was still hiding out.

Now that the little fashion show was over with, I sat down next to Jem so that we could chat. I could tell as soon as I seated myself that there was something on her mind, and I started to wonder if indeed her visit with me today actually had a purpose beyond us getting distracted by all the girly new clothes excitement ?

“I don’t mean to pry Ella” she started, sounding ever so timid about even talking to me “and please tell me to mind my own business if you want to … I just wanted to know how you and Rocky are doing ? … you know, with all this Prince Charming business” The concern in her voice was ever so apparent, but I was a little confused by it, as I thought Rocky and I put all that behind us yesterday ?

I think Jem could see the bewilderment written all over my face, so she decided to be a little more clear in her meaning “It’s just that Rio and I adore you both, you’re like family to us … we would hate to see anything, or anyone, come between you”.

All this time while she was talking my mind started to wander, there had to be a reason why my closest friends were so worried ? Had Rocky said something ? Had Prince Prettyboy .. I mean Anthony ? Maybe I was being a little naïve yesterday in thinking that one little chat about the situation would make everything ok ? It was a lot to think about.

But then Jem was sitting here, still waiting for me to respond … oops oh dear !!

As I turned to her, I could feel all the confusion tying itself up in endless knots within my mind, and just like that, the world and everything in it seemed ever so complicated again.

“We talked a little about it yesterday” I finally responded, in such a meek, unsure of myself tone “I told him that I’m not interested in a flashy Prince, and that I only want him … he seemed to believe me at the time … do you think he didn’t then ?”.

Jem looked at me full of sympathy saying “Oh Ella, I don’t know … the minds of men can be a mystery you know, they seem to have their own unique way of dealing with things, that us girls will never understand, its all primal, instinctive and caveman like sometimes, especially when you hit the wrong nerve” yeah I got a great showing of that between the two of them yesterday, I thought to myself !

I could tell that there was more Jem wanted to say, but was being a little reluctant again, until she finally found her nerve once more “You have to remember though that none of us know what Anthony is really like, what he may do ? think ? or feels for that matter ? … so perhaps Rocky is not the ‘only’ guy who you need to talk to about this? Maybe you need to give Anthony the plain and simple truth of things too, so he also knows where he stands in all this ? …. Rather than just hiding away from everyone … and the whole situation … up here alone ?”

I could see what she meant, and felt ever so silly that I had convinced myself that hiding away would be the answer to my problems. I tried to smile at her, and nodded my head so she would know that I had heard and understood what she had said. It was then that she put her arm around me in a ‘big sisterly’ kind of way, and I knew that, even if I found it hard to face things, she would always be there for me when I needed her. She was such a good friend, who would always be honest with me and tell me the truth, even when I didn’t really want to know, or hear it.

The moment between us did not last long however, as we suddenly thought we heard voices crossing over from the other side of the wardrobe, and not just any voices, guy voices, and not just any guy, it was our guys !! This was a turn up for the books, they never came in here, were they lost or something ? As they certainly appeared to be when we saw them wandering through, looking a little confused and bewildered by all the pinkness and clothes everywhere.

Jem and I sat there watching them, they were like two little lost sheep, or fishes out of water, they were alone in an environment that was totally alien to them, I could not help but smile. It was quite obvious by now that they were looking for us, but rather than help out we just sat there and giggled waiting to see what they would do next.

They looked so relieved when they finally spotted where we were sitting “So this is where you’ve been hiding” said Rocky, looking his usual smiley mischievous self.

“Yeah, you’ve been gone ages” added Rio “We got a bit worried so decided to send out a search party, but seeing as ‘she’ never came back, we thought we had better go and find you both ourselves” he always seemed to have the most sarcastic sense of humour, but was a genuinely lovely and funny guy all the same.

Jem jumped up with great delight to see her husband, she was eagerly keen to show off the new necklace which I had given her.

“That’s smashing Babe” he said, looking ever so pleased at how happy the little gift had made his wife. He then turned to me saying quietly “Cheers Ella” and gave me a little friendly wink of appreciation.

Rocky’s face lit up like a Christmas tree at the sight of me, he took my hand in his, and stood back to get a better view, looking my up and down as he smiled with interest and enquired “Oooh, new dress ?”.

I giggled a little that he had actually noticed, but then something hit me, the realisation that … I was standing there, with Rocky & Rio, two guys … with me in my nightdress !! … Oooh !!! Somehow it felt so odd and wrong, and a little embarrassing for me to be seen by them in my bed clothes. But as they had not yet appeared to realise, I hoped that I was safe, for the moment at least.

I could not help but get so caught up in the lovingly engrossed way in which Rocky watched me. He looked so happy, so full of life, like he hadn’t a care in the world. At this point I was pretty much 99% convinced that he must be over the Prince Prettyboy problem of ours, yes I was very convinced … well perhaps 85% convinced .. but then again, OK 70% …. Alright I hadn’t got a clue in truth, as like Jem had said, the mind of a guy is like a strange unsolvable mystery to us women sometimes !

“Give us a twirl then ?” said Rocky cheekily, still full of enjoyment at seeing me so happy in my new little dress.

As I spun around though, he still had a firm hold of my hand, so I ended up twirling my way into his arms. I wondered if that is what he had planned all along ? He held me close, very close, and softly whispered in my ear “You look beautiful my Darling” as he gently kissed my cheek.

I now had a rather abrupt rush or exhilaration and excitement, I don’t know why? As its not like this was the first time Rocky had kissed me on the cheek, or the first time he had called me beautiful, perhaps it was the nightdress ? More likely it was the passionate way in which he was holding me close whilst I was wearing my bed clothes. Something about the whole thing felt a little taboo, and that was a touch thrilling to say the least.

Whilst I was getting a little side tracked, going over all these emotions in my head, Rocky whispered in my ear again “Sweetheart the nightdress is perfect for you” … what ?!? … what did he just say ?!?

I turned around to him a little startled and self-conscious as I ever so quietly murmured “So you knew ? you knew all along this is a nightdress ?”.

The look of bewilderment on his face was quite plain, he smiled at me and softly replied “Of course I knew, I’m not a total idiot you know” he then had a little chuckle and appeared a little devious as he went on to admit “besides, Holly had shown us all the dress set downstairs when she was looking for you earlier, so I kind of noticed it then”.

“Oh!” I whispered, for some reason I had a sudden feeling of utter embarrassment, almost as if I was standing there on show in my underwear with everyone staring at me, or something !

Noticing that my demeanour had become a little more uncomfortable and on edge, Rocky asked “It doesn’t bother you, does it ?” he had a look of genuine concern about him as he spoke.

“No … well yes” I replied, still trying to gather my thoughts to explain “…well, its just that … I dunno, I just feel a little awkward coz, … they are sort of, a personal intimate kind of thing … and … you’ve never seen me in a nightdress before !”

It may sound a little bit of an odd thing to be worrying me, especially as it had not really bothered me just a few moments ago, but somehow him knowing what the dress was made things feel totally different to me.

You see, I had always slept alone in my spot in the wardrobe, Calamity has her wigwam in the conservatory, Jem & Rio had their little place together on the sofa in the games room, but then they were married, so it was expected that they have the same sleeping place. But Rocky, he didn’t stay in the wardrobe, in fact, I am not entirely sure where he did sleep at night ? but I suspected that it was somewhere either in or near his cars. So we have never actually been together in that close, intimate, bed time, spending the night with one another kind of way.

“Sweetheart I’m sorry that it bothers you, but I cant really change the fact that I’ve seen it now, can I ?” he said chuckling lovingly, although as he continued to speak he was starting to sound more and more serious “My Darling, I want you to always feel comfortable around me, no matter what you are wearing, or what time of day or ‘night’ it is … you know, it might be nice to see the nightdress on you again some time?” Eh ?!? I started to feel a little curious at where he was leading with this ?

Rocky now looked a touch uncomfortable and was having a little trouble actually getting to the point of what he was trying to say to me, which left me feeling even more confused ? He took a deep breath and continued to try and finish “So perhaps it’s something we need to discuss at some point soon … you know … the idea of maybe, thinking about … living together ?”.

Living together ?!? … oh my!! That’s a big step! But for some reason the thought did not scare or worry me at all, in truth, it almost sounded more natural than the current way we both lived in separate parts of the house. You know what, I think I like the idea a lot. It was then that everything started to bubble up inside me …

I was so shocked, excited and overjoyed at what Rocky had just asked me, and also that I had admitted to myself that I really liked the idea, I couldn’t help but leap into his arms with happiness. I think he was a little taken aback by my overly zealous and eager reaction. But he did look ever so pleased and relieved that I had not taken offence to his suggestion.

My enthusiasm continued, spilling over, to when my feet touched the floor as he put me down, I planted a big passionate kiss on his lips. Again I appeared to have taken him by surprise, but I’m sure he wasn’t going to mind my affectionate response really, after all it seemed to me that he was rather enjoying my directness.

“Oh man, will you two get a room ?!” said Rio in a lovely playfully sarcastic tone, it was an obvious response to Rocky & mines rather public display of affection.

I had almost forgotten they had been standing their all this time, but at this point I didn’t really care what they had seen, I was just so happy, I could have floated away on a little fluffy cloud.

Rocky looked at me, his face was so very delighted as he chuckled and said “I’ll take that as a yes to the idea then, shall I ?”.

I felt so perfectly content, this is just what the two of us needed, we would be able to get to know each other on an even more personal level. And it would be the start of some kind of proper commitment between us! … I would be lying if I said I wasn’t already thinking about the possibility of where that could lead us to ? … dum dum dee dum, dum dum dee dum … oh no I shouldn’t be thinking that already, honestly what am I like ? … Back to the moment and focus on the joy at hand please !

It was then that Rocky turned back to Rio and Jem in response to their ‘Get a room’ comment, and smiled at them simply saying,

“That’s ‘exactly’ what we’re planning to do !”.