Monday, January 5, 2015 | 9:15 PM | 0 Alien
Sometimes you just have to stop searching for love because one day, love will eventually find its way to you.
OK.
Calm down. This is not the end of the world if he marries someone else. I can
always find someone like him. Yes, find someone like him. It won’t be that
hard, right? I can always tell my friends to set me up for a blind date – or
plenty of blind dates, I don’t care – and I don’t have to worry about not
having a boyfriend anymore. Yes, that’s my plan for now. No worries, Nicole Ashburn,
you will be married by 26.
“What
are you doing?” Jess peeks into my room, which actually scares the hell out of
me. That’s Jess, my best friend and my apartmentmate (if the word ever exists).
I’ve known her ever since we were 5 and to be honest with you, I always always
always get jealous of her because she’s just perfect. She can get everything
she wants in just a snap of the fingers. OK, maybe not in just a snap of the
fingers, but it seems somehow like that. She can just ask her parents and
they’d give her anything. Hmm… I wish my parents were her parents.
I
close my things-to-do-before-I-get-married list and look at her.
“Nothing.”
I flash her a smile as she walks towards me.
“Are
you OK?” Her voice is low, covered in worry. A sigh escapes my lips. I nod to
her question, telling her that I’m perfectly fine—maybe not perfectly fine but
yeah, I’m just fine.
“So,
what are you gonna do now that Steven is planning on marrying someone else?”
Steven
was my boyfriend. I had been crushing on him ever since we were 16 when he
first moved here, in California. He was really hot – tall, beautiful blue eyes,
perfectly-built body – he was just perfection. He didn’t notice me at all until
one day; I fell down the stairs and landed on him accidentally. Thank God he
was there, really, or I would break my legs. Ever since that incident happened,
he started to ask me out and I said yes. Cliché but true. And we lasted for a
great 9 and a half years until he suddenly wanted to break up with me. But
above all, I still think he’s hot.
I shake my head as I hand Jess the list. She
looks at it carefully as I slowly speak, “going to blind dates would be okay.”
“Are
you serious, Nicky? That is so not you! You’re not desperate to have a
boyfriend!” Jess beams as she takes another glance on the list. “Find someone
like Steven? Gosh, he leaves you. Why should you find someone like him?”
“Listen,
Jess. First, I need a companion. Second, Steven is hot. Third, so what if he
leaves me? He might have been so upset after he left me.” Jess raises an
eyebrow as she looks at me as if I’ve said something wrong.
“I
don’t wanna tell you this, Nicky, but I really need to.” She sighs.
“What
is it?”
“He
thinks you’re a joke.” I am taken aback. Me? A joke? Pfftt, he gotta be kidding
me.
“I’m
not a joke.”
“But
he thinks you are.”
“But
I am not a joke! He said I was a princess in his Dreamland!” I am so mad. How
dare he?!
“For
someone like him, a princess in his Dreamland is just a joke.” An expression of
hurt can be clearly seen on my face. I don’t know what to say, really. Is that
what he has in his mind after all these years? Stupid!
“Come
on, Nicky. Cheer up! At least you didn’t waste your money on him, right?” I
look at Jess in disbelief. That’s a really great way to cheer me up. Well done,
Jess!
“I
wasted almost 10 years with him!” But those 10 years were the best part in my
life. They always cheer me up when I’m down. I can’t call that a waste, can I?
“Right.
Not to mention you wasted your love towards him. And your tears too. Gosh,
that’s a lot of waste!” Jess exclaims as a matter-of-fact and believe me, I
really feel like punching her beautiful face right now.
“Thanks
for stating the obvious.” I roll my eyes at her as she laughs.
“Most
welcome, Princess.” She bows as if I were really a princess and I giggle. Oh
how I miss giggling.
“Eww,
don’t call me a princess. It makes me think of that bastard.” Jess sits beside
me as she holds my hand tightly. Her eyes stare at me for a few moments.
“What?”
“Nothing.
I just miss you.” My lips turn into a smile.
“Miss
me? Nonsense.” Jess caresses my hand as she says, “you’re better off without
him, believe me.”
“I
hope so,” I speak as my mind starts to wander where to start my new life of a
single lady.
“Hey,
let’s start ticking off one of your list.” Jess takes my list as she draws a
big star next to the word blind date.
“Blind
date? This quick?” And she just smiles.
^_^_^_^_^_^_^
Dude,
I swear I look pretty amazing in this new dress Jess bought for me for this
date. It is simple yet elegant and it gives off the good girl vibe. Yes, that’s
what I need to impress this guy called E. Jess said he is a handsome geek, so
he practically loves good girls. Alright, I do know some people with their
names start with E, but none of them is a geek as far as I know. But... OMG I
do know a geek with E as his first initial name! It’s Eddy Watsons. Gosh, I
really hope it’s not him. I never tell people this but I think he’s annoying.
Yes, he is kinda good-looking but look at him, he’s really awkward with people
and it makes me annoyed. But hey, 10 years had passed. I’m pretty sure he has
changed by then... Or not.
“Are
you done yet? He’s here.” Jess comes into my room only to find me frowning.
“What’s up, Nicky? You’re frowning.” I then quickly plaster a smile on my face
as I turn to her. She’s wrapping her arms around her body as she leans against
the door.
“This
is not a blind date, you know that, right? He shouldn’t be picking me up.” I
finish my final touch on my lips with a cherry pink lip balm as Jess says, “so
what if he picks you up? You two can have a good conversation in the car.”
“Oh
please,” I say, rolling my eyes to her reflection in the mirror. I don’t think
I can actually have a good conversation with a geek in the car. I can imagine
it be really awkward and full of silence and OMG this is going to be boring.
“I’m
just nervous, Jess. I don’t know how to impress people, especially a geek!” She
giggles.
“Come
on, Nicky, you can impress people by just being yourself. Believe me, he’ll
love you.” I walk past her and grab my purse on the coffee table. “Enjoy
yourself, Nicky, don’t be so tensed!” I wave her goodbye as I walk out of the
apartment I shared with her.
“Okay,
how should I greet him? Hi? Nice to meet you? Hello? What’s your name? Gosh
this is frustrating!” I say to myself as I wait for the elevator to come, not
realizing someone is standing beside me, until he finally speaks, “Hello, I’m
Daniel Waters. I just moved here.” I turn to him in surprise.
“That’s
how you should greet people,” he adds when I raise my eyebrow at him.
“Oh.
Thanks.” I nod at him in an embarrass smile.
“You’re
welcome.” Once the elevator comes, we both step into the metal box and he asks,
“what’s your name?”
“Oh
sorry. I’m Nicole Ashburn. I live here for quite a long time before and umm...
Yeah, I can tell we’re neighbors?” I clutch my purse tightly in awkwardness as
I look everywhere but him. I bite my lower lip and he giggles. “Yes, I can tell
too that we’re neighbors.”
Just
as the elevator opens, I can see a tall figure dressed in a beautiful gray suit
standing at the receptionist, back facing me. “Nice to meet you, Nicole,” Daniel
says as he walks towards an old-looking woman in her late 50s and gives her a
peck on both cheeks. Then, as I turn my gaze on the man in the gray suit, I see
him giving someone a call. And surprisingly, my phone rings. I wait until the
third ring and I answer the call.
“Hello?”
I speak carefully as my feet drag me closer towards him. He turns around and my
guess is right. It’s Eddy Watsons. And Gosh, he looks so gorgeous with that
black hair.
“Alright,
I see you.” He ends the call. His lips form a thin line of smile and he takes
my hand in the most gentleman way. I return his smile but then my mind just
wonders if he knows my name or not. I mean, yeah, we had some classes together
for a few months until he had to move back to Tennessee when his father got his
job back. But recently, I heard he came back to California cause he wanted to
see his long-time-crush but it turned out she had married Jason Brown. Sad
life, I know. Oh wait, forgot to tell ya I get all these information from The
Gossip Girls (a group of about 30 girls gossiping about other people, created
by Jess cause she loves gossips and believe me, she knows a lot of people and a
lot of secrets, too) I had to be a part of the group cause Jess is the admin
and she’s my best friend so yeah, like it or not, I just had to be in the group.
The group plays a big role in my life too. It helps me to know other people
‘better’.
The
ride to the restaurant is so awkward I can actually die out of boredom. He asks
me cliché things like what’s my favorite color, favorite food, and such.
Please, I need a break from him. He’s a geek for God’s sake! Why doesn’t he
know what to ask a girl? He must’ve read it somewhere before. For some reasons,
I don’t think this date is going to work out. Maybe I should just sit in my
room, enjoy my cup of coffee and watch movies. That way, I can actually find a
husband in my mind. Urgh, I hate myself for taking rush actions. I don’t need a
blind date, especially with Eddy Watsons!
“Hey?
Nicole?” Eddy shakes my body slightly, waking me up from my thoughts. “We’re
here.” I climb out of his Audi and a big restaurant before me just looks
stunning. He leads me into the second floor of the restaurant and I think I
just fall in love... with this restaurant. It is elegantly-decorated and I can
hear the beautiful and soothing piece of music piercing into my ears and melt
me away. Eddy takes my hand as we walk straight along the path covered in red
rose petals and small candles alongside the path and right that moment, I am
just so blank. I am so immersed into the romantic vibe the restaurant is giving
me that I can’t understand what Eddy is saying. I can see his mouth moving but
my mind just doesn’t want to understand what he says.
“Who’s
your favorite singer?” I can hear myself ask him out of a sudden when I see him
looking down at his fingers on his lap. He looks up to me, giving me that
I-don’t-get-it look.
“Who’s
your favorite singer?” I ask again, this time, adding a smile on my face.
“Taylor
Swift. I mean, yeah, I like some other singers too but Taylor Swift is just so
amazing.” I plaster an awkward smile on my face as I ask myself why I blurted
out the question. The untouched smoked chicken in front of me suddenly doesn’t
look appealing anymore and I just feel like going home after asking such a dumb
question. Urgh, Nicky, why are you so stupid? Have some cool conversations with
him, won’t ya?!
“You
know what, I think Taylor Swift is amazing too,” I say, trying hard to
live up our conversation. To be honest, Taylor is definitely not my favorite
singer although her songs are really really really wonderful. I just don’t know
why—okay kidding, I started to dislike her when she dated Taylor Lautner. So,
if you ask me whom do I like then I’d say Miley Cyrus. Let alone her attitude,
but dude, she can sing! This girl can actually sing and you know, if you listen
to Drive and Someone Else, you’d know how fragile she really is.
We
talk about Taylor Swift throughout the date, which is really bizarre but yeah,
it’s fine with me. I can actually feel that we have some connections between us
in music. We then go for a walk along the park somewhere near the restaurant.
The night somehow looks more beautiful than it used to be. Or maybe it’s just
me.
“I
heard you’re desperate to find a boyfriend,” Eddy speaks after a few moments of
silence between us. I turn to him, and then change the gaze to the front. A
small sigh escapes my mouth as I do so.
“I’m
not desperate. I just need someone to distract me from thinking of my
ex-boyfriend.”
“Oh,
sorry.” I can hear the sincerity in his voice but I don’t dare to look at him.
I’m afraid I might cry.
“I’m
in the same boat as you are, but the difference is that she is not my lover or
my ex-lover,” he says, voice laced with sadness. When we see a bench beside us,
he gestures me to sit first as he adds, “I was too stupid to think she’s still
single. I came here to see her but unfortunately, she’s married.”
“So
what makes you stay here? Why don’t you go back to Tennessee?” Eddy sighs but
then he gives me a small smile. His gray eyes look so gorgeous under the sky
full of shining stars. But the more I look into his eyes, I can see sadness
pooling in them.
“Because
I still have some feelings towards her. She’s my first love, after all.”
“Guess
we can never be together, huh?” I joke, earning a small laugh from him. “I
guess so,” he adds.
“So,
how are things between you and your ex-boyfriend? Do you still have feelings
for him? Do you still love him?” The last question just hits me hard. Do I
still love him? Of course, I do. I’m pretty sure I still do. But if I do, then
why did I go to the date in the first place? Why did I need something to
distract me from thinking about him? Why—oh just got the answer from myself.
Because I love myself more than him.
^_^_^_^_^_^_^
Just
as I open the door, Jess bombards me with lots of questions with her full mouth
munching on chocolate chips cookies. I drop my purse on the table and throw
myself on the comfortable couch I got from my parents for my birthday last
year. A sigh escapes my lips as I turn to Jess, who is still asking me some
questions. God, can she not?!
“We’re
not gonna be more than friends,” I state, hoping it will answer all of her
questions. But instead, she asks me another round of questions like why don’t
you two work out, does he not like you, does he smell and such and honestly, I
just don’t feel like telling her anything as for now.
“I’m
tired, Jess. Please, let me sleep.” She stops munching, looking surprised but
then her face calms.
“Alright.
But make sure you tell me everything tomorrow morning, okay?” Jess says with
puppy eyes. Gosh, those cute puppy eyes. How can I say no to her?
“OK.”
I get
into my room, change into pajamas and lay on my bed, hoping to get some sleep.
But instead, I only stare the ceiling for only-God-knows-how-long and I count
five thousand two hundred and ten sheep and I still find myself not sleeping.
Eddy’s words keep playing inside my mind.
“Maybe
we’re not fated to have love in our lives.”
Maybe
he’s right. Maybe we’re not fated to have love in our lives.
Maybe
we’re not supposed to be loved at all.
^_^_^_^_^_^_^
I
wake up to Jess singing her favorite song, Girl On Fire by Alicia Keys, while
cooking something that smells like curry in the kitchen. I don’t know what time
is it but the sun is shining brightly in the sky. I take a glance on the
hanging clock on the wall and it shows 2.15 p.m. Thank God it’s Sunday.
“Hey,”
I greet Jess. She stops singing, asking me if I had a good night sleep last
night.
I sit
on the stool, nodding as if she can see me from her back. I turn around and my
phone on the table just calls me like Mommy come and check me. I click a small
button on the phone, turning it on, only to be surprised by 1000++ messages
from The Gossip Girls in WhatsApp. Gosh, these girls are insane!
“Seriously,
Jess? Over a thousand messages from TGG?” I don’t bother to read them all. My
stomach is killing me right now and that’s it. I don’t want anything to kill me
again.
The
blonde girl giggles and says, “Because we’re TGG.” Jess puts her finished curry
into the Vantage bowl she bought with her first salary. She’s a lawyer but
funny, she doesn’t look like one unless if she wears her black suit and
signature glasses. And honestly, I just don’t know how she gets to be a lawyer.
I mean, look at her, she’s so beautiful and talkative and funny and—being a
lawyer doesn’t suit her well, except for the fact that she can recognize liars
by just looking in their eyes.
“This
is specially cooked to celebrate your date last night!” I raise my eyebrow to her.
Dude, you gotta be kidding me seriously.
“To
celebrate my date? It doesn’t work out, Miss Wilson.” Jess pulls the chair in
front of me and sits. Her eyes look nowhere but me.
“And
why is it, Miss Ashburn, that it doesn’t work out?” I pause for awhile. OK,
should I tell her from A to Z? From negative infinity to infinity?
“Nicky,
you promised me!” She whines like a baby. “Tell me, tell me!”
“Alright.
Stop it. I’ll tell you.” She quickly stops whining. What an actress!
“It
was going quite well until we talked about our love life. He still has some
feelings towards his crush and so do I. So... umm... we decided to stay
friends. That’s it.” Jess looks quite unhappy. Her eyes searching mine, looking
for the truth.
“That’s
it?” I nod, trying hard not to look at her. “You sure that’s it?” I bite my
lower lip. I really want to tell her but she might laugh at me. “Nicole
Ashburn, I’m talking to you.”
“OK,
fine. That’s not it. He said that we’re the victims of the cruel love. Maybe
we’re not fated to have love in our lives. Maybe we’re not fated to be loved at
all. And we just decided to give up on love. Both of us.” I look up to Jess,
waiting for her reply. She is speechless but I can’t find any trace of
expression on her face. I sense the serious in the situation right now so I
just distract myself with food. I shove a big spoonful of rice curry into my
mouth and the curry just melts in my mouth. God, this is heavenly great! But I
shouldn’t be happy though, now that Jess is still speechless.
“Give
up on love?” She finally speaks in a low voice. “After all these years, you
just want to give up on love?”
“It’s
not that bad. I have you, my family and my career. I don’t need love in my
life.” I try to sound fine, even though I’m sure she can hear the sadness in my
voice. She can see the traces of love in my eyes. She just knows me very well.
“One
day, I’m gonna be busy with my life. I’m gonna get married, have kids and my
own family to care about. So does your family, your siblings. And career... You
know you will have to retire soon when you’re old, right?”
“During
those days, when we’re old and retired, when I’m busy with my grandchildren,
and your family busy with their own lives, what are you going to do with your
life?” she adds. I look down on my half-eaten food, trying to search some
answers to her question there.
“I
don’t know.” I sigh. “Maybe I can adopt some kids to be my children. Or I can
spend the remaining of my life reading Harry Potter until I remember every
single word in every book. That would be exciting.” I hint of smile escapes my
lips. Jess shakes her head to my stupid imagination but her face calms.
“Or
maybe you can spend your time writing a novel of your boring life. I’d be
boring but I would buy that book.” We both giggle.
“I
can get Mark to publish the novel, if he’s still working there.”
Mark
Howard is a new colleague of mine, 3 years younger than me. We basically love
the same genre of books – sci-fi and horror – and he has got great taste in
books. I’m sure he can go far in the industry with that kind of taste. And oh,
I forget to tell you that I’m actually a book editor. My world revolves around
books and Jess and Steven—oh well, he used to.
“But
are you really sure you want to give up on love?” I look up to Jess. I nod.
“At
least for now.”
^_^_^_^_^_^_^
It’s
almost been a year since the last time I ever had a boyfriend. And it feels
awesome. I’m 27 and still unmarried but I’m enjoying my life to the fullest
now. Jess is currently busy planning on her wedding day with Edward Kim which
will be held next week in Korea. She’s been there for about two weeks now,
leaving me behind in California, alone. OK, maybe not really alone, though.
Sometimes I go shopping for books with Mark. Sometimes I call Eddy and we talk
about our lives. Sometimes I spend my time gossiping with TGG through WhatsApp.
And sometimes Daniel will keep me company until evening. We are getting along
very well ever since our first encounter in front of the elevator. He is just
so nice. I still remember the day when I held 5 thick novels in my hand on my
way home and when he saw me, he voluntarily helped me until we reached my
apartment. Yes, it was just a small deed but he still helped me. And I still
think he’s nice for doing that, even though I happened to know that he was just
trying to catch my attention. He told me that. Really.
It
was one of those typical evenings when it happened. We just finished watching
The Fault In Our Stars and he suddenly seemed different.
“Nicky,” he called me. I turned to him as
I munched on the remaining popcorns in the big porcelain bowl.
“Yes?”
“I’ve always wanted to tell you this but
I never got the chance to,” he says is a very low and deep voice, showing me
the different side of him. He had always been cheerful and cute and funny. But
now that his voice had changed, I could sense something fishy was in the air.
“What is it?” I asked, mouth still
munching on the caramel popcorns. His lips turned into a small smile before he
said, “you look very beautiful when you munch too many popcorns in your mouth.”
And that was it. I accidentally choked my popcorns out of surprise. I couldn’t
breathe properly. Damn this kid.
“Sorry.” He apologized when I was OK. I
looked at him, raising an eyebrow.
“Sorry not accepted, Mr. Waters. I nearly
die!” I put some dramatic expressions on my face which I learned from Jess (she
does that always). But then Daniel smirked.
“It’s OK. I don’t need you to forgive me.
I can forgive myself.” WHAT?! I couldn’t believe this boy! He nearly killed me
and he said he could forgive himself. OMG what kind of species was he?
“Whatever you say, Dan.” I rolled my
eyes. “Is that true, though?” I added, searching for his eyes.
“Of course not,” he said before he added,
“you’re the most beautiful when you choke yourself to death.” And he laughed
hysterically.
“I didn’t die yet, Dan!” I smacked him
playfully but I was pretty sure it was a little hard because he yelped in pain
as I did so. But he deserved it for making fun of me.
A few moments passed until we were sane
and normal like we used to before Daniel made that funny remarks about me. I
was about to go home when he stopped me at the door. I turned around to see him
standing tall before me.
“Umm... Good night.” He flashed me a
beautiful smile and I replied his smile. “Good night too.” I turned my heels,
walked for about three steps when he suddenly said, “you are beautiful in
everything you do.” I stopped, back facing him.
“You just caught my eyes in the first
sight. I just moved here for a day when I saw you coming out of the elevator
with thick books in your hands, blocking your sight. You were so cute when you
dropped them onto the floor but one of the books hit your left foot and you
cursed it over and over again but then you kissed it, saying you were sorry.”
He was right. I once did that but I didn’t see people around me when I cursed
the book and then apologized to it. OMG was he the invisible man? Or did he
have any invisible cloak? Why didn’t I see him?
“Then, one evening, I just happened to
see you holding some books in your hand and to attract your attention, I
decided to help you.” His plan was working, no offense. He did attract my
attention but... He didn’t attract my heart. Too bad.
“So, I’m just wondering. Will you- Will
you—“ OMG did he just try to ask me out? Yes or no? Of course no. I promised
Eddy to give up on love.
“No. I’m sorry.” I turned around, only to
see him standing a foot in front of me.
“I haven’t finished yet though. I’m just
wondering if... umm...” He hesitated.
“What is it, really?”
“Will you be my best friend?” He asked
that really fast and then he just ran away.
Right,
that was so embarrassing but hey, I apologized to him and we became best
friends.
“Ring...
Ring...” My phone rings, snapping me into the reality. I quickly answer the
call, not even care to see who’s the caller.
“Nicky
here.”
“NICKY!
I miss you!” Jess beams excitedly on the other line, which almost makes me
deaf.
“You
called me last night, Jess.” I shake my head to her, as if she can see me
through the phone call. I can’t believe she’s actually getting married with
Edward Kim. Ed is half Korean half American and Jess met him when she traveled
to Seoul. He’s a tour guide though. I mean, no offense, a tour guide is okay
but I’m actually expecting her to marry a businessman or a doctor.
“A
call is just a call. I still miss you. I want to see you head to toe right
now.” She whines.
“I
can take a picture of me from head to toe and send it to you. How does it
sound?” That sounds like a very good idea. I’m suddenly feel proud of myself.
“I
want you to be here, in front of me, be by my side.” I sigh. This girl is such
a baby.
“I
have work to do, Jess. I’ll fly to Korea this Saturday, alright?” I can hear
some people talking in Korean through the call when she just remains silent.
“I
take that as an OK. See you in 4 days, Jess! Gotta go, bye.” I end our
conversation. She must’ve been upset but believe me, I really can’t fly there
any sooner than Saturday. These upcoming 3 days are packed with meeting and
events and more events. I throw myself on the couch in my office as I look at
the ceiling, sighing.
^_^_^_^_^_^_^
As I
step out of the door, I can see Jess with her new black hair in a ponytail,
together with Ed. Both of them wave to me and I quicken my pace towards them.
“Nicky,
I miss you!” Jess beams happily as she gives me a bear hug. When she lets me
go, I shake hands with Ed. But then, Jess looks around as if she’s trying to
find someone.
“What
is it, Jess?”
“You’re
alone?” I nod. Is she expecting me to bring someone with me?
“Where’s
Dan?” I shrug. “I don’t know.”
“What
do you mean you don’t know?” Jess asks, earning a sigh from Ed. How should I
know when I’m definitely not with him?
“He
came here yesterday. I thought you’re with him. So I didn’t give him a call.”
OMG did he just go missing?!
We
are so panic that we don’t know what to do. We try to call him so many times
but he doesn’t answer his phone. So, I try to message him through WhatsApp.
He’s online though.
Where r u? Thought you’re with Jess and
Ed yesterday. What happened to u?
He’s
typing...
Met someone for my business. Sorry didn’t
tell you guys. I forgot.
Wow.
That’s a relief.
^_^_^_^_^_^_^
The
big day has finally arrived! I wear a plain white dress with some colorful
plastic flowers attached to the side of my waist, blue wedges from Gucci which
I specially bought for this wedding and I put some additional touch to my hair
with the pretty headband Dan bought for me during our trip to the amusement
park. I don’t want to tell about it in details cause I’m really excited for
this wedding but something for sure, the trip was really wonderful. Dan told me
a lot about himself – that he used to live in Korea but he had to move to
California to open some branches of his business there (he doesn’t trust anyone
to do this errand), but his parents still live in Korea though and more. No
wonder he speaks Korean very well.
“We’re
here.” The voice of Dan snaps me out of my daydream. I climb out of his car and
look at my reflection through the tinted window, fixing my hair.
“How
do I look?” I ask him when he takes my hand. He takes a good look at me for a
while, which makes me blush a little. Gosh, believe me, he looks so hot in that
black suit, especially with his hair swiped to the right. But no, of course I
don’t have any feelings for him. I just blush because he looks more handsome
than his usual look. That’s all.
“You
look OK,” he answers as he turns to the front. I feel quite disappointed, don’t
know why. We walk to the great hall, and I see Ed looking so smart in his
wedding suit, hugging some people I don’t know as he gestures them into the
hall. His mother is also there with him.
“Just
OK?” Dan shrugs.
“What
do want me to say? Beautiful? Gorgeous? Amazing?” I am taken aback. He’s right.
What do I want him to say? Urgh stupid me.
“Nothing.”
I can hear a hint of disappointment in my voice as I say so. Gosh, this is
embarrassing. He won’t think I have some feelings for him, will he?
As I
approach Ed’s mother and felicitated both of them, I hand Ed a
beautifully-decorated box filled with a brand new Canon camera which Jess has
always wanted to buy after her beloved camera was broken. Ed then gestures Dan
and I to take a seat in the hall.
I am
amazed! The hall looks so wonderful with those bouquets of red roses and tulips
and lilies placed everywhere in the hall. There’s a small blue light at the
center of each bouquet, which is actually my idea. The round tables were
covered in sky blue table covers, and a beautiful twin scented candle is placed
on every table, giving off the romantic yet simple vibe. Meanwhile, the stage
looks so cute with a lot of balloons making a big shape of heart. And Gosh,
look at that—
“Sorry.”
I turn to Dan, who is looking down at his fingers on his lap.
“Excuse
me?” Why does he apologize? Gosh, I don’t get this guy. This second he’s
cheerful and then next second he becomes serious all of a sudden and then the
next second he turns into the typical guy he is. What a headache!
“You
look stunning,” he adds. OMG OMG OMG did he just say I look stunning? I must
have been dreaming, right? OMG I’m blushing. Why does my heart beat so fast?
“Th-
Thanks?” I bite my bottom lip. It’s just me or is it getting warm here?
Suddenly,
the light dims and the blue light in every bouquet shine, creating an elegant
vibe to the event. The drum rolls and the other instruments just play one by
one until all of them join in and create a beautiful harmony together. I don’t
know what piece they’re playing but it sounds very romantic. Then, my eyes
catch the figure of Jess and her father walking down the aisle. Jess looks so
gorgeous in her long silk wedding dress and Gosh, look at those beautiful
gloves in sky blue! I picked them for her just in case she doesn’t feel like
wearing her white gloves. No offense, really, but those white gloves doesn’t
match her silk dress.
Jess
hugs her father when she almost reaches Ed. Then, Ed bows 90 degrees to her
father which makes me think that he is indeed a very nice guy. I catch a
glimpse of small smile on his face when he finally stood straight, taking
Jess’s hand.
And
then blah blah blah, I don’t understand Korean, but when the guests cheer, I cheer
too. Now that they have officially married (I’m pretty sure they have said the
‘I do’ part), the photographer takes a few photos of them together before they
call their family members to take pictures with them. Jess calls me and Dan to
join their family photos. I’m touched. Really. Can’t believe Jess is officially
married by now.
Next,
Jess tells me to join the other guests because she is about to throw her
bouquet. I honestly don’t feel like catching it. I mean, I’ve given up on
finding love, so why should I join them? But Jess insists and forces me to join
the other girls.
“Alright,”
I say, pouting. I head towards the girls who are gathering to catch the
bouquet. Jess turns around, back facing us.
“I’m
going to throw it!” The girls are getting ready. OK should I or shouldn’t I?
“One, two, three!” She throws the bouquet and a girl in the pale pink dress
catches the bouquet. I shrug.
“Told
ya. I’m not fated to have love and marriage.” I smile painfully to myself, turn
around and get away from those girls. I look down on my shoes. Maybe I do want
to taste the sweetness of love. Maybe I do want to enjoy the marriage after all
now that Jess is married. Hmm... Maybe I shouldn’t have given up on love. Maybe
I should’ve continued to find my love. Urgh, this is so frustra—
“Ouch!”
I yelp in pain when something hard hits my chest. But I manage to grab it
though. I look down at my hands. A small heart-shaped box in red. I look up and
I see Dan smirking before me.
“Who
says you’re not fated to be loved?” He asks in his charming low voice, taking a
few steps closer to me.
Thump thump.
My
heart is beating fast.
Thump thump.
“Who
says you should give up on love?” He adds, closing the distance between us.
Thump thump.
My
heart is beating faster now.
Thump thump.
“You
may have given up on finding love. But love will eventually find its way to
you.” Dan is now right in front of me, eyes looking straight into mine. I bite
my bottom lip. What is this feeling? What does he try to do? A prank?
“Open
the box.” I slowly open the box, hoping to find a ring. But funny, it’s not a
ring. It’s a key and a piece of small paper with a set of numbers written on
it.
120614
My
eyes turn to Dan. “What is this?” He flashes a smile.
“That’s
the key to my heart.” He answers. OMG so cheesy but I don’t know. I think I’m
loving it.
“And
those numbers are the code to our house,” he says, pointing to the piece of
paper.
“Our
house? What’s your point, really?” Please don’t tell me he’s confessing to me.
Please let it be a prank. Please...
“Be
my woman. Marry me.” I laugh.
“This
is so weird. You’re not pulling a prank on me, are you?” He looks surprised.
But then his expressions calms.
“No.
I’m serious.” I pause for a while.
“OK.
I’ll marry you.” I say coolly. I am so excited right now but I shouldn’t show
him. I don’t want him to see me easy.
“Just
OK?”
“What
do you want me to say? It’s an honor to marry you? I’m so happy to marry you?
Or I don’t want to marry you? Which one?” I wrap my arms around my body as I
raise an eyebrow to him. He smiles, shaking his head. Oh, yes baby, I use his
words.
“You’re
so mean.” He playfully smacks my head. I laugh.
“But
you still love me. It’s all that matters.” He tries to wrap his arms around my
waist but I pull away.
“Imma
kill you if you do that again.” He looks puzzled. “Don’t touch me until we get
married.”
“Oh
man!” he whines.
- The End -
Angel of Blue Diamond Saturn!
