Bittersweet - Chapter one

Sandra's POV - 1 Year Later

I came out of class pretty late this time. Mum made me take art classes and although I was against it I'm starting to enjoy it now.

"Sandra!" I turned to see Chris leaning against the wall smiling slyly.

"You've been waiting for me?" My eyes widened. He never really liked waiting for anyone. He walked towards me and kissed me lightly on the lips.

"Of course. So... wanna go somewhere with me?"

I looked at him, clearly baffled. He never acted like this before. I raised an eyebrow and before I could say anything, Chris was walking me to the car.

"Where are you taking me? Chris, I have to go home and study for the bio quiz," I said.

"Since when have you decided to study? Don't worry about it... I'll explain it to you quickly later."

I smiled. I couldn't care less about anything else... As long as I'm with him everything else doesn't matter. I held tightly onto his arm and he grinned.
"Are you ready for today? I got you a big surprise," he said. I blinked. What surprise? "Why? Is today special?"

He stared at me for a whole minute then laughed. "Are you serious?! Well, you'll know when we're there."

He drove for a full two hours. When we got there I got out excited to see what the surprise was. It was a whole different place than where I was at first. This place looked like heaven. There were all kinds of flowers and the air felt really fresh. The sky was a light blue with lots of clouds. What surprised me more was the really big house in front of me... no, it was a castle.

I must be dreaming. Chris held my hand and walked me somewhere else. "There's more..." He said. More than this?! Seriously, what's the occasion?!

We walked for a few minutes then I saw the cutest coffee shop... Ironically, it was called Sandra. I saw my name shining above in cursive. We walked inside and noticed it was empty. No one was there.

"Mark! Where are you?" Chris called out.

A tall guy with really familiar warm brown eyes came out from a room at the back. I gasped, and felt my cheeks heat up. It was the guy from last year... the one from the party. He grinned. "Hey."

"Wait! Why is he here?" I asked.

"I'm glad you still remember me." Mark walked towards me and patted my head I stared at him in disbelief. Chris pushed his hand away. "Don't touch her."

"Why is it empty? I didn't even see one person here," I asked.

"Then do you think I'm a dog?" Mark snorted.

I ignored him. "Chris?"

"Because this world is mines and yours. No one else can know about it. This can be our kingdom. If you don't feel safe you just have to come here. If you feel lonely you can always come here," he said.

"Why would I feel lonely with you around? And why are you making me feel like a kid? Seriously, why isn't anyone here?"

He grinned. "Wait! If no one's allowed to know about this place... then why is he here?" I asked, pointing at Mark who at this point was leaning against the counter looking amused.

"Oh him? Treat him as your slave. He'll do anything you ask him to."

Mark straightened up. "Hey! Just because I'm being nice... doesn't mean you can use me."

Mark went back into what seemed the kitchen and I couldn't stop laughing. I seriously never knew there would be a place like this. It was beautiful... warm, and it gave off the feeling of love and protection. It was magical... the feeling, the place... everything.

I sat down on the sofa and smiled. Chris sat beside me and took my hand in his. He took out a silver charm bracelet and put it around my hand. It had a huge heart dangling from it with an, 'I love you' written on it.

"Happy 17th birthday Sandra," he said. Oh god! He did all this for my birthday?! I could feel tears flowing down my cheeks.
I got up and hugged him tightly. "I love you Chris. Really, you're the only reason I'm happy right now... I don't know..."

"Ok, ok Sandra. You are emotional although you act tough all the time. Well, I'm glad I can bring that out in you," he said. I stood hugging him like that for a while until he pulled back.

"I love you too," he said before pulling me in for a kiss.

I really couldn't imagine a day without him. I've had a lot of memories with and if he ever left remembering them would only bring pain. I held onto him tighter and he tensed. He quickly pulled back. "Sandra?"

Mark got in at that instant holding a cake with chocolate frosting. "You can't cry on your birthday. Come on, make a wish," Mark winked.

"Hey! Don't flirt with my girl!!" Chris hissed.

"I got a present too," Mark said, completely ignoring Chris.

"Thank you," I said. I opened the wrapper and what I found left me staring with shock...