Some Enchanted Evening 4

I couldn’t sleep last night. Maybe the reason has something to do with guilt feelings or maybe unforeseen sadness. All I know is that amidst all the happy things I thought were happening in my life, there was still this small part that was lost.

So I looked at myself in the mirror. I saw the dark circles under my eyes. I saw the unmistakably large difference in my gloomy face since I got back home. And my hair was a mess from all the twisting and turning on my bed last night.

I could only try to do something with my hair. I pulled out my large hair brush from the drawer and started to brush my hair profusely.

"So, you’re finally back…" a man’s voice said behind me.

I turned around to see someone that made me smile. He looked different in a way. He was a lot more matured, with his long rocker hair and faint stubble on his chin. He was wearing an old "Save the whales" t-shirt and his usual trusty jacket.

"Mikhail!" I exclaimed while running towards him and managing to topple him over with one leap and hug.

"Hey! You’ll ruin my hair!" He laughingly said while trying to get us both back on our feet.

"I’m so glad you’re here. Since Janice is still in Hong Kong, I couldn’t call her to come rescue me. What happened to your cell phone? I couldn’t even call you," I protested. My room finally felt like my territory, now that my best guy friend was here.

"I lost it a few weeks ago. And besides… you’re the unreachable one! I mean, you couldn’t even take 5 minutes to tell me that you were planning to run off to God-knows-where! I was really worried you know." He said in a pissed tone.

"Oh, yes. Sorry about that. I was kind of thinking that I should move on the down low since I didn’t want my parents to find out where I was. Obviously, you would have been the first person that they’d ask. I didn’t want you to get into any trouble." I explained to him.

"Well, it’s okay. At least I hope you finally cured yourself of any fantasies you may have on running away from all this." He said.

"Actually, I’ve kind of started to give up." I didn’t know how to tell him that I’ve sold my dreams for a man who didn’t even care about me.

"What do you mean?" He asked with his brows together. He is the first person to know that I never gave up on the things that I wanted.

"I’ve gone off the deep end. I bartered everything that I ever wanted, in exchange for 3 months of doing what I want… and to be with the guy that I’ve always wanted."

Silence filled the room for a few seconds. I guess nobody could react to that kind of admission. So I decided to break the silence, "You know my dad would never let it go, right? No matter where I’d go, he’ll always find me. I’m so tired of trying to run away. There’s no point anymore. I’d rather be with someone that I want and enjoy the last 3 months of being human, than hurting my family and running away again."

I was startled when he suddenly hugged me. "I understand. You don’t have to explain to me. Just do what you think is best for you. Janice and I will always be here." And I knew then that everything would be better.

That night, I opened the closet to look for something to wear. I was never very good at choosing the right outfit for any occasion. I always felt like there was something lacking in my wardrobe that I couldn’t really find.

It was then that I remembered the first time that Benedict and I met. It was the night that he saved me from a fall that could have ended my life. And I knew exactly what I would wear.

I rushed into my sister’s room and immediately opened her closet. I didn’t know if it was still there. My sister managed to get some of her things and brought it to her new home. Some of her old clothes were still left in her room.

And suddenly, I saw it. The dress was made out of the same material as the original gown. It was the lightest of pink, just like the gown my sister wore on her eighteenth birthday. That was the night that I met him.

I didn’t exactly know what my reason for wearing it was. I knew that he would never remember the small, eight year old girl he saved that night. Yet in my heart, I hoped that he would.

So I carefully zipped the back of the dress. I sat down and applied some make-up, something that I hadn’t bothered to do for the past few months. And when it was all over, I stood in front of the large mirror and looked at myself.

It was definitely a different person looking back at me. This girl had a bright look on her face. Her cheeks were pink not only from the make-up, but because of a natural blush of happiness. The dress was more beautiful than I first remembered. The light pink was adorned with sparkling silver when touched by light. I found the exact same shoes my sister wore that night and I tried it on without difficulty.

"Jade, Benedict is here…" my mom peeked through the door. "Wow! Honey, you look great!" She exclaimed.

"Thanks mama…" I said while hugging her.

I walked out of my room and carefully rushed down the stairs. I immediately saw Benedict looking out through one of the large windows overlooking the lush gardens. Maybe he would remember me after all.

And as he turned around and saw me, there was a stunned look on his eyes.

Dear reader, if only I knew right then, that I would be even more stunned with what he would say.

"Meg, you’re back… I missed you so much" he said. And it all came back to me.

The night of my sister’s eighteenth birthday, when I looked out at the party from the branch of a tree. She was with a man that night. And they rushed out of the dance floor into the dimly lit part of the garden. And I knew then that the man Meg was with was Benedict all along.

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Hello! What do you think of this new twist on the story? Be kind and leave comments, okay? I love reading them. Thanks!