Five years had passed since that fateful day when Ashton walked away from Angelina, breaking both their hearts. He had moved to another city, hoping to start a new life and forget about his past. He had enrolled in a prestigious art college, where he honed his skills and talents. He had made new friends, who supported and encouraged him. He had even dated a few girls, who admired and liked him. But none of them could fill the void in his soul. None of them could make him feel the way she did.
He still thought about her every day, wondering how she was doing, what she was doing, if she was happy. He still missed her every night, dreaming about her, wishing she was with him. He still loved her with all his heart, hoping she still loved him too.
He never contacted her, though. He never called her, texted her, emailed her, or messaged her. He never sent her any letters, cards, gifts, or flowers. He never visited her, saw her, or spoke to her. He never apologized to her, explained to her, or confessed to her. He was too proud, too stubborn, too scared to do any of that. He thought it was better this way. He thought it was easier this way. He thought it was over this way.
But he was wrong.
A package arrived in the mail for him. It had Angelina’s name on it. He felt a shock of disbelief and denial. He vowed to himself to stash it away and never look at it no matter what.
But much to his dismay, younger siblings have a knack for poking their noses into things, as anyone with one can tell you. And Jayden Winters was no different.
Jayden was bored. The twelve-year-old had nothing to do on a Saturday afternoon, while his older brother was out with his friends. He decided to snoop around Ash’s room, hoping to find something interesting or amusing.
He opened Ash’s closet and rummaged through his clothes, shoes, and accessories. He found nothing but boring college stuff, or drawings of a certain blonde-haired young woman. He moved on to Ash’s drawers and cabinets, looking for any hidden treasures or secrets. He found nothing but mundane stuff.
He was about to give up and leave when he noticed a small package tucked under Ash’s bed. It was wrapped in brown paper and tied with a red ribbon. It had a label that read:
Jayden’s eyes widened with curiosity and excitement. He wondered what she had sent him, and why he had hidden it away. He grabbed the package and tore it open, eager to see what was inside. He found a book. It was called “Not Your Fairy Tale”. By Angelina Wylde.
He dusted the book and read the synopsis at the back.
“Dedicated to Ashton Winters, my best friend and my worst enemy. The Dragon to My Princess.” he read out loud.
Jayden flipped through the pages and saw that it had illustrations, notes, and dedications. It was clear that Angie had poured her heart and soul into this book. It was clear that she loved Ashton. He felt a pang of sympathy and guilt. He realized that he had invaded Ash’s privacy and ruined his surprise. He decided to put the book back in the package and pretend he never saw it. He hoped Ash would forgive him.
He was about to do so when he heard a sharp pull at the doorbell. “Oh, snap…” he muttered. “It’s him.”
He ran downstairs to see who it was. It was Ash. He had returned from his outing with his friends.
“Hey, Jay,” Ash greeted him with a smile.
“Hey, Ash! Your outing was cut short, huh?” Jayden replied nervously.
“Yeah. The guys all went for a book signing. I think it was called ‘Not Your Fairy Tale’, by…-” he hesitated.
“Angelina Wylde?” Jay asked, with a knowing smile.
“Um… yeah… how do you know?” he asked, defensively.
Jayden looked at the book in his hands and felt a surge of courage and honesty. Although little siblings were notoriously nosy, they were also brutally honest. He decided to tell Ash the truth and give the book to its rightful owner. Jayden held out the book and said sincerely; “This is for you. It’s from Angie.”
He opened the book and found a note inside. It read;
Ashton paused for a minute. He tried to hold back a tear. He noticed the word written in a different colored ink.
He read the note and felt a flood of emotions: disbelief, shock, confusion, anger, guilt, regret, sadness, joy, hope, love… He examined the book more closely. He realized that she had been in denial all this time. She really did love him back.
“Come on, call her already!” Jayden prompted, tugging at his brother’s shirt.
Ashton searched his contacts for her name.
“I don’t have her number…” he muttered.
Jayden took out his phone and called a number. “Hey, Leo,” he said, “Hand the phone to your sis. It’s time for the final act. This is not a drill.”
“Ugh! You know! The one from third grade! Operation Angels to Ashes! Just give me the phone.”
Ash was puzzled, but decided to go along with it. Jayden gave him the phone. He took a deep breath and said,
“Hey, Angie… how are you?”
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