Chapter Two978Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhB9o6a6eWH
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“Do I seriously have to hear the news from your fiancé?!” Ariana exclaimed at me, “ I can’t believe you didn’t tell me first?! Oh my god! You are getting married!” I chuckled at her excitement. She is actually more excited than me. “We need to meet up!”
“Alright, text me the deets and I’ll come to you. I have to go now.” I said simply and hanged up.
One of the most important people to me, aside from Evan, is Ariana. We’ve been best of friends since college and we basically know everything about each other. Well, she tells me hers and she stalks me that much to know mine. We are like sisters from another mother. Ariana and I complement each other, she is an excited person, she expresses more than she ought to and she’s just a beautiful, beautiful blonde and I, on the other hand, seem more normal, below normal I guess. Sometimes Ariana calls me a robot but that’s not the case all the time. And in contrast of her blonde-ness, I am a plain brunette.
It’s been quite a long time since we knew each other and from all the friends that I had, she’s the truest of them all.
I smiled at the thought.
“River Young!” Mandi’s voice snapped me back to reality as always. She approaches my table and gave me a handful of folders again. Sometimes, I swear she lets her secretary slack off just to be able to talk snarky to her employees. “These are the boutiques you need to go through when you are on your way to Michigan, once you’ve acquired the photos and details you e-mail them immediately!”
I nodded at her instruction and looked through the folders at once. Her secretary isn’t slacking off after all.
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As I went to the coffee shop Ariana told me, she immediately run to me and hugged me when she saw me.
“Congratulations!” and we walked to our table that are filled with goods already.
“Thank you.” I smiled at her heartily.
“So, tell me how it happened. I need every small detail! Like what were you wearing or what is he wearing. Where it happened, what are the dishes and what wine were you guys drinking? Like is he very irresistible that you can’t even say no?”
“Whoa! One question at a time.” I sipped my mocha latte, “and if you are excited for those things I think you’ll be a wee bit disappointed because of the simplicity of it all.”
“Simple is good!” she assured me with still excited eyes.
When I am finished, the spark on her eyes never left. I guess the idea of the proposal is just so magical that even how simple it is, it can still be very exciting. “I just wish I could have the same fate as you. You’ve a got nice man who is a doctor! Everything is in your hands now, you have a perfect life!”
Not as perfect as you think, I thought.
The whole lunch I am deliberating if I am going to tell Ariana about my travel back to Michigan to meet up with Charlie. She knows who Charlie is, with all my stories about my past life in Michigan it felt like she knew everything now as if Ariana was there when it happened.
I would want to be a little subtle if I want a good conversation about this with Ariana and not her preaching me a sermon.
Before we separate ways I asked her, “Hey Ariana, do you want to go on a trip to Michigan with me?”
“Michigan? Why Michigan?”
“Just for work and maybe I’ll visit my parents as well.”
“Oh cool but sadly I can’t. I have this huge proposal I am working on. I am sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. I just thought I should ask.”, and we hugged and went on our separate ways.
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The whole day my mind went black and all I did and wanted to do the whole day was to reread Charlie’s novel, looking for hints that maybe that was my love story she wrote about. I keep thinking that Sterling won’t allow his sister to do that, of course. But as I read on, there’s a little bit of subtlety about what happened to Sterling and I back in high school but of course she won’t know my side. He won’t know my side.
A hand waved in front of my eyes, “Hey, you gonna answer that?”, my officemate said.
I immediately grabbed my phone and answered, “Hi, hello.” I said hastily.
“Hi, you okay? I’ve called like five times.”
“Yes, I’m sorry baby. I was just caught up with work.”, my officemate eyed me as I said that. Okay! I have to lie about my daydreaming.
“I was just thinking, what if I follow you to Michigan?”
My heart jumped a little, “Why? Why would you follow me to Michigan?”
“Well, we have to tell your parents we’re getting married, haven’t we?” I thumbed my silver ring, yeah, of course.
“Oh yes, uhhmmm, but I don’t know when will I arrive on my parent’s house exactly. I have a lot of stops before I get there.”
“Hmmm, well, whatever works. I gotta go baby, I love you.”, and hanged.
And for a moment there I want to bang my head on my desk. Wait… there you go. I should say sorry for my cubicle-mates. They might have been startled by the bang of my head.
Ugh! This is so stupid!
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I put out my options. If I go to Michigan and take this job, I’ll meet Charlie again and if it’s Charlie, there is not a chance that she won’t call her brother, or even let me leave without seeing her brother. So that’ll be a blast from the past.
On the other hand… There are no ifs! I already have the job, there is no taking, I had it the first time in landed on my desk!
I stared at Charlie’s profile. I knew that this kid is gonna be great and is going miles and miles away. Who would have thought that she already wrote a book? A book that is subtly close to my first love, without the actual me in it? Of course, I don’t mind her using it for material, if she is really inspired by the fallout love I had with his brother, well that’s onto her.
I dialled her number and took a deep breath before pressing call.
“Yellow!” Ah, yes… I guess I didn’t got over that habit, even her.
“Good Day, is this Charlotte Williams?” I held my breath for her answer.
“Yes, this is she. How can I help you?”
“Charlie…”
“River? Wait? Are you River Young? She’s the only one who calls me that. River?” and the excitement on her voice ignited.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed, “Yes Charlie, how are you? It’s been a long time.”
“It is! Wait are you looking for—“
“No. Actually this call is about work, you didn’t tell me you are now a bestseller author! I am so happy for you!” and I am genuinely happy for her.
“Look River, about the book…”
“It’s okay Charlie. You are my project as of today, like I have to interview you for our magazine. Would that be okay? I’ll be coming to Michigan this weekend. I’ll come to your school so you won’t have to travel.”
“Is that for real? You work for Teen Apple right?”
“Mmm-hmm, so can I count on you for an appointment this weekend?”
“Of course! Wait, do you want to talk to Sterling? Or do you want me to let him come with this weekend?” I could sense her biting her fingernails. It is one of her habits that Sterling and I tried to stop her from doing.
I smiled at the thought, “It really doesn’t matter Charlie. I’ll see you.”
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March 3, 2008978Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUwvpOaF45f
Dear S.W.
Can we just talk about your sister?
I seriously love Charlie and even before I know you, I already knew her. I know that she’s gonna be great someday and if this thing between us works out I’ll be very happy just to be her pseudo-sister! Oh! I love to have a little sister, too bad I’m born an only child.
To be honest, I like you more whenever you are with your sister. Like I like how compassionate you are, especially when it comes to your sister.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not imagining you with our future baby yet. It’s too early for that! Ha-ha.
And talking about the future. Do you think this is it? I mean, is this the real thing? Is this how real it’s gonna get?
I feel like I’ve come to a point that I am in that cliff, and I’m on the verge of letting myself fall. Please catch me.
Will you? Catch me? Even though your arms may not be that strong?
Love,
R.Y.978Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKOaDWLRLI
