?WINGLESS AND BEAUTIFUL?
?EPISODE 27 ?
You can have your pick. Why are you insisting on my company?”
He shrugged. “Is it not obvious?” he asked.
“I’m… naïve. Stupid even,” I replied dryly.
He smiled at me sheepishly. “I… like you.”
I stared at him like he lost his mind. “Have you… seen
me? My scars? And how horrible they looked?”
“I’m naïve. Blind even,” he said with a grin. “You look
beautiful.”
The familiarity of his words struck me like a thief in the
night. My hand involuntarily went to my pendant and I
clutched it tightly in my hand.
I see you… and you… look unbelievably beautiful to me.
I looked down on my tray, tried my best not to let the
tears well up my eyes.
Chaise reached forward and tilted my chin up. I pulled
away from his touch.
“Did I say something wrong?” he asked.
I shook my head and took a deep breath. “Thank you,” I
said, keeping my voice steady. “But seriously, Chaise…don’t get your hopes up. I am not looking for a boyfriend.
But I mean it… I would like you to be my friend.”
He stared at me, trying to read my thoughts and then
he nodded. “Okay. No pressure.
I will be your friend. But
don’t question me every time I call you or want to hang out
with you. Or if I want to pick you up at nights from work, so I can make sure you’re home safely. Friends do that, you
know.”
I smiled at him. As long as he was okay with being
friends, that would be fine. Because the thought of going
out with him on a real date actually made me feel like
something was wrong… like I was cheating.
That evening at the bookshop, I worked on my novel
while Chaise and Denise raided the shelves for a book they
could read. For the first time in many months, I felt relaxed,
and happy. For the first time since Hunter left, I didn’t feel alone.
I could smile for real. Even the constant bickering of
Denise and Chaise made me laugh genuinely.
I may be an orphan, I may be poor and scarred and my
quasi-boyfriend may never come back, but I guess for now…
I could live one day at a time… with Meredith, who patiently
loved me all these years… with Denise, who gave up a
glamorous high school life to be my friend… and now with
Chaise, who may have wanted more from me, but was
willing to accept my friendship instead.
Instead of working on my essay, I took my diary from
my bag.
Dear Hunter,
I would give anything just so you would be with me…
here… tonight. In the company of my friends. You will like
them. Well… maybe not Chaise so much.
You see… Chaise was the guy who saved me the other
night. He had been following me home… making sure I was
safe each night after I go to work. Then when my luck ran
out, he was there to rescue me… like a guardian angel God sent to make sure I won’t have new nightmares to escape
from.
He told me he liked me. But hey! Look up! I already told
him we could only be friends. I still can’t date anybody.
I sort of told this perfect guy I would wait for him. And
I’m still waiting. I still believe that one day… I would see him again… touch him… kss him… hear him say the words he
should have said to me before he left… so I could say them
back to him.
Come back to me, Hunter. It’s still you. It will always be
you.
I finished my letter just as Denise went up to the
counter. I immediately closed it and hid it from her view. But too late, she already saw it. “Writing in your diary again?” she asked.
I just shrugged. “Just documenting my life.”
“Take care of that. Somebody might get hold of it and
take it to a Hollywood producer. Your life… is epic.” She smiled at me. And I know she didn’t mean that in a bad way.
“So have you chosen your book?”
She nodded. “Chaise is battling me for it, though.”
“Toss a coin.” I grinned at her.
“Doesn’t matter,” she said. “He can choose the same.
I’m sure I would write a better review than him anyway.”
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