My Kind of Perfect

by Lockheart, Freesia

  Flashes of light came from everywhere. All of our audience spoke, murmured, and made noises. Some gave a knowing nod. Others were particularly surprised. And the ones at the corners of their room started murmuring on their phones, telling everyone the news.

  I could just imagine the headline of tomorrow’s papers: John Brooks, CEO of Burchett Hotel, faked his marriage!

  “Who was supposed to be your bride?” one asked after the majority of the audience calmed down.

  “I can’t disclose the name. I hope you will all understand,” answered John, dismissing the question.

  “Then what about the story you gave the press before? Is it true that you two know each other way back in high school or is that one also made up?” Another question came along.

  “I’ve met Kayla when I moved to New Waulds when I was ten. We also attended the same high school,” he told everyone.

  “Was she an old flame?”

  “No. But she was a good friend,” replied John.

  “Miss Kayla, why did you marry to him?” one asked, looking at my direction.

  Because of the curse, I wanted to answer but had to hold that back. I wasn’t sure what this was anymore. Not after realizing that I liked John even now. No one here knew that even now, I still hadn’t known what had happened for me to end up feeling this way.

  “Was it for money?” a female reporter asked me.

  I was guilty as charged because I partly did it for money. At first.

  “Of course not,” spoke John right away. “Kayla only helped me. That’s all.”

  “Miss Wilson, what did you gain for doing this?” The female reporter persisted on asking her questions. She clearly disregarded what John had said.

  “I...”

  John held an arm in front of me and said, “No, she did not receive anything. She did it out of goodwill. She’s a good friend.”

  “Wait!” I pulled his arm, getting a clear view of the audience again. “That’s not—“

  “Please, Kayla. Let me handle this, okay?” He pulled my right arm, leaning towards me.

  “But John, I... I...” I tried saying.

  “Please. Just do this for me,” he said again, placing his hand on mine and looking at me in the eyes. I melted in his gaze. He took out the words from my mouth.

  But still, I wanted to say something to at least defend him. I wanted to say that it wasn't his entire fault and that he was also a victim of the situation. How in the end, he did not gain anything. I wanted to tell everyone that. But then he stopped me from doing so, shaking his head and hushing my words.

  “Let me handle this. I'll get you out of this mess,” he whispered again to my ears.

  John faced the crowd again, leaving me completely lost for words. All I could think of was the tingly sensation of his breath and the warmth of his hand as it was pressed onto mine. I wanted to smack my head on the table for letting my mind be occupied by that especially in this kind of situation. I wasn’t helping at all. John undeniably got my sanity out of my mind.

  “Ms. Wilson, how do you feel about all this?” the reporter turned their questions to me again. “Did you really do it because you were a friend? Are there any other reasons behind all this?”

  John cut them off by moving close to the microphone. “Can I ask everyone to please direct your questions to me instead? I'll answer them all. I promised Miss Wilson that I would at least do this for her. For everything she has done for me.”

  With those words, the day came to an end with John answering all the questions and me just staying still. He made me so innocent that everyone threw me apologetic looks when the conference ended. If he purposely did that to make me feel bad, he had succeeded.

  “Let me at least walk you out,” he offered.

  I stayed in his office until all the reporters had gone home and the place was back to how it originally was. Although, you could sense that everyone was still coping up with they had heard. I deeply felt sorry for John. I was going to leave this place. But he would be the one to bear all that every single day.

  “I’ll be fine,” I told him. “There’s really no need—“

  “Please?” he said.

  “Okay,” I stammered.

  The walk out of his hotel had been silent. No one was still into saying anything. Perhaps it was because of exhaustion the whole day had brought. Or the heavy feelings both of us were still having.

  “Thanks for walking me out,” I said as Mr. Smith opened the car door for me. “And for everything. Especially the conference.”

  “Thanks for staying until now. It’s good seeing you again,” he said.

  I nodded, not knowing what else to say. Should I mention Dorothy?

  We continued standing there, feeling awkward on what we were supposed to do next. So what exactly? Certainly not kiss. That was one funny thought.

  So instead, I offered my hand to him. This was the most formal way to go and say thank you at the same time. And also nice to see you again. And probably mention that I’d fallen in love with him but I couldn’t possibly admit that right now.

  He took my hand and warmly shook it. I smiled, still feeling remorseful but thankful just the same. And as we were sharing an innocent handshake, a bellman going after a rolling luggage cart came our way. I was about to react to it, seeing that I was the one who caught a glimpse of it behind John, but Mr. Smith already got in the way and blocked it.

  Although, the thing was, he had to push John along to actually do that.

  So that ended up with me accidentally hugging John. Awkwardly. We were actually doing good with the handshake. Further skin contact made things uncanny. But somehow, none of us pulled away for the next minute. Or two. And no one even said why and for what reason. Then came three.

  This was really turning to be a long hug. Or maybe I was only counting fast, in accordance to what my heart was doing. The thumping might as well be likened to a cheetah running in the wild.

  Soon enough, I gave up on timing the hug. And at the same time, I felt that selfish thought of never wanting for the moment to be over. But I knew full well that now that everything was revealed, we were back to being strangers once more. And that was something I wasn't confident about. Not now. Not after everything I had realized. Deep inside, somehow, I knew that I would long for this man until the pain of losing him was over.

  Chapter 22

  Two months later

  “Kayla,” someone called out.

  That voice was awfully familiar. But at the same time, it was that same voice that was the last thing I wanted to hear right now. Or for any other day.

  I turned back. And there, I saw him. What a great way to add to all the madness that I had gone and was still going through. Really? After dumping me for a girl, he still had the courage to face me. My ex-boyfriend making a comeback and me being in the kitchenware section of a grocery store and in front of the pile of knives wasn't such a good idea. I had that urge to grab the sharp knife at my right and throw it straight to him.

  But no. I had to calm down. Keep sanity.

  But I was freaking out, freaking out bad. Aaron was standing in front of me dressed in those freaking green polo and faded jeans that looked so freaking adorable on him. His chestnut hair was kept in his usual style—rough and edgy—as it fell down halfway across his face. All in all, I was totally and irrevocably distorted. I was so freaking angry at him and a thousand kinds of other emotions filled my mind making it as baffled as scrambled eggs that was beaten all day long.

  And did I mention that I was freaking out?

  “Hi,” he said, making me want to smack his face.

  The nerve.

  I heavily breathed and caught some air before turning my back on him. I hadn't given it much thought, but walking away seemed to be the most intelligent thing to do. Or at the least I was trying to get away from the kitchenware section and go somewhere like the aisle for flours and such.

  “Kayla, wait! Let's talk,” he called out.

 
; I hastened my steps and headed straight to nowhere, more like circled the whole store. Soggy footsteps echoed around as I almost run while dashing away from him. It was as if we were playing tag.

  Were we even kids to do this kind of stuff?

  I halted on my tracks, thinking that it was foolish of me to run away from him. That was when he caught up with me and placed his cart in front of mine and said, “I want to tell you something.”

  “Do you still have to? Fine. Say it and then go. I don't need you to bother my life, Aaron,” I sternly answered, glaring at him.

  “You look different,” he suddenly noted.

  “What’s different?” In case he’d also ask, I felt different, too.

  “Something. I don’t know exactly what. But there’s something.” He kept on trying to figure it out.

  “Whatever you say. So what do you want?” I was starting to get annoyed.

  “Kayla, I want you back,” he said, in utter solemnest.

  I choked on my breath. Out of all the other possible things to say, he actually said that. I actually thought he’d want me to congratulate him for getting married. After clearing my throat, I looked around and then pointed to myself as I said, “Are you talking to me?”

  “Kayla.” He breathed.

  “Uhmm? You’re not joking?” He had no idea how stupid I felt right now. He left me for another girl. Or let me rephrase that by saying that he left me to be married to another girl. And now, he wanted me back. Did that even make sense? Shaking my head, I confoundedly asked him, “Aaron, aren't you married now?”

  “No,” he quickly answered. “The wedding didn't happen.”

  “Oh,” I blurted, taken back. “Why?”

  “I realized that it was you who I really wanted to be with,” he said in the most endearing way.

  If this thing had happened three or four months ago, then surely, I would already be doing flip flops now. But since it was too late—way too late—I wasn't feeling a thing anymore. Honestly, as I stared at his face, I was more reminded of my surging hatred for him that if there was such thing as a ring coming along later in this conversation, I might make him swallow it in anger.

  Then as if reading my thoughts, Aaron actually knelt down in front of me. Then he opened a velvet box in hand, making one annoying ring sparkle inside. My eyes widened in shock. I intently eyed him, telling him to stop this madness and get up from kneeling right this instant. But he was unmovable and his eyes were so insanely sincere.

  What was he doing?

  Murmurs were echoed from all sides. It was as if the whole world stopped right at this moment and suddenly the focus of all eyes was on us. I looked around and saw everyone mouthed the word 'yes' to me. They wanted me to say yes to this man who dumped me out of nowhere and left me when I was facing the most dreadful time of my life. He even went behind my back to date someone else and almost married the girl.

  Were they crazy?

  “No,” I firmly replied. “There's no way I will ever marry you.”

  And with that, the wooing had stopped and everyone gasped. This was supposed to be a romantic event, one where the girl was supposed to lock herself in the man's embrace and endlessly say the word 'yes' to his ear. Then after that, everyone would clap and wish the two the happiest memories that would last them a lifetime.

  But scratch all that, this happening that was unfortunately occurring wasn't something like that. It was far from it. For one, none in this freaking grocery store knew all that happened before this man knelt down on his knees and asked me to marry him.

  “Kayla, why?” Aaron was actually asking me why.

  “Don’t you dare ask me that! And don’t you dare follow me home or I’ll call the police!”

  The next thing I did, I rushed out of that supermarket, leaving all my groceries behind. Even if I wasn’t in the kitchenware section, I might find the will to go there and stab Aaron with a knife. Such thoughts should never be allowed to put into action. But later on, I did go to a convenience store afterwards to grab some cola and chips. Moments like this called for junk food consumption. And not to mention that I needed some other basic necessities until I was interrupted from getting them.

  I always had a way of getting interrupted.

  Chapter 23

  “So...” Sandy's words lingered in my ears. She took a seat on the couch and put the can of cola that she was drinking on the coffee table at my side, slamming it hard so that she could catch my full attention.

  Well, she did catch my attention as the droplets of cola splashed all over my face. Wiping it away, I looked up to glare at her. But instead of doing so, I was taken back because she was already staring at me intently. She kind of got the upper hand in this situation because she had that one meaningful look in her eyes and I knew full well what she was thinking.

  “...are you going to accept it or not?”

  Looking away, I put down the gold nail paint that I was holding and looked at the velvet box on the table. She cleared her throat and I exhaled. I knew that she wouldn't let this pass so I lifted my face to her direction and feebly answered, “I don't know.”

  “What's holding you back? It can't be John Emerson Brooks, right?” she asked me skeptically, saying out loud Johnny's name.

  I looked down at my half-done nails. We both knew that it was still him who was keeping me from saying yes to Aaron. Well, apparently, my ex-boyfriend came back and said that he hadn't proceeded with his wedding. Thing was, it was all because of me. And last night, four months later, the words I wanted to hear all my life and dreamed ever since I as little came true.

  “Kayla, I thought you’d already decided to do him this favor. That you will try your hardest to move on and let him marry the rich gal. Uhmm... what's her name again?” she reminded me.

  I sighed and took one more glance at the velvet box that Aaron left at my door this morning. I absentmindedly answered, “Amanda Frost.”

  “Right that one. So, are you planning to interfere or let them be? Take John back or let him be with her? She was pretty serious that if John would marry her, she would give him all her asset that would surely help him in gaining back all his loss and strengthen his businesses once more,” she said, sipping her cola.

  “I don't know, Sandy. I'm confused. But I don't want Aaron anymore. I want him. But then...” I faltered, lost in my own thinking.

  “Then go with your heart,” she muttered, glancing at me as she turned on the TV. “Drag him to the normal world and have a happy life.”

  “I can't!” I exclaimed, messing my hair in frustration. “That hotel is important to him. It was his grandfather's.”

  “See? When I tell you to go with your heart, you get angry. And when I tell you to just go ahead and accept Aaron's proposal, you act like you are being sentenced to death. So what should I actually tell you?” she asked in disbelief, shaking her head in confusion.

  “I don't know,” I mumbled.

  “Oh, what if you just forget about those two and start again? Dump Aaron and let John marry that Amanda girl. Then go somewhere far from this place and forget about what happened,” she suggested. “You’re pretty, Kayla. Enough to catch a guy in three days.”

  I stared at her, frowning. “If I could forget everything just by blinking, I wouldn't be here and sulking all day.”

  “You know what you need? A place where you can clear out your head,” she said to me, flipping the channels. “Go and take a vacation.”

  Almost half a million in my bank account, I was pretty much having a good life now. Don’t get me wrong. I denied it at first. But John and some other men-in-black authorities, in place of Dorothy, insisted that I should take it.

  And another good news was, I got everything back. Sandy's and my own savings were both retrieved from All is Good Company. I also received a call yesterday and got a good offer from a known advertising agency. I could even get Aaron back if I wanted to. But still, I didn't feel like everything was in their rightful place.

&nb
sp; Like a big part of me was still missing.

  “How about consult your horoscope? Like before?” she suggested.

  I exhaled. “I don't believe in that anymore after all those things that had happened. You know what my horoscope said was when Dorothy had a heart attack? It said that I would win the lottery if I’d adopt a cat.”

  “Did you?” Sandy’s face was suggesting that I did.

  “Sandy! No! Of course I did not!” I said quickly.

  “Oh. I thought you did.” She shrugged. “You really didn’t?”

  “Of course not. Dorothy was in the hospital. How could I adopt a cat?”

  “Good for you. You haven’t lost the sense of humanity just yet,” she told me, implying that I sort of lost a big part of it.

  I exhaled. “Dad was right. I realized that basing your decisions on those words was foolish. And how could I adopt a cat at that time?”

  Sandy nodded in agreement.

  “Life pretty much has a plan after all. And it's yours to take. In the end, whatever happens… happens. That there will always be a reason. Like one and one equal two. And it’s not just of luck but a greater drive that holds everything together.”

  She blinked.

  “Did I say anything wrong?”

  “Are you being philosophical now? What happened to that Kayla who frantically searched for her horoscope first thing in the morning?” she teased, almost laughing.

  “She disappeared. Kayla here is pretty much exhausted with everything that she’d rather not count those four-leafed clovers or the five-leafed ones,” I answered.

  “You're insane,” she incredulously replied, shaking her head. Then she threw me a pillow and said, “Get lost!”

  I faintly smiled in response.

  Well, from the looks of it, two months hadn't done me any good. All day, he was on my mind. After that press conference, we had decided to not see each other for a while. He needed time to recuperate from everything that had happened, his business going down and Dorothy still recovering in the hospital. And I also needed space to breathe and stop on being choked up every time I saw Dorothy's worn out figure.