Wednesday,
January 8, 2020.
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A new year. A new beginning. One year older.
Sarah covered her face with the pillow and growled onto it to let out all the frustration packed up for what that meant. "Why can't the time just stop?!" she rolled over to the side and allowed herself to indulge a bit longer within the bed covers.
Today, she'd turn twenty-three. And, with such count, a lot of responsibilities came along with it.
"Being an adult is difficult..." she sighed in exasperation, feeling a knot thrive at the beginning of her throat. "I wanted to grow up quickly but, this was not what I asked for!!" and, yelled to her own buttons, despite her nightgown having any.
"Put me out of my misery already, please!" The distressed girl pressed the pillow down even harder onto her face, just trying to hold her breath for the longest time and provoke a 'black-out' so she would miss the rest of the day and thus, her life. "Oh, come on! Even for that, you're no good!"
In a rampage state, she almost threw it across the room but, the pleasant scent of cologne reached her nostrils, and a sudden shy smile grew on her lips. It was coming from the fluffy pillow she was holding onto. "What's this?"
Sarah squeezed it against her face once more and deeply breathed in the scent it emanated from its surface. It was very intoxicating, so much more exotic from all the smells with which she was familiar with. Quickly, she recognized the brand of cologne as one of her favorite ones, 'Tommy The Collection Fragrance'; a fragrance intermingling with the outlandish aroma of woody notes with fresh and tangy cranberry. The human girl instantly hugged it to my chest, as it guided her mind to think of the most important person in her entire life.
He left earlier in the morning. He said he had to finish a client's order before the end of that very evening.
She was sure that it must have been a very significant order or he wouldn't have spared so much of his time at the shop in the last month. He refused to give her any hints on the purchaser but, ended up disclosing that it was a high-rank customer.
But, who could it be? She asked herself over and over but, couldn't wrap her finger around it. This order intrigued her so deeply that, to her, it didn't come as a surprise if it would appear on national TV in one of those Award's Delivery Ceremonies or be sprawled all over the top Fashion magazines. So, she anxiously waited for that moment to happen.
Erik's store, 'Old & Bold', dressed a lot of important people, which among them were celebs, politicians, reporters, and models. That said, it was rather easy to assume that soon everyone would talk about them. Handmade dresses always gave what to gossip about.
Sarah suddenly slipped into a depressive mood, slowly letting her shoulders sunk down and her arms fall along with her body. Then, leaned her head back on the bed frame, closing her eyes shut upon the realization of how much she'd missed him that past week.
Lately, she never got to lay her eyes on him, and it was becoming, even more, harder to crossover her schedules with his; he was always working late and her, always on nightshift.
When was the last time we ate a decent dinner together? Or even breakfast? It was a memory so far away that it was giving her a piercing headache. His obnoxious, flirting attitude was also something that, with time, significantly decreased.
At the end of every evening, Erik was always exhausted and silent. She tried not to complain too much about it and mostly show her support. She knew he was working himself out to the extreme so he could build an empire of his own in the fashion area. Sarah understood why; James was the CEO of Anderson's Toy Company, her late grandfather's company. His brother had this huge monopoly in his hands and was truly the King at mastering it. So, it was only expectable that Erik would want to live up to the expectation. James was like a role model to him, he cherished him profoundly.
A whole minute passed without her moving a strand of hair or a finger.
The young woman just sat there, motionless, looking at the ceiling. She tried not to get even more upset at the fierce battle within her heart but, feared that she was being placed on the back burner. She feared what lighted their flame was slowing fading away that, they were slowly drifting apart.
Sarah, herself, was a workaholic, him likewise, still, that was way too much for her to handle on her own. She needed attention, affection, comfort, hearing his soft voice whispering love words into her ear... and each time she had less and less of that. It weighed down on her and yet, she wouldn't let him know that it bothered her to that extent.
She loved him very much and missed him beyond the imaginable yet, she couldn't be selfish to the point of keeping him to herself and deprive him of what makes him happy and gives him pleasure. She knew very well where his aspirations laid. So, she tried to focus on that, on 'what made him happy' to the fullest. If she truly loved him, she had to do it.
That thought was suddenly cut off by the alarm. The alarm set at eight o'clock.
Sarah shook my head and sighed in defeat, "Mother is waiting for me to go shopping. It'll be good to occupy myself with something rather than stay in bed sulking." then, stretched out her arms just above her head and let out a yawn, finally ready to get out of bed and prepare for the day.
Whether or not she had love issues, she still had to live my daily life. Jumping from the bed, she dressed quickly and walked downstairs to the dining room, the girl was greeted by a glass of fresh orange juice and a plate of handmade pancakes with strawberry topping. The kind gesture filled her heart with joy; it made her feel cared for.
Sarah girly giggled; each morning, before leaving for work, Erik would always lay different pastries and goods for her on a lovely set tray. "Despite being busy, he still makes the time..." and, happily whispered to herself. With a wide smile on her face, she sat down at the table and couldn't deny herself from digging in.
Then, her phone soon rang. It was a call from her mother.
She was quick to answer, "Hello ma'. I'm just finishing eating. I'll be down on the road in less than 2 minutes."
"It's fine dear. I'll wait." came a reply from the other side of the line.
"See ya!" She hung as fast as she answered. Childish-like, Sarah stuffed her mouth with as much pancake as she could, leaving the rest in the plate, before grabbing her purse and heading out of the mansion, with a small side-note hoovering in the back of my head: 'do not forget to put the dirty dish inside the dishwasher later'.
With more delays, she ran over to her mother's car that was near the sidewalk a few meters down the of the mansion; she was typing on her phone when her daughter opened the door and got inside. Mrs. Anderson had a lovey-dovey smile plastered all over her face.
"Who are you so happily texting to?" The girl asked with a frowned eyebrow, hoping that the answer would not be Father. A shiver ran down her spine and her whole body shuddered. Gross.
"A friend." She simply replied, putting down the phone and re-starting the car. "Ready dear?"
Her mother's answer left her wary of a specific resolution; she would definitely have to ask her about it later. Nevertheless, nodded, feeling the excitement finally taking over her nerves. "All buckled up, let's go!" And thus, her day began.
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The mistress of Anderson's House had a hard time inserting the key into its respective hole and turning it to the side with so many shopping-bags in her hands. Still, she was able to open the door with a single but yet agile wrist movement.
Once inside, she dropped the bags near the metal umbrella stand and went directly to a small round table at the center of the lobby. Upon dropping her house keys on top of the petite white porcelain shell, she noticed a folded note in front of the most ostentatious flower arrangement.
A cluster of the most delicate shade of pink roses stuck out in an abundance of the river sculpted rock vase. They were fresh, some open and others in bud. The gentle aroma they gave, brought the hot summer to her imagination. She gently pulled one out of the jar and held it carefully, finger only, so that it would not injure more her already sored palms.
Sarah tenderly observed its soft petals, touching them so lightly and wondering about who might have been the one to drop them off. Then, it hit her like a flash; she had almost forgotten all about the note. Her hand found the edge of the paper and lifted it from the table, reading it thoroughly.
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"My dear Princess,
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I hope this note finds you well.
I know that I haven't been around lately and, that you have endured so much in order for me to follow my dreams. And for that, I thank you. I cross my heart and hope you know how much I love you and how much I miss you every hour, minute, second of the day. Can't wait to kiss those rosy, tender lips later in the night and, once again, claim you as mine, and only mine.
Today is a very special day so, therefore, I have a special surprise.
Please go upstairs, you'll see that part of your surprise is inside the wardrobe. Hurry up and put it on. Hm-hm~ I hope you don't find any difficulties in doing so. Next, read the instructions which are on top of your bed, and be ready by 7 pm. I'll send someone to pick you up. I'll be waiting, so don't be too late.
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Truly yours,
Erik."
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Such a loving note made her weak in the knees and crumble to her feet. Sarah could already feel the heat crawling from the back of her neck and heating up her cheeks. "He misses me..." then took it to her lips, lightly planting a kiss over the surface. She closed her eyes in a daydream state and tried to suppress a smile; looking like a lunatic smiling to herself for no apparent reason was the last thing she wanted, not that there was someone besides her in the room to see it.
The good-natured childish human ran upstairs as if it was Christmas day.
Sarah threw the door to her room open rather enthusiastically and went straight off towards the wardrobe. She remained still and expectant; quickly felt her breath shorten and her heart leap. What could possibly be Erik's surprise?
Since it was inside the wardrobe, it could only mean one thing. It meant that her gift from Erik was a piece of clothing, most probably made by him. With that thought in mind, she launched her hands forward and, when swang its doors open, an acute gasp exited her vocal-cords for which she had to cover her mouth. She couldn't believe what was before my eyes.
Hang up inside, was the most beautiful, gracious dress she has ever seen. It was a sixteenth-century style Renaissance dress. It was incredible to see one up-close as for, the originals ones, were only exhibited in a museum. She stared for a whole minute before finally taking initiative and address it.
Her hands touched the fabric; the softest velvet caressed the tip of my fingers. It sure looked like It has been made with care and attention to detail and finishing touches. She pulled the tag out and it read, 'Old&Bold's store'.
Her face was flushed and her eyes were bright; a proud smile formed on her lips. "Erik's hands are indeed talented." She bit her lower lip, inadvertently imagining herself inside of it. "Would it look good on me?" The words slipped. Before such a question, she looked down at her lanky body. Sarah was short in height, had small boobs, was a bit buffed on the hips and her legs were like line toothpicks, with knobbly knees.
"The question should be... would it fit me?" The timid, insecure woman tilted her head to the side in front of the mirror, considering it. After a while, she just shrugged. "Nothing like as to try it on." And so she did; In a couple of minutes, all that was left to do was to pull the knot. In the end, it turned out to be no surprise that it fited like a glove, Erik was the best at the game.
Still, she refused to look in the mirror just yet. The look wasn't ready just yet, there was so much to do still, like the hair and make-up. She pulled some strands of hair up and carefully thought about it. "Ah--! Gotcha!" As if a bulb light lit up in the top of her head, she knew exactly what to do; it was an easy one after all. "Uh... hm-- here, now there, pull this, hide that... and-- done!"
After the finishing touches, she whirled in front of the mirror and, suddenly, found herself dancing throughout the room at the pace of a silent melody playing solely in her head. Sarah's legs extended like a prima ballerina and she glided from place to place, arms held in front, fingertips lightly touching the ground. She danced and danced for what seemed like hours when, at last, allowed my body to fall onto the bed and briefly rest.
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In the blink of an eye, she was standing at the bottom stairs of a flamboyant ballroom. It was a lovely, open-wide space; decorated to the expectations, with monstrous expensive chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and extensive meters of curtains of coloring red adorning the windows. It was for sure well-tended as not a single sign of dust was spotted. Its environment emanated such a royal-like aura that instantly made butterflies arise in my belly. Also, it was a full moon's night; so, it gave the environment a special brightness.
She gulped down her nervousness before grabbing her skirt's gown and taking a few steps forward; the tips of my glass shoes graciously peeped from time to time. Her hazel-brown eyes glanced around the space, slowly taking in her surroundings. She found several couples dressed to occasion, happily chatting with each other, and, of course, some loners too-- rephrasing, fine 'gentleman' enjoying themselves and all by themselves. However, she couldn't help but wonder how on earth she got there since just moments ago she was laying down in her bed.
A sudden change in the room made her tense-up, leaving all her thoughts in the matter suspended briefly. 'Why are they all looking at me?'; 'Did I have something on my face or--?'; Given the many sighs and whispers that gathered around the ballroom, she turned around in her heels and, finally understood the reason for such awareness.
Erik was all dressed up in an extremely handsome prince garb, with a gentle smile shaping his lips. Silence sealed his mouth shut; he slowly walked over to her, rushing up the last stairs, and held out his hand to her, gentlemanly-like.
Hesitant at first, Sarah stared at it but then, stretched out her hand and placed it in his. Erik closed his eyes before gently bringing it to his lips and planting a soft kiss over her knuckles.
Her hand was quivering. But why? She gazed at Erik as he eyed her through his long dark eyelashes with his lips still on her hand's knuckles. The blush grew hotter and brighter on her face, making him chuckle softly and lean back up straight.
"Shall we?" Erik tightened his grip on her hand, his gaze asking her silently if he could get the honor of having the first dance with his princess.
Sarah nodded her agreement despite the nervous knot on her throat. "Y-Yeah... I would like that."
Erik graciously raised it in the air and led her to the dance floor. Flustered, she looked up to meet his eyes as he smiled and rested a hand on her waist, thus lifting the hand he was holding onto beside them. She naturally rested a hand on his shoulder and shorten further the space between them.
The room fell silent and then, the music started to play. Its slow pace twirled like thread around the two of them. They began to dance in almost perfect unison as Erik guided her around the ballroom, waltzing with her with a soft expression on his face. The lights were twinkling with the continuous and elegant movement of their bodies and, she couldn't help but smile her heart out. Sarah rested her head against his chest and allowed him to sway her body on his own accord. Each step they took was perfectly timed with the music, which made it seem that they had practiced several hours for that.
"This feels-- nice," She whispered, feeling the low piano notes sinking in and lulling her senses, "I wouldn't mind staying like this forever. You and me... in this setting..."
"I'm glad it feels like that to you," he also lowered his voice into a whisper tone. "That is all I want for you, to feel like a real princess."
Those words somehow brought her anxiety; the pretend-to-be princess rose slightly her chin up, determined to question him. "A-And for yo--" But, before she could continue, Erik lifted her body up in the air and twirled her around.
"Woah-- Erik!" In a startle reflex, Sarah surrounded Erik's neck with her arms, grabbing onto it for dear life. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she was quick to scold him. "P-Please, next time give me the heads-up--! I-I was startled!"
Erik chuckled in response, "Sorry, but I couldn't help it, such beauty should be appreciated from all angles."
"S-Still--!" She stammered, her heart racing off in her chest.
Lowering his head, his lips touched her forehead, they felt warm and firm against her skin. "I promise I won't let you fall."
She gawked at Erik to see him wearing a serious and yet tranquil expression so, she decided to take his word for it, "I trust you."
Their dance became a simple sway as he gently moved the hand on her waist to caress her cheek. She naturally closed her eyes and nuzzled into his gloved hand.
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~ Pr-- ~
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~ Prin-- ~
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~ --cess ~
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~ Princess ~
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Sarah's eyes shot open as if it was an emergency. Her heart throbbed wildly fast inside her chest and there was this buzzing ringing from ear to ear.
"Hey... you're finally awake." A charming voice spoke to her.
"E-Erik...?" She promptly acknowledged his semblance sitting beside her on the bed as she slowly and reluctantly rose from her restful yet short slumber, scratching her right eye in order to sweep away all the sleepiness.
"How is my 'Sleeping Beauty'? Did she slept well?" He asked with a soft chuckle.
"Hm? What are you doing here? I thought we would meet at-- OH MY GOD!" Upon grasping the realization of how late it was, one couldn't even begin to imagine how bad she felt. She had missed her own surprise! How did she end up falling asleep? Was she that tired? Sarah sighed distraught with the outcome. She couldn't believe it; In the end, every bit of his caring efforts just went to waste. "Oh no--! E-Erik. I-I...!"
His soft lips stretched into a joyous smile but still, it didn't fade when those tearful words left his mouth. "Although, I felt more like Prince Charming' when 'Cinderella' left in the middle of the ball when the clock struck twelve--"
Her hand reached his cheek, stroking it slightly with its thumb. It was with a heavy heart that she looked into his eyes and said the only thing she could, "I'm so sorry, didn't mean to stand you up."
He shook his head dismissively, "I waited and waited but, you never arrived at the site. I knew you weren't the type of person to do such a thing. With that in mind, I decided to come home, I knew in my heart I would find you there, most likely sleeping from all the work you've been put through the past weak. And, I wasn't wrong." He briefly paused his speech to mostly catching his breath."--upon opening the door to your room, I saw how my 'Cinderella' quickly turned into 'Sleeping Beauty' so, I did the only thing I could. I gave her still the dance she deserved."
Sarah held her breath behind pursed lips from preventing herself from shattering into pieces and starting to cry. So, that was no regular dream and that happened for real but yet, only in her head. Despite everything, he went to the extent of still presenting her with his surprise, leaving her with this wonderful memory to cherish forever. As joy filled her heart to its content, she wrapped her fingers around his hair strands and moved her face inchmeal to his before kissing him. "Thank you. I love you."
A tender smile shaped his lips, "I love you too, princess."