With the final kiss, the cursed princess finally opened her eyes. Instead of the prince, it was the jester that stood before her, and her heart was filled with joy.
"I always knew it was you." She told him, and a blush settled on his face before he hugged her, tears dripping down his face.
"Forgive me for ever having doubted your affections. I will no longer listen to our statuses-and only listen to my heart." The jester said, as he kissed her once more.
When they broke apart, she smiled at him, and his heart beat a little bit faster because of it.
"I love you." She told him, and jester shook his head. Even after all this time, she was beating him to the punch of things.
"I love you too." He replied, and they kissed once more, the world around them spinning with their love. They were meant to be together, now and forever.
And since the cruel warlock and his witch were now dead, there was nothing standing in their way of staying together.
The End
Skylar Luna smiled so big at the ending of her book, that she had to wipe her eyes as the tears fell. As she tried to regain her breathing, she grabbed her cup of tea, and drank some of it, the warm drink calming her down. The café that she was at, called Coffees and Just, was slowly starting to wind down so she didn't have to worry too much about the people watching her cry.
She'd been attached to this series since it first came out four years ago. And now, she was officially done with it. What was she to do now? Get into another series?
It felt too soon.
The young twenty-six-year-old put down her novel and stared out the window as she tried to come back to reality. It was sometimes hard whenever she read vigorously, and right now, she was struggling with her reality.
The reality of not having been in a relationship for over six years, and then throwing herself intently into her work as a distraction.
And though it had been just a day of her spending it in cafes, and bookstores, it was the most fun she had in a while. Since taking up her new job at the Writer's Xpress publishing company where she worked as a book editor, and a secret author, she'd barely taken a day to herself.
Even now, her hands itched to grab her phone and check on her clients and then her own work. But she had been firm when she told her boss that she was going to take a week off.
Skylar was only two days into her vacation, and already she was buzzing with intent to work.
"Was the book that good?" a voice said across from her, catching her attention.
She looked up to see a handsome man, with black inky hair that was messily spiked as if he'd woken up like that. He had green eyes, bronze skin, and full lips. A single cross earring was on his left ear, and he cocked his head to her, as if waiting for her answer. His black shirt fit snugly on him, the muscles in his chest being shown. He wore dark blue pants, and sneakers that were on brand. The man sat casually on his chair, a cup of coffee in front of him, a crumpled-up donut wrapper next to it.
Skylar looked behind her in case there was someone else who was reading, and she was in the way.
"No, I'm talking to you." He said, sounding amused.
"Oh! Yeah, it was a good book." Skylar finished lamely, her face going red. She wasn't exactly dressed for human interaction; her caramel brown hair was braided to the side, a long and comfy gray sweater placed on with holes in the sleeves. She wore ripped up black jeans, and her favorite purple converse.
Skylar didn't even have make up; her lips chapped from picking on them from reading.
"What's it about?" the man continued, leaning over his table and staring directly at her, to make sure that Skylar knew that he was talking to her.
"Are you sure you want to know?" she asked, hesitating a bit.
The guy nodded, waiting for her to continue.
And with that, Skylar told him the whole story, hoping that he wouldn't think her strange.
Forty-five minutes later, the guy was sitting at her table, across from her, listening to the story she had to say. Sometimes, Skylar would trail off, and tried to talk about normal things.
But the guy refused to take the bait and would ask questions about the book which prompted her to go back to talking about it.
When she was done, at last, the guy went quiet, as if processing the entirety of the story. He didn't look like he was bored, rather it was something that he was fascinated with. The guy even asked questions and when he found out it was a book series, he'd ask questions about them as well.
As he opened his mouth to say something more, the clicking of heels caught Skylar's attention and only because the sound was getting louder as it approached them both.
Looking up, Skylar caught sight of a very beautiful tall girl with strawberry curls that bounced as she walked. Big azure blue eyes looked down at them, with expertly applied make-up. Her lips, which were plump and glossy, were pinched together as she caught sight of the guy with Skylar. She had tan skin and wore a red min-dress that clung to her curvy and voluptuous body. Her heels looked about four inches tall and were strappy shiny black heels.
"Riker? Come on, it's time for us to go." She said, ignoring the existence of Skylar completely.
Skylar didn't mind; this girl looked like she wasn't one to cross.
The guy, Riker, sighed, and stood up from the table, giving Skylar a small wave as he walked past. The girl followed behind him, but she turned to look at Skylar and gave her a dark look before they both left the café.
Skylar made sure to wait a whole twenty minutes before she made her way back home.
After getting into her black Hyundai car, and zooming past the traffic to her apartment, she parked her car, and stopped for just a moment, eyes on her steering wheel.
She couldn't believe she had made a fool of herself in front of some stranger. And not only that, but a taken stranger. She could spot a jealous girlfriend easily, and Skylar placed her head on the steering wheel, letting out a groan.
Sky wasn't very good with talking to people or even making friends. And the friends she did make were all back in Rhode Island. After graduating from college, she'd move out to Texas, accepting the job that she had dreamed all her life of getting. And since the weather was warmer here, she rarely, if at all, left the state.
As Sky made her way to her apartment, a soccer ball flew out and hit her shin. Surprised, she looked around, seeing two young boys run up to her.
"We're so sorry!" they apologized, bowing their heads.
"It's okay! Here, take your ball back, and be careful playing out here." She said, as she handed them the ball.
Thanking her, both boys bolted back to where they came from, the sound of goals being made.
She walked up the stairs and into her apartment which was on the second floor. Unlocking the door, she was greeted by her orange cat Oliver, who was rubbing all over her legs and ankles.
"Hi Ollie!" she crooned, scooping him up into her arms. His purrs were loud and vibrated against her chest, and she plopped on to the couch, Ollie on her lap.
The purring cat brough her comfort, and she switched on the TV trying to get rid of the encounter she had today. Turning it on to her favorite show, she brushed along Ollie's fur, the cat now sleeping.
"What are we going to do with you, Skylar Luna?" she said to no one, staring up at her ceiling. Her apartment was tidy and open, bookshelves stuffed with books and comics. She had some of her favorite paintings on the walls, and in her tiny kitchen, she had it colored coordinated, trying to make it as homely as possible.
In truth, the apartment was one of the best ways Skylar could express herself. She'd struggle with talking since her family didn't come from America, moving over here once life in Mexico got too bad here.
Skylar had been only two when she was brought over and there were so many things she had to learn while she got settled into a new sense of living.
Before long, Skylar jolted awake, having slept in an awkward position on the couch. Scooping up Ollie, she padded over to her room, and went to bed.
She only vaguely remembered the dreams that included the handsome stranger.