10 Years Earlier...I sat carefully on the old wooden chair in Bastian's dorm room, looking around the room in awe.So, this is what college looks like, I thought to myself. I had imagined it to look a little less like a boy's gym bag and more like an academic library, but I wasn't going to complain.How many thirteen-year-olds got to go to college anyway? Or at least, got to visit their older brother in college and play pretend for the weekend.I checked my watch. I still had another fifteen minutes before Bastian would come back from his “project.” I rolled my eyes. Project- yeah right. It was obvious he was doing some cool college-y thing that he didn't want his little sister participating in. He just told me he had a group assignment he had to work on. Sure, Bastian. Sure.The room was a small square with two twin beds on opposite sides, two desks and a small TV perched on a mini-fridge in the center. Per Bastian's instructions, I had the door open and the resident assistant had a
I stood in front of the mirror, holding my dress up to see how the ensemble would come together. My dark hair was curled and pulled back in a half-up style that was soft and feminine. I loved my makeup- not too much, but enough that my brown eyes looked big and my lashes could start a small windstorm. I felt pretty, and with my hair and makeup done, I just needed to get dressed, but I wanted a sneak peek of the final product.“Not too shabby, Char,” I said quietly. “Not too shabby.”Even on the hanger, the dress was beautiful. It was an off-the shoulder gown of royal blue and cut to hug the top half of my body before ending in a subtle mermaid tail at the bottom. The color was my favorite part, as well as the secret pocket where I could keep my phone without having to carry a purse all evening.Ava's dress was perfect for her and this one was perfect for me.I stared at the woman looking back at me for a moment. Sure, she had the same dark hair and dark eyes, short stature and same cu
After putting on my dress and shoes, I glanced in the mirror one last time and smiled at my reflection. This was definitely one of my favorite dresses so far and, as silly as it was, I hoped Leo thought so too. It irritated me how much his opinion mattered to me, especially considering that we weren't anywhere near being a couple. Someday, I would stop caring. Someday, I would find someone else to love and I would finally put these feelings for Leo aside. Someday, I would be smart and let him go. Just not today.As it was, I suspected he would just tell me to put on a jacket, too.With a shrug, I tossed my hair over my shoulder and went into the adjoining room to find Ava. She was standing in front of the mirror, mesmerized by her appearance.“Holy crap. I do good work,” I said, taking her in. Stunning didn't even come close to describing her. The dress was even better with her dark hair freshly curled and pulled back with a golden comb.“You look gorgeous, Charlotte,” Ava replied, he
I realized I was still holding Leo's hand as we came to the glass door leading out to the porch, and I quickly dropped my hand from his as we positioned ourselves to peek out on the couple. I was trying hard to keep my distance and not touch him. Touching Leo only let my heart hope for things it couldn't have.The night was dark and the porch unlit, but there was still enough light for us to be able to watch. I pulled on the curtain, hiding us further from their sight.We huddled together in the dark, peeking through the small space available to see, and I couldn't help but notice how he was pressed into me. Or was I pressed into him? Either way, we were touching and it was making it hard to think. I took a deep breath to try and center myself, but succeeded only in taking in his scent instead. Pure, clean and male. My heart skipped several beats before I could force it to start again.“What's going on?” Leo asked again, a chuckle in his voice. His muscled arm was strong under his sui
Leo still had my hand wrapped up in his and it was doing strange things to my heart. He'd never touched me for this long, at least not on purpose. With every moment, I knew I was falling just a little more in love with him and that I would crave his touch for days after this. It was almost cruel to know I wouldn't get it.Outside on the porch, the night was calm and beautiful. A cooling wind came in from the ocean, bringing the scent of salt and sand with it. The waning moon's small crescent shape was a silver glitter against the dark water of the Caribbean sea.Just before Leo closed the door, I heard the soft rumble of applause as Bastian began his speech inside. The door sealed with a soft thud, separating Leo and me from the rest of the world. It was warm and dark out here, and still thrumming with the magic of Bastian and Ava's reunion. I wanted to be in a world with just Leo, even if it was only for a moment. Even if I couldn't really have him, I wanted this moment.“Charlotte?”
The kitchen was on fire.Or at least, it had been.The acrid scent of smoke lingered in the kitchen despite the open windows and the industrial fan sucking up as much of it as possible. Luckily, the scent had remained contained and wasn't frightening the guests.The chicken however, was very frightening.“I'm so sorry Ms. Page- the chicken flambé, it wasn't supposed to do that!” The poor caterer looked to be about two seconds away from bursting into tears. This was probably one of the biggest events on the island, and definitely not how she had planned on making an impression on our guests. “I've done this a thousand times and-”“Are you okay?” I cut her off, putting my hands on her shoulders. “Are you or any of your staff hurt?”“I'm okay, the staff is okay,” she sniffled, not meeting my eyes. I could smell the scent of burnt hair lingering around her, and upon closer inspection noticed her eyebrows were singed. A single tear rolled down her flushed cheeks. “But the dinner isn't.”I
Everyone was seated in the party tents to the back of the mansion. Despite the massive size of the mansion, there just wasn't a good place to seat one-hundred and fifty for a formal setting. Especially not with the unparalleled view of the ocean that the tents offered. Tomorrow, these tents would be used for some of the smaller, more durable pieces being auctioned off.White linen and stringed lights gave the dinner a very Caribbean flavor that managed to look both comfortable and elegant at the same time, especially with the perfect ocean view. The tent doors were open to allow in the breeze, but the steady hum of the air conditioners kept the room comfortable. Camera flashes went off at regular intervals as the rich and powerful mingled over cocktails and appetizers.I immediately located Bastian, Gabe, and Leo all sitting at the head table. Ava sat next to Bastian, positively glowing with happiness. There was an empty chair next to her and the final two seats contained two friends,
Leo led me to the open dance floor, spinning me expertly into the music as a fresh song began. I fit into his arms like I was made there. Leo was an excellent dancer and following his lead into a waltz was easier than breathing. Cameras flashed and zinged as we danced, and as I looked up at my prince charming, I felt like a princess.“So?” I looked up at him, half expecting him to tell me it was all a mistake, or even worse, that I would wake up and find this all a dream.“So.” He grinned at me and spun me around, making my skirt flow out in a shimmer of blue fabric before pulling me back into the safety of his arms. “I wish we could get out of here. I'd like to kiss you some more, but-”A camera flash interrupted his words and accenting how public our setting was.“-But the auction should be front page news. Not us,” he finished, spinning me away from the camera. “I'll just have to be content with holding you until later. Then I want to kiss you again. And again.”Happy bubbles fille
I never thought this day would come.Maybe when I was a little girl, I had hoped that someday it would. But I never actually believed it. It feels like a dream, but I know it’s not because it’s even better than anything I could have dreamt up.I’m marrying Gabe Honors. In just a few moments, I’ll be wed to the love of my life.I’m beyond nervous, but also ready. I’ve spent the last twenty minutes looking at myself in the mirror, making sure that my hair and makeup look absolutely perfect for him.“Hey, it’s almost time,” Cora says, as she steps beside me. “You look perfect, Harper. Seriously, you look gorgeous. Gabe is going to melt.”I hope she’s right.“Well, let’s do this,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’m ready.”Just outside, my mom is standing there, holding my little nephew’s hand. He breaks away and runs up to give me a quick hug before she tells him to go take his seat. Mom looks almost more nervous than I am. She can’t keep her hands still and she’s tapping her t
The following week I finally sat down to prepare for my final blog post. My decision was made. It was time to say goodbye and pass the reigns onto a new owner. It made sense and it felt right.Gabe had told me to sleep on the decision, and for most of the week I had made my home at his house, which made sleeping really easy. But the truth was that it really hadn’t taken much deliberation; the blog seemed like a thing of the past, something that opened the door to new writing feats, and I was ready to walk through that door.During our time together I had allowed the blog to slip even further off my mind, which was entirely okay with me. I had checked in periodically and had found a quick selection for Worst Wednesday. But besides that, and for the first time in a long time, I hadn’t paid it much attention. It seemed that the blog and I had finally begun to outgrow each other. At one time it had been my baby, but now it was moving out, and Cora was the perfect guide.If there was anyth
I had been fairly sure that I would never see the inside of Gabe's house ever again, but now I was standing on the deck watching the ocean once more. Not that I was complaining, though. I was happy to be there. In fact, the view of the ocean with the sun overhead never looked so good.“I’m glad you came over today. We need to talk. I’m ready to work through this and make things right again. But first, we both have to come clean with each other,” Gabe said, leaning against the railing of his deck.“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” I agreed. My palms were sweating, but I felt calmer than I had in weeks.His surprise visit at the restaurant had happened just the night before and this was the first time we had really had a chance to hash things out. This conversation needed to happen. It had been a long time coming.“Where should we start?” he asked. The breeze from the ocean ruffled his dark hair.“I guess what I really don’t understand is why you hid it from me?” I asked, starting th
“So all of your readers think you’re out with Brian right now?” Cora asked.I nodded. “Yep, I’ve duped them all into thinking Brian is a real person that loves me just the way I should be loved. It’s too bad I had to make all that up, though, isn’t it.”“Whatever. I think it’s fine.” Cora just shrugged. “But I have to ask you an important question, Harper.”“What is it?” I asked, a little nervous.Cora turned to the side and set her jaw, making a serious face. “Do I look like a Brian to you?”I busted out laughing. Her goofy antics got me every time.“You know, you actually do!” I exclaimed. “You make a perfect Brian! Wow, I’m one lucky girl to be on a date with such a handsome man.”“Aw, thanks!” she said, as she turned back to face me and grinned. “If I talk like this does it make me sound like a Brian, too?”She lowered her voice as much as possible and crinkled her eyebrows together. I was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down my face. The good kind of tears, though, not
I sat down at my computer and clicked on the Internet. It was always the first step in starting a new blog post and I could almost feel the writer’s block start to set in as a blank window popped up on the screen and began loading.It had been just over two months since the breakup and about a month and a half since I had introduced Brian.Brian was a tall guy with a toned body, dark hair and eyes bluer than an open sky on a summer’s day. He was funny, smart, a hard worker in his career as a physical trainer, a huge sports fan and… completely fake.I had decided to create Brian in order to appease my Mother and to use as a marketing tool for the blog. After my readers had obsessed over my relationship with Gabe, Brian was designed to be Gabe 2.0 and to carry the burden of a new and passionate relationship. And completely fabricating a fake relationship was much easier than actually getting consumed by one.Brian took me on elaborate dates to all the exciting places around town without
I took a break from watching my blog to make some belated dinner. I heated up some left over lasagna and made a milkshake with some of the ice cream still left in the fridge as post-breakup comfort food. I couldn’t help but make fun of myself and my current state of affairs. It felt only fitting to throw on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix.After about a half hour I heard the phone ring.Immediately my heart skipped a beat. I had posted my blog late at night and had done so purposefully to avoid an instant reaction from Rosie or my Mom. But with as late as it was, realistically they were the only ones that would be calling.I checked the caller I.D. on the phone before answering. It was Rosie, which was better than Mom. I took a deep breath and clicked to accept the call.“Hey, Rosie,” I attempted cheerfully.“Hey, Big Sis!” she exclaimed.“What are you doing up so late?” I asked.“I fell asleep kind of early, and then the baby woke me up. My sleep schedule is so crazy now, thi
Well, the time has come. Every beginning has an end, and my relationship has found its end. Two weeks ago, Mr. Perfect Match and I broke up and it is time for the corresponding blog post (because blogging about breakups is the best way to move on, right??)It’s not the typical kind of post I’m used to writing. My life is filled with many more bad dates than bad breakups, and maybe that’s a good thing. But it also means that I’m entering new territory without the right map to guide me. They say it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have lovedI stopped writing and glared at the screen. I highlighted the last sentence and hit delete as if the force of my click would hurt the words as they left the page. Love. It was like a bad word, something I had been conditioned not to say. And Gabe deserved no exception, even if it would appease an old stupid cliché about breakups.After a few moments of contemplation I picked up again where I left off.Time is a weird thing. It has the a
The plane ride to Orlando only took less than an hour, but it felt like an eternity. I spent the entire trip trying to hide my sobs, but of course it was impossible. Luckily, I had sat in the window seat and was able to face away from everyone while I cried, but I still knew that people were looking at me. The older lady sitting next to me even asked if there was anything she could do to help. I responded with, “If you can make men honest, that would help.” She just laughed and said, “I don’t think there’s anything I can do about that one.”My makeup was ruined, my hair was a mess and the clothes I had on were a day old. Needless to say, I wasn’t looking like I was ready to hit the town when I crawled off of the plane. It didn’t matter, though. Cora didn’t care what I looked like. She wouldn’t judge me. That was why I had come to see her in the first place.I had only taken a few steps out of the front doors of the airport before I heard Cora calling out my name. I hadn’t even gotten
After storming out of Gabe’s office, I went back to the bedroom and got dressed as quickly as possible. I was teeming with emotion, but I didn’t want to let out a single sob. I could save that for later, when I could enjoy a pint if ice cream and a few days of binge watching my favorite TV show. But for now, I needed to keep it together and act tough.So once I was dressed, I gathered my makeup from his countertop in his bathroom and tossed everything into my overnight bag. To think, I was considering what it would be like to spend my life with the guy and now I was doing everything possible to speed up the process of leaving his house for good.I can’t believe this. I should have known that it would only be a matter of time before something like this would happen to me, I thought. Why did I fool myself into thinking I could actually meet a decent guy?I zipped up my bag and tossed it over my shoulder. Before leaving the bedroom, I took one last look at the bed, where the blankets wer