39. Love In The Making

Ding Ding Ding Ding. A tinkle of glass. All of us turned to my dad who stood up from the couch, a wine glass in his hand. He had the widest smile on his face. Raising his hand he announced, "A toast for my daughter Glace who just won her first Academy Award. Cheers!"

"Cheers!" Everyone said, following his example as he drank the contents of the glass. After a collective congratulation from all of them which I just shrugged off with a polite smile, they resumed to their activities. My eyes went from person to person. Andrea was there, looking beautiful as usual, her hair pulled up. She was at present talking to my dad, as if they were old friends, which when I thought about it, they were, considering that they have known each other for roughly 6 years now.

At my immediate right were Tim and his boyfriend Fabio, talking animatedly. Probably flirting. In one corner of the room stood Patty and Eris. My best friend was looking at Patty like she wanted to devour her. Boy that expression on Eris face never gets old. She was so attached to the blue eyed girl.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder, followed by a warm hug. Cinnamon scent. "Denise," I murmured just as she broke the hug, taking a step back.

"An Oscars Award. Oh my God!" she gushed, looking genuinely ecstatic for me. "I can't believe my sister won something that big."

"Yeah, well it's about time don't you think?"

"Uh huh." She looked me up and down. "But you don't look so good."

"What?" I touched my face. "You think I have the flu?"

Denise rolled her eyes. "You're supposed to look happy. You won a freaking award! What's wrong with you?" A pause. Deep breath from her. "Is this about Dulce?" Bingo!

I avoided her penetrating gaze. "She said she'd visit in time for the awards night." My shoulder slumped. "Yet she's not here is she?"

My sister bit her lip, contemplating on something. She opened and closed her mouth, as if she wanted to divulge information to me. In the end she said, "I'm sure she's just busy. Wait a bit more ok?"

"I've been waiting for 6 years for her." Bitterness was all over my tone. How could I not be bitter when it felt like Dulce didn't want to come home? I took a deep breath. Losing my cool on this important day was not an option. "I just want her to come home. That's all."

Denise patted my shoulder. "She will. Don't worry."

Patty and Eris, as well as Tim and his boyfriend joined our small group. They gave each other sad knowing looks before turning to me. What was their deal? I thought as my stomach made a small flip. Eris forced a smile on her face. "There's my little award winning talent," she said proudly. Oh God. Why was she trying so hard?

"Congratulations Frio," Patty said with a small smile. Compared to Eris, I was thankful that she wasn't pretending to be all happy-happy joy-joy. "You deserve everything."

"Of course!" Tim chimed in with a flourish of his hand. "I expected this from the start Frio. Just know that I was rooting from you. I was a fan!" he shrieked. "I even became the head of your fan club, but now Dulce is the president."

"Thanks," I muttered glumly when my girlfriends name was mentioned. The mood couldn't turn more sour. Patty elbowed Tim discreetly.

As if it couldn't get worse, my dad and Andrea walked to us, bringing their false joy that I wasn't really in the mood for. "Glace." His eyes twinkled.

"Yes dad?"

"Remember what I told you about that new show?" I nodded. "We'll be shooting in two weeks."

"What's the show about?" I really had no idea what it was. Eris, as my manager talked to my dad about it without consulting my opinion. They made plans, agreed on some things, and in the end, I just couldn't say no. To top it off, whenever I asked them about it, they were all hush hush and secretive.

"We'll make the arrangements next week." His reply was vague. Too vague for my taste.

Andrea leaned in for a hug and whispered so only I could hear. "It will be good for you. I promise."

A week later, I found myself inside a coffee shop, wearing my usual disguise, standing in line for a quick drink. The photo shoot that I've been doing for another magazine has just ended, and despite all odds, I managed to escape the waiting paparazzi outside the building by going out back and wearing a hoodie over my head. God. Those people were vultures.

Taking my phone from my jeans pocket, I dialed Dulce's mobile. A ring. Another. She didn't answer. I groaned in frustration. My girlfriend hasn't been answering my calls for the past 3 days. It was either she didn't want me anymore, or she was too busy to even check her phone. Both sounded too horrible. Yet the former would just kill me if it was true. The thought of her not loving me would shatter my whole being.

Just as I was tucking my phone back to my jeans, the guy in front turned around, pouring coffee all over me. Fudge! Rather than helping like I expected him to do, he made his way out quickly. What a total ass, I thought as I wiped my hoodie.

"Are you alright miss?" I stopped what I was doing, too shocked. Call it Déjà vu.

My heart pounded uncontrollably against my chest. Could it be? I turned around, sporting the biggest smile. "Dulce?"

The face that greeted me wasn't her. It was a woman about my age, giving me a concerned look. "Are you ok?" she repeated.

It took a few seconds before I found my voice. Disappointment dripped from my every pore. "I'm ok. Thanks." With a subtle nod of my head, I was out of the café, and back to my car. It took everything I had not to cry out in anguish. It was right there. Right in that freaking place where I met her again. But this time she wasn't there to help me. She was thousands of miles away pursuing her dreams.

Gathering my wits, I returned home. Dejected. Lonely. On the point of breaking down. I wanted to hold her badly. God please send her back to me. I would do anything. Absolutely anything at all. I didn't know if I could survive the ache any longer.

Once more, I dialed her number, only to get a weird beeping noise that I've never heard before. With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I realized that she must have cut off her mobile. Did she do it so I wouldn't contact her? No. . .

My eyes landed on the black jewelry box on the table. Dulce shattered it before, turning it into million pieces on the floor. I replaced the box with the same exact replica, which now sat proudly on my desk. Its content was too important. The ring she gave me when we were children. Opening the box, I gasped in surprise. It was missing! The ring was missing!

I got down on my knees, frantically searching for the one thing that I've cherished all those years. It wasn't on the floor. It wasn't on the drawers. A peek in my walk-in closet told me that it was absent from there as well. It took me countless hours searching, and yet the ring was nowhere to be found.

Totally disheartened, I slumped down on the bed, hoping that the angels would take pity on me and bring the ring back together with Dulce. I curled into a ball, hugging myself, pretending that she was beside me, until I fell asleep.

I had a weird yet pleasant dream. That night, the angel visited me. It borrowed the face of my girlfriend, wearing a white flowy dress, leaning against the doorframe while looking at me. As the angel walked inside the room, she smiled, her gorgeous brown eyes gleaming. The wind blew inside the open windows, making the light blue curtains flutter, bringing to me her wonderfully fresh scent.

The angel went to bed beside me, stroking my face, giving me feather light kisses on the lips. "Glace," she whispered, and I smiled. Everything turned smoky. My eyes blurred. In a second, darkness consumed me, taking me back to my slumber. It was morning when I woke up. The angel was not there.

Rolling out of bed, I stretched my body. It was a little bit sore from all the searching I've been doing the other day, yet strangely I felt refreshed. It must have been from the beautiful dream I had. Remembering my girl, I dialed her number quickly, receiving the same beeping noise from the other line. All the wonderful vibe the dream gave turned into disappointment, and I walked inside the bathroom, preparing to start another day without her.

In the afternoon, I went to the cemetery, straight to the small hill where Dulce and I first met. Who knew what I was doing there? Perhaps I missed her so much that my feet brought me to that location automatically. Wanting to talk to someone about the sadness I felt, I dialed Andrea's number. She'd understand what I was going through, I thought.

No answer. I called Patty next, Eris, then Tim. All of them didn't answer. Didn't anyone want to talk to me? Denise! Denise would talk to me. I dialed her number, and after a few rings, she finally answered. "Hello?"

"Hello Denise. Can we please talk?"

Hesitation from the other line. "Look Glace, I'm so busy today. Maybe another time." Lies. From her tone alone, she was avoiding me. "I have to go ok? Bye." The line went silent before I could even utter a word.

That was the last straw. I threw my phone down the hill, uncaring if it shattered on the ground. Hot salty tears poured from my eyes as I sat on the ground, feeling all miserable because of everything that has been happening. Who needs an Oscar when your girlfriend didn't want you anyway? I thought angrily, wiping the evidence of my suffering. More tears poured down, one after the other. The sky was so clear, yet here I was, alone, feeling like dying.

The wind blew, making me shiver. It carried with it a strange sound. A ghost? Could this day get anymore better? Another blowing of the wind. This time, the sound was nearer. Closer. Then clearer. It felt like a bucket of ice was poured all over my body. A familiar voice. My mind must be playing tricks on me. "Hey stranger."

I turned my head, and there she was, standing like a mirage, a few feet away from me. She was wearing a pale blue dress that highlighted her reddish hair. The cloth clung sexily on her curves. The body of a woman. She was all grown-up now and the mere sight of her left me gasping for air. Fearing that it was my imagination gone wild, I blinked my eyes rapidly, earning an endearing smile from her.

"This is not a dream," she laughed. The sound of her voice was like a million bells tinkling.

My voice was raspy from all the emotion I was feeling. "When? How?"

She took one step closer. "I got back yesterday."

"So that wasn't a dream?"

Her eyes twinkled. "No." She took another step forward.

"Are you here for good?" I waited for her answer while holding my breath.

Dulce shrugged, then walked nearer. "I guess so. I mean, I did wrap up everything in France. Said goodbye to friends. Thanked the people who helped me up. Brought all my clothes with me. Plus, Henry gave me a very promising offer."

I gave her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

Dulce tried to hide a smile. Holy Mother of Heaven, she looked beautiful. "Oh you know, Henry told me that a certain someone and I would do a cooking show together." She bit her lip innocently. "If you don't want to do it with me, then I guess Henry and I should find a replacement. But I doubt anyone can replace you. Not for me anyway."

I took a deep breath, processing the information she said. "I. . . I don't know what to say." My voice was trembling so bad. Damn.

"How about you come here and give your girlfriend a hug?" she smirked. When I didn't move, she cocked an eyebrow up, then started walking in my direction like a girl on a mission. Dulce was right in front of me in a few steps, though she was careful not to touch me. Perhaps feeling like I would explode if she did, which I was definitely going to do. "What are you so scared of?" she asked, searching my face.

"That this is too good to be true and you'll leave again," I mumbled.

We stayed silent, staring at each other for what seemed like eternity. I was rooted on the spot, leaves probably growing on my hair. While she stood there, more beautiful than ever before. After a while she said, "My Peter Pan. . . Glace I. . ."

"What?"

She took a couple of deep breaths. "I don't know how to say this properly." Her lips trembled, and she avoided my gaze. When she looked back, Dulce was on the verge of crying, her face all pink from keeping the tears in. "You deserve better," she choked out. "But I. . ."

The ache I felt for 6 years while waiting for her was nothing compared to the searing pain that washed over my body. "Are you breaking up with me?" I managed to get out in a sort of strangled cry.

The look she gave me was a cross between complete shock and pain. For a moment there, I thought she would break down herself, but she managed to calm herself enough to whisper, "No. . . God no."

"Then what are you saying?" My voice was flat. Lifeless.

She laughed nervously, tears still streaming down her eyes. Was she going crazy? It took me a moment to realize that Dulce held my hand, slipping a gorgeous silver ring on. "I'm so out of it right now Glace. I've even practiced for this day and made preparations with our friends and family. To say it in this kind of place is unthinkable, but I couldn't wait." She looked me straight in the eyes. We were both trembling. "What I mean to say is," she swallowed hard. "I can't live another day without you. Can you do me a favor and be my forever?"

I hugged her, saying over and over, "You know the answer to that." It was the one real thing in my life. The fact that I loved her. And hearing her say that she wanted me too made me crazy with joy.

"Really?" she said, crying over my shoulder. "I thought you got tired of waiting. I was so nervous. I didn't know what I'd do if you said no."

I held her at arms length, wiping her tears gently. "And here I was thinking that you didn't want anything to do with me anymore. If I've known that you were going to propose, I would have done it first." My face fell. "But I'm ashamed to say that I lost our ring. The one you gave me when we were little."

She reached deep inside her dress, revealing a necklace holding the ring. "Looking for this?" she smirked. "I took it just when I arrived because I wanted to replace it with that." Dulce pointed to the engagement ring on my finger.

"Oh. . . But where was the ring I gave you before. Our promise ring."

"You mean this one?" she laughed, wriggling her finger in front of me. There it was, the one I gave her on Christmas day.

"You're so full of surprises Dulce."

"Remember that on our honeymoon," she giggled. "Oh fudge! Let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"Everyone is waiting for us at your house. I was planning to propose there, but you looked too hot so I couldn't wait to become your wife."

I grabbed her hand just as we were making our way down the hill. She fell there twice already. I wasn't taking anymore chances. Once we were on the ground, Dulce gave me a radiant smile, squeezed my hand, then started to run. It made my heart explode with happiness. "Let's go Peter Pan. Let's Fly!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. And in that moment, it really felt like we were soaring.

We went passed the graves, the tombstones with different names. All of them silent witness to a love that has been forged for more than a decade. A long love story in the making.

Fin

This book is dedicated to my lovely girl who I've been crazy for almost ten years since we were young. Darling, you are my number one inspiration.

A/N: Tears in my eyes because their chapter has ended. Thank you soooooo much to everyone who read and appreciated this book. It was a rollercoaster ride for both Glace and Dulce, and it saddens me that I have to let go. But with every chapter ending is another wonderful beginning. I'm thinking of expanding Patty and Eris story in the future. Next year maybe.  Hahahaha. Anyway, my next book is going to be up in a week. It will replace Startruck. Check the summary below. 

My Alien Bride:

Alena Langley has always believed that life in another planet exists. But what she didn't expect was that an alien would visit her anytime soon. On a bright starry night while Alena was looking at the constellations, something big fell from the sky. It turned out to be a spaceship, opening in front of her, revealing a pale girl about her age, the latters skin glowing radiantly, beautifully in the dark. As Alena gazed into the gorgeous girls eyes that reflected the sun with its orange color, she knew in her heart that life would never be the same again.