HEY EVERYONE! so, yes, i havent forgotten this yet...and i've decided to tell you which songs to download or gather and in what order they'll be played...it just makes more sense...if any of you dont enjoy the whole background music deal...lemme know and if hardly anyone pays attention to then ill just stop doing it...uhh, well, i have about one more week before ima high school grad...YAY...but its also sad...the end of an era...ill miss my friends sooo much! ahh thinking about it makes me want to cry, so ill just get on with things...ENJOY!
Playlist of songs:
1. "All I Ask of You" from the Phantom of the Opera soundtrack (movie or broadway - i prefer movie tho)
2. "She's No You" by Jesse McCartney
3. "You and Me" by Lifehouse
4. "Liquify" by The Servant - soooo goood!
DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!
Let your mind start a journey through a strange new world
Leave the thoughts of the life you knew before
Let your soul take you where you long to be
Only then can you belong to me…
- Phantom of the Opera
(Play track #1 here!)
"Thank you Marguerite, my hair looks amazing!" I said to my hairdresser for the night. She was looking at me through the vanity mirror in my bedroom. Her smile told me she was happy with the outcome of her hour's hard work. I had to agree with her. I looked splendid. The perfect princess.
I peered into the mirror to see a beautiful, graceful young lady looking back at me. She was wearing a satin sage gown, its skirt covered in a sheer fabric, its bodice tightly fitted, conformed to the girl's body (no doubt cutting off her air supply as well). The dress itself was dotted with tiny diamonds that sparkled when the light caught them. Her hair was piled in curls on top of her head, which was also dotted with tiny diamonds. The lady's smile was shining bright white as she admired her reflection. Her skin was flawless; only subtle makeup such as blush on her cheeks, mascara paired with smoky eye shadow made her brown eyes stand out, and some sparkly gloss on her lips made her the epitome of beautiful.
As Marguerite opened my bedroom door to leave to help Madison and Lucy down the hall, a soft tune floated in. I immediately recognized it as "All I Ask of You" from Phantom of the Opera, bringing me back to those good old days when my daddy took me to see the Broadway show each year for my birthday. I asked her to leave the door open and she left.
Once I knew I was alone, I held up my right hand, grasped the air, and set my left hand on an invisible shoulder of my make believe partner. We started to waltz around the room and after some time, I started to sing the words.
"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime . . . say the word and I will follow you ... Share each day with me, each night, each morning . . .Say you love me-"
"- You know I do," sang a wonderful masculine voice behind me at the doorway where the music was leaking into the room. I spun around, abandoning my invisible partner, and saw Will standing in my door frame grinning, "Phantom of the Opera?"
"My daddy took me to the Broadway show each year for my birthday ever since I was five. It's my favorite song," I said timidly, red with embarrassment.
"Well then, the lady cannot dance alone to her favorite song." Will, leaving the door open, walked to me, took me into his arms, and started to waltz around the room. With every minute, he pulled me closer to his body, and I ended up resting my head on his shoulder feeling at ease and so comfortable I almost fell asleep.
(Play track #2 here!)
Just as my eyes couldn't take it anymore and began to close, the music ended and a trumpet was sounded, signaling that dinner was ready. Hand in hand, we entered the dining hall. Everyone was chatting in small groups scattered all over the enormous room. The guests resembled bees buzzing from hive to hive as they moved between groups. In the closest jumble, Lucy was introducing Matt to a few of her friends and down a few groups; Colin was talking to a few of his friends with Madison. I pulled Will over to Lucy's group, where everyone bowed and curtsied to Will before greeting me. One man in particular caught my attention.
"Riles? Is that you?" he said to me after Lucy introduced me to the group surrounding us. I stared at him in awe as realization dawned on me.
"Zach! Oh my god! It's so good to see you!" I jumped into my childhood sweetheart's arms in a warm embrace. I can't believe it!" I cried as he chuckled genuinely. I stepped back and took hold of Will's hand again.
I introduced the two guys and Will stuck out his hand and shook Zach's graciously. They talked for a while before I realized they probably would never stop. They moved from topic to topic including everything from polo to the economic crisis in Japan. It was really nice to see Will becoming fast friends with my own good friend. When I tried to get a word in to ask Zach how he came to be at Windsor Castle, Will pulled me close to him, kissed my lips, and asked if I would go find where our seats were.
I laughed at the new duo, but went to find our seats anyway. I found them next to Lucy and Matt once again, who were already seated and talking animatedly. As a matter of fact, quite a few people were already seated. Suddenly, the herald called the guests to dinner and the Queen entered the room and headed for her seat at the head of the table. I saw Will right behind her coming towards me, flanked by Zach, ad strangely enough, Julie was with them. As was custom, the royals were wearing their navy blue sashes, giving them the appearance of power.
Will's hand linked with mine once he reached me. We said our farewells to Zach and headed for our spots next to the Queen. About halfway through the meal, the Queen turned to me and struck up a conversation with me about my time in England. She asked how school was going and how I thought my grades would turn out. Then she asked a really bizarre question.
"When do I get to met Mr. and Mrs. Carlson, Riley?" Needless to say, I was pretty surprised. My mouth droped open as I stared blankly at the monarch infront of me.
"I guess that's never then? How very depressing," she said with a hint of a smile curling her lips. I snapped back to reality
"Oh! Yes, uhhh, well, I suppose when they get a chance to come out here," I said quickly, actually unsure of my answer.
"Or we can come visit them in the States. It's high time I visit the California Coast."
"Of course your majesty. You name the time and they'll be there." She smiled warmly before saying,
"Nonsense. You tell them to call me and give me a date. No worries if I have an engagement already, anything for the parents of my son's girlfriend." She reached out her hand across the table and held min in a motherly grasp.
"They would be honored your majesty, as would I."
(Playtrack #3here!)
After dinner was over, the Queen called the guests to adjourn to the ballroom for dancing. As usual, the royal family was to commence the festivities. Will led me out to the dance floor, followed by Lucy and Matt, Colin and Madison, the Queen and another man, and a middle aged couple I didn't know.
Will pulled me closer as the band began to play.
What day is it? And in what month?
This clock never seemed so alive
I can't keep up and I can't back down
I've been losing so much time
The other couples started to sway to the music as well. The onlookers formed a circle around us with looks of longing and wonder on their faces. However, everyone around us seemed to melt away as the music got louder, drowning out all other sounds.
Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to lose
And it's you and me and all of the people
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you
"Riley, you look wonderful tonight. I really can't find a word that sufficiently describes you but I do know this – every guy here is jealous of me because I have not a beautiful woman in my arms, but a goddess." I turned red at his generous compliment.
All of the things that I want to say just aren't coming out right
I'm tripping on words
You've got my head spinning
I don't know where to go from here
He reached up and caressed my burning cheeks.
"You're so cute when you blush," he chuckled, making me laugh as well. "I must say, making you blush is my most favorite activity." I pressed my hand over his that was resting on my cheek. He kissed my forehead and pulled me even closer before wrapping his arms around me tightly.
Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to prove
And it's you and me and all of the people
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you
"I wish this night would never end," I whispered, my head resting in the crook of Will's neck. I kissed his neck, then his cheek. He pulled his face back to look me in eyes. "Will, I think I love you," I whispered even quieter.
There's something about you now
I can't quite figure out
Everything she does is beautiful
Everything she does is right
"I feel the same." He leaned in and kissed me, and I stopped dancing, as did he. When he pulled away, he stepped back and smiled at me. I returned the smile before we finished out the song.
Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to lose
And it's you and me and all of the people
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you
and me and all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to prove
And it's you and me and all of the people
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you
Just then, a traditional ballroom waltz started up and Will looked at me mischieviously. "Care to waltz my lady?"
"Not particularly," I laughed as we set off and melted into the crowd of dancers. After the waltz, a slower tune rang out, cuing my exit to the refreshment table. On my way, I met up with Colin, who asked to dance. I accepted and we walked back out onto the dance floor. Will was dancing nearby with the woman from the unknown couple from the first dance. He gave me a worried glance, but I smiled at him, letting him know I was ok.
Colin was actually quite nice. We talked about our childhoods; me growing up a rich girl on the beach, and he growing up a rebel in a royal castle. When we got on the subject of our parents, he suddenly remembered something.
"That reminds me! My parents finally arrived yesterday night," he said pointing to Will's partner. That's when I understood why that unknown couple was dancing with us at the beginning of the ball – they were the parents of Colin and Lucy. "My aunt told them all about you, so now my mother is dying to meet you."
(Play track #4 here!)
"Heh. I didn't know the Queen thought so highly of me to talk about me to your mom."
"Are you joking? She would love you to be her daughter!" At Colin's words, my mouth dropped open. Colin's smooth hand reached up, cupped my chin, and closed my sagging jaw. "She'd even love you as a niece…"
Now his fingers were caressing my cheek and jaw bone. He once again cupped my chin in his palm and started leaning in towards my lips. Signals exploded in my brain. Distant horns and sirens blared in my ears. People were shouting, "Alert! Alert! Pull away! Kiss imminent! Alert!"
"Riley." I snapped back to reality. Colin's arms that were just encircling my body were now brushing invisible dirt off his sleeves and jacket front. He was also a foot or two away from me. I glanced around for the person who had called my name. Will was walking my way with Colin's parents in toe.
"Hello Colin, sorry to interrupt," commented Will in an icy tone.
"Riley," Will started, wrapping his arm around my waist protectively, "Please, let me introduce you to my aunt and uncle, Lord Lance Jefferies and Lady Brigette Jefferies. Aunt and Uncle, meet my girlfriend, Riley Carlson." He looked on in pride as Lord and Lady Jefferies and I exchanged greetings.
"By George! I was sure Colin would become King, but now that you have a splendid lady Will, I suppose I was wrong," joked Lord Jefferies. Lady Jefferies pushed her husband aside and stroke up a conversation with me. After ten minutes or so, Lord Jefferies went off in search of a whiskey.
The whole time, Will stood behind me, playing with the ties on the back of my gown. At one point, he tickled me, causing me to jump and slip off my high heels, but before I fell flat on my face, Will caught me tightly around my waist.
He was probably trying to see if I was hurt, but I was too busy laughing to notice his concern. When he righted me, I turned to face him and just collapsed laughing into his chest. I almost fell again from giggling so hard.
"All right, you're cut off for the rest of the night," he joked, laughing heartily at me with Lady Jefferies. It was then that Lord Jefferies returned with two glasses of hard liquor and ice.
"I was bringing this for you Will," he started, "but it looks like Riley here would enjoy it more." Everyone chuckled at the joke, but in the end, Will took the whiskey from his uncle. "Riley, would you fancy an old man a dance?" asked Lord Jefferies.
"Of course my Lord." I took Will's uncle's hand as he led me onto the dance floor. After a few silent moments, Lord Jefferies spoke up.
"I do believe his highness fancies you."
"And why do you say that? I'm sure he's liked other girls before me."
"Well, of course, but he's never introduced us to them. If I may be so bold, after Will's father passed on, I became Will's father figure. I took pride in the good deeds he did, and how he held himself after that tragic accident." I knew the king was killed in a car accident, but I also knew it was under investigation. Before my mind started to wander, I forced myself to focus on the Lord again.
"As the boy's second father, I have grown accustomed to Will's behavior, and I have never seen him this happy or in love. If you two ever think of it, I would give you my blessing in a heartbeat. You're wonderful in every aspect, and you would make a magnificent queen someday." I was speechless so I just smiled at him and thanked him once the dance was over.
"You love her don't you Will?" my aunt said to me.
"I do," I looked at my aunt's beaming face before continuing. "I'm going shopping for a ring tomorrow."
"What kind did you have in mind?"
"I know she likes small jewelry, nothing big and extravagant. She's not one to show off."
"Did you ever think of using an heirloom ring?"
"No. Do you know of any that would suffice?"
"Queen Victoria's wedding ring is perfect for your princess."