I had lain in a hospital bed while getting in ear full of my mother's breakdown. My grandmother, Jeong, sat beside me with a calm appearance; although, her fingers fiddled around, giving away her real emotions. I sat up as a blonde-haired man... uh... I mean... extremely gorgeous man came in the room. Oh! He must be the father of the Cullen family! Dr. Carlisle Cullen, the man who adopted lots of children that ended up marrying each other! He looked just like the rumors said; very young and extraordinarily charming. It's marvelous that he would be the doctor to help me today!
Another man with black messy hair and a bushy moo-stache came in as well. The officer's badge was above his name tag that attached to his blue work-shirt. The name engraved on the tag was "Charlie Swan." I guess as chief of police – shown on his badge – he would show up about the lightning that struck the tree, which almost crushed me. If Ozario hadn't been there, I'd be completely splattered all over the asphalt. My brows bent on the thoughts of Ozario. Where did he go after such an incident, anyway?
The chief walked up to the edge of the hospital bed. He greeted himself, "Hey, I'm Chief Swan. I will be needing some details about the situation that happened at your school. I will wait until the doctor has checked up on you first before asking any questions, Okay?"
I nodded a weak nod with my eyes fastened onto the doctor. It was hard not to stare at Dr. Cullen. He really stood out from most of the workers, here, and it wasn't his uniform. Seriously! Even my grandma and other nurses were checking him out. I simply couldn't believe I'm somehow associated with great looking people all of a sudden. I need a makeover fast!
He introduced himself with a smile, "Hello. You must be Catalina Yong. I am Dr. Carlisle. I'm here to help you."
My mom stopped sobbing very quickly after looking up at Dr. Carlisle. She seemed to be the only one unfazed by him. "Oh. Um. Hello... I'm glad you came." She whimpered. My grandma nodded with a smile, then looked at me. I didn't really know what to say; but, I tried anything, "... Hi..."
He gave me a limited time run of tests to see if I had any injuries or other problems going on with my body. I tried to focus... But, that dang needle needed to stay put on the utensil tray. I sort of hated hospitals because of needles. Ugh! They freaked me out the worst. It normally made me nauseous to see them in my skin whenever I needed a shot. Luckily, I didn't need one today! I still held long evil glares at that needle on the metal table, though.
After my doctor left, Officer Charlie questioned me about the situations that came to pass earlier. I told him I honestly could not explain the situation because everything moved so all-of-a sudden. Speaking of fast. Seriously. How could Ozario appear just fine and vanish like he did into thin air? Nothing made any sense to me as I stared at Mr. Swan's face. I knew I couldn't mention him, though. If Ozario wanted me to, he would've stayed and got a checkup as well. Wouldn't he?
Dr. Carlisle finished setting the tests in records, then came back with a clipboard by his side. He looked like he was finishing off some of his investigations on me like Sherlock. He spoke with my grandmother and my mother before all of them looked over at me. Dr. Carlisle, then, proceeded to talk to Charlie about the matter that occurred. I only heard "... can't explain" out of his mouth. He walked over to me to unravel the results. I began bracing myself in case of any serious issues were brought up.
"It looks like you will be okay. You have no damages or scars. There are no signs of trauma. After I record this you will be free to leave. You were extremely lucky today. I'm glad you made it out safely untouched," Expressed Carlisle, the doctor in a merry tone.
I shook my head in disbelief. "Are you sure I'm not mentally crazy after that? I thought the mental tests would label me... I mean, I thought I saw-" I paused when I realized all of these people were around. What I could've said would earnestly land me inside an asylum or rehab. Plus, I made it clear to myself not to tell anyone about Ozario. I almost forgot. "Nothing. Never mind. I just wanted to know if... Ozario was here."
Carlisle smiled, gently. "Yes. He is in the waiting room discussing something with his family. Would you like to see him?"
I nodded and stood up from the bed. The three of us followed the doctor. On our way to the waiting room, I told Dr. Carlisle how honored I felt to meet him. We started talking about Ozario and he told me that Ozario was actually his adopted grandchild, not his adopted son. It stunned me to know this incredibly dazzling and young man was a grandfather! We continued to chat about a few other things; though, I hid the fact that I still wanted to punch his grandson in the face and the reason why. Seeing Carlisle for the first time had truly felt kind of awesome.
This man is a part of Ozario's life. Now, I understood why O.C. was such an elegant gentleman. Ozario always played this bad boy role to hide behind, though. I wondered why. Seeing the doctor still didn't explain Ozario's sneaky attitude or his playfulness. Maybe, his age justified it, or he could just be a loner. Ozario could simply be the misunderstood child in the family like my friends told me. Maybe, it could be because he was adopted and felt upset about his missing biological parents. At what age was he adopted, anyway?
I saw Ozario standing with other members of his marvelous and stylish family. Surprisingly, Renesmee wasn't here at the hospital. When Carlisle and the three of us walked up to the large group, I smiled and waved at everyone. Everyone in Ozario's family waved back, but it seemed that a couple of faces weren't so pleased to meet my appearance. My mother and grandmother smiled at them.
Adriana greeted herself, "Hello! I'm Catalina's mother, Adriana Yong. It's great to meet all of you."
"Yes. It's a great pleasure. My name is Jeong Yong. Catalina's grandmother."
A woman with caramel, chest-length hair spoke gently toward my mom, "Hello. I'm Esme Cullen and this is my family." Ozario looked a little stunned. "You're Catalina's mother?
Wow!" He shook hands with my mom and said, "That's fantastic! My name is Ozario Cullen. How do you do, Mrs. Yong."
My mother's face glowed the second she heard him state his name. She happily smiled, and her voice uplifted, "Aw! Oh! I'm no mistress. Sadly, I'm a widow. But, thank you for being sweet. I'm great!"
Ozario gasped. "Oh! Forgive me! I had no idea. I'm so sorry for your loss, Madame. I wanted to say Catalina is amazing." He kindly intoned.
My mother giggled and snorted a little.
Wait? Seriously? He's being nice?! He still knows my name?! I only heard him say it once before now! As mother and my grandmother introduced themselves to the rest of Ozario's family, I couldn't stop wondering why Ozario played the nice card as he met my mom. Also, I couldn't help but wonder why Mrs. Cullen's skin was so pale, porcelain, and perfect.
In fact, all of Ozario's family, but himself and his brother, was almost as pure as snow. I've seen skin like theirs before. And... all of their irises were golden brown. Isn't it bizarre that almost all of Carlisle's and Esme's children have the same eye color and skin color as themselves? How do they come across perfectly detailed appearances like that in the process of adopting children, or finding and marrying each other? Where have I seen eyes and complexion like theirs before? A sudden flash of my father's head went through my mind. His eyes were also golden brown, and his complexion was as perfect as the Cullens with a faint brown undertone. I started to remember how heavy he felt like some sort of stone. I shook the image out my thoughts very quickly. What was that about? Why remember something like this right now?
I noticed a soft throb feeling upon my face – the sense I was getting stared down by someone. I faced the direction of the feeling. I spotted a gorgeous, platinum-blonde, and elegant woman eyeballing me from the face down. An extremely beautiful guy with disheveled bronze hair had the same look, but he seemed a little too deep into something like he could've been gazing underneath my skull. He stared slightly and intensely passed my eyes. His eyes darted right between my forehead where I felt him stare the most. What are they staring at? Am I that ugly or something? Did I offend them with my unlucky charms? The bronze-haired guy, known as Edward – I think – began to hide his giggling. Huh? Did he just hear me? Or, was he just daydreaming, awkwardly?
Dr. Carlisle separated his family and my family from Ozario. Ozario faced me and had a cold frown on his face. I jerked. Uh, oh. Where did his sweet heart façade go? His arms crossed over his chest as he paced toward me.
"Clumsy." Ozario fussed silently to me, "You do realize you scared me to death, right?" He rose a brow. Still, his kind of cute when he's furious. I frowned at his aggressive reaction toward me,
"Well! Dang!" I whispered back, "Give me a chance to say 'hey' first."
"Okay." He softly intoned, placing his hands on his waist.
I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders. "Hey."
Ozario stood there in silence for a moment, glaring at me. "Hey. Now, why didn't you move?" He queried.
"Thanks for helping me," I whispered to him. I wanted to get everything out quickly before anything else shot out of his mouth. He did come to my rescue when he didn't have to. So, it's only right to thank the man. Let's not even acknowledge how.
Ozario loosened up his face and his hands fell to his sides. He looked a little in an awkward shock, "... Don't do that..."
"Do what?" I looked at him feeling confused.
"Thank me," he replied. "You don't have to ever thank me for keeping you alive." He looked down burying his eyes in his hands to move his hair out of his face. He caressed his hair back and kept his hands at his neck. "Life is too precious and no simple 'tank chus' is good enough," he clarified, mocking me in the process.
I smiled at him. Aw! That's cruelly sweet.
"Anyway... What day," Ozario asked with his arms crossed again?
My brows flinched at the misinterpreted question. I blinked and said, "What?"
He walked closer toward me until we were almost touching. "Food. You want it or what?"
I realized what he meant. The bet! We lost so... It's a tie? "Oh! Tomorrow, I guess."
Ozario delightfully smiled. "Look nice," he gently intoned.
"Wait, what? Look nice? Did you just ask me...?" My eyes looked exactly like those droids collecting data on those sci-fi movies. I literally felt as though it took me a long time to process what Ozario may have invited me to... a date?
Ozario sighed and shook his head, basically confirming how slow I must've been. His brows rose with a charming smile. "I get to continue messing with you. I guess you can keep the picture, though. I can give you a little mercy... But, this doesn't stop me from tricking you into going somewhere with me," he explained.
"It's not a date, right," I asked, covering my lips with a couple of fingers? He started to smile very devilishly. His voice spoke heavenly, "Let's call it... a non-date date, if you want. You know, just hanging out."
"...U-uh," I felt my cheek burn again. It is a date, isn't it? For friends... right? "Okay," I unthinkably accepted.
This would be the first for me. I've never been on a non-date date before, or any date for that matter. I took Ozario's arm, which surprised him a little because this was the first time I approach him. I took a pen from my pocket and wrote my address and number on his skin. Ozario chuckled a little. After I was done, he checked his arm.
"Alright. Later, Loser!" Ozario waved goodbye and walked passed me. This time, as he left distance behind, he kept looking back at me. It was... cute.
I thought about what he just called me. "Aye! Wait! I'm not..."
I watched him walk out the exit doors. I turned to Carlisle's family, who were talking to mine with glee. Everyone must've been watching us, judging from the way they faced toward me, instead of each other. I just wanted to know one thing.
"Why is Ozario like that?"
All of O.C.'s family members shrugged, with adorable smiles on their faces. Henry was the only one to mess up his hair a little. I couldn't help but to smile back. Ozario's family is so charming! I got a chance to greet and speak with everyone for a few minutes. Afterward, all of us went back to our daily lives.
Regrettably, Renesmee missed me in the hospital. She apologized on the phone. As we started talking, she explained that she wanted to visit, but she had something important to do first. She invited me to a movie on the same day, so I accepted it. It was a funny night! Renesmee introduced me to a place that showed old and new movies on a big screen. We watched Deadpool together, which was a bit awkward since there were "naughty scenes" in it. Still, it was really cool. Afterwards, we ate in a fast food restaurant, talking about our favorite parts of the movie. We walked down the streets for a bit and sort of window shopped while teasing some of the products they sold. Why would someone put a half-naked mannequin in the window? Seriously? Poor mannequin!
That night was wonderful, because I've never been out with friends outside of school before. It was beautifully cherish-worthy. I'm glad I moved to Forks to meet all these new people. It's been nice for the first time in my life. However, there was this fear that everything could easily be swept away from my grasp. I hated it. I hated to know that after my time here was over, I might never see these people again. That's... s ince the day I lost most of my family, it has always been my worst fear.
That night, I could not sleep. I felt hyper even without thinking about a billion and one things. I was just happy that today ended in a good way. For hours, I sat on the floor looking out the window with a big grin on my face. The night was beautiful that just looking at the stars and the moon over my head, felt so calming.
A movement passed by the corner of my eyes from a nearby tree. I looked in that direction to see what it was. Just below was a pure white wolf, gazing into my eyes. It was so huge that my attention was easily snatched by its large and phenomenal appearance. Our gaze locked together like a safe full of platinum. I stood on my feet, as the wolf looked at something in the distance and ran off.
What was that? Could it be the wolves that disappeared years ago, who were accused of harming those vanishing people? I had so many questions to ask the next day when I went to school. No one was able to answer my question at lunch. In art class, I couldn't ask Ozario either because he was gone. Today was bright after all and he never goes to class when it's sunny. I began to worry about our trip for Christmas knowing that no one could tell me about these huge wolves.
Anxiety kicked in as I pondered what could happen. I walked outside, which turned dark by the end of school hours like usual. I spotted a guy in his leather jacket and ridiculous shirt leaning against his black and red motorcycle. His eyes were closed like he was soaking in the fresh air. It was him, Ozario. He looked at me and smiled. O.C. nodded for me to come over. I was shocked to see him here when he was gone all school day. My friends pushed me over toward him, giggling and waving. They ran off afterward.
Ozario laughed at the sight of them scurrying off like mice. He looked down at me. "Hey." He sung with a cute smirk on his face.
"Hi! Uh..." I read his funny shirt out loud, "Um, 'Sorry I'm late... But, don't I look FABULOUS!'" Ozario chuckled.
"Amazing bike. I didn't know you drove this." I acknowledged with astonishment.
"Have you ever wondered what it's like?" He asked as he moved his hair from his eye. He kept his hand on his medium sized ear and rubbed his earlobe.
He's intrigued that I haven't rode a motorcycle before? Okay? I looked at his nice eyes, "I have wanted to learn before, but I never got the chance to learn."
"Get on, then." Ozario handed me a helmet. I grabbed the helmet and put it on, "Uh. I don't know."
He held out his hand to help me on the motorbike and sat behind me. Ozario then placed his hand on top of mine and started the motorcycle. "Come on, little kitten..." He whispers in my ear. "Don't you want a purrrfect day with me? You're hanging out with the wolf today."
I started to sink into his chest as I blush. "Oh, my gosh... really?"
Ozario laughed, then howled as we rode away, leaving my car behind. We stopped at a shop not so far away from school. He said he was trying to give me something nice as we walked in. I looked around, noting that it was women's clothing store and apparel. The products of the store are also quite expensive. I couldn't believe my eyes as I saw all these luxurious items on shelves and racks. I felt like I wasn't good enough for this kind of stuff. I never yearned for material things, either, but I loved creating them. Wow. Omgh. I had no idea Forks had this.
"I-I don't think this is a good idea." I said discouraged.
Ozario looked at me with a serious look, "Y-ya-you're getting something. Besides, we are already here. I want to give you something, so go look."
Ozario shoved me into an aisle of clothes, where I saw lots of beautiful items to pick. I've never been one to look for clothes right away... But, to my eyes, it was inevitable to find many divine ones hanging on the racks. I walked around and peered at some items to pretend I found something cute. Truly, I watched Ozario, who kept looking for something. He looked so serious. How's he more serious than I am? He picked up a hanger and walked over to me.
O.C. held up and handed me a light blue Mini Dress. It was so graceful and incredibly noble. He also lifted a lovely pair of light blue, Christy Ng heels to match. 4.5-inch heels, huh? Luckily, because of my mother's greed for fashion, I was able to walk in any size heels. She's the one who taught me that. I haven't been perfect yet–I know enough to imitate models.
"May you, please, go into the dressing room and try it?" He questioned so graciously.
I was appalled by the way he asked. "Um. Sure."
A few minutes later, I walked out of the dressing room. It was a phenomenal Tiffany-blue silk dress (I read the tag) that felt so smooth on the inside. The dress was my size, and it wasn't too short at the bottom. My skin was best suited for this slim, off-shoulder style and color.
"Incredibly lovely." Ozario stood behind me, putting a matching pearl necklace around my throat.
In the reflection, we looked at each other and smiled. Ozario bought it all before we left the place. He was carrying my bags to put them in the basket of his bike. Ozario took me back to my car in the parking lot. I was glad that it wasn't taken off somewhere. He teased me one last time before we parted ways. I threatened not to wear his gifts tonight, which he threatened to take it back. Actually, I really wanted it. We laughed at each other for a while before we parted from the lot.
I walked inside my house, finding my mom more cheerful than ever. I already told her Ozario tricked me on a non-date date yesterday when we came home. Whatever a non-date date meant. Grandma was the one who noticed the bags I carried. She knew
I'd never go for dresses, but her face was so obvious that I knew what she thought. I shook my head and ran upstairs to change.
While trying to figure out why Ozario decided to do all this today, I felt so excited. We could have gone to McDonald's, or something, instead. I hadn't intended to be too expensive. I washed, shaved, and began to scramble around doing all sorts of girly things that I never expected from myself. Even mum felt panicked. I had done my make-up in a light blue eyeshadow that looked almost metallic silver and black eyeliner. My lips were a dark red and removed lightly so I wouldn't wear too much of it. It was topped with a soft red lip gloss that wasn't too bright for my complexion. My blush was pink, cartoon-styled, just below my lower eyelid and dimly across my nose.
The last thing I needed to do was put on my heels. I walked towards the mirror on the wall to see all that was put together. I had everything done and was ready to go in hopes that Ozario might like it. Surprisingly, it wasn't too girly and too fancy for the place we were going tonight, or I would have felt out of place. What was he planning?
Downstairs there were voices echoing their way up to my room. I heard a slight crunch from the bottom of a few stairs and a man's voice coming closer. I walked out of the room to see who it was. Ozario stood still, in a rosy expression, looking at me as if awed. He wore a stylishly polished outfit that matched mine that night, but nothing too formal. After I walked down the steps to meet him, he held out a purple rose for me. For doing so, I thought he was sweet as I took it with a smile. I noticed my mom cheerfully staring us. He gave me a hand to help me down the last few steps. Mom squeaked in a bit of joy after certainty it was my first date indeed.
"Yay! My daughter is going on her first date!" Adriana was so happy, she jumped up really high like a cheerleader. I thought I was excited, but I guess, not like her.
"It's a non-date date... I guess." I tried to correct her, but the truth is I didn't know myself.
Ozario only laughed at my mom's enthusiasm. He made it clear that he wasn't keeping me for long, "I will be taking her to the new restaurant that just opened, Blue Ocean. I will have her home before 9 o'clock, I promise."
"Stay out as long as you want. Now, go you daylight are both burning!" Mom insisted, waving her hands for us to scram. She hadn't realized her words jumbled up in excitement.
I squeezed my face together trying to comprehend. "What?"
Mom pushed us out the door in front of my grandma, who must've let Ozario before I came downstairs. I mean, Granny always answers the door. Mom waved us away.
"Just go! Bye!"
Grandma grinned and waved at us while Ozario and I left. Ozario had a car this time, it was a black McLaren P1. Whoa! What the...? O.C. opened the door for me and I got in. On the way to the restaurant, I still had questions about the wolf I saw before. I turned to him to see if he knew about that white wolf. I could ask him, now.
"Hey, Ozario? I'm glad you're doing this for me. Thank you." I said kindly, my hands cuddled together in my lap.
Ozario smiled, looking dead at the road. "I wanted to. I'm not just doing it for you."
I've been wanting to tell him about my trip and now would be a wonderful time, too. Maybe, I could say both. Finally, I forced my curiosity out loud, "I have a question about the Forks' gigantic wolves around this area. Are they safe when hiking?"
Ozario peeped at me with a strange look, then turned back to the road, "That's an odd question. Hmm... Eh-They don't really bother people for real, that's just a rumor. They just run around in the woods. However, some of them are bad I guess. Just like some of us as humans."
I was pleased with his answer. Although it still frightened me, it made sense at least. There are good and bad in wolves like humans with good and bad to choose from. Hmm. I like it! "Oh! I asked because I was going to go hiking for Christmas. I saw one peering at my window." I started waving my hands around as I described what I had already saw, "It was huge in all white fur that sparkled like the snow. The fur was so pretty and like you, it had big silver looking eyes. It kept staring at me so gently... until it chased after something in the woods. It was weird."
Ozario's brow jumped. "... Maybe it likes you... but, for safety, don't go near it. Be careful out there, Catalina." He spoke cautiously.
"Ok." I took his warning into consideration. I would definitely need it for the hike.
Ozario stopped the car close to a dock over a lake. He smiled and intoned. "Let's go there in style, shall we?"
I looked at a sign showing that this area was a canoeing site.
Style? Driving in a McLaren wasn't good enough? I questioned him, "We are getting there in a boat? But, it's snowing. The water would be too frozen. I mean, it's cold!"
"Not these waters." Ozario clarified as he took his leather coat from the back seat and wrapped it around my shoulders. Now, that I think about, I never did grab my jacket when mom pushed us out.
I saw him get out of the car, coatless. OC walked to the other side to open the door for me, so that I could get out. We went towards the dock's edge, then stopped in front of a cute little canoe hanging from the dock. He pulled it close, holding out his hand to help me onto the small boat. He followed and began to move it with the paddles. Personally, I can't believe this is happening right now. I watched the horizon and its light streak through the trees. It was so beautiful.
The ride was romantically surrounded by snow that looked like crystals matching Ozario's eyes. He continued to stare at me as a gentle smile slowly curled on his face. I blush at the sight of him looking at me and turn away. It felt pleasantly weird. The snow started falling all over my hair and the boat. Ozario teased me about the facial expressions I made when the snow kept tickling my nose.
We've reached the restaurant called Blue Ocean. As we waltzed inside, I stopped because every wonderful thing I saw was mesmerizing me. The whole place was unbelievably lit with dim, small lights to imitate the stars with thin purple flowers hanging from the ceiling. An aquarium was built on the inside of the clear walls. Aurora colors coated all the interiors of Blue Ocean from the lights streaming through the clear, stained-glass aquarium.
Ozario and I were escorted to the dining area to be seated. My eyes went wild as I analyzed every fascinating feature in the room. The tables were designed with pebbled stands and glass tops. Dining utensils were already in place. The chairs were clear but had a white cushion to sit on with blue bows on the sides. Below them, on the graphite-colored maple floor, was a soft white rug. It was a lovely spot for a fantastic date. Unbelievable, actually. Ozario and I were at our table before I knew it. He was already pulling out my chair, so I could sit down. I didn't make him stand any longer. Ozario calmly took a seat in front of me.
"Oh, my gosh! This is amazing! They have a dance spot over there and everything! Is that karaoke?" I marveled. I pointed at some people, who were singing near some music machine. I was 100% stunned by all the artistic activities Blue Ocean had.
Ozario looked up at the small crystal chandelier over our heads. "Yea. It is supposed to be a new place where different artisans can hang out. The dancers, the craft workers and sculptors, the singers, and other performers... All of them right here, like a club." He looked at me. "Do you like it?" Ozario asked, blinking.
I unthinkably flashed a bright smile at him. I nodded and happily praised, "Definitely! This was so romantically put together. How thoughtful of someone to create a way that allows artists to share their work and have fun together! It's-It's like–!"
"A place perfect for you," Ozario intoned as he softly gazes upon me.
Although his statement sounded rather dispassionate, his romantic and sweet voice had me blushing. I understood his cordial intentions now, because of that. He is... trying to enchant me, isn't he? Why? I placed my fingertips on my warm right cheek and shyly looked away, again.
"Thank you for bringing me here." I stated in appreciation.
Ozario smiled as a waiter came to our table. The waiter pulled out a notepad from his pocket and began his introduction, "Good evening, my name is Evan. Tonight, I will be your waiter. We are offering a special drink that's our finest this evening! It's called, Blue Moon Cocktail, made with a lavender rose candy on the glass. Would you like to try it?"
"Yes, please." Ozario answered. He showed his ID that clearly stated he was 18.
I looked at him funny. What the...! Ozario isn't old enough to drink! What is he doing! It 21 to drink but the waiter didn't care. In fact, barely checked! I looked back at the waiter and replied, "Uh...No?"
Ozario snickered at my facial expression.
I just didn't think it was a promising idea to have alcohol right now. I mean, we are very young, "May I have sweet tea, please?"
The waiter gave me a crooked smile. "Of course, anything for you... Beautiful."
My eyes widen in surprise. I felt awkward, now. "Um...thanks?"
The waiter walked off to get our drinks. I glanced back at Ozario, who looked like he had a challenging time trying to restrain himself from cracking up. I shook my head, then looked over to the people dancing on the neon floor. I want to go out there and dance, too, but I'm afraid to ask. There would be too many people watching us. I didn't realize Ozario had been analyzing my every move ever since my first day of school in Forks until tonight. How much, or how long, has he been watching over me? We've only teased and mocked each other, so how could he know what impresses me? I mean, Ozario knows my style of dress, the size of it, what area to go to that might fascinate me, and the motorcycle ride... How could he know all these things would amaze me? Why do they amaze me?
I looked at Ozario. O.C was still watching my every move like he had done all day. That's how he knows, isn't it? Ozario waits for my reactions. But... that still doesn't explain my dress size. I remembered what he told me before. Ozario liked to watch the way I react to things like an open book at an empty table. Is it possible to have watched me so much that he guessed my dress size correctly?
"Hey, you said you like looking at the way I react. Am I that easy to read? Did you find something interesting," I questioned with a glare?
Ozario leaned back into the seat tilting his head. He chuckled a little, looking down at his hands, "Like a mysterious book, you're very difficult to read. However, by leaving small clues, you help me figure out things. Sort of, like foreshadowing. I can tell you that I'm not yet close to discovering your secrets. Sometimes I feel like the things I'm doing or saying to you may never get me closer to you. But, some of the things you might say or do let's me know I might be getting closer than I thought. However, depending on the circumstances of each day, I still have to try the next approach. You're very awkward and strenuous. Truly extraordinary, and I like it." Ozario cupped his chin above the table and looked at the dancers.
I couldn't come up with anything to respond with. My mind was a blank sheet of paper from a notebook. It took me a moment to finally theorize something about the matter. He watches me so much that he can't even crack any of my codes? I looked back at the dancing couples with him. I quickly noticed he started watching me again. I looked at him and smiled.
"Do you want to dance with me after we eat," He asked, kindly?
I happily nodded. The waiter came back with our drinks and set them on the table. We ordered our food at random because we were so focused on talking that we barely looked at the menus on our table. My heart kept pounding, as I thought about his previous reply. A mystery book... I'm a... mystery to him? My mind couldn't wrap around a clearer understanding of what he meant, but that's the closest I could get.
Ozario, a fine man, wants somebody like me close? Oof. He's the true mystery. I knew he couldn't have wanted me because of my beauty. Compared to him, I'm pitiful. I wasn't all that gorgeous and a bag of chips like he was. I've had some acne here and there, and I'm scarred forever by the bumps I used to pop. The acne marks just won't leave. They were looking like freckles. I'd been cheetah-faced.
Does Ozario not care? Is he that one-in-a-million nice guy? He said he liked my reactions, not my beauty. So, he could be. He wanted to get closer to the inner me, then... Right? That's beautiful.
"Miss, may I take your menu, please," I heard a man repeat twice?
I snapped out of my trance. "Sorry, of course." I said, smiling.
I gave the waiter my menu.
Ozario was in-the-zone snickering as I spaced out. His face was buried in his hands, as every chuckle moved his shoulders. The man who served us had been trying to flirt with me all this time, and I had completely ignored him. I realized that the man's facial expression changed from a smile to an embarrassment. I covered my lips with a few fingers, as Ozario continued to laugh at the waiter who had finally left. I shook my head in order to calm my mind. Finally, Ozario subdued his laughter at the poor man.
"You know he deserved it, right," Ozario assured me?
Confused, I look back and forth between the two. "How?" I whispered.
"Evan tried to flirt with another man's date and, also, implied you should go with him, instead. Not with the best intentions, either. He emphasized on getting a room," He informed.
"Why didn't you say anything? You could've tapped me or something," I asked, tilting my head in surprise.
Ozario turned his head with a chuckle. "Because, I didn't have to. You're pretty independent and defensive. He couldn't last two seconds trying to flirt with you. That just proved it." He challenged.
I started to laugh. "Oh... I mean, you managed to get past two seconds."
Ozario glanced at me. "Because, I kept trying. Even if this meant just being friend zoned forever, being next to you is fine with me." He remarked.
"I haven't friend zoned you... But, we are friends." I corrected.
Ozario smiled, showing his perfect teeth. His grinning face was stunning and graceful in the lighting.
I smiled, too.
"We are an odd pair of friends. Our relationship is completely twisted." Ozario proclaimed.
"Hey, you started us out that way. I agree, though. I like it like this." I replied to him. I took a sip of my tea.
Ozario blushed and looked away from me. He started staring at something in the distant – still keeping a smile. He stopped and thought about something. Then, he looked my way again. "Oh! Here." He switched our drinks.
I jerked, then shot him a funny look. "No!" I shouted.
Ozario put his hands in prayer and gave me the puppy eyes like he was begging. "Can you please try it? Just a sip?" He pleaded.
"No! Drugs are a no-no! No means no!" I playfully joked. I slid his drink toward me while doing the "no-no" finger with my index finger. "Nope! I won't do it!" I took a sip, anyway. Then, I switched the drinks back while sticking out my tongue. Yuck! I mean, it tasted okay until that after taste.
Ozario started to laugh at my happy face as I sipped my tea with my tongue still hanging out. He gave me a look like, "why take it, then?" I laughed too. Time went by, and we ate well. We were talking about stupid things along with a lot of other things about ourselves. Ozario made it clear that he loved books. I made it clear that there was one major flaw that I was afraid to show anyone. He laughed at me when I told him... Well, I'm afraid of spiders and statues. This was the greatest time I had ever had in my life, and it just kept getting better. I wished that my good luck would never run out of it!
Ozario pulled me onto the dance floor after we finished eating. The music changed into something upbeat and fun. Its theme made a few couples start dancing samba, or salsa, or other Latin dances. I knew the song that played, "Bad Decisions" by Ariana Grande. Her new Dangerous Woman album had been released this year, during the summer.
"Can you samba?" Ozario asked, taking the lead.
"Teach me?" I winked at him.
He smiled at me. "Oh... I don't think I have to." He acknowledged.
Ozario glided us across the dance floor. Every move we made allowed me to feel as though I was flying like a bird. His touch was gentle, and he was very strong. We would laugh sometimes while busting a freestyle move or something funny every now and then. Twirling was as if we were connecting heart to heart. Ozario seemed to know my heart by heart because we could harmonize our movements far too well. Everyone cheered after we finished our dance. It felt creepy. I didn't know they were watching us. Ozario smiled, relieving me from my nervousness. I smiled back. BEST! NIGHT! EVER!
The night had begun to close. Ozario walked towards my front door, counting the seconds down. I laughed at his insistence on bringing me home on time, as he had promised. Oh, O.C. He knocked at the door as I tapped his shoulder. He faced me, and we looked at each other with a smile. I tricked him into a kiss on the cheek, making him blush. Ozario's face was in shock. I started laughing at him, which gave him a reason to steal a kiss from me again, making me blush too. Yup! We had a weird friendship. I'm inevitably sure we shouldn't kiss like this, but I couldn't help accepting it. It was a wonderful night for the both of us. I closed the door as I watched him leave, unable to stop myself from grinning.
That midnight, I sketched twenty-five different pictures in two hours because I felt so happy. All of my drawings were good for once. I peeped out the window and saw the white wolf returning to my house. She or he walked closer to the house this time. The wolf looked up at me all the way to the edge of my window, where I looked down. I ran downstairs and out the door to where it stood. I was scared at first because of its huge size. But, the wolf just laid on the ground in the snow. I paced toward it slowly and knelt to stare in its eyes. It was a boy, I could tell from his features. He was so beautiful.
His fur wasn't pure white after all but, sort of, a bright silver color. The sparkling tint glistened like snow in the light, crystals, or perhaps diamonds, but dimly. It seems like if the sun touched his fur, he would be absolutely gorgeous. I sat next him, and he rested his head on my leg like he was a friend.
"Wow! You are very stunning. I love your fur," I whispered to him.
This beautiful creature must be a good animal, like Ozario told me before. I've never been so close to something so majestically charming and calming. I had always learned to run from them. He was ice cold like the ground. His big eyes reminded me of my new friend, Ozario. They were silver and brilliant, still looking extremely gently at me. I started petting him.
The outer layer of his fur wasn't as soft as I thought. It was like slightly spiky armor... until I reached underneath that armor, and there were miles of ultra-soft cushion. He slowly became so warm that I could no longer feel the snow against my pajamas. I smiled at him, and he lifted his head as if he were smiling back. I was surprised. It was a real human reaction, and it was adorable! After a while, we stood up. With a final touch of his fur, we gazed at each other again. I started to realize that I had seen this look before. Suddenly, the wolf turned to face the woods and left me before I could figure out who had looked at me like that before.
Rushing upstairs and into my room, I started drawing my last picture for the night. I drew him, the enchanting white or silver wolf that came to visit me. I drew the eyes that pierced my heart, and the snowy forest as the background. When the portrait was finished, my canvas was beautifully decorated with solid and glittery acrylic paint. I set it on the other side of the wall next to its inspiration, the window that I always look out of most, and I laid in my bed to sleep until dawn. The wolf had been visiting me every night since then.
[Exclusive Life content: Ozario's big twist.]
Draft: Short for reasons of secrecy. Cut beginning, jumped to end.
A Date with a Human
We are Definitely Destined for Each Other...
...
I had been to Catalina's house three times without her knowing about it, this being the third time. I was impressed at how she was taking the wolf in her yard. It put a smile on my face, really. I wasn't sure whether to believe her or not when she spoke about wolves for the first time. Well, I began to do that. She has demonstrated exactly how she felt about them. She was kind and gorgeous.
There was still a lot of rage in me about everything. I was a lot calmer than I was before, but there were things I wanted to let out. So, after she fell asleep, I snuck into Catalina's room. Whoa. Whoa! Her room blew my mind! Why did all these paintings have dead bodies? Yeesh. I gave my soul to a psychopath, he says, as he enters someone's house unanounced. Clever, Ozzi. I found her sleeping soundly on the bed. The flower I gave her had been lain on the art desk. Oh! Aw. That's sweet. I went to her and gingerly sat on her bed. I stared at her and thought about what I had to say about her and the imprinting. Can I say it out loud, whisper, or think about it?
"I came to make a fuss yet cannot." I exhaled through my nose and then turned away from her. "You calm me. It's really annoying." Chuckling, I whispered to myself. "'Love sought is good, but given unsought is better.' If only he knew it was true he'd smile. Love hath made thee a tame wild beast. No one could do what you had done before. First, Twelfth night. Second, as You Like It. Wow." I shook my head, after speaking iambic, and then turned back to Catalina. For a while, I thought about how terrible and hideous of I person I was to her. I insulted myself for a little while. What idiot would be mean to someone whose good? Why did I... why do people do that? "Nevermind, Cat. Goodnight."
I stood to leave her house through the window. BOOF! I jerked and then looked back. The covers on Catalina's bed stretch towards the floor. She was missing. Cat? I walked over to the other side of her bed and then drooped my eyelids. She was sprawled across the floor. Um? She signed. Aw, how can I fuss at that? I am I smiling? I touched my face. Stop it.
Carefully, I wrapped her arms around my neck, then lifted her up to put her back in the bed. I tried to remove her arms after laying her down, but they wouldn't budge. Oh, no, no, no. Is she awake now? I glanced at her. No. Why can I not get her off then? I tried everything, cautiously, to pry her off. I even took Catalina to the rail of her bed and slipped it between us. She stayed asleep, still latching onto me! How much stronger is this chick than me!? After all this, how is she even asleep? Unfortunately, I came to understand that I had to give up. So, I lay near her on the edge of the bed so she could relax properly. I felt tense. My shoulders squeezed. In the past, I would have done my dirt, grabbed my crap and got out but I've never stayed in a woman's bed while she slept before. Well then... This was awkward. Stupid, boy. Stupid, stupid.
"Reeelax," Catalina murmured.
Slowly, I looked at the weirdo that just creepily spoke in my ear. Da fuck!? She's still out cold and blushing in her sleep. She... talks in her sleep! Carefully, I slid us further onto the bed. If she won't let me go, I suppose I could relax for a bit. The covers I left alone because if she would have woken up, I was going to make a run for it. It was already hot in Catalina's room but I believed I made her hotter because of my temperature. Her hair started to frizz. The mother walked out of her bedroom. Oh, no! I can't move or I'll hurt Cat!
"Why is it so hot? Let me turn the AC on." Click! "There we go."
I heard that Adriana had closed the door to her room. Oh, gracias a Dios. The room was cooling down. Catalina held me tighter, then gradually moved her afro-haired head onto my chest. I was silently laughing. This is the best thing that ever happened. She wouldn't let me go, yet. I kept my right hand on my head and my left on her arm. She wiggled a bit.
"Mm. So warm and cozy."
I covered my mouth so I wouldn't have laughed. Holy hell, man! She's so figgin adorable! I rested my hand on her arm again. There was a smile on my face. How odd is it that I'm so interested in someone like this? How is that? It's your honest moments, isn't it? The strange faces you make, the kindness you share, the laughter you're giving, the fact that you keep me in my place when it's needed... It's awesome. You are incredible, you weirdo. I breathed heavier than usual, and closed my eyes. I couldn't stand up. Vivid thoughts were in my head, like the visions of my angel. The angel took my hand and we crossed a field to lie down. Her wings spread across the grass, and our eyes were locked on each other. We smiled.
GASP! Shit! I woke up. Catalina was on the other side of her bed. She had freed me from her grasp a long time ago. The sun shined. No, no, no, no, no, no. I quickly jumped out the window, and then closed it softly. I sprang from the window and rushed into the woods. I looked back at the house, and collapsed on the ground. Holy crap... Have I just...? For the first time, I just... Ha! Yea! He-he-he... I had no idea that I could. When could I do that? I... I... Did you fall asleep? I thought this could only happen to my brother. Good thing I had watched my brother to know the difference between sleeping and fainting. I had definitely slept. I was much more curious about Catalina for the rest of the morning. How did she get me to do that? Until she left for school, I watched her and wondered how powerful she was to me. What other mysteries would unfold in me and I'd find in her? We were destined to be together and that was the reason! Now, I'm really interested. I'm in love...
