A cup of coffee was found adjacent to my MacBook.
Have you ever thought of life as coffee? Sometimes it’s bitter…
but sometimes the scent is addicting and sweet.
I was on a night shift again because my brain cells were active and hyperventilating. I am nocturnal so I sleep when the clock hits 3AM. I opened a new document with pages that were yet to be filled with my powerful words and after some brainstorming, I’ve hit homerun.
The words went out like magic, they were flowing… until such time that I noticed – I was already done with the first chapter of my novel. I re-read the chapter and then I couldn’t believe that an amateur writer like me wrote it.
It was perfect, it was lovely, and it was a masterpiece. I had to have it published! While re-reading it, I took a number of sips on my coffee to really feel the moment. I realized that the girl that my lead character is pursuing is really lovely. I like her attributes… one in a million.
While I was making her in my mind, I had pictured her out with a very beautiful smile, long black straight hair, awesome chinky eyes, and most of all… a wonderful face. I had thought of her to be an amazing amateur photographer with her own modeling agency.
She was tall, but a little shorter than me. She had a slender body with a fair complexion. She’s a Filipina with a little mixture of American. Can you imagine such beauty?
However, in the middle of my reading session, my phone rang. It was an unexpected call. It’s 2:30AM. “
Toph, you better listen to this!” The voice belonged to no one but my best friend, Gia.
“
Gia, how many times do I have to tell you not to bother me at times like this?!”
I seriously don’t get the 2AM calls. Last night she called me around the same time, too, telling me she’s got a plot on her mind and I gotta hear it… and the phone call lasted ‘til 7AM, which made me late for classes…
Epic.
“
Just listen, okay?!” There she goes again. Fine, I am a pushover. Am I too kind? I usually give in to her threatening voice right after complaining… and this is one of those early mornings where she would threaten me with her loud and powerful voice.
“
Fine. Do your thing. I’ll put you on loud speaker.” I told her and then I went back to my computer.
“
So, like there’s this girl named Valentine and she’s eventually a hard rock chick. I mean, out of this world. She met a guy inside a cubicle of the men’s washroom and it happened to be Christopher.”
I paused and took a deep breath while listening to her plot. Then I screamed. “
WHY DO YOU HAVE A COPY OF MY NOVEL?!” I heard her giggling from the other line. “
You’re really… irritating! I don’t even know why you’re my best friend!”
“
I’m your best friend because no one wants to be friends with you since you always have your nose on a book! HAHAHAHA!” And there it goes again. We call these random moments “Gia and Toph moment” Seriously, half of what she said was right.
If it weren’t for her “reading” hobby then probably I would be like those neurotic writers who only have themselves as their personal companion. Gia loves to read – I mean A LOT. Well, she also reads the back portion of a Shampoo container whenever she’s doing her thing in the toilet! She’s that kind of reader… who reads almost anything she could read. That’s why she’s so well rounded and smart and outgoing.
“
You’re silent again… you’re falling in love with my laughter aren’t you?” Gia’s usually like this. She would tease me about me falling for her at random times because we’re really both random people with random personalities.
“
Who would fall in love with your crazy personality?” I laughed and then I continued speaking. “
So, tell me about your plot.”
“
I was just thinking, have you ever thought of falling in love with a character that you’ve created?”
“
Did you write something about that?” I asked, she sighed from the other line.
“
Well, no… I want you to write about it.” She told me. “
I know you’ll thank me.”
“
Guess what? I guess I will be. You’re my heroine! You saved me from having writer’s block.” I whispered as I gently made my way to the keyboard.
“
Use the text document that we installed last time. The one that they said would make your writings come true. They say it's kinda magical.” I smirked upon reading what she said.
“
You believe that? That’s so silly!”
“
Nothing would harm you if you tried. Come on! Just for fun. Besides, the site was pretty convincing… with customer’s feedbacks like those, you gotta try that file!”
I swallowed a lump in my throat. “
Never mind. I won’t try it. Nope. I swear. It’s really childish.” I declined but my thoughts were battling with my principles. What if I try it?
“
You won’t regret it unless you write beautiful things! Try it, Toph!” She kept on convincing me so I had no choice. I copied what I wrote earlier about a girl… and then I named her Valentine then I pasted it on the working space of the text document that was rather weird than believable.
I got surprised when I had already pasted it since I saw pixie dusts everywhere. My heart started beating fast, then I heard a soft still voice…
“
From today onwards, you will fall in love with someone you never met.”
I had goosebumps all over my body that I had to cover my mouth in order for me not to scream. The pixie dusts were real. I swear. I saw them with my eyes. They were like cascading rainbows.
I decided to close my eyes and to open them to check if I was only hallucinating.
The moment I opened it again, the pixie dusts were gone. I sighed ‘cause I was relieved. “
I was only hallucinating – too much use of imagination. I’ll sleep now.” I dragged myself to my bed and then I closed my eyes.
Tomorrow, I wouldn’t remember anything like this. I woke up before 7AM, I yawned and then I heard a loud noise coming from across the street. I shoved the curtain into one side for me to be able to see the view and then I saw a newly moved in neighbor, picking up huge boxes that seemed to have fallen from her hand to the ground.
She had her hair braid into pigtails and at each end you would find two neatly tied pink ribbons. I wonder who this girl is. I immediately closed the curtain, shoving it to the opposite end this time and headed to my coffee maker.
I love drinking coffee, as you can see, which is also not so healthy to one’s health. I heard my phone ring it must be Gia again. She’s my alarm clock, just so you know. I picked it up and then I put it on loudspeaker.
“
Good morning.” I greeted. I heard her snort.
“
So not you. You woke up early today? So not you.”
“
I think I slept well.” I explained her. “
And I think a new girl moved across my lawn... she kept on dropping her boxes and I woke up.”
“
Oh, I see. Guess you don’t need me now, huh? You have a new alarm clock right across your house… Hmmm.” She teased me.
“
You’re so gay. Wait. I’ll take a sip first.”
“
Coffee again? How many cups did you take since yesterday?!”
“
About.. uhm, six? And today makes it seven.”
“
You’re seriously addicted to coffee! I’ll see you later at Art school okay? Bye, Toph!”
I turned the loudspeaker off and then I finished drinking my coffee. Along with its warmth and mesmerizing smell was a memory tumbling down from earlier. I decided it’s best if I go to school early today.
“Hey good morning, dude!”
“Ni hao!”“
Morning!” I hurriedly answered and ran all the way to the comfort room because I really had to pee. I guess I had taken too much liquid in my body today. Is it the coffee? Oh well.
When I finally got in the washroom, I went into one of the cubicles. Oh yes. Our school is weird like that, they have cubicles for guys. I was about to bring my zipper down when I heard a loud bang and before I could realize it, I was already pushed towards the toilet. “
What’s going on--?!”
“
Please, please keep quite! I’m going to be in deep trouble. I’ll explain later, okay? Sorry. Sorry.” I was shocked at what I saw.
“
Why are you here?” I whispered as I slowly turned my back on her. “
Uhm, this will take a while… but I really need to do this now… uhm, if you don’t mind can you turn your back on me too so I can…”
“
Oh! No problem! I’m sorry for causing trouble.” She was obedient and then I finally got relieved. That was embarrassing! Who should be more embarrassed though?
“
I’m done. Can we go out now?” I faced her as soon as I was done.
“
Not yet. They might be around looking for me. I can’t go back to Sunshine Village right now because I still have to look for somebody…” Sunshine Village? Which reminds me…
The braids… the ribbons. “
Did you by any chance happen to move in earlier?” I asked her.
“
H-how did you know?”
“
You made a loud noise so I woke up and checked where the noise was coming from and it was across my house.” I explained.
“
So you live across me?” She asked.
“
Yes. And you live across me, too. We live across each other.” I don’t know but it sounded funny to me.
“
That’s funny. I just got here because of business purposes... Some clients were running after me that I had to hide here in the men's room.” She let out a squeezed laughter and then I realized I was blushing. She was really beautiful.
“
What business?”
“
Just something random.” I suddenly had a flashback by only looking a her face… I could imagine
someone.
“
By the way... I’m Christopher but you can call me Toph. Did you move in by yourself or are you with your family?”
“
I moved in by myself for business purposes, my modeling agency’s here so I need to like settle here in Taiwan a bit.” She answered, nervously. “
I’m Valentine.”
I suddenly had another flashback. Wait. This is really becoming too weird.
These flashbacks… “
And I’m hoping to get along well with you.”
…aren’t they from my novel?
THIS IS A FLASHBACK-
While I was making her in my mind, I had pictured her out with a very beautiful smile, long black straight hair, awesome chinky eyes, and most of all… a wonderful face. I had thought of her to be an amazing amateur photographer with her own modeling agency. She was tall, but a little shorter than me. She had a slender body with a fair complexion. She’s a Filipina with a little mixture of American. Can you imagine such beauty?
I couldn’t move a single muscle but then again I studied her appearance.
She had a very beautiful smile.
The same thing.
She had removed her braids now… which lets out her long black straight hair.
Also the same thing.
She has chinky eyes… a slender body… her skin’s fair…
It’s still the same thing.
Oh no.
The pixie dust from last night.Which means...
this is all real.
Don’t tell me that this girl who’s standing right in front of me now is my very own fictional character?
Don’t tell me that I’m stuck in a cubicle with my own fictional character?!
