Lauren took off her shoes before she went onstage. She found a tulle skirt at the rack of costumes. She tied the ribbon waistband around her torso. The blue and pink layers made her seem magical. They stopped at her knees. Combined with her white dress shirt, the outfit had simplicity and enchanting aura.
She walked to the front of the stage and gazed at the audience. Her hands clasped together over her abdomen, she sighed.
“Oh, dear,” she began to say. Her eyes went to the floor. She kicked a spot, “Why do they still treat me like a child?”
Then, she looked up as if someone called her name.
“Who you may ask?” Lauren asked the audience. She heaved another sigh and strolled to the right part of the platform, “Flora… Fauna… and Merriweather. They never want me to meet anybody.”
She heaved another sigh and paced back to the middle. Her dejected shoulders showed her sadness even if they couldn’t see her face clearly. She halted in her steps, peeking at the audience from the corner of her eye.
She giggled, “But you know what? I fooled them.”
Her upper body started to shake. She shuffled her feet until she faced them again. She placed a finger on her lips, her voice dropping to a whisper, “I have met someone.”
She cupped her ear, “Who you may ask? Well… a prince!”
Turning on her heel she went to the center.
A torso mannequin, the one usually used for sewing stood before her. It had a tan trench coat. Lauren had replaced the dress with it. It wasn’t part of the props since it held up a costume. She had to ask for it from the Theater Club.
She stared up at its missing head. Her eyes shined with millions of stars. It brightened her entire look. Rising to the tips of her toes, she measured its height with her hand. A dreamy tone laced in her words, “He’s tall and handsome… and so romantic. We walked together and talked together…”
“And just before we say goodby…” she pressed her back against the mannequin. Then, she took the sleeves and wrapped it around herself, “He would take me into his arms and…!”
She paused, glancing at the sky. A breeze blows by. It fluttered her hair and her clothes. A few fallen leaves littered the platform. It added to the overall ambiance of her performance.
“And then, I wake up!” Lauren wailed. She stepped away from the mannequin, letting the sleeves go. The light in her eyes died down. A longing expression had painted her face.
She reached out as if to touch the missing head. Halfway through, she grabbed the sleeves instead. She pressed her lips together as if deep in thought. She played with the sleeves, flapping them like a pair of wings.
She gazed at the missing head again.
She chuckled, “You know… I’m not really supposed to talk to strangers.”
Spinning herself back to the coat’s embrace, she snuggled her shoulders against the mannequin, “But we’ve met before, haven’t we?”
Her feet waltzed. She stayed in place and rocked side to side. A faint music played softly in the background. Closing her eyes, Lauren followed the melody. The mannequin had a heavy stand and let roam freely while holding into its long sleeves.
“`
I know you…!
I walked with you once upon a dream…!
“`
She let the coat go and skipped a few feet away. Holding the tulle skirt, she demonstrated a curtsy. She bowed to her torso. The accompanying music sounded classic and romantic, a soft orchestra of instruments. Her melodic and appealing voice kept up with the intended tone.
“`
I know you…!
The gleam in your eyes is so familiar, a gleam….!
“`
She placed her hands on the mannequin’s shoulders. She sang towards it. She twirled in place and curled her foot. Her walk had changed. She glided across the platform and around the mannequin.
“`
Yet I know it’s true the visions are seldom all they seem…!
“`
Back to its front, she tapped on invisible cheeks. She laced her fingers together and pressed her own cheek at the back of her hand. Her legs continued to sway from side to side. She portrayed a girl dreaming while awake.
“`
But if I know you…!
I know what you’ll do…!
You’ll love me at once…!
“`
Back facing the mannequin, she spread her arms like an eagle. She repeated her waltz from before. She moved unbound by the coat’s sleeves. With the proper footing, she could almost pass as a ballerina. Her chest puffed up for the final lyric.
She began to make a wide circle.
Large hands captured hers and held firmly. Warmth radiated from behind her. It followed her movements, not letting go. They moved completely in sync. The smooth transition had created an illusion that the audience was watching a real fairy tale out of a book.
Another voice had joined her.
The next line got stuck in her throat.
“`
The way you did once upon a dream…!
“`
Lauren jolted away. She pressed a fist against her chest, her eyes widening in accusation. Brown ones gazed down at her. They admired her beauty. As time went by, their color melted like hot chocolate. They invited anyone that looked into them and lured the person into their warmth.
Colin took her hand again and bowed. A strand of his caramel hair fell on his forehead. He kissed the back of her fingers, “I’m awfully sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“I-It wasn’t that…” she stammered. She attempted to pull her hand back. With every step she took away from him, Colin matched with his own, “It’s just that… you’re—you’re a—”
“A stranger?” He smirked.
“Yes.”
Her answer amused him. Before Lauren could get away, he tucked her hair behind her ear. The loving emotion in his eyes had immobilized her, “But don’t you remember?”
“Remember what?” She asked, still in a daze.
“We’ve met before.”
Lauren blinked several times. Her eyebrows scrunched, “We-We have?!”
“Well, of course!” Colin laughed through closed lips. He pulled her into his arms and held her waist. He used a lighter grip as if she was made of porcelain, “You said so yourself. It was once upon a dream.”
The magic at the stage floated beyond its four sides. It passed through even the table of judges. People that walked by had stopped just to watch the pair dance together. They covered the majority of the space, circling around the mannequin like a large fountain. Not once did they pause for breath as they sang the song again.
Only this time, they did it together.
“How nostalgic” Tim thought out loud. She leaned back, hitting her fiancée’s chest, “Weren’t we in a play together back in the day?”
A rumble vibrated on her shoulder blades, “Wasn’t that high school? What was the story about again?”
“I don’t really remember it,” Tim admitted, “I remember the second one more. We were recruited for it since we fought a lot while backstage.”
Jaime peeled her eyes off the stage. The conversation had made her curious, “The two of you were high school sweethearts?”
Tim laughed at the question, “Not really. We just had to participate in the school play instead of detention. We ended up as side characters that got together in the end. We got teased a lot by it back then.”
“So you didn’t become a couple?”
“Not in the least!” She snorted. The disdain would make one wonder if she even loved her fiancée, “The only time we got along was onstage. We got roles for the next one but even then! We were fighting on who was better between us. Funny how things changed overtime. Now, we’re getting married in the following year.”
“That’s a lovely story,” Angie commented.
Plates on the table had been wiped clean. None of them spared a drop. From their choice of appetizer to the main course to the dessert, the Stitz Diner provided the best quality. Their stomachs had been filled to the brim that they passed the time by watching the theater plays. The only thing left to finish was the pitcher of lemonade.
“I don’t know about the rest of you…” James spoke up. He clamped a hand on his friend’s shoulder, “But I am more curious if Steve used to sing in those plays.”
Tim jumped in her seat. She twisted her torso and replied. She moved like she had been electrified by a taser, “Oh, he did!”
Steve sat between them as if invisible. If only it were true, he thought. He could already see where the conversation would lead. He didn’t want to stick around and listen. Worse, they might ask—
Mischief twinkled in James’s eyes, “Mind letting us hear, old pal?”
His answer was immediate, “Absolutely not.”
Tim clutched her stomach, trying not to laugh too hard. She had expected his reaction. Even so, she still found it funny, “He had this deep voice like Frank Sinatra. We kept asking him to do impersonations.”
“Dear!”
“What?” She blinked innocently, “We’re around friends, not business partners. Don’t be so shy!”
Lilly sipped from her glass of lemonade, “I take it that we’re invited to the wedding then?”
“Absolutely!”
“You should come to my daughter-in-law’s wedding too” Jaime offered, “I’m sure Jae and Logan would love to attend as well. I’ll send out formal invitations as soon as possible.”
Ethan frowned, “Mother, do you think it’s wise to invite people to a wedding that is not yours?”
“Nonsense!” Jaime slapped his arm, “I’m sure Hachi would be more than happy to invite the twins’s guardians. They weren’t able to attend my birthday and I’m not about to let that happen again.”
“Wonderful!” Tim clapped. The pleasant atmosphere fuelled her high spirits. Then, an afterthought dampened her good mood, “Talking about weddings, I remember I still need a Maid of Honor…”
Angie frowned, “You don’t have one yet?”
A person with Tim’s personality seemed to not be short on friends. It seemed unusual to not have it decided yet. Perhaps the problem was the opposite? She wasn’t sure on who to choose? Would it cause conflict?
“Well, no. I don’t really know anyone in this town that could accompany me…” Tim explained. She bit her inner cheek. Her Maid of Honor would need to help her out with the wedding. Since she moved here, she hadn’t been able to meet others much.
Her eyes flicked to Angie’s right.
“Lilly, would you mind?” The words flew out of her mouth before she even processed them.
“Mind what?” Lilly looked up from her phone and raised her eyebrows. She had a document file open on the screen. She hadn’t been listening unless she shifted her attention to something else. Jaime glared from the corner of her eye.
She immediately turned the phone off.
Tim clasped her hands, pleading with a pout on her lips, “Be my Maid of Honor?”
Lilly pressed her lips together, “I’m not sure—”
“Please?” Tim insisted, “There’s no need to worry if you’d suddenly have some trouble. James is the best man. He’ll be the one to accompany you all throughout the event. He’ll help you out.”
