The dinner was uneventful, and I meant that in the worst way possible. Finn and I just had small talk, and when the food came, we just ate in silence. He did ask why I practically just got dessert, but didn't make any comments, so neither did I.
We're now driving home, and while we agreed to not go to the planetarium to use the telescope for stargazing, I kind of expected us to do what we usually did: walk around and talk it out. I don't even know if we're fighting because we never really fought before except for some petty arguments over trivial matters that we easily resolved."Can you park a couple of blocks from my house?" I asked him."Why?" He asked back."We really need to talk. This–" I vigorously pointed to the two of us, "–is bothering me so much. Please tell me what's happening."He was silent for a moment, eyes on the road. When he saw an opportunity, he pulled over, killed the engine, and sighed heavily."I just…" he started. "The Matching," he said, as if it was an all-encompassing answer to my question. It wasn't. Well, not exactly."What about it?" I asked."It's just…it will be hard for the both of us if we don't Match," he said, eyes still on the road."So, you're saying we won't Match?" I can hear my own voice breaking as a lump grows in my throat and the knot in my gut twisting even more. I feel sick."I'm not saying we won't. I would want nothing else than to spend the rest of my days with you. But you see, we might just not," he raised his hands, shook his head, and slammed it on the steering wheel.I wanted to hate him for saying that, but we both know the truth: there is a possibility that we won't end up Matching."What do you suggest we do, then?" I asked him, defeated, knowing what exactly he would say. I would have said it, but for some reason I didn't want to be the one who lets go."I love you," he said softly, finally looking at me with pain in his eyes.Surprisingly, I didn't know what to say. I have always thought of this moment and I always thought I would be able to say it back. But now that he has said it, I don't know what to think any more.Did I really love Finn? We've been together for six months, but is that enough time to tell if you love someone?"You don't have to say it back," he said, and smiled sadly. "I just thought you should know.""I know," I said, no more than a whisper. "But…""But I think we do need a break," he finally said. "Just so it's not hard if things don't go the way they should."I just nodded because I don't trust myself to say anything, or else the lump will grow and turn into tears, and the tears won't stop falling. I may not know if I do love him, but I do like him. A lot. And I do care about him. And it stings to end something that was so beautiful."I'll get you home now," he said. And I just nodded again, hugging myself tighter and looked out the window. There are so many people out tonight, and I wondered if any of them would be Matched together. Or if one of them would be my Match. Or Finn's.Or if I would be Matched with Finn, and we would be reunited and I can finally figure out if I do love him.The ride was too short. Finn parked in front of my house but left the engine running. He won't be staying long. And so, I looked at him and I said, "Thank you."I think he knows I was thanking him for everything, not just for tonight.He smiled and nodded. Then, he reached out to tuck my hair behind my ears and lightly caressed my cheek."See you, soon."I finally cried as I got out of the car, never looking back.– @ –I've been surprised by my own reaction to breaking up with Finn. I did cry, but not as much as I thought I would.But I do think it helped that I was busy at work. New shipment came, so it means there are new books to sort. My family and friends, especially Ren and Madi, also helped me a lot. They didn't ask for specifics; I guess they knew why it happened. And whenever I feel like drowning into the thoughts of what ifs or now whats, they would pull me back to the present by giving me something new to talk about. I thank the heavens for them.That's not to say that I was entirely okay. For the past few days, my anxiety for the Matching has grown tremendously. There's only one day left, and after submitting my details for the registry, I grew even more nervous. There's the constant knot in my gut, and no amount of high-school gossip from Ren or mundane facts from Madi can take that away."I feel so sick," I groaned as I sat down on our usual park bench at lunch, Madi already opening her lunch."Relax, Skye. Take deep breaths," she said. She's actually been saying that for the last few days when I look like I'm about to cry, throw up, or both.I did, and it did help the feeling of faintness, but I still feel so sick to my stomach that I can't even get myself to open my salad. I buried my face in my hands."Hey, just one more sleep, okay? Tomorrow, everything will be over and you'll finally have peace," she gently rubbed my back."I'm not sure about peace. I may have to marry someone from the other side of the country and leave everyone. Or I might even not get Matched," I grumbled, feeling sicker at the thought of another year of waiting and not knowing what my fate lies."Well, we'll be going together next year if you don't get Matched tomorrow," she said matter-of-factly as she chewed on fish and chips."Stupid Matching," was all I said.HarmonyMatch and the Matching has been around for a long time, apparently to help with the once dwindling humankind population. But now that humanity's numbers are stable, I sometimes wonder why HarmonyMatch is still a thing. But I guess it's been too embedded into our lives now that it will be almost impossible to take it out.It didn't really bother me before, but now that the time is near, I found the whole thing incredulous. Still, there's really nothing I can do and I'd feel relief once the whole thing is over and I can't wait for it to be done.Lunch was quickly done as I managed to get a few spoonfuls of salad into my system. But the afternoon was painfully slow. I have rearranged the shelf by the window a couple of times already, and sorted through boxes of old books to store away, but as I looked at the time, I still have two hours and a half left for my duty.That is until Mrs McCarthy stepped out of her office and into the store. She's a short and stout woman with raven black hair and little heart-shaped lips with thick glasses. She owns the shop and she's one of the sweetest people I know."Vivienne?" She called me."Yes, Mrs McCarthy?" I answered and peeked through the boxes I have been sorting through."You're part of the Matching tomorrow, yes? Go now, my dear. Take the rest of the afternoon off. Madison and I can take over. I feel like it'll be a slow day, anyway," she said, sweetly.Madi gave me a two thumbs up and mouthed "Go." So, I stood up, thanked Mrs McCarthy, and reluctantly timed out."Chill at home. We got this. I'll call you later," Madi said, giving me a reassuring squeeze.I didn't want to go home yet, so I hopped in my car and drove around for a while, mindless of where my destination was. I only noticed the planetarium when I saw the big domed structure come into view. At the last minute, I decided to go there instead.I parked my car. Besides mine, there was only another car in the parking lot…I don't know much about cars, but I knew it was expensive, and it was definitely owned by someone not from here.I wondered if the planetarium's owner came. I shrugged it off and told myself it was none of my business, and went in.There weren't a lot of people, and all the ones I did see worked there. I liked it better, though. No noisy kids running about, so I was free to roam around quietly and really look at moon rocks and pictures of supernovas and nebulas.I even looked through the telescope on a courtyard that I was supposed to check out with Finn and found Saturn and Mars and the Moon, but it was still a little sunny to find stars and other celestial bodies.Finally, I made my way to the domed structure for the planetarium show. As I went into the massive room, I was in awe. It was dark and there were beautiful nebulas that turned into the Milky Way. It was so beautiful.I was absentmindedly walking around, my neck craned to the sky, not wanting to miss a beat of the show, when I bumped into someone."Oh shi–" I feel myself stumbling, my stomach dropping and my heart pounding. I was expecting the ground, but before I could, strong, firm hands were on my shoulder and waist, preventing my fall."Be careful," the hand's owner–a man–said. His voice was soft and deep and ethereal. He steadied me."I'm so sorry," I said, bowing a little a few times, more to hide my face and embarrassment than anything."Don't worry about it. You probably would have done yourself more damage," he fixed his black cap and lowered it even more. He was wearing a black windbreaker and black pants. In the darkness of the planetarium, he was almost a shadow."The show is pretty, but do look where you're going," he said gently, then ducked his head once, and walked away.I just looked at him in awe, the beautiful show around me quite forgotten–a stunning backdrop. There was something oddly familiar about the man, from the way he sounded to how he looked, but I really only got a quick look at his face, so I can't really tell. I just looked at his retreating from because I can't not look at him. He has a certain aura of magnetism.He smelled so good, too. His perfume lingered in the electric air of mint leaves and green apple, and of geranium and cedarwood, and vanilla.And then he was gone, and I was left surrounded by thousands of beautiful stars."Good God, you look awful sis," Ren scrunched her face as I plopped down on her vanity chair. She volunteered to do my makeup and hair today. I asked her why, and she said I had to at least give my future husband a good impression. I can't argue about that, and so I let her do her magic. I feel even more awful than I probably look, but at least everything will end today. The Matching is in a couple of hours. I just let Ren do whatever she wanted and even let her pick what I should wear. She curled my dark brown hair to give it some volume and settled with a half updo. For my makeup, she went as light as possible but added a little shimmer of gold in my eyelids for some color. For the dress, she picked a classic black sleeved dress and gave me a pair of heeled Mary Janes. I said it was a little too much, but she just brushed it off and told me to get dressed, so I did. I felt a little too dolled up, but I can't help but feel better when I looked in the mirror. "Oh, honey. You loo
I was running. It wasn't the same 'run to your lover and jump into their arms' run like I see some do. I was literally running like a madman, trying to get to the closest Harmony employee who was about to leave the stadium."Excuse me! Excuse me!" I was yelling frantically, trying to get the employee's attention before she got to a door.I dashed and willed myself to run as fast as I could in my heels. I barely got to her."Excuse me!" I huffed. "I'm sorry to bother you," I managed to say in between breaths. The employee looked genuinely concerned."Honey, are you okay?" She asked, her brows furrowed. I was still panting so bad, I actually held a hand up, asking for a minute. And then something changed in her face, like she knew what I was about to say to her–which she probably actually didn't."Oh, you got Unmatched, huh? No worries, honey. It does happen. Maybe next year?" She smiled condescendingly. This might have happened quite a lot to her. Men and women running to ask why they w
"What the hell is happening, Viv?" Ren asked while navigating the road. Her voice was shaking."I Matched with the prince," I said, flatly. Exhausted all of the sudden. Saying the words made the whole thing true, and it sounded so weird…but pleasant at the same time."What?!" She practically yelled. "So, what those hounds were saying was actually true? I thought they were just mistaken.""They got to you so fast. How did they do that?" I asked myself, wondering how the hell all those reporters got there so fast.My phone rang and I flinched, surprised. Mom is calling. Shit. If they got to my sister fast, they're probably in my house right now.I answered quickly."Mom? Hello?""Vivienne! There are people outside looking for you! They said they were reporters. They're saying weird things–" she was rambling on the phone, and I can hear dad in the background telling Millie to stay away from the windows."Mom, mom! Listen to me. Don't ever open the door. We're coming through the backdoor,"
"Sis?" I heard Ren calling me, then felt her shaking me, and opened my hers to her sitting on my bed.After the warm bath and the adrenaline of the morning finally fading out of my system, I fell asleep. And now, waking up, my body is aching so bad, especially my feet, which I inspected earlier and saw blisters and some minor burns and scratches."Sorry, to wake you. Mom said dinner is ready. You barely ate anything all day," Ren softly said.For a while, I forgot about the chaos of my Matching Day, but everything had been so messy since I got home this morning that the silence seemed so new."Hey," I touched Ren's arms as she got up. "The reporters?" I asked."Oh. Thankfully they all went away. The cops were here as soon as mom called them, and it turns out your future husband has already ordered some authorities to fix the whole mess," she said, smiling as if amazed by everything. Then, she simply walked away.Future husband. The prince. I may never get used to the idea.I opened my
"Skye!" Madi ran towards me and gave me a hug. I hugged her tightly back. "I was trying to get to your house but there were tons of cops and some mean-looking guards, and I couldn't!" She cried in my neck as I rubbed her back."I know, I'm sorry," I apologized.By the time Madi saw the news, we were basically on lockdown. There also were so many people trying to message and call me that I had to uninstall every app on my phone except for HarmonyMatch in case the prince sends a message. I also had to block calls from coming in, according to the royal guards.But today is my last day here in unassuming Blackwood, and I had to meet Madison because it may be the last time I see her in years. The royal guards were reluctant, but I told them they can all come with me and leave the cops to patrol my neighborhood, and so they did, and they have been shadowing my every move."I'm really sorry, Madi. I can't even use my phone to call you yesterday," I said again as we faced each other."Apologie
I've been trying to stop the tears, but they kept flowing down my cheeks, and I tried to discreetly wipe them away, but I know Kida and Sebastian–two of the royal guards the prince has sent over–know I haven't stopped crying in the back seat of this luxurious BMW.Thankfully, they did not say anything and just left me sniffling away.I wanted to stop crying because I already feel my eyes puffing, and I'm on my way to the airport and finally to the palace.My family, Madi, and several other close friends I have over the years went over to say goodbye. Even my whole neighborhood gathered together and even gave me beautiful flowers from their own backyards.Millie and Dad were a mess and it took every strength and will to not join them in their tears. I wanted them to remember me smiling.Mom and Ren, who barely cried, even had tears in their eyes. Still, I tried to hold everything in even if the lump in my throat feels like I have swallowed a giant candy whole.Madi also tried to hold it
"Oh shit," I mumbled out of surprise. His perfume smelled familiar, and it took me a while to realize it was the same perfume the man in the planetarium had. Could they be the same person, then? I shook my head. It's nothing but a coincidence. What would a prince do in the middle of practically nowhere to watch a planetarium show when he can, I assume, just barge into the National Space Institute and check out real stars and planets?For sure, they just had the same perfume, right? And I could be smelling it wrong.While a million thoughts ran in my head, the prince slowly turned around."Ah, miss Vivienne! I didn't hear you coming," he looked at me and smiled, a dimple showing on his right cheeks, his voice bright and warm, a stark contrast to the chilly air.I had to mentally tell myself to keep it together and not gape at him.The entire palace ground is exquisite, but the prince is by far the most beautiful creature I have seen.I bowed deep, just like how Harod and the other staf
"You look stunning, my lady!" Genevieve said in a sing-song voice as she stepped back from doing my hair and looking at me through the giant vanity mirror.I looked at myself, and while I have never been one to be vain, I admit that I do look beautiful tonight, all thanks to my ladies-in-waiting, and I tell them that."Oh, such nonsense, my lady. You're already beautiful as you are. The guards and the staff have been talking about it, you know, how the Prince–" she was saying in a sort of conspiratorial tone."Shush, Genevieve. We do not speak to my lady about rumors," Agatha interjected, giving her a very stern look. "Talk about what?" I chuckled. Genevieve is very talented with doing hair and makeup, but she does tend to have that airiness to her."Nothing, my lady. Just palace gossip," Agatha said, eyeing Genevieve carefully, who was trying not to laugh and blushing so hard. She looked at Maia, who ducked her head, trying hard not to laugh.I will definitely have to ask them about