ALMOST A FAIRYTALE | ✔️

EPILOGUE

It was 12pm and I was about zooming out for my lunch break. Normally, my assistant ordered and brought my lunch to me, but today I was craving strawberry cupcakes from the restaurant closeby and I didn't want to disturb her. My other cravings of late included hot spicy chicken wings, lemons, dark chocolate, pickles and peanut butter and other sweet and savory snacks depending on the day.

After facetiming with my 2 year old son with the help of his nanny, I changed from my blister- provoking heels into a pair of comfortable sneakers that matched my pastel midi dress, picked up my black hermes purse and checked the presence of the esentials: hand sanitizer, keys, chapstick, wallet and phone. Satisfied, I left my office and vamoosed out from the building complex singing my fav song from The Sound of Music.

Strolling along the street, I saw the clouds turn dark and moisture laden and the birds seeking shelter. Suddenly, the wind slapped my cheeks. As I scanned around looking for a comfortable place to hide, my eyes landed on a familiar face with a dreamy inaccessible look. It was as though someone had turned the clock a decade and captured the brief moment in time when Ryan and I first met. The raindrops falling with perfect dexterity on my shoulders jerked me back to reality. I quickly sprinted into a grocery shop nearby.

I stepped out of the store when it stopped raining and I caught sight of Ryan running towards me. It must be deja vu. In less than a few seconds, Ryan was standing next to me. He looked divine in his neatly tailored black suit.

"Hello Alison, it's been ages. You look amazing. I guess I can call you forever 21."

"Ryan, it is so nice to see you. You also look great."

"Ali, what have you been up to?"

"Nothing much really. I am a lawyer at the Lancaster Law Firm."

"That is the largest law firm in the country. Gee, you are such a big woman now. Judging from your heavily pregnant self, I assume you are married."

"Yes," I said waving my flawless solitaire ring in the air- I had secured the bag. "What about you?"

"I am married with 2 boys. They are with my beautiful wife in Italy."

"Wow! Time has really flown!"

"Where are you going? I would like to accompany you."

"I am actually going to the Fancy Gray restaurant closeby for lunch."

"Fancy Gray has a branch here too. Wow, they are truly everywhere," he added.

I recalled that the last time we were strolling down the street, I was reduced to dithering puddle of hormones. I yearned for his touch, caresses and kisses, but now I simply wanted to enjoy his presence as friends, in a cherrily happy, relaxed and carefree way.

He motioned for me to sit at the spot far away from the entrance, not too near the kitchen, private yet giving total view of what's happening around- just the way I like it. He then ordered for me the exact same strawberry cupcake I had been craving. Is he a magician or what?

"What do you do nowadays?" I inquired.

"I have taken over my father's business empire, so I am mainly based in Italy now. He says he wants to travel the world instead of being in the office. I think it is a good idea."

"It is. I read in the daily post that you are constructing a few new hotels at white bullet area."

"Yes, yes. The government was giving us a tough time initially, but now we have the go ahead" Ryan added. " And how's Hailey?"

"Hailey is married to my brother. We are actually pregnancy buddies."

"You planned it?!"

"Kind of. We both wanted to give birth at the same time, so I children would also be best friends."

"Thinking ahead. Did Ross and Bianca get married too?"

"They were on and off, but they are getting married this weekend."

"I have to be there."

"It is at the St. Paterson Church. Don't worry, I will send you the details." We spoke like this for about an hour, laughing and spluttering, oblivious of how time was flying. Chatting with him a decade later, everything felt so surreal, almost a fairytale. To be honest, being friends was the best decision ever. Perhaps, everything aligned perfectly for us to drift apart, meet again, by coincidence or synchronicity, to realize how much we are better off as friends.

Every girl's dream is to meet prince charming and fall madly in love, living the Cinderella fairy-tale. But life sometimes dictates otherwise. When I first met Ryan, I thought he was my prince charming, my knight in shining Armour slaying the fire breathing dragon, but he was not. Fairytale are created to create illusion of happiness; but the secret to happiness is living your best life.

After tipping the waitress, we felt reluctant to stand up to leave. "What exactly are you doing in this part of town?"

"We just opened the Milano Jewelry store. It is 2 blocks away from here. I came to inspect it, among other things. You have to see the place for your self. I believe it is on the same street as our law firm."

The store was massive, opulent and ultra luxurious with glamorous lavishly decorated lounge area . There were millions of dollars worth of sparkling diamond and gold jewelry and a boatload of security guards and surveillance cameras at every corner. If magnificent was materialized, it would be this place. Marilyn Monroe could not be more right with her song 'Diamonds are a girl's best friend' in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. I ended up purchasing a diamond friendship bracelet.

After hours of talking nineteen to the dozen, like the perfect gentleman that he was, Ryan escorted me back to my office. "I guess I would be seeing you around," he said. We exchanged numbers and promised to keep in touch.

Throughout the years, we remained friends through thick and thin and lived happily ever after.

Started: 14/05/21
Completed: 21/06/21

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A/N
Thank you so much for reading, voting and commenting on my work, I really appreciate it!
A lot of you have been asking about who Alison eventually married.
Well, stay tuned, my next book "Fairytale" would spill all the tea.