A DISTRACTION NAMED HIM
1143 Words
“Hey Celeste, are you even listening?!” Julie asked.
“Yes, I hear you!” Celeste replied.
“You’re not here, are you?”
“No, keep talking. I’m listening.”
“So, I was telling you about the man I was supposed to marry who died, by the way.”
“What?!” Celeste reacted, shocked.
“You, see? You’re not listening.”
“I am listening!”
“I’m not even sad. I didn’t know him. I was just told I was going to marry into this rich family from Italy. Family arrangement, you know?”
“Yeah,” Celeste muttered.
“And now that he’s dead, his cousin inherits me. It’s sick, isn’t it?” Julie laughed jokingly.
“Yeah… that’s some messed-up stuff.”
“You’re just flatly answering me... Ugh, never mind.”
“I’m going to sleep. Sorry,” Celeste said, rising from the couch.
“You haven’t touched your food, bestie!”
“Tomorrow, Jules,” Celeste mumbled. “I’ll talk to you when I’m not half-asleep. Goodnight. Love you.”
“Okay,” Julie replied, sounding deflated.
Celeste felt guilty. She’d heard everything Julie said, but she wasn’t really processing it. Her mind was somewhere else, wrapped around the guy she met.
He hadn’t even said his name. But she couldn’t stop thinking about him.
She hadn't slept properly since. All she could think about was that one kiss.
What if…
What if she hadn’t pulled away?
She longed for that one stolen moment. It haunted her. Consumed her.
Because she wanted him so badly…
She was jolted awake by loud music.
“Wake up, b*tch!!” Julie shouted.
“We really have to go shopping.”
“Shopping for what?” Celeste groaned.
“Spa day, hair maintenance, beautiful dresses, fabulous heels… ooooh, don’t even get me started on the jewelry!”
“What’s the occasion? I’m still mourning my pops, remember?”
“I know, baby girl. I miss Papa too. But you need to live! You look like a ghost!”
Julie gave her a dramatic once-over. “Geez. Your hair’s a mess. Your nails? Tragic. Your skin, oh girl, don’t even get me started there!”
“OMG, you stink.”
“Julie, stop. I get it, I’m a mess. But stinking? That will never happen. I have the sweetest scent, you know that.”
“I know, bestie. But please, get up and take a bath.”
“Okay, okay.”
Julie was her best friend, her safe space. But distance and time had made Celeste more reserved. She shared less, and now the guilt crept in. Julie opened up about everything. Celeste knew she had to be a better friend, and maybe she could start by just saying yes more.
Julie’s personal driver came to pick them up.
“Oooh, Bob, you’re here!” Julie said brightly.
“Yes, Mademoiselle.”
“You remember my friend, Celeste?”
“Of course, Mademoiselle.”
“I want her looking just as pretty and ladylike, we’re going shopping!”
They hit boutiques. Julie didn’t need much; she was a model, after all. Designers usually handled her public image, especially for events swarming with the rich and powerful.
“Julie, you said we’re shopping, but never said what for.”
“I was trying to tell you yesterday,” Julie teased. “But listening hasn’t really been your thing lately.”
“Ugh, please stop.”
“But it’s true. Never mind, I love you anyway.”
“You remember I told you about my suitor who died in a car crash?”
“Yes,” Celeste nodded.
“Well… now his cousin Nicklaus is my betrothed.”
“I heard that. Go on, spill the tea,” Celeste laughed.
“So, Nicklaus’ family is hosting this family gala thingy. They want to expand their business here in France. It’s a huge event, the Don families, politicians, influential people, the whole high table.
“And what does that have to do with me? I don’t see anywhere I fit in,” Celeste said, raising an eyebrow.
“Here’s the thing, we don’t talk much, Nicklaus and me. He’s all lawyer-like, super serious, and stubborn. He always looks bored. But get this, I didn’t think he even noticed my socials, right? Then the other day, I told him I’d be bored to death at the gala, and he said and I quote ‘You’re free to bring your friend. The one you post a lot. I mean, a lot.’
“I do post you almost every day,” Julie laughed.
“Celeste, are you even listening?”
“Yeah, I am,” she laughed it off.
“I know you’re not in the mood for parties right now… but that’s exactly why you need this. Even Papa would’ve wanted you to go.”
Julie took her hand gently. “I always make the best decisions for you, don’t I?”
They entered a mall and browsed through all the designer dresses, but none of them felt right to Celeste. They kept moving from one mall to another in search of the perfect look until they found it. The dress was too perfect. The color was breathtaking, and as she held it up, Celeste started imagining how he would look at her in it, how he would complement her in that weird, twisted way only he could.
He was all she could think about.
A pang of guilt struck her chest. She was no longer mourning her father the way she should. Her mind, her soul… everything was wrapped around a man she barely knew.
They decided to fly straight to Paris since the event was the next day. There was nothing urgent back home worth going for.
On the plane, Celeste said she wanted to nap, but she couldn’t. Her mind was racing. She was daydreaming about seeing him again.
“Julie,” she whispered. “Have you ever met someone and, for some weird reason, they’re all you can think of? Just the thought of them consumes everything in you, your heart, your mind, your soul.”
“Ooooh, bestie, are you in love?” Julie teased.
“No, no, no! That’s not my thing, and you know it,” Celeste insisted.
“But whatever you just described is love.
Ooooh baby, all you want is him in you oooooh baby!”
“Julie, stop!” Celeste laughed, covering her face.
And then she saw him.
The beautiful stranger.
What…?
How was he here?
Is he stalking her?
Like some twisted magic trick, one second, she was thinking of him, and the next, there he was standing right in front of her.
Celeste froze, staring at him in disbelief. Was this real? Was she dreaming? Hallucinating? What the hell was happening?
- Writer
