Read Between the Lines

Chapter 21: Hope for a sequel

THIRD PERSON's POV

Anntonia stood in line, gripping the book tight to her chest to keep her hands from shaking. She could see the tip of her head, sitting at the table and signing books. She could hear her soft voice and her rich laughter and that something that makes her heart beat so fast that she almost went into cardiac arrest. How she missed hearing it. Though sometimes, she could still hear it somewhere in her dreams.

She hadn't dared to open the book, but she'd memorized every millimeter of the cover.

It said;

MICHELLE MARQUEZ DEE.

And underneath, 'The One That Got Away'.

The background was the front of a coffee shop, with a girl sitting at a table. You couldn't see her face, but her hair was wavy. Just by looking at it, she felt like she couldn't breathe.

What was she even doing here?

They hadn't seen each other or even talked to each other in five years. Not to mention that they hadn't exactly parted on good terms. But on the other hand, it was silly to be nervous. They weren't kids anymore. They were in their 30s now and they'd been friends first. It wasn't like there were any grudges between them since it was a mutal decision. She'd loved Michelle so much that it had torn her open, but she had been her friend first and that had meant more to her than anything else.

Wrapped in thoughtshe, Anntonia didn't even have time to realize that the person in front of her left with their book signed and it was just her in front of Michelle Dee, the author.

The girl didn't notice her. Her eyes were busy at a piece of paper that was left by the previous person in the line. She just reached her hand absently for the book, and she too absentmindedly just handed it to her silently, not quite realizing how long she was holding her breath.

Michelle cut her hair shorter that it didn't touched her shoulders anymore. It was no longer ruffled, no longer disheveled and messy. Now, it was brushed slickly back and the side was tucked behind her ears. She lost a good amount of her baby fats in the face, making her jawline more defined, which gave her a serious, grown-up look, so different from how boyish she remembered her. She knew it was Michelle, but not the same one her eyes knew.

"Who do I sign it for?" Michelle asked politely, and her voice immediately made her knees weak and her body felt tingles all over.

She cleared her voice, hoping she could talk over the lump that suddenly appeared in her throat.

"The one that got away."

Hearing it, Michelle stopped mid-movement, the pen she was holding, hanged in the air as she raised her gaze when she heard the familiar voice. She knew that and she cannot be mistaken. But still, her eyes went wide with shock. Her vision shifted its focus as everything went blurry except the person in front of her. She took her in for a little while, like she couldn't believe her eyes. She probably couldn't and she didn't look the same, as she remembered. Her hair was more longer now, maybe around waist level, her face were more defined and so every bit details of it, from her well shaped eyebrows, to her sharp jawline. She was wearing glasses now and dropped her rugged, rough around the edges style, in favor of a more sophisticated one that matched the new era in her life.

Anntonia definitely get rid of Michelle's Anntonia, she thought.

They spent a full minute just taking each other in, and in that minute, it felt like those past years hadn't happened at all. Like they were still youngsters in a coffee shop, about to start a friendship they didn't believe in, about to fall madly in love despite their best instincts and differences.