IN THE SHADOW OF OBLIVION

Chapter 1: The 'one'

"My life has officially just begun," Michelle sang out at the top of her lungs, tossing her bag onto the couch in the small living room of her apartment and run over to her roommate, Anntonia, who was standing on a kitchen chair painting tiny fruits on the wall.

"Okay. But, what do you think of these bananas? Are they too yellow or should I add some darker shade on them?" The woman asked, tilting her head to the right and chewing on her lower lip, thinking.

"Ann, do you hear what I just said???" She asked her again and the woman hummed and nodded.

"I think I need to add a little dark shade in here to lessen it's brightness and—"

"Ann-toown-yuh!!! How could you even talk about bananas right now!? I just told you I met the love of my life!" She then picked the woman up by her waist and pulled her from the chair, twirling her around in her arms, making Anntonia smeared the yellow paint from the tip of the brush she's holding and onto her black button up shirt.

"Oppsss! Sorry Saint Laurent, I think I ruined you." She said in her little voice. She could only roll her eyes as she glanced down at the part where the paint landed. She just bought that shirt a month ago and now, there's no way she could wear it at work.

"Have you lost your hearing today? I just told you the biggest news of my life and all you can think about is your creepy Willy Wonka fantasy kitchen. What's with the baby fruit anyway?" Michelle asked with an annoyed expression and the she looked at her crossly.

"First of all, it's not creepy and it's not Willy Wonka, you dumdum. It's art and I like it. And what's wrong with baby fruit? They're cute!" Anntonia said defensively, but secretly smiling, feeling pleased that she had ignored Michelle's "big news" up until this point. She knew it was inevitable for her to draw it out much longer. Still, it wasn't a rare occurrence for the woman to come home babbling about her dream girl. She was sure this time was no different. Michelle get the girl and in the end, decide there was something wrong with her and ditch her at the first possible opportunity.

"Why are you ignoring me, Toowns?" She asked, getting more and more aggravated by the second.
But Anntonia just grinned and shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe I know you too well to be excited, Dani."

Michelle and Anntonia had been friends since the beginning of time. Or let's say, since the beginning of their time. They were born 3 days apart; Michelle being 3days older at the same hospital and their mothers had met at a doctor's appointment two months later. After that, they became friends, and the two of them followed suit. It was like that from then on, neither one of them too far from the other. Even as they grew up, they remained the best of friends. When Anntonia's mom died when she was 24, Michelle asked her to live with her at the newly purchased apartment her parents gifted her on her graduation and she hadn't left since.

Michelle was a big time advertising executive at a firm. While Anntonia was... well, she was a little bit of everything. Never one to settle on one thing for too long, because she tend to jumped around from career to career and was currently a clown at children's birthday parties on the weekends. They were complete opposites in a million ways, but the same in every way that mattered. They assumed that was why their friendship had always gone so smoothly.

Of course, they'd had their fair share of fights and minor arguments. But still, they couldn't stay mad at each other for long. Now, Michelle was smiling at her best friend again, despite her annoyance.

"Please... You have to believe me Toowns. This story... this is a story of epic proportions. I mean, it's that good. This woman has to be the one. God! I just know she is," she said breathlessly, waving her arms in the air for emphasis. "I wouldn't say this about just anyone, you know!" The she threw her hands up and breathed heavily.