My Imaginary Boyfriend

My Imaginary Boyfriend *Guilty Pleasure

"Adam is a stalker," Daniel says amusedly.

"Is he?" I ask, raising my eyebrow.

"Well, I think he is following Alyson and Clay in their date."

"Maybe he just wanted to make sure that Alyson is safe."

"You're biased," he states.

"I'm not," I say indignantly.

He grins. "It's kind of obvious, how you're defending him. It's like you really want him to be with Alyson."

Am I obvious?

Of course, I want Alyson and Adam to be together because they are meant for each other.

I look around me to not meet Daniel's eyes. I don't want to admit that he's kind of right. I have to admit, I'm stubborn.

Daniel and I are in the steps of the local museum.

Middle school students gather at the entrance, waiting for their tourist guide to arrive. Probably it's a requirement for their History subject. We visited the museum once, for a school project.

Some people are on the steps beside us. Some are chatting with their friends while others are just staring off into space. Maybe they're waiting for something.

The hardest part of waiting is when you realize you have waited for nothing. Experience taught me that.

An artist gets my attention. He'sprobably in his mid twenties, and surrounding him are his paintbrushes, paints, and other things I can't name. He's painting the scenery around us – the fountain, the trees, and the people. The fountain is where people toss a coin and pray for their wishes to come true.

Even though I pass by it a double dozen times, I haven't toss a single coin yet. What's the point? A wish will never come true if you don't do anything about it. You have to take action and make it happen. Only lazy people wait for their dreams to happen without doing anything.

Sometimes I wonder why Margarett adopted me. Why me? Did I look pathetic that night?

Maybe.

I can't really remember what I looked like before. Most of my memories are gone, not only Alex's face, but my childhood days as well. Flashbacks come at unexpected times, blinding me with visions of the past.

I'm lucky to have Margarett because if she didn't see me that night, I'm probably walking around aimlessly, not having a goal in mind. Not that I have a goal now, but I have a reason to live.

"Annalise."

Startled, I look around in bewilderment. I find Daniel shaking my arm. "What?" I ask.

His face is full of concern. "I was talking, and you suddenly stared into something faraway."

"Sorry," I say, lowering my head in embarassment.

Really, even in my imagination, I daydream.

"I'm just worried about you," he says gently.

"I'm okay," I assure him.

"Maybe you're bored with me, talking and talking—"

"No," I interject, shaking my head. "You're not boring at all. I'm just, uh, I just thought of something."

He smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes.