When story comes alive

Part 23

I scrolled through my messages from work as I leaned against the kitchen counter swirling the cereal around in the bowl with a spoon in one hand while I held my phone in the other.

'Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!' I heard a very loud excited shriek from behind me. I turned around and saw Jenna in a white top and a navy blue pencil skirt, ready for office.

'You look happy,' I commented as she did a quick cabbage patch dance walking towards me.

'Mi amor, muah muah,' she proceeded to blow kisses at me. 'I would hug you right now but I don't want to crease my dress. The story that you wrote for me was oh so...' she stopped talking as she gathered her hands close to her chest and looked towards the ceiling dreamily. Before I could say anything her gaze was was back on me as she said, 'I can't wait for tomorrow. Now I got to rush to the office.' She picked up an apple and rushed out.

It happened quiet often that Jenna spoke much more than me. To quantify, twice or thrice as much as I did. But today, she spoke in Spanish, she was blowing kisses and was super excited about the masquerade ball the next day. What had I done! She was a dreamer and I sold her a dream. I stood leaning against the counter with my bowl of cereal sitting behind me getting soggy. I was terrified. What if she does not meet anyone at the ball, what if that someone is some horrible person, what if she ends up getting hurt, what if... my thoughts were broken by the phone ring.

It was Aiden.

'Hi,' I said answering the phone.

'Hey, what's wrong?' came a quick question from the other end. My unintended solemn salutation had given away my thoughts.

'Nothing...just...' I gave out a sigh and said,' I'm worried about Jenna.'

'Why?'

There was a long pause and Aiden patiently waited for me to answer. 'Jenna believes something and I am afraid it may not come true.' I let out a sigh again as this was getting difficult to explain.

'Relax. May be I can help you. Just tell me what happened.' His voice calmed my nerves a little.

'It's difficult to explain....there is this kind of prophecy...' I waited to hear a laugh from him but he did not so I continued. 'Jenna believes that she may meet her boyfriend tomorrow at a masquerade ball that we are attending. I am responsible for getting her hopes up and now I am afraid what if....' I trailed off.

'Eva,' Aiden's calm and assuring voice rang in my ear. 'Don't worry. We'll figure something out. Actually, I have something in mind. Can I call you back in 5 minutes?'

I nodded as if he could see me over the phone.

'Did you just nod?' he asked with a smiling voice.

I slapped my forehead with my palm at my act of stupidity and said, 'I'll wait for your call.'

I was back to my bowl of cereals all the while staring at my phone. The moment my phone lit up, I picked it up hopeful that Aiden had thought of something.

He too seemed eager to talk to me as he hurriedly said, 'What do you say we set up Jenna with someone?' As I pondered over it he said, 'That way you can be sure that she definitely has a date to the ball and also that the guy is not a jerk.'

'Do you have someone in mind?'

'Yeah,' he said but stopped sensing my impatience.

'There is one catch,' I said hoping all of this was not too much for him to arrange and somehow this would work.' Jenna is a romantic person so I don't want this to look like a set up. She believes that she will meet this guy at the party so I want it to look more like meet cute. Can that be arranged?'