What If...?

This Day Was Going to be Perfect

Cherry P.O.V.

Cheesecake was dead. I knew she was. I couldn't help but think about it every single day. If the girl in the dream was really her, and she was really in the Forbidden Forest, I knew I would never see her again. She was gone. There was no way she could survive on her own in there. I tried countless times to get into the forest, but some kind of force field prevented me from ever getting inside. CherryPie tried to cheer me up, my mom didn't really seem to care, and my dad basically said, "good riddance!"

I was alone again. This wasn't just about losing my girlfriend; it was about losing the only person in my life who truly cared about me and understood me. The words "girlfriend" and "boyfriend" are just names that imply that two people can share intimacy with each other, but there is a reason that "friend" is included in both words. Cheesecake, the only girl I ever thought a man could truly love, was my best friend. Being in a relationship with her was just a luxury that I couldn't afford. 

        I had to tell myself this as I started out my new life, the very path I ran away from. I realized that my father was right and had been all this time. I had my little game of pretend for a while, but now it was time to get serious. I had to make something of myself and get a life that was worth something, rather than being a servant in the home of a disgusting, abusive woman.

        My father happily started training me again, creating a whole new plan for the life he so greatly wanted me to have. As he told me again and again what I would gain from coming back and taking over the family business, I started understanding what a good and wonderful life I really could have here. I could have a job of high stature that would allow me to be important and wealthy. I could have grandeur beyond my wildest dreams. I could have a girlfriend- a wife. I could have a family, with children to pass down this honor. I could have it all, everything anyone could dream of and more. 

        So my dad impressed upon me the importance of our company, and my mother arranged banquets, inviting every eligible bachelorette in the city. At first, I did not favor the banquets. In fact, I found them a waste of time. Many of the girls were prissy and vain, being spoiled and taking after their fathers (who I also shook hands with as well). Then there was the occasional girl who looked just like me years ago, wanting out of the hierarchy, desiring only freedom and adventure. I avoided those girls for fear of being brought back to the days when  I was able to love.

        After a year of this, I finally told my mother that I thought I could ever have feelings for another girl, but she insisted on having at least one last feast. I reluctantly obliged for her sake, thinking that it was a hopeless cause. However, I soon found out that I was wrong.

        Cake Pop was her name, a gorgeous girl of the social class my parents fancied. My mom ran an organization for feeding the homeless with Cake's mother (not that they fed the homeless themselves). But the girl left me in awe. She had creamy hair that swept down her back in flawless waves like a smooth, silky icing. Her skin was soft and fair, but rainbow freckles were sprinkled across her nose and arms. However, the most alluring feature of her's were her eyes. They were a very light shade of brown, but somehow managed to give the impression that they yearned to be darker, as if sadness or hatred were burning behind those beautiful irises. 

        I thought I loved her, but more than that, I wanted her. I wanted her so much, in fact, that after only 3 months, I asked her to marry me, and she accepted with a great amount of enthusiasm, already trying to decide whether to have rockyroad roses or moonflowers. My mother was absolutely thrilled, and started arranging the wedding immediately, and I swear my dad was smiling for a week without pause. The only person who didn't seemed delighted with the news was the person I needed the most.