Blank Canvas

●Chapter 06●

I've always wondered what it would feel like when we are granted our wish. Ironically, what if that wish happens to be too impossible to be fulfilled? Human wants are insatiable even if they have almost everything in this world.

My wishes as a kid were quite stupid and impossible to come true. Even before today, I'd always believed that our wishes are nothing but just a ray of hope. And that ray of hope remains just that for our entire life. But today my perception about wishes coming true had changed.

Wishes are not just a ray of hope but also the actual life to our thoughts. As I was thinking all these philosophical things, that's when everything comes back rushing to me in a jiffy.

I had stood there with a gobsmacked expression on my face as I watched him staring into space. He seemed... poignant. His hands were stuffed inside his hoodie pockets. He hadn't noticed me standing there but I was able to see his crystal blue eyes glimmering under the streetlight.

'No this is just a dream, a good one if I might add. This is too good to be true.' I had pinched my arm and seven heavens, he was real. 'HOW?' I found myself asking and thinking deeply. I had even blinked my eyes but he still didn't vanish. He stood there unmoving.

I didn't know, I was crying until I felt a salty tear make it's way on my lips. I understood why I was crying. I was crying because I saw my wish come true. I saw my hope of wishes standing in front of me. But most importantly, I saw the character that I'd always thought was fictional, standing just a few feet away from me.

The guy standing under the streetlight was none other than Jeff Styles. And the Jeff Styles I was looking at was also none other than the Atlas Carter. He was not wearing his infamous shades. I could tell Atlas and Jeff is the same person because of the resemblance they carry. I'd never seen him before today. I chuckled softly because I was unable to contain my happiness.

I was so stupid to not even recognize him the first time I'd laid my eyes on him. My entire body was trembling with a newfound exaltation. Hastily wiping my dried tears, I ran out of there and towards my home before he could spot me. I had a fake smile plastered on my face when my mom had greeted me.

"You are spacing out again, Aria," my mom chided and looked at me with worry.

I sighed inaudibly and gave her a bright smile. "I am sorry, mom. What was it again that you were saying?"

Bert was discussing his school stuff with mom and dad while I kept staring at my still untouched food on my plate. They were all enjoying their dinner and here I was, sulking in my chair. 'I should be happy too, right?'

"You look... thoughtful. What's bugging you?" She asked me while dad and Bert kept talking about some alien invasion in the parallel universe. I internally rolled my eyes at their weird choice of topic.

"Nothing is. Why'd you ask?" I asked her back innocently and she just shook her head.

"Okay." I exhaled in relief. Dinner was silent for me but loud for my mom, dad and Bert. They kept talking about stuff while I forced myself to eat something instead of daydreaming.

After dinner, I went straight back to my room. I stood against my window railing as my eyes flitted towards the very same streetlight under which Atlas was standing. I was not surprised to not see him there.

'What was he doing here in the first place?' I wondered. I went to my bed and pulled out the Jeff painting from under it. Grabbing the paints and paintbrushes from the drawer beside me, I did all the necessary changes to it. I had brought it back from my gallery the other day to keep away from everyone's eyes. I don't know why I kept it there. I could blame Kris for it, I guess.