Reincarnated as an Ugly Step Sister

Chapter 36

"Miola and I don't have feelings for each other. Stop using that as an excuse, if you don't like me back just tell me and we'll pretend this never happened." The anger in his voice is sudden and surprising. I rarely see Nicholas mad, though at this moment I understand where he's coming from.

"I do like you, I can't explain why it would feel wrong though." My voice sounds desperate.

"Try."

"I can't, I-"

"Try," he says more intensely.

"No, I-"

"TRY."

"I ruined your happily ever after!" I blurt out. I am tired, confused, and overwhelmed. Now I've backed myself into a corner I'm not sure how I can explain my way out of. If I am completely honest with him then he'll know how much I've lied to him and how many stupid decisions I've made. Magic exists in this world but it's different than reincarnation magic. What if he doesn't believe me or thinks I'm an evil witch? What if I confuse him so much he never recovers? What if there is some cosmic karma that comes with telling the truth?

"You did what?"

"I- I ruined your happily ever after."

"What does that mean?"

"If I tell you, promise you won't... I don't know. Don't react too much to what I'm about to tell you, okay?"

"Uh, okay."

"I can't explain how I know this but you were supposed to marry Cinderella and I ruined it. I was dumb and I got in the way and now you aren't guaranteed a lifetime of happiness."

"So you're a fortune teller?" he asks.

"No, not really."

"But you knew my future."

"Well I wouldn't call myself a fortune teller. I know the path that the universe intends to take you on but now it's all pretty unclear because I messed it all up." I desperately try to come up with some logical explanation that doesn't reveal I've been reincarnated.

"What do you mean by 'the path that the universe intends to take you on'?" he asks, looking a bit dazed.

"Um, there are certain events that are destined to happen except that I kinda ruined your destiny."

"You ruined my destiny? How? What was it before?"

"You were supposed to fall in love with Cinderella at the ball but I didn't know it was you and I hogged you all night. It all started with me being nice to Cinderella actually so I had to stay home from the ball and her fairy godmother sent us both there so she didn't get a grand entrance. Then I spent the whole night with you and even though we left the shoe you weren't supposed to find out my mom is crazy. So we went with you to the castle and Cinderella got poisoned and it's all so far off base now. You were guaranteed a happily ever after but now... I don't know." Up until now Nicholas had been processing this all very well, maybe because magic exists in this world. But now he stares blankly at me. I probably shouldn't have told him his destiny. "Why aren't you saying anything? Say something," I tell him, worried I've broken his brain.

"What in the world could I say to that?" he finally asks.

"Say you don't hate me or think I'm crazy," I say, my voice timid as my eyes well with tears. What if I've scared him off forever? He means so much to me.

"I don't hate you or think you're crazy," he says, in the same traumatized tone.

"Be more convincing," I beg him.

Suddenly his shaken demeanor melts away. He takes my hand again and, looking into my eyes kindly, says, "I don't hate you or think you're crazy."

"Oh thank god." I wrap my arms around him and hug him with relief. "I know this all sounds so weird and I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was just afraid you wouldn't take it well." I sit back on the bed and smile at him. A part of me thought he'd be calling me a witch and forming a mob to kill me by now.

"So, now that that's off your chest... wanna make out?" he suggests.

"What? No."

"Why not? Too soon?"

"I still can't be with you," I tell him.

"Why? You told me your secret and I forgave you."

"But, I would still feel guilty. Even if we did get together, even if we got married, every time we'd fight I'd be thinking, 'If I had done things differently then he would be happy right now. His happily ever after isn't guaranteed,' and I couldn't handle that." My eyes are beginning to fill with tears. I can't think straight. This isn't how I wanted this conversation to go. It hurts to turn him down like this.

"But now that you've already ruined my 'happily ever after' I'll only be happy if I'm with you," he says, looking at me intensely.

"Maybe someday I'll feel different but right now... right now I can't," I sigh.

"Okay. I'll wait for you though," he says. Then he gets up and starts changing his clothes very casually, as if the whole conversation didn't happen.

"Don't do that, what if I never come around?"

"You will, you already have feelings for me. I'll just be extra charming from now on." He grins and winks at me. Despite how awful I feel, I can't suppress a giggle.

"Can we pretend we never talked about this? I don't want our friendship to change."

"Sure, but mark my words. I'm going to win you over one day." In one quick motion he sits beside me, gently tilts my face towards him, and pulls me into a kiss.