LIVING THE DREAM I ONC 2024 [COMPLETE]

One: A sucker for romcoms, a performance and a grumpy intern

Hayley and Mitchell were watching Love Again. Again.

And just like every time towards the finale when Celine Dion calls Mira and convinces her to give Rob a second chance, Hayley snorted and climbed off Mitchell's bed. "Annnnnd, this is when I sign out."

Mitchell paused the movie and stared at her sister. "Come on! Why don't you like this movie? It's romantic!"

"And watching it three times a day for seven days a week won't make you teleport into the movie and get a happily ever after," Hayley snapped back. "Honestly, I don't know what you see in it."

"Uh, there's Celine Dion in it."

"Valid point," Hayley laughed as she headed for the bedroom door before she turned back to her sister. "Also, don't forget to close your window. You'll let mosquitoes inside the house. Again."

As soon as the bedroom door shut with a click, Mitchell resumed the movie. She loved romantic movies, especially those with happy endings like love again, your place or mine, The Notebook, already morning in Hong Kong, and anything that closely resembled those. Movies like those promised her hope, hope that one day, she'd get to meet someone and live happily ever after. She deserved that. Especially after years of sacrificing her own happiness to give Hayley a better life.

She always lost herself in them, sometimes imagining herself in the movie. Which was why when Celine Dion's It's all coming back to me now started playing as the main characters kissed, she couldn't help but sing along.

Standing on the bed with her head leaned backwards and her arms stretched forward, she held her hair lifter as microphone, closed her eyes and swayed to the beat of the music. The song lyrics came naturally to her after listening to the song every single day. She felt like she was in the middle of a performance, under a spotlight with every eye on her. Faint wind blew the curtains away from the open window effectively revealing her attempt at a Celine Dion performance to the outside world and sent her thick black shoulder-length hair flying in all directions.

And then her favorite part started playing.

"But you made history with the slamming of the door
And I made myself so strong again somehow
And I never wasted any of my time on you since then-"

She paused when she heard another voice singing along.

"But if you touch me like this
And if you hold me like that
It was so long ago but it's all coming back to me," the new voice sang - deep and calm. It wasn't off key like hers and definitely belonged to a man.

She hadn't noticed that she had completely  stopped singing and was then focused on the man's voice instead. It wasn't until his voice faded that her eyes snapped to the person outside her window.

Their eyes met as soon she looked outside. He stood in the backyard, his back against the fence of the neighbor's house. His lips moved but no words came out. Instead, all he said, in the same deep calming voice, was, "well, that was quite a performance."

"Uh," Mitchell smiled awkwardly at him. She didn't know how to take it. Was it a compliment? An observation? What could she say? "You have a nice voice," she settled on that.

"Why, thank you. You do too."

Her cheeks burned at the compliment. She was suddenly grateful that her bedroom lights were dimmed and he couldn't see her blush.
"You don't have to lie, y'know."

The man shifted such that his legs crossed. "I would never."

"Well, I'm sorry if my performance was too loud that you had to come out. I'll close my window next time."

"If it's Celine Dion playing, never close the window," he shook his head. "And you weren't loud. I was out making a phone call when I witnessed the best performance in all the twenty-eight years of my life."

"Oh." She was definitely speechless then but managed a smile. She wasn't sure if she could make out coherent words if she dared to open her mouth.

The man smiled back and lifted his hand into a wave. She waved back and watched him go back into the neighboring house. And then it was quiet again.

She closed the window and got ready for bed. Sleep seemed to be on a vacation far away because she tossed and turned, her thoughts found themselves going back to the man.

Did he live in that house? How had she never seen him there? Not that she was neighborly, but she would never fail to recognize a voice like that.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a buzzing sound which she tried to block out by pulling the blanket over her head.
"Stupid mosquitoes," she muttered. "I knew I should have closed that window earlier."

****

Morning came earlier, much to Mitchell's dismay.
After a night of tossing and turning, all she wanted was to sleep in. Unfortunately, it was Hayley's first day of internship and Mitchell was her ride to and from there.

Sure enough, she found Hayley in the kitchen making coffee.
"Took you long enough? I thought I'd have to first pour ice old water in your face to wake you up."

"How are you so rude to someone who will drive you to your internship?"

Hayley rolled her eyes.
"Because you would drive me no matter what I say. You love me."

"You're right," Mitchell nodded. "I love you way too much but maybe it's time for you to learn how to drive. I can't drive you forever."

"Can't we have this conversation on another day?" Hayley groaned as she reached for her coffee-full vacuum cup. "I'm getting late. Let's go."

"Lemme get the keys- wait, do you have everything? Lab coat?"

Hayley nodded. "Of course."

"Washed and ironed?"

"Yes!"

"Hair nets?"

"I have everything, Mitch. Let's go."

"I'm just looking out for you," Mitchell frowned. Hayley never cut her name short unless she was irritated. "Sorry if I'm suffocating you."

The not-so-long drive to Hayley's internship was quiet. Mitchell wanted to initiate conversation but as soon as Hayley saw it coming, she plugged earphones in her ears, effectively eliminating any chances of them having a conversation.
After finding a perfect parking spot, Mitchell turned to Hayley. "Do you want me to go in with you?"

"No. I'm not a child enrolling for preschool, y'know," she shook her head and reached for the car door. "I'll see you in the evening."

"Wait."

"What now?" She definitely sounded irritated

Mitchell reached into her jumper's pocket, got a couple of bills and handed them to her sister. "For lunch. This isn't a paid internship."

That made Hayley's lips twitch. "Thanks."

Celine Dion's all by myself was playing on the radio as she drove back home. And for some reason, she couldn't get the man from the previous night from her head.
If only I could hear him sing one more time.

Chapter two will be live on Tuesday, 6th February 2024. Until then, I'll be enjoying other ONC entries. Comment your own here. Thanks.
Allias <3