Once Upon a Neighbor

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Declan

As Thatcher rose from the couch, Declan dug his hands in between the couch cushions on the search for his phone. Where the hell was it? He could have sworn it just vibrated just beneath him but there wasn't anything underneath him except for the cushion. Damn it!

He tossed the warm leather cushion that he was recently sitting on to the other side of the room where it bounced off the wall. He felt another vibration and he patted his butt. Nope, not in there.

Declan moved on from his butt pockets to the front pockets of his shorts. There it is! He grinned as he yanked it out of his front right pocket.

One new message. The screen of his Nokia blared at him in the dark lighting of Thatcher's gaming room. Declan hurriedly unlocked his phone and scrolled to the messages.

From: Jamie 

uhm hi who is this????

Received at 12:52 am.

That's what I forgot! He could have slapped his forehead at his stupidity. He forgot to introduce himself instead of just saying "howdy".

To: Jamie

oh hahaha sorry its Declan.

Sent at 12:52 am.

Declan nervously chewed on his lower lip as he waited for her response. He let out an audible intake of air, relieved when his phone lit up and danced in his clenched hand.

From: Jamie

Declan? Declan what?

Received at 12:55 am. 

Declan felt his heart drop and shatter into pieces inside of him. He knew it was ridiculous to think that Jamie would automatically remember him and fall in love with him. But he couldn't stop himself from hoping and dreaming. And now he felt this heaviness that was inexplicably unexplainable. It was as if the whole world stopped around him, this deafening silence roaring in his ears, and his heart was beating against his chest like it just wanted to break out of him and soar away to a place where no one could do this to him anymore. But that ache was replaced with something cold, and angry. Vile almost. This new feeling was as if someone you hardly new splashed cold water in the winter for no reason.

And it was all because of three words. Three words that reminded him of the painstaking reality that just because you imagine something so vividly, doesn't mean it will come true. Because life is no fairytale, where the princess meets the prince, and the moment their eyes meet, they fall in love. And they go on this beautiful journey where the prince saves the princess and then they rush off to his castle and get married. That is just a load of bullshit. Because in reality, in real life, the princess and the prince have faults. And because of those faults, they fall apart on the journey. And if, but  only if, they manage to overcome their differences do they go off to his "castle". Except the castle is a lie, just a broken down wooden cabin where all of their hopes and dreams lay lifeless. And in the end, the marriage is a sham because the princess will always leave the prince to find someone better. 

That is the painful truth of reality. 

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Declan shifted around on the leather couch, trying to get comfortable enough to watch the movie. Thatcher had returned from wherever he was, Declan assumed it was so he could shit, but as soon as he came back, they started to watch stuff on youtube and were now watching Space Balls on Netflix.