ARIA BEVERLEIGH
Today, I spent an extraordinary day with Zaid's family, truly one for the books.
Our collective adventure took us sledding in the mountains, and the joy I experienced is etched in my memory.
Mr. Andrew was quite clumsy but amusing, and he had an air of confidence.
Miss Amber, on the other hand, was incredibly endearing, a bit timid, and reminiscent of a typical caring mother.
As for Aiden—well, Aiden fancied himself as cool, humorously pretended to be a model when girls were around, and epitomized the stereotypical antics of a teenage boy.
Now, let me tell you about Zaid—the best boyfriend I've ever had. He lavished attention on me, never left me alone, held my hand unwaveringly, and didn't once divert his gaze while we careened down the sled run, seemingly worried about any mishap.
He was so unbelievably caring.
Our happiness was contagious, laughter filled the air until our stomachs ached.
Mr. Andrew's mishaps, Aiden's antics—everything was genuinely amusing.
They embraced me like family, as if I were a cherished daughter-in-law, it felt like I had found my true in-laws.
After sledding, we went to a nearby Turkish restaurant to warm up and had a meal while chatting. I got so close to them in a single day that nobody could be happier than me.
The only concern is—my family is not like this. We're colder, more authoritative, more serious, we're nothing like a family. I wonder if these two contrasting families could get along if they were to merge? I hope they do, if not, we have a problem...
A big problem.
Well, now, I find myself alone in my room again, the house eerily quiet, and Christmas is just two days away.
I hope, at least this time, my family returns home to celebrate with me.
I took out the scrapbook I made for Zaid from my closet, gathered a few more supplies – scissors, paints, more pictures, stickers, glitters – and sat on the floor to finish it.
I needed to get a gift too, but I was clueless about what to buy. Clothes felt too basic, perfume too simple—how about a watch? No, nothing came to mind—never mind.
To distract myself, I played "So in Love By Breezee" and began listening to it. It had become my recent favorite, and I felt it would stay that way. Every time I heard it, thoughts of Zaid and me flooded my mind—it was truly beautiful.
Then, on the last page of the scrapbook, I wrote a letter:
My Dearest Zaid,
Wishing you a joyous Christmas as your adoring girlfriend. Life brightened when you entered it, and I'm endlessly grateful that we found each other. You, my love, are a cherished blessing.
Words seem insufficient to express the vastness of my feelings—no universe could contain it, and even my adoring eyes fall short.
My deepest desire is to share every moment with you, to build a future together. In the twists of fate, if one of us faces a shorter journey, let's hope we depart simultaneously, sparing each other the agony of parting. Zaid, thank you for being my everything. I love you profoundly.
Yours always,
Aria B.
I carefully pasted the letter onto the last page, then adorned it with my favorite lipstick, sealing it with a couple of affectionate kisses.
The scrapbook was now complete, and I was eagerly looking forward to giving it to Zaid! I hoped he would appreciate it.
Later, as I tried to replay the song on my phone, I noticed a message from Ivor. Opening it, I found a lengthy paragraph:
[Ivor S.] hi, Aria, I've been doing some serious soul-searching, and I owe you a massive apology. I initially planned to say this at school, but you weren't around, and this can't wait. You didn't deserve any of this crap. Jamilah's threats, the nasty rumors she spread about you. Yeah, I knew about it, and I should've stepped in, but honestly, I was caught up in this messed-up idea of keeping you two apart, and I'm sorry— I'm really sorry for being such a jerk. I don't deserve you. But I'll be straight with you,I messed up badly, and now, it's hitting me hard. I feel genuinely sorry for my part in this. Can you find it in yourself to forgive me? I'm committed to making things right, and I promise I'll do everything I can.
-
[you] Hey Ivor,I gotta admit, I never saw this coming from you. I thought I could trust you, gave you the benefit of the doubt, but this twist is a bit surreal. Anyway, I don't want to come off all self-righteous, we all make mistakes, and you owned up to it before it got too messy. So, I do forgive you. But here's the thing, you need to talk to Zaid. If he's not cool with it, then we can't keep any connection. Zaid and I are in something serious. Yeah, we hit a rough patch recently, you've probably heard, but we worked through it, and we're committed—no more breaks. So, if Zaid isn't on board with me being around you or being friends, then, as I said, there's no connection between us.
-
[Ivor S.] I get it, Aria, and genuinely appreciate your forgiveness. I'm going to have a chat with Zaid too. Honestly, I'm thrilled for you both, you guys deserve all the happiness. And like I said, I'm done with the whole 'bad guy' role, I genuinely want to be your friend, the kind who supports and cheers you on :) Goodnight.
-
[you] Goodnight, Ivor. :)
Ivor's apology hit me on a deeper level—I never expected him to take that step, especially considering the trust I placed in him. I went as far as getting into his car, putting in effort to help him reconcile with Zaid.
It was disheartening, honestly. I didn't think someone as mature as him would pull SUCH a move. But, to his credit, he genuinely seemed regretful, confessing his fault and offering a heartfelt apology.
What more can you ask for? I genuinely hope Zaid can find it in his heart to forgive Ivor, he deserves a chance, having owned up to his mistake.
IVOR SINCLAIR
Today, I took a step I never thought I would—apologizing to Aria. Her forgiveness is truly significant to me.
I came to terms with the fact that I desired her for myself, trying to separate her from the one she loves for my own misguided reasons.
However, I've had an awakening. I don't want to play the role of the antagonist. Despite the pain and the depth of my feelings for her, sometimes you have to accept that not everything goes the way you want it to.
At times, letting go of certain desires becomes essential to maintain peace for others. I aspire to be a source of peace, not disturbance.
Zaid has been my closest friend for years, as has Matthew.
Yet, I managed to ruin everything between us, and it all started over a girl. It's truly disheartening.
I missed my friends deeply—yes, there were superficial connections, but none like Zaid and Matthew.
They knew my past, my memories. My heart yearned for them, and the guilt of my actions weighed heavily on me.
Both Matthew and Zaid deserved a conversation.
An apology.
But before that, I had to confront Jamilah, the one who orchestrated all the chaos, the lies, and the threats. She wreaked havoc more than I ever did.
"Why you calling me again, dude?" She said annoyingly.
"We have to talk. It's urgent."
"About what?"
"About you."
"Oh? What the f—"
"Just shut up— where are you?"
"Home?"
"You want me to come over?"
"Not really, no— my dad would kill you."
"Okay, then I'll be waiting in front of our school, cya."
"IVO—"
I hung up and exited my room, slipping on my jacket, and took hold of my car keys, descending to the garage.
Stepping into my car, I secured my seatbelt and drove briskly towards school.
Every inch of me yearned to sever every tie with that 'bitch'—I didn't even want the possibility of encountering her again.
Upon reaching school, I skillfully parked on the side, patiently waiting.
A few minutes later, I spotted her—To be honest, Jamilah wasn't an unattractive girl, far from it. She had a certain style, the kind that might make you fall for her at first sight.
But her personality—truly atrocious. Incredibly toxic, conceited, disloyal, downright unholy—a walking red flag.
Since I didn't want her in the car, I stepped out, my hands in my pockets, and walked towards her.
"Hey, why did you call me?" She said, her voice quieter, less aggressive than usual.
"Jamilah, cutting to the chase—I'm severing all ties between us. I no longer want to interfere with Zaid and Aria, and you're going to leave them alone too, okay?" I said firmly, a stern expression on my face.
"But— but why? What suddenly changed, Ivor? You loved Aria, this can't be— I can't lose Zaid, I really love Zaid—" she began, and I cut her off by shouting,
"THIS IS NOT LOVE, YOURS ISN'T LOVE. IT'S POSSESSIVENESS— SOMEONE WHO LOVES DOESN'T HURT THE ONE THEY LOVE."
"DIDN'T YOU CALL ME LIKE 2 WEEKS AGO? YOU SAID LET'S BREAK THEM APART, WHAT HAPPENED SUDDENLY? WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING, I WON'T BACK DOWN."
"YES, JAMILAH, I ADMIT I SAID THAT, BUT I REGRET IT, ALRIGHT? SOME THINGS ARE BEYOND OUR CONTROL, YOU CAN'T FORCE SOMEONE TO LOVE YOU. WRAP YOUR HEAD AROUND THAT. PLEASE, LEAVE THEM ALONE, FIND HAPPINESS FOR YOURSELF, AND LET THEM FIND THEIR OWN JOY. A HOME WRECKER WILL NEVER HAVE A HOME."
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, I'VE EXCHANGED MESSAGES WITH ZAID FOR TWO MONTHS. WHILE HE SAW ME AS A FRIEND, I PLANNED A WHOLE LIFE WITH HIM. EVERY MESSAGE FROM HIM LIT UP MY DAY, AND WHEN HE FINALLY ENDED EVERYTHING, I WAS LITERALLY, LITERALLY DEPRESSED. HE MADE HIMSELF FALL FOR ME. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LET GO, IVOR? TELL ME, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LET GO?"
"I KNOW, I KNOW IT'S TOUGH, BUT SOMEHOW, SOME WAY, PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER. DON'T LET YOURSELF BE DESTROYED OVER A GUY. LEARN TO STAND ON YOUR OWN TWO FEET, JAMILAH."
"NO ONE FUCKING UNDERSTANDS ME..." she began to cry in front of me.
At that moment, something shifted. I felt a strange sensation, realizing that the girl I thought was a mess, the one I judged harshly, was crying.
"I just wanted someone to love me, someone to protect me. I wanted someone to teach me what real love is, and I got caught up with a guy who showed me a bit of attention by sending a few messages. I hate FUCKING EVERYTHING, IVOR." She shouted, crying.
There was evidently a void in her heart. Those who never experienced real love usually came from troubled families, neglectful parents. For a brief moment, I wondered if she had issues at home.
The strong, intimidating girl I thought I knew wasn't there right now, instead, there was a girl who had let her guard down, revealing a vulnerability to me.
Without much thought, I opened my arms to her, and she hugged me. She cried on my chest, and I found myself being a shoulder for her to cry on, something I couldn't believe I was doing.
"Everything will be okay. All we need to do is let go of things we know are impossible. It's not about giving up it's about stepping aside, Jamilah..." I said, giving her a gentle pat on the back.
"If that's what you say, Ivor, then so be it. Maybe that's the right thing..." she said, taking a step back.
"Gosh—I didn't expect to cry, sorry." She added, wiping away the tears in her eyes.
"No problem. I hope I can trust you, Jamilah. If I hear anything about you messing with them again, there won't be mercy next time. I say this for both their well-being and yours. A home wrecker doesn't have a home."
"...ok, you can count on me, I promise."
"Pinky promise?" I said with a smile, extending my pinky finger toward her.
"Pinky promise.." she replied, hooking her pinky around mine, blushing slightly, smiling through teary eyes.
"I can drop you home if you want." I offered, not sure why I did it, feeling a strange closeness to her for a moment, but it wasn't romantic.
"No need to bother— isn't it out of your way?"
"No bother at all, don't worry. Come on, get in the car," I said, walking towards the car and getting in.
She followed me, we buckled up, and I started driving.
ZAID EASTON
It had been a long day today—yesterday, Aria had fallen asleep in my arms, and today we had spent the entire day together.
Now, I was alone in my room again. She had grown fond of my family, and if they got along so well already, I wondered how things would be when we got married.
Christmas was approaching, just two days away, and I hadn't bought her a gift yet, but I was planning to get one tomorrow—there couldn't be a Christmas without a gift, no matter what. Whatever it was, that gift was going to Aria.
I wondered what she was doing right now because I spent the whole day thinking about her, wishing she could have stayed one more day.
I picked up my phone and looked at the photos we took today. She was dressed so beautifully, and I was still amazed at how she didn't freeze with that short skirt, even though we went to the mountains.
We had a really nice day, nothing compared to the beauty of seeing her happy. That feeling was the most beautiful thing in the world, it really warms your heart to see your loved one happy.
I was eager for the memories we would create in the future.
I really wanted to see her in that white wedding dress.
I wanted her to be the mother of my children, and I wanted to wake up to her every morning.
I also had a little chat with Matthew, spilled the beans about what went down yesterday and today. He was understandably curious since I hadn't messaged my homie, the one I chat with and hang out with every single day, for two days straight.
Tomorrow marked the end of the school grind, finally—Post-school, I had a mission to hit the mall and grab Aria a Christmas gift. I had some cool ideas brewing in my mind—a gorgeous bouquet, a bunch of makeup goodies, chocolates, all neatly tucked into the bouquet.
And I was itching to pen down a letter, actually, 2 letters: one for her to read now, and one to be a forever letter until Aria got her hands on it.
Somewhere down the road, one of us was going to exit this stage called life. Call it a gut feeling, but it whispered to me that I might be the one. I'm not big on trusting feelings, but there's something vital about a letter like this. If life throws a curveball my way, if I have to unexpectedly check out, she has every right to know the unspoken thoughts of the girl I'm head over heels for.
I grabbed a piece of paper, a pen, and spent an hour and a half pouring my deep, heartfelt emotions into this significant and meaningful letter.
It's the first time I've ever translated these feelings so profoundly from my heart to paper. I hope this letter never has to be discovered, and I hope I never have to leave Aria.
I tucked the letter into an envelope, sealed it with care, and placed it in a box with all of my mementos.
Afterward, I locked the box, holding the memories close.
Then Aria called me – just hearing from her, whether a call or a message, would light up my face. I was genuinely head over heels in love.
"Hello? Am I talking to the most beautiful girl in the world?"
"Yes—and am I talking to the most handsome guy in the world?" she said, and we both just chuckled.
"Zaid, I need to tell you something," she said, her tone turning serious.
"Yeah?"
"Ivor texted me—apologized, and I forgave him. I thought you should know, so I wanted to inform you," said Aria. I appreciated her openness, it meant she didn't want to keep things from me—she wanted my trust.
"The day we broke up, he talked to me and apologized, but I don't know—I can't trust him, Aria, I really can't trust him. What if he's just acting?" I confessed.
"He's not acting, Zaid. He's serious, and he's right in his message. He genuinely doesn't want to play the bad role anymore, he's practically dying of regret," Aria explained.
"For you, I'd give him another chance, I'd do that—after all, we've been friends with Ivor for years, we knew everything about each other. We were like the perfect trio—me, Matthew, and Ivor."
"I know, Zaid, that's why you should give him another chance. Ivor has come to terms with the truth, he's not a bad person, just learning to control his emotions. Clearly, he's been used a lot, probably because of his wealth, although I don't know the full extent. But he deserves another chance."
"Alright, I'll talk to him tomorrow. Anyway, forget about Ivor. How are you, huh?"
"I'm good— and, AND— I have something else to tell ya!"
"What is it?"
"Today was just truly beautiful. Thank you so much for giving me such a memorable experience with your family—I will never forget today."
"Aria, you don't need to thank me, love, but you're welcome anyway. I had a great time with you too. For the first time in a long while, I felt this happy. It was truly a beautiful day."
"I know that it was beautiful day—especially Aiden's fall from the sled!" she said and burst into laughter. Just hearing her laughter warmed my heart.
"Yeah, our Aiden can be a bit clumsy..."
"Or— or the meal we had at that Turkish restaurant, and the atmosphere, the beauty of those chairs, the service from the waiters—everything was perfect. And that yogurt drink we had—what was its name again? Ran? Ayan? Ay—ayr?" She paused, groaning. "I forgottttt..."
"Ayran," I said, laughing. Her struggle to say "ayran" was quite funny to me.
"Yeah— right, that. It was delicious."
"Well, if you enjoyed the Turkish restaurant that much, maybe I should plan more dates for us—something a bit fancier than just casual meetups, don't you think?"
"I don't knowwww, it could be... why not, right? Honestly, everywhere with you feels beautiful and fancy to me, but you decide, darling," she said with a playful chuckle.
"Alright, alright, leave it to me, beautiful. I'll take care of it."
"Yeah— AND GUESS what? Tomorrow, we get to endure a thrilling 2-hour math class TOGETHER. Lucky us!" Aria said with a mix of excitement and happiness.
"I know, and I was about to say that everyone at school finally knows about our relati—" I hesitated for a moment and paused. "Right, everyone thinks we broke up. Damn," I said frustratedly.
"Well, if we walk hand in hand, everyone will figure out we've made up. Are you really bothered by that?" Aria said, laughing.
"You're right, makes sense..."
Aria and I had a solid chat. The initial moments were a bit quiet, but soon enough—both of us just can't keep quiet. We spill our thoughts to each other like it's a reflex. This time, she dozed off on the phone while I was talking, and you bet I didn't hang up. I could still hear her breathing. Couldn't help but wonder if she was cozied up, if the windows were shut tight...
I closed my eyes too and drifted off to sleep, hoping to see her in my dreams.