I wake up in the middle of the night, almost before the time I usually go out. I immediately sat up and look for my shopping bags. They lay beside my dresser just the way I left them. I get up and take a look into the bags.
Let's get started.
After a few minutes, I was fully dressed in a black shirt and pants although the size was loose but perfect to hide my curves. I dig into the next shopper and move towards the mirror. I place the beard carefully to my V-zone and on the upper lip with the glue that was provided with it. I take my view in the mirror.
Wow. I almost resemble a man.
Well, that was the plan actually, to look like a man. My shirt loosely hangs to my hips and drawn under the pants whereas my pants were slick to my legs. I take a deep breath and dust off the invisible dirt off my clothes.
You can do this Sarah. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.
Clank!
What was that?
.
.
.
Clank!
I look around the room. Where was the noise coming from?
.
.
Clank!
And then I saw the stone hitting the glass door of my balcony. I removed the curtains from the door and saw....
What!? He can't be here! What does he want now?
I draw the curtains back and sit on my bed with my hands on my lap together.
Please just go.
Please just go.
"Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are...."
"Oh Almighty no!" I whisper-shout to myself, clutching my head in my hands. I hurriedly go outside the balcony.
"Up above the world so high-"
"Stop it!" I hiss at him and his head jerks up and when he catches my sight he jolts back.
"W-who are you!? What are you doing in her room..." I realized that I totally forgot about my appearance. "YOU BURGLAR! I'm calling the cops!" He says, pushing away the bushes which encircled him.
"It's me, boss!" I stop him and he turns back to look at me. He eyes me suspiciously, still not able to recognize. Suddenly his mouth hangs open as realization washes over him.
"H-how did you grew that beard overnight?" He asks me, dubiously and I roll my eyes at him.
"Seriously? I went to the toy store with my boss today remember?"
"Feisty again, I like that," he says, grinning at me.
"Why are you here anyway?! Go home. It's no running time." I say, moving a little back from the railing.
"What? I'm not going home. And you are coming with me right now." he orders me.
"In your dreams." I scoff at him.
"Really? You asked for it then." He plops back on the ground, his knees drawn to his chest.
"Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky-"
"What do you want!" I whisper-shout at him again, stopping him from singing the poem.
"I already told you that I guess?" he says in a bored tone.
"But why and where?"
"For that... you would have to pull me up first." he wriggles his brows at me "Rapunzel, let down your hair!" And I heave a frustrated sigh.
A few minutes later he is in my room, sitting on the chair beside my dresser and taking in the room.
"Wow, this room is so not for you." he points towards the walls. "It's all pink and pink is for girls and you are no girl," he says, thumping his fingers against his keens. I look down at my feet, thinking about the familiar words that I can still hear at the back of my mind as clear as it were yesterday.
That feeling never left me once. The sound of his voice that day, the curve of his mouth when he said those words, the bliss that I felt around us that day, it all feels so fresh and real again. Like he never left me even for once and disappeared.
I move back my eyes to him when I hear him clearing his throat.
"So care to tell me why are you dressed like..." He points at my outfit. "That?"
"Why should I tell you. It's none of your business." I retort.
"It's one hell of my business. Don't you forget who was your accomplice at all your spy attempts." he retorts back with a pointed finger.
"Oh really? That was two days ago! No, wait... Looking at the time now, it was three days ago!" I say, pointing the finger at the hanging clock on my wall, the hands of the clock strikes at 12.
"Is everything alright up there dear?" simultaneously our head jerk towards the door and I hear aunt Anna's approaching footsteps from the staircase.
"No, no, no, no..." I stand up and look around the room and my head halts at the balcony door. "Go out now! She's coming!" I say in a hushed tone.
"What about you? Are you going to confront her with that beard?" I forgot about it again and grunt at my own foolishness.
"Just go! I don't want her to think anything wrong about me just when I came from the town!"
"I'm not going anywhere until I take you with me."
"What!? Don't you see the situation here?"
"Oh! Then let me remind you about my situa-"
"Just go hide inside the closet!" A smile appears on his face when I point him the closet. I didn't have time for his accusations which I already knew where was he going at.
"Fair enough." he hurries inside the closet and I immediately lay down on the bed and hide under my sheet. I hear the door flinging open, my face is in the opposite direction of the door. I squeeze my eyes tighter when I hear her coming near to the bed. She stops right before the edge of the bed.
"I'm sure, I heard some noises from the room." I hear her mumble. I start pretending to be in deep sleep by making mumbled voices. Her feet near me and I start singing in a drowsy voice.
"Twinkle...twinkle lil staa... how I wonder..." my attempt stops her and I feel her caressing my leg. I hear her laugh lightly.
"Sweet dreams honey." she quietly walks out and I hear her slowly shutting the door behind.
I release a deep breath and after a while, I hear the closet door open and I peek lightly through the cover and found him mouthing me the words 'come out' his hand motioning towards the balcony. I huff and get up from the bed and follow him behind.
I Think I've got no choice.