TREAT ME LIKE YOU LOVE ME

TREAT ME LIKE YOU LOVE ME

CHAPTER ONE:

“You have got to be kidding!” shrieked Dymphna. She could not believe what was right in front of her. Could it be true? It couldn’t. “It can’t be.” She said to herself as she kept walking on. She walked briskly, almost running. She tried to shake off that strange feeling, but she couldn’t. In Orange county California, many things happened but nothing as strange as this.

“You won’t believe what I saw on my way here Fidelia.” Dymphna said to Fidelia. Fidelia looked up from her book, stared at Dymphna for a while and looked into her book once more. “You’re just being paranoid.” she told her in a manner that showed that she was quite irritated. Dymphna had been bringing up the same topic for weeks now and it was really getting on Fidelia’s nerves. “But...”, “No buts!” Fidelia cut in.

Fidelia was a no nonsense person who did not tolerate childish things like whining and frequent complaining. That personality of hers always caused clashes between her and her best friend Dymphna who was naive and sensitive.

“Alright, I’m sorry. I’m listening.” Fidelia finally told Dymphna who was visibly angry at her for snapping at her in such manner, as usual. “If you don’t want to hear it, then so be it. You’re supposed to be my best friend who is ready to listen to anything I say.” “Yeah but not when you repeat the same thing over and over and over again. It doesn’t make any sense to me. You keep saying you keep seeing a particular phrase everywhere you go. What’s that phrase again?”, “Treat me like you love me” Dymphna helped her friend remember.

Yes, indeed, Dymphna kept seeing this phrase everywhere she went. It was really giving her the creeps each time she saw it. She could still remember how she first saw that phrase.

CHAPTER 2:

Dymphna, a smart, young woman of 26. Still doing her residency, already a successful and famous singer and actress along with her best friend Fidelia was making it big in California. Pretty much everyone in USA knew her. The boy on the street, the lady who worked in that old ice cream shop she liked to go to and that hot and dashing young man she had insulted publicly because he accidently spilled her drink. Yes, though naive, she had a temper and a loose tongue. As she insulted him, he looked straight into her eyes and she looked into his as she shouted the words, idiot, bastard and stuff like that. After she was done with her anger fest, the guy squinted his eyes a little and brushed past her. He looked quite rich, famous, if you might say for everyone had stared at her in horror while she insulted the poor, young man as though to say that she didn’t know who she was talking to. Two minutes after she walked out of the restaurant, she saw on a bill board right opposite her, “TREAT ME LIKE YOU LOVE ME ”. She thought it was just one of those inspirational messages which people displayed in an effort to “change the world.”, that is, until she saw it on one of her anonymous fan mails. She rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing clearly. She dismissed it and thought, “Probably a coincidence.” After that, she kept seeing this phrase everywhere she went. On mail boxes, on bill boards, on posters, fan mail, even her friends used it as a joke frequently. After two weeks, it finally clicked in her brain, it was no coincidence.

“Am I going crazy?” she asked herself as she woke up from a nightmare. You would never believe the theme. Of course, it was, “treat me like you love me.”

Dymphna looked at a poster once with Fidelia. “Wow! Looks like those books are on sale again.”, “Are you crazy? It says treat me like you love me.” Fidelia actually checked her temperature to see if she was ill because truly it said that the books they had wanted for weeks were on sale again. When Fidelia told her this, Dymphna started to panic. “Am I going crazy?” she asked herself over and over again but still with no answer.

That morning, on 15^th August, 2025, she had seen that same phrase on a banner right across her street. “This has to stop, I mean, I can’t live like this anymore. I can’t just keep seeing the same phrase over and over and over and over and...” She was interrupted by the sound of a 2025 modelled Toyota Camry. She knew the sound for she owned one. Indeed, it was a car she always wanted for her mother had owned a 2018 model and it was the best thing she ever laid eyes upon in her life. In the next two minutes, there was a flock of people around the car and Dymphna wondered why. Fidelia knew only too well who it was. She dashed outside to meet the person and Dymphna followed suit. “Why’s everyone so excited to see the person in the car. Who’s that person anyway?” Dymphna asked out of total ignorance. Fidelia looked at her friend; bewildered at the fact that she didn’t know who it was that was in the car. “You can’t be serious. You don’t know...”, “Chase!” the crowd shouted. “Yeah, you heard them. He’s Chase Diamond flint. He’s from the ever realm, like us.” Yes, they were from the ever realm, a magical kingdom in which Dymphna was the crowned princess. All its citizens had powers which were peculiar to them. Dymphna had the power to manipulate objects and situations to her wish. Fidelia had the power to destroy a whole city with just one blow. “I heard that Chase has the power to torture you with a single phrase. He’s an actor and a singer, just like us. He must have come to get a job here.” As soon as the driver came out of the car, Dymphna felt like fainting. It was the same guy she had insulted at that restaurant. What if he ruined her reputation by telling everyone present what she did?

CHAPTER 3:

“Alright everyone. Autographs later.” Chase said as everyone tried to get a selfie with him. Dymphna was at a loss of what to do. Should she run inside or say there to watch and see what he might do to her? She didn’t know. As he approached her, he looked into her eyes.

“Hey, I remember you. You’re that girl who almost killed me because of a drink at that restaurant.”

“Yeah, about that, I am sooo sorry about that. I shouldn’t have done that. Just please spare my reputation.” Dymphna said almost pleading with him to the surprise of Fidelia because Dymphna hardly pleaded with anyone.

“Wait, did you think I was going to ruin your reputation? No, I have better things to do other than that. But I hope you don’t do that next time.” said Chase. Dymphna looked at him almost blankly. She just realized how stupid hot the guy was. Tall, lanky, beautiful blue eyes, black hair and everything Dymphna had ever wanted in a guy.

“I just hope you’ve learnt your lesson.” Said Chase, bringing Dymphna back to her senses. She wondered what he meant by that. What lesson and who was teaching her the so called “lesson”? Everyone around her knew she hated being lectured. So who would dare try?

“Did you really tell him that?” screamed Fidelia after Dymphna had finished narrating the whole episode at the restaurant to her. “Why can’t you use your brains for once in your life Dymphna? You’re really luck he hasn’t, oh no!” she quickly said.

“What is it? Is it a good oh no or a bad one?” said Dymphna in a fearful manner. “It’s obviously a bad one dummy. You said you’ve been seeing a phrase frequently, right?” “Yeah” “It’s Chase. He’s punishing you for insulting him that day. My question is, why that particular phrase?”

“Forget about the phrase! I’m being tormented by a phrase and I need it to stop!”

“Shut up dummy! I think he likes you.”

Dymphna stared at Fidelia at some time and then started laughing. So much that her eyes started tearing up. “Look, there is no way that’s possible. That was our first time of meeting and I insulted him so there’s no way he’d just like me like that.”

“Dymphna, number one, there’s something called love at first sight. Number two; no one knows the ways of men and three, read meaning into that phrase you’ve been seeing. It matches everything perfectly. What you did suggested that you hated him and now he wants you to treat him like you’re in love with him, literally.”

CHAPTER 4:

Dymphna could not believe what she was hearing for she wasn’t in love with Chase, or was she? She was thing so much that she didn’t know when she tripped on the stairs but immediately, someone caught her. Her heart was racing but as soon as she looked up, her eyes met his. Yes, Chases’ eyes. As she stared into his deep blue eyes, he couldn’t take his eyes away from her hazelnut eyes. She really felt like kissing him at this point. Wait what!? What on earth was she thinking? How could she love a guy she knew barely anything about? And to add to that, he had been tormenting her with a phrase that she saw pretty much everywhere so how could she love him?

“Sorry” Dymphna managed to say when he drew her up. “No problem. But what were you thinking about cos it seems you’re so engrossed in that thought.”

“I was thinking of you.” Dymphna answered almost immediately while smiling sheepishly, that is, until she saw the wrinkled look on Chases’ face. She immediately realized what she had said and felt so embarrassed. She wished the ground would swallow her.

“Um, I meant um, uh I...I meant um um” she stammered. “I know. No one can resist my face” Chase said almost as if to flirt with her. “Yeah you’re so right about that... I mean um I didn’t mean to say that.”

“Of course you didn’t” he said suspiciously as he walked past her. Dymphna still couldn’t believe what she said. How could she be falling for him? It just wasn’t possible. Right?

From that day, it was a roller coaster of emotions each time she saw him and he could tell.

After some time, Dymphna started noticing that phrase a little less frequently. “How is that even possible?” she asked Fidelia once when she told her about it.

“Isn’t it obvious? You’re falling for the guy. You’re treating him like you love him, just like he wants you to.”

Dymphna knew her friend was telling the truth. She couldn’t hide her feelings for him any longer. She had fallen in love with him over the past few weeks. She loved everything about him. The way he smiled, the way he talked, his smooth voice, everything.

CHAPTER 5:

It was raining outside the office building. Dymphna was going outside to enjoy the cold breeze from the rain as she normally did. When she went outside, to her surprise, Chase was there.

“I never knew you enjoyed rain too.” Chase heard a tiny voice say. He turned and it was Dymphna. He couldn’t take his eyes off her once she started talking. He fell in love with her the moment he set his eyes on her and he knew it. He just couldn’t control himself for much longer. He drew her close and kissed her. Dymphna couldn’t believe it as her eyes were wide open. Two minutes into the kiss, she kissed him back before their lips eventually parted. They looked into each others’ eyes intently as though searching for something.

“I thought all you wanted to do was torment me?” Dymphna said almost in whisper breathing on his face.

“I had to. I needed to teach you a lesson and win you over at the same time.” He said as he chuckled.

“It’s not funny. Is that phrase gonna stop following me now?” she asked inquiringly.

“It should. If you say I love you.”

“Okay then. I love you.”

“I love you too”

They shared another passionate and intimate kiss.

***

On September 16^th, the happy couple were enjoying ice-cream in the car when Dymphna asked, “Chase, am I ever going to be tormented by that phrase again?”

He then replied, “You won’t, as long as you treat me like you love me.”