86 comments

Romance Mystery Fiction

This story contains sensitive content

TW: Mental health, mention of sex


“Oh crap,” I whisper as the morning sun’s rays come pouring into the large bay windows of my room, piercing my eyeballs with so much light that I could feel my irises sweat.


Geez, why is the sun up so high, so early. Damn it, it’s February in bloody Barnet. Shouldn’t I still be waking up to a jet black sky littered with twinkling stars at six in the morning? Why has the cool, chilly breeze blowing from the Arctic that has caressed me for the past couple of months been replaced by the burning lasers from hell? Ugh, climate change, of all the days for you to rear your ugly head….


Right, it’s tonight!


I practically do a pirouette off the bed, as I reach for the tall walnut doors of my closet. I see my favourite black leather mini-dress, the one that hugs all my curves in all the right places and shows off my tight bum, and take it out. I grab my fire engine red Jimmy Choo pumps and smile as I imagine just how fit I’d look in them later once the clock strikes 6 P.M. I search for a small drawer hidden at the very back of the closet and with trembling fingers, retrieve a small black box. I can’t help lifting the lid, just as have a million times already, and beaming as I see a platinum band with a bezel-set diamond sparkling in the centre.


Tonight, I will ask my sweet Simon to marry me.


I know what you’re thinking. “Oooh, Amy, why are you the one doing the proposing? Shouldn’t it be the man asking you to be his wife?”


For Christ’s sakes, it’s 2024. Do you all still believe that marriage proposals are the sole territory of men, that the male species should have sole power in a romantic relationship? Besides, Simon is a very timid type; he’s the sort of man who not only minces his words when requesting for something, but practically purées them, afraid of causing offense to others --- especially when it comes to me, the love of his life. It’s just right that I --- the more assertive one, the one that brings my beloved out of his shell --- am the one asking my Simon to be my husband.


I mean, yes, it’s always been me taking the initiative to take the steps first in the five-year relationship; it’s true. However, whenever it is him summoning his courage to move the relationship along, goodness is it special.


You should know how I felt when I first received a card from Simon, the one where he bared his romantic feelings towards me. Six years ago, I moved from my landed family’s country manor to London. Yeah, at first, I detested the move; it wasn’t my choice after all. However, all that hate dissipated when I saw who my next-door neighbour was: handsome, golden-haired, blue-eyed Simon. Geez, you should have also seen how hard and how fast I fell for him when I first glanced at him cooking from my bedroom window; it was like I was free-falling to the molten core of the Earth.


Anyway, from that time on, I started dressing up in tighter and tighter outfits in order to impress Simon. Did you know that he scared me at first by not saying anything about my mini-skirts and corset tops? Yeah, Simon didn’t say a word about me looking fit, and so I resigned myself to thinking that he’s gay (I mean, why else would he be wordless about my sexy clothing?). Imagine my surprise when one day, I saw a Valentine’s Day card at my doorstep, and on the inside was….oh yes, Simon’s fluid penmanship declaring that he’s always secretly loved me and that whenever he’s near me, he feels home. How cute is that! I think the only caveat is that he called me “My sunshine” throughout the card. Yuck! Sunshine?! Oh well.


You should know how it feels every single time my Simon drives me to the hospital. Unfortunately, yes, my parents in the country had begged me to come see some Doctor Isobel Ravenscroft weekly (Well, more like threatened me. If I don’t see her, I’m off the will apparently. Ugh, annoying.). Anyway, my knight in armour decided to take me to her clinic in his blue Toyota so he could use the drive to spend more time with me. Isn’t that sweet? My Simon and I talk about everything under the sun in that car…well, that is if I can even manage to speak without stuttering whenever I see his blond curls and those cornflower eyes. Teehee! I swear that car is my favourite place…no, it’s actually my second favourite place on Earth.


What is my favourite place on Earth then? Why, his office! You should see how whenever I visit Simon at work, he wants to make love to me. Every single time it’s just the two of us in that enclosed space with his work computer on the desk, he just has to touch my chest. Of course, he has to be discreet about it; what if someone discovers us, after all. I swear, though, when his hand is on my left breast, I could feel those blue eyes boring right through my clothes and undressing me. Geez, if I had my way, I’d clear off that work desk of his; I’d strip him down naked, and he’d plunge into me right then and there. However, I know that Simon is one of those types that wants to save himself for marriage; that’s the only reason I haven’t slept with him yet. Once I slip that wedding ring on his finger, though, ooh! Well, I have always wanted four children minimum, so he’ll definitely have to make up for it. Teehee!


So, it’s settled. I’d slip on my leather number and red hot stilettos before dolling myself up tonight. I’ll be cooking my famous roast chicken, the one that will surely be hit with Simon and the four or more offspring that will bear his face, and we’ll have dinner at my place. I will thank him for loving me before I kneel down on one knee. I will watch as his beautiful blue eyes fill with tears as I slip on that diamond ring on his fingers.

Geez, I’m so excited! Mrs. Amy Gardiner, how lovely it sounds!

****************

“How perfect,” I exclaim at the unusually sunny February afternoon sky.


It’s 14 degrees Celsius, just as I had fervently wished it would be today of all days. From this bench in the middle of Green Park, I could see that the yellow flowers that I’ve always loved whenever I come to visit are starting to bud. However, all this beauty pales in comparison when I see the loveliest thing in yellow I’ve ever seen walk towards me, a bright smile on her delicate face.


“My perfect flower,” I state, beaming at my lovely Isobel in an ethereal, marigold chiffon number. I hand her a bouquet of sunflowers wrapped in gold wrapping paper and tied with a silk ribbon the same colour as her dress.


“Sweetheart! You shouldn’t have,” she replies, her beautiful jade green eyes sparkling in surprise.


I cup her face as I kiss her slowly, her delightful citrusy perfume filling my nose from up close. Isobel responds by pressing her soft lips to mine.


God, how did I get so lucky?


When I picked up a lost medical textbook left on a bench here in Green Park eight years ago, who knew my life would change forever for the better? Yet that’s exactly what happened when I handed it back to the beautiful redhead who’d been walking around the green for fifteen minutes at the time trying to locate it. I must admit, I was instantly smitten with her. However, when I saw her the next day at the medical school library and she introduced me to her mates as a "new friend", I accepted it, albeit with my heart slightly breaking.


“Hey, if that’s what she wants, don’t pressure her,” I thought. “Don’t be a sleaze.”


Well, eventually, what she wanted transformed into wanting a romance with me. The night before Valentine’s Day five years ago, whilst we were out to dinner at our favourite Italian joint, Isobel got called to the stage by the band performing. I was surprised when she rose up, confidently took the microphone…and stated that the song she was about to sing was dedicated to me. I gasped as her melodious voice filled the restaurant with Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”. She didn’t see it from onstage, but happy tears filled my eyes; she was singing that lovely melody…for me. For me, of all people!


After her performance, I tried to approach her. My mind whirred with glee as it tried to come up with the best way to confess to her the feelings I still held after three years of knowing her.


“Oh my! Does she know I’m still in love with her,” I asked myself as I took those giant steps towards the stage. However, by the time I reached the front, she was gone.


My heart shattered. Of course, as a cardiologist, I knew that was technically impossible. However, her sudden disappearance felt to me as if fate had literally punched inside me, grabbed my heart, and tore it a million pieces.


I strained to think of a way to tell her my heart was still hers until I remembered a conversation we had a year ago whilst having a picnic at Green Park where she told me she saved every single greeting card she received since childhood and put it in a special chest. I quickly ran to the nearest bookstore, paid for the cutest looking Valentine’s Day card I could find, bought another one because I lost that first one on the way to the hospital (Oof!), and slipped it under the door of Isobel’s clinic. The entire day, I was wondering what her response was, knees shaking in nervousness. Then, at three in the afternoon, I got the answer I was waiting for when she leapt into my arms and kissed me.


The rest was history…and so now, it’s time to mark another milestone in the story of us. I form my hand into a subtle thumbs-up pose. Immediately, the band I’ve hired for today, the very same one from the night Isobel serenaded me, comes out of their hiding spot.


The first time ever I saw your face

I thought the sun rose in your eyes

And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave

To the dark and endless skies, my love


"My sweetheart, what’s going on?”


I take a deep breath as I reach into the pocket of my jacket to get the small, golden velvet box I’ve kept hidden the entire afternoon. With tears in my eyes, I stare into Isobel’s sparkling green eyes whilst I kneel down on one knee and open the box to reveal an emerald-cut halo diamond ring.


“Isobel, the world knows you as a brilliant doctor, but I feel privileged to know the radiant, amazing person you are. You are my inspiration, my light, my best friend, and the love of my life,” I begin.


“Oh my! Sweetheart, is this what I think it is?”


“Dr. Isobel Caroline Ravenscroft, will you do me the honour of having you as my wife?”


From here, I see her green eyes fill with her own set of fresh tears. She then kneels down and presses her lips on mine.


“Oh, my sweet Simon. Yes, absolutely yes!”


I slip on the engagement ring on the love of life’s hand to the cheers of the band, as well as the passers-by at the park.


"Dr. Simon Gardiner and Dr. Isobel Ravenscroft-Gardiner, I really like the sound of it, you know," states Isobel, a cheeky smile on her delicate face.


"That's just perfect, my sunshine," I exclaim to my my brand-new fiancée. Fiancée!


"You know who's perfect, though,?"


"Who's that?"


"You," she replies, giving me a quick peck.


“Shall we go to my place for dinner?"


“That would be lovely, sweetheart."


On the drive home, I feel my heart leap, as it’s always done when I’m near my sunshine Isobel, as we talk about the future that has just started for us both. As we get out of the car, we can’t help noticing the smell of rosemary, thyme, and crispy chicken skin from the house next to us.


“Oh wow, looks like your neighbour is cooking up a storm. Whoever is devouring that roast chicken is lucky.”


“Oh you’re right,” I respond to my fiancée. “Looks like Amy Bolton has finally found someone special to bust out her chef skills for.”


Isobel’s eyes light up at the mention of our common patient.


“That's great! I guess when I see her next week, she's going to come in all sunshiny and well. Do you happen to know who the lucky guy is?"


“I have no idea, my sunshine. Sorry. You know, I only see her when she has check-ups with me, plus, of course, whenever you ask me to drive her to the hospital so she wouldn’t miss her psychiatric appointments with you. But, it would be great to see her finally happy and content."


“Of course. Poor thing, though. Having to be confined to the Nightingale Hospital two years ago after a psychiatric breakdown. I know it has to be tough on her, her erotomania. I’m glad she’s better, though.”

February 11, 2024 14:28

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86 comments

Dennis Haak
21:32 Feb 17, 2024

What a great twist at the end Stella! It made we want to read the story again to see everything in another perspective.

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Alexis Araneta
23:11 Feb 17, 2024

Oh, that's great, Dennis. Thank you for reading ! Glad you liked it.

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20:28 Feb 17, 2024

Great story, Stella! Poor Amy :(. I was initially confused by the pov switch, I assumed it was a wlw couple, but I guess that's just because it's my default :)

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Alexis Araneta
23:07 Feb 17, 2024

Thank you so much, Melissa ! I realise I like using the splitting perspectives style in my stories. Hahaha !

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Philip Ebuluofor
18:24 Feb 17, 2024

Fine work. Well articulated.

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Alexis Araneta
18:28 Feb 17, 2024

Thank you so much, Philip ! Glad you liked it !

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John Rutherford
17:55 Feb 17, 2024

Wicked, twisted and bizarre. I like it.

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Alexis Araneta
18:24 Feb 17, 2024

Thank you so much, John ! Glad I captured the vibe of the film I was inspired by.

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Hope Linter
03:35 Feb 17, 2024

Wonderful detailed descriptions. What a twist at the end. Ah... unrequited love. Poor Amy.

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Alexis Araneta
04:10 Feb 17, 2024

Thank you so much, Hope! Like I said in other comments, I'm (pleasantly) surprised people are gravitating towards this story because this was sort of slapped together just because I felt like making a second story for the Valentine's theme. Hahahaha! Glad you enjoyed it.

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Murray Burns
18:55 Feb 16, 2024

Geez! Very nice.

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Alexis Araneta
23:08 Feb 16, 2024

Glad you liked it, Murray! Means a lot coming from you! (Also, I'm surprised that this, my "What the heck ! I'll enter a second time" story, is so well-received even if it's my other entry this week I worked on more. Hahaha !)

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Karen Hope
17:54 Feb 16, 2024

Wow - I was waiting for the twist, and you didn't disappoint. You created two (actually, three) strong characters, and I loved seeing how their worlds collided. Lots of great lines, but I loved "he’s the sort of man who not only minces his words when requesting for something, but practically purées them." We all know people like that!

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Alexis Araneta
23:07 Feb 16, 2024

Thank you so much, Karen ! Glad you liked it. Your comment about the characters means so much!

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Kristi Gott
05:44 Feb 16, 2024

What a surprise twist at the end. Well done! I enjoyed the unique, vivid sensory imagery in the story too, such as "feel my irises sweat." The story drew me in from the start. The characters are well thought out and there is a lot happening in this short story. It reads and moves along with a rapid pace. The good writing skills and creative talent show!

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Alexis Araneta
06:45 Feb 16, 2024

Oh, Kristi ! Thank you ! I'm glad you enjoyed the story and the imagery. Funny thing about that "feel my irises sweat" comment: as an autumn and winter-loving person living in tropical Philippines, that is exactly how I feel when the summer months roll around. Hahahaha! Glad you liked that choice of phrase. Like I said in previous comments, this one was inspired by a French movie I really like. I'm glad I was able to bring the same amount of tension that that film gave me when I first saw it. Thank you so much for reading this!

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23:18 Feb 15, 2024

How sweet but disturbing. Amy's imaginings sounded too good to be true. Love that Roberta Flack song. Not an easy one to sing. Love that Album! Well written. Created the right amount of suspense, having a reader hoping all Amy's carefully made plans would reach fruition. Despite knowing something was wrong with her. Until Simon's POV it somehow sounded like Amy may have been hoping in vain. Then Simon mentions 'Isobel'. Great twist.

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Alexis Araneta
23:29 Feb 15, 2024

Thank you so much, Kaitlyn ! Like I said in the other comments, I'm just happy that you liked this story because this was my "Whatever ! It's Valentine's week. Let's make a second one." story, and it's my other submission this week I worked harder on. Hahaha ! Like I said in previous comments, I love Roberta Flack. There's something raw and earthy about her voice that I really love, and it's especially showcased in "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face". Yes, I was trying to capture the feeling of surprise when it's revealed that Amy and Si...

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Livana Teagan
13:59 Feb 15, 2024

Stella! I loved this. I watch a lot of anime and read a lot of manga. A "Yandere" is a character who is obsessively in love with their love interest to the point of delusion. I had a feeling as I kept reading I was watching one unfold! They are one of my favorite types of characters, honestly. Maybe because I too love things obsessively to the point of delusion. "Simon is a very timid type; he’s the sort of man who not only minces his words when requesting for something, but practically purées them, afraid of causing offense to others" - r...

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Alexis Araneta
14:23 Feb 15, 2024

"Simon is a very timid type; he’s the sort of man who not only minces his words when requesting for something, but practically purées them, afraid of causing offense to others" - The thing with this is that...he's actually not (as seen by him leaving that card in Isobel's office and not really minding doing a public-ish proposal). It's just Amy's excuse because she/her mind doesn't recognise that Simon is in love with someone else. Perhaps, I should have highlighted that more. Yes, actually, the film character I based Amy off from is very m...

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Alexis Araneta
14:23 Feb 15, 2024

"Simon is a very timid type; he’s the sort of man who not only minces his words when requesting for something, but practically purées them, afraid of causing offense to others" - The thing with this is that...he's actually not (as seen by him leaving that card in Isobel's office and not really minding doing a public-ish proposal). It's just Amy's excuse because she/her mind doesn't recognise that Simon is in love with someone else. Perhaps, I should have highlighted that more. Yes, actually, the film character I based Amy off from is very m...

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Livana Teagan
14:29 Feb 15, 2024

Oh no, it was very clear! I only pointed out that small line because I laughed outloud and that it resonated with me. Not that he is actually that way! Only through Amy's point of view. Sorry if my comment was confusing!!!

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Alexis Araneta
14:47 Feb 15, 2024

Oh, it's okay ! I'm glad you related!

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Chris Campbell
01:59 Feb 15, 2024

I too had to look up a new word (erotomania). Thanks for the challenge. The delusion could easily be mistaken for unrequited love. Who hasn't fantasised about someone before finding out they're already taken? Generally speaking, of course. This piece reminded me a little of Shakespear's Love's Labour's Lost. If not for the plot, then for the other word I also had to look up in that play: Honorificabilitudinitatibus. Nicely told, Stella.

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Alexis Araneta
02:14 Feb 15, 2024

Thank you so much, Chris. In a way, I was in the same boat as you when I learnt it from the movie I mentioned in other comments. Thing is, it's already established that Amy likes to take a gander at Simon through her bedroom window. That means she must have seen Isobel over at Simon's sometimes. But she still continues to believe he loves her. Thanks for reading. Glad you liked it !

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Michał Przywara
21:41 Feb 14, 2024

It started off normal enough, but something about Amy's tone gradually seemed to go beyond merely assertive. And of course, by the end we find out what. She's built up a fantasy about Simon that she truly believes in, and no doubt once she finds out, things will get bad. Perhaps she'll be able to recover from it, but if she's gone this far never realizing that Simom was involved with Isobel, who knows. So, a story with both a successful and unsuccessful proposal - neat :) Thanks for sharing!

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Alexis Araneta
23:20 Feb 14, 2024

Thanks, Michal ! To be perfectly honest, I was banking on my other entry for this week's theme "Ring Me Up" (the submission before this) to be the successful one; it's the one I really spent time on. This was my "Oh, screw it! Let me do two. I love the theme" story. But that other one is very much a romance, chick lit story. Perhaps, it's not for everyone. Hahaha! As I mentioned in other comments, when I saw the prompt, I thought of a French film I really like where, as soon as we see the "Simon's" perspective, we find out that the first h...

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Helen A Smith
21:07 Feb 14, 2024

Hi Stella, You built up the suspense really well here. By half way through I was wondering what was going to happen next. I certainly wasn’t expecting it to end like it did. A great twist with the doctors being the ones that would get married, but terribly sad for Amy with her delusions about Simon. This situation is by no means uncommon which makes it all the more tragic. Kind of gut-wrenching thinking of her suffering. Really good story.

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Alexis Araneta
23:10 Feb 14, 2024

Thank you so much, Helen! Yes, when I first saw the film I based this story on, I gasped during the reveal. And yes, it's true; this could happen for reading. Thanks for reading !

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Kailani B.
16:55 Feb 14, 2024

I did not expect that ending. I'd be interested to see what happened after. Good job!

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Alexis Araneta
17:44 Feb 14, 2024

Thank you, Kailani ! I left it a bit open ended so that readers could speculate what's next. Thanks for reading!

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David Sweet
13:55 Feb 14, 2024

So many great comments that I agree with. I wasn't sure about the twist at first, but as it played out, it was what the story needed to be successful. It did play out like a movie, so it is no wonder you took inspiration from a film. Your dialogue is natural and plot intriguing.

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Alexis Araneta
13:59 Feb 14, 2024

Thank you so much, David. I'm happy you liked it. When I write stories, I tend to visualise how everything plays out, so having a movie as the basis helps. Thanks for reading.

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David Sweet
14:08 Feb 14, 2024

I have to have that as well. I often tell people that when I write, I'm just describing the movie I am watching in my head, which is one of the reasons for heavy description of place. I want the reader to feel like they are there.

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Alexis Araneta
14:21 Feb 14, 2024

Precisely that. Although, I think mine comes out in the description of people and what they're doing.

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10:24 Mar 07, 2024

Love me, Love me not is a well-matched title(of your story)with the prompt you chose. It's a lovely story and i enjoyed your heroine's(Amy's) romantic thoughts and her fashionable choices(clothing etc). Thanks for sharing.

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Alexis Araneta
10:36 Mar 07, 2024

Thank you so much ! As I've mentioned in other comments, this was heavily inspired by the film À la folie… pas du tout (which is a reference to the "He loves me....he loves me not" game in French). Glad you enjoyed the descriptions. I must admit, though, I dress more like Isobel. Hahaha ! Thank you for reading this !

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07:06 Mar 09, 2024

I really don't know about the movie(you mentioned)but the title is absolutely catchy and held my curiosity until the story had actually revealed the climax. "I dress more like Isobel."(That's so sweet!) "Like a perfect flower"- a compliment(by her fiance`)hints Isobel's delicacy in her glamorous, chiffon costume as the description of the bold, confident Amy's sex appeal(with the bodycon, mini dress).

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