The Eye of the Beholder [Stefano Valentini]

The Eleventh Portrait: Crimson and White

"Now, I know that Christmas is literally three days away, but we need to get this next article out."

Everyone had been called into a meeting concerning on an article about winter weddings, which was something I was always confused about. Isn't it enough of two people love each other? Do they have to do the whole ceremony and money spending just to sign something that 'legally' binds them? If they want to share each other's names, they don't need to be married in the eyes of the law. I tilted my head to the side, thinking of these things when Xander held up his hand to get attention," Alright everyone, the point of this article is to show that you can have an awesome and gorgeous wedding on a tight budget and schedule, so let's try to keep this as formal but relaxed as possible." Elodie looked up from her notebook, which was really a cover for her latest horror book," So we gotta find stuff to that's cheap to rent or free and make a photo shoot out of it?" Ryker nodded as Xander grinned," It'll be fun! I mean, we have the best model after all!" I paled when everyone's head turned to me, expressions shiny and bright. I pointed to myself with an unsteady finger, and their faces seemed to glow. I sighed, my head dropping to hide my blush as I nodded. Now, everyone was clamoring for ideas and looking for supplies as if they were planning an actual wedding for me. Elodie snickered from her seat, and I shot her a tired glare. She started to hum 'Here Comes The Bride', and I kicked her lightly from underneath the table to get her to stop. Ryker caught me, though his smile was mischievous and playful," You'll make a beautiful bride, Rhea. You'll be fine." I sighed again, nodding and relinquishing all control I have over this project. Might as well just go with the flow today.

"OH SWEETNESS!!!"

I groaned, suddenly attacked with a tight hug from my therapist, whom had called to see how I was doing. When I explained to her what the photo shoot was, she yelled at Wendy to cancel all of her appointments and demanded to know where I was. I told her, knowing that she would call Ryker if I didn't answer, and she rushed here in what I hope was the speed limit. There were tears in her eyes, and she was laughing as she swung me back and forth," I ALWAYS HOPED THIS DAY WOULD COME! THE DAY YOU GO WEDDING DRESS SHOPPING!" "I'm not getting married." I reminded her when she finally let me go, and I had to hide how winded I was," It's just for an article." "Oh, details, details!" She giggled, taking one of my hands and dragging her into a bridal boutique that matched the company's budget," Let me have my fun, okay?~ I'll make you absolutely stunning!" I blinked in confusion, a headache coming on; it was the same pain I felt when I found the man. Without realizing it, I asked," Did you design something?" She stopped in her tracks, smiling with her head tilted," Design? Oh sweetness, you know I can't do anything like that!" I frowned a little, sensing that she wasn't telling the truth for some reason.  "Still, I think of you as my own flesh and blood." She sighed, batting her lashes to keep tears from spilling," So, won't you please let me spoil you rotten today?" I blushed faintly, never once realizing how much she thought of me. Not wanting to dampen her mood or dash her hopes, I squeezed her hand and smiled brightly. She gasped in surprise before she grinned like a child on their birthday, tugging me into the boutique with a squeal.

Surprisingly, Deborah was going through the dress racks and coordinating with the workers almost professionally. She had a specific vision in mind for me, and would not accept any dresses that was the one she saw. I watched her in amazement from my seat as she dashed through the store, her eyes sharp and focused and her strides long and confident. Workers were going back and forth, carrying large piles of dresses of different shades of white for Deborah's approval, only to rush to put them back when she shook her head and pointed out missing details. I tilted my head to the side, wondering if Deborah was lying to me earlier. She's not like most therapists, I assume, since she's doing things like this for me; isn't this a conflict of interest? Deborah caught my stare, and she smiled, holding a thumb up and a wink," You just sit there, sweetness! Let me handle this!" I smiled back, giving her a nod before she rushed back to bring her vision to life. I looked to my messenger bag, pulling out the photograph that was left behind a few days ago under my drink. I traced the man's camera with my fingertip before looking to that sinister smile, feeling such odd feelings such as excitement and restlessness well up within me. He was a tease, hiding his eyes from the reflection and leaving only that smirk for me to see. However, I felt as if I already knew what his face was; I see it every night in my dreams, after all. I know I should be frightened by the sudden appearance of this man, and I know I should be a more paranoid about the fact that he could be watching me even now. I ignored the temptation to look around, feeling that doing so would serve no point; it wasn't like he would let himself be seen unless he wanted to. My eyes narrowed in thought; why would I know such a thing? I mean, yes I must know him, but how can I know so much about him when I don't know anything about myself? And once again, I find myself confused about who I am. How can I be happy being so ignorant about my past, and want to find a man that I've forgotten? Shouldn't I be worrying about myself rather than this person? It's peculiar that I don't feel that way, since that's how normal people should feel.