Once Upon a Kiss

Chapter 34 - The Picture

     Daniella woke up early the next day. She got up from bed, changed into her designer jeans and white blouse, then quickly made a sunny-side up dish for breakfast. As she was pouring herself a mug of hot chocolate, she sighed and sat down on her bar stool.

     She looked at her new apartment. It was a fairly large and substantial place for only one person to live in it. A few boxes were still left unpacked at the corner of the room seeing that she just moved here a couple of days ago. Putting the mug with hot chocolate down, she went towards an open box and sat down to reminisce on the contents.

     Slowly, she picked up an old photo album. She carefully patted the beige-colored cover and smiled. When she opened the album, she found pictures from when she, Daniel and Kristopher were still kids back at the mansion. She laughed heartily when she turned the page; there was one picture where Kristopher was wailing in front of the not-caring Daniel. Another picture was the three of them, sleeping soundly under the shade of a big tree.

     She skipped a few pages and her eyes softened when she saw her favorite picture. It was a   photo of her and Kristopher - his tiny arm was around her shoulder and her arm was on his shoulder too. They were giving large and goofy, toothy-grins at the camera. She missed these peaceful days. Why did people have to grow up and encounter such problems? 

     She carefully took the photo off the album's page and grimaced at it. She closed her eyes and recalled the last time she and Kristopher spoke before he decided to become a celebrity, four years ago.

***

    The fourteen year-old Kristopher was packing his suitcases for his trip to America tomorrow. He had just gotten a great offer to co-star in a big movie, and his contract was gonna last for a whole year. 

     Daniella quietly sneaked into his bedroom and watched him happily packing up. Her hair was longer and wavier back then, so it bounced every time she moved. She gently tapped the door with her delicate knuckles. "Tops?"

       "Oh hey Anne!" Kristopher stopped with what he was doing and walked towards his best friend. He looked so excited and happy. "What brings you here?"

       "Umm..." the girl slightly blushed and pinched the back of her arm. "Mom has a message for you. She said even though you're gonna be busy with your new work, don't forget to study..."

       "Oh," Kristopher's face looked a bit disappointed, as if he was expecting to hear something else. "Well, just tell Aunt Lanie that she can rest assured!" He called Daniella's mom Aunt Lanie rather than Ms. Jennings because he said that since he was friends with her daughter, he should call her that.

       "And..." Daniella played with the hem on her shirt. "Tops... I... um..."

     Kristopher looked a bit confused at her. This was the first time he saw her nervous and say 'um' a lot of times. Usually she'd be smiling confidently and get straight to the point. Right now, it was like she was debating with herself. "What is it?"

       "Do you really need to leave?" she burst out, blushing harder when she met his eyes; she looked down her feet again. "I-I mean... You're already rich. Why do you need to go away to another country to earn more money? You can just work here, can't you?"

     The boy looked a bit pained to hear her say that. He slid his hands inside his pocket. "It's not about the money that I'm going Anne..."

       "Then what?" her face was serious and a bit angry. "What's the real reason? For fame? Is it that important to you?"

       "You don't understand."