I Don't Deserve Love: Alternate Ending

Chapter 16: Happiness is What I Desire

"Opal? Opal, are you okay?" Auntie's voice seemed to be coming from far away.

Slowly, I emerged from the darkness of sleep and I opened my eyes. I was confused when the darkness persisted until I realized that my face was still pressed against the couch cushions, but as I turned my head the fluorescent lights nearly blinded my unadjusted eyes.

Swiftly I closed my eyes and groaned, rubbing them for a second. Tentatively, I opened them again and the light seemed to be gentler now, so I opened them the rest of the way and focused on Auntie's beautiful face. Her brown eyes were filled with concern and I felt a prickle behind my eyes. Auntie had always loved me, but she didn't know what I was. Once again I wondered if she would stop loving me if she found out that I had ruined her brother's life.

"Are you okay, Opal? Why are you sleeping on the couch? It's almost midnight."

"Midnight? Why are you back so late?" My voice was rough from being woken up and I cleared my throat.

"There is a new project that my boss put me in charge of. I kind of got lost in it and I missed the subway, so I took a taxi but there was an awful wreck so I was stuck in traffic for almost an hour."

"I'm sorry, Auntie, but I'm glad you got home safe," I said with sincerity and she smiled.

"Actually, I'm glad you were on the couch because I have something to ask you."

"What is it?" I asked, holding back a yawn.

"Well, this project is a collaboration with one of our sister companies and they want to send me to a conference in a couple of weeks. It's not far and they'll pay for a hotel and my boss said it would be fine if I brought you with me. So what do you say? Do you want to go to the beach with me?" Auntie asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

"The beach? Of course!" I exclaimed with excitement, my sleepiness vanishing. Auntie laughed at my enthusiasm.

"It's not for another two weeks, so right after your school gets out for summer break we'll head over to Coral Bay. We'll only be there for the weekend and I will have to work for most of it, but I promise to spend time with you too. And you can hang out at the beach when I'm at work."

"That sounds fantastic, Auntie. Thank you!" I flung my arms around her neck and squeezed her gently; I had always dreamed of going to the beach.

Auntie hugged me back and I could hear her chuckling quietly. As she held me I felt warm, happy, and content. This was where I was meant to be. Right here with Auntie. When I was with Auntie I could pretend I was a normal girl. I gave her an extra squeeze before letting her go and standing up to stretch.

"I guess I should go to bed for real." As I said that though my stomach rumbled so loudly both Auntie and I could hear it. Auntie stared at me for a second before bursting out laughing. After swallowing my embarrassment I joined in with her laughter and Auntie gave me a quick side hug.

"Sounds like a midnight snack is in order," she said with a grin and I smiled sheepishly back at her. I had skipped lunch and had fallen asleep almost immediately upon arriving home without dinner so it made sense that I was hungry.

Auntie urged me into the kitchen and we whipped together a quick pasta dish. Auntie cooked the noodles and sautéed mushrooms and onions together as I made a creamy parmesan sauce.

"So, are you worried about finals at all?" Auntie asked above the noise of sizzling onions. I shook my head, concentrating on pouring out the right amount of milk.

"Not really. All of my classes are pretty easy. I'm excited for my Shakespeare final. Mr. Tremont paired us off and we're going to act out a small skit from our favorite Shakespeare story."