The Brightest Stars

Julia

What was once a world of black and white, it is now filled with color. That's what he did to me the moment our lips met. Our worlds filled with color and warmth.

Though, I had to talk about it anyways. We met up at his work to take a drink together. He considered it our first date as a couple, but my heart feared that what I wanted to discuss with him might scare him away.

I sat and let his lips meet mine one last time before I purposed that we should wait this year. He furrowed his brows at me and chuckled nervously. "What do you mean?"

I did a sigh and said, "Well. I'm not totally out of my father's clutches, and we can't just be a couple at school and pretend that we don't know each other out of school. It's enough that I have to change my identity at school...."

Diego clenched his jaw and looked at his cup. I tried to read those quiet eyes, but then he gave me a smile and tenderly kissed my hand. "I'll wait for you as long as you need, ma lady." My heart sang with the rhythm of our laughter.

Just you wait, Diego. Just you wait....

It's impossible to walk without a leap knowing that my life might just turn upside down with Diego. All I need to do is graduate and leave far away at the end of this year. I even smile at my new maid as she greets me. "You seem quite happy today, Miss Julia."

"You can't imagine, Lydia," I say with a wide smile. "I'm just going to get a glass of water. Do you want to join me?"

Lydia gives me a surprised expression and a smile starts at her lips. "Are you sure?"

"Of course! C'mon." I gesture towards the kitchen and she hesitantly follows. Once we're inside the large room, she starts towards the cupboard and I quickly signal for her to stop. "Don't worry, Lydia. I'll get it for you." With this, she shyly smiles and steps back to let me serve us a cup of water.

"Actually!" I open the fridge and see the newest drink my mother received as a gift from my father. "Have you tried this, Lydia?"

Lydia shakes her head with a blush. "I'm not sure what it is, Miss Julia."

"Please," I say with a smile. "You don't have to call me Miss Julia. It's just Julia. And this is juice. Some kind of exotic juice. Do you want some?"

Lydia's hazel eyes look around the kitchen to see if anyone is looking. "Um. Are you sure?"

"Sure! And if anyone says anything, just let them know I offered it to you to see if it's bad or not."

Lydia gives me a cheeky smile and nods. "Thank you, Miss Julia."

I nod and fill our cups with this juice instead. My heart has been leaping from the moment I kissed Diego and as I give Lydia her cup, I wish it was Ophelia here with me. She would have jumped up and down with me on graduation night. She would have been proud of me.....

"Julia?"

Lydia jumps at the sound of my mother's voice and nearly drops her cup on the floor. She turns pale as she turns around. My mother looks at the scene and crosses her arms on her chest.

"M-ma'am. I-I was just...." She looks at me and her eyes beg for me to step in. So I do.

"Mother. I was just trying this drink with Lydia. I wanted to see if it had gone bad or not."

"Right. Hiding the fact that you're giving the maids expensive food just as you hid from us that you had the chance to graduate yesterday."

Lydia turns back at me and she awkwardly looks down. I give Lydia a smile and say, "Don't worry, Lydia. Go ahead and finish your cup out the kitchen. I have a few things I need to discuss with my mother...."