October 14th

Written for a class in 2019 under my real name, Bianca L. Cancel

I took a look in the mirror, studying my reflection. My eyeliner was perfectly winged. My lashes were long due to the mascara. My small pouty lips looked healthy and kissable thanks to the tinted lip balm, and my skin looked flawless thanks to the perfectly applied BB cream. This was all part of my usual routine. I was a performer--a singer, to be exact. I had been performing at the slightly worn down yet forever enchanting Tender theatre of my hometown of Asheville. Despite it being a well-populated and quite modern city, places such as the Tender theatre had a sort of small-town and vintage appeal to them. And nothing made it feel cozier than the current autumn weather, with the soft wind causing the orange leaves to cascade at the entrance in an ethereal manner.

I had loved singing and performing since a very young age, resulting in me not only performing at any event I could in order to get some pocket money, but also studying Music at the Asheville campus of my university. It was, in all honesty, a passion. Aside from singing, I took pride in being able to play the piano quite well and even being able to compose some of my own music.

"Ariana, it's time." Michael, my manager in the theatre and one of the organizers, said, snapping me from my thoughts. I looked down at my dress, flattening my palms against my skirt. I nodded, following him as he led me from my tiny dressing room towards the backstage area leading towards the main stage behind the curtains. "There's a birthday man in the crowd today." Michael informed me as he dusted my shoulders out of habit.

I cocked my head to the side in curiosity, waiting for him to say more. "After the first song, it would be best if you perform your Birthday Song then. He's a very important man. Call him Mr. Park when you sing. There's more people than usual because of him today." was all Michael informed me of before nudging me towards the stage. Mr. Park? Important? For some reason, those words ring a bell in my head, but I couldn't remember clearly, and I didn't really have the time to contemplate anymore: I was already on the stage, the safety curtain about to slide open any minute now.

Once they were pulled open, I gulped. As they slid open, the theatre was filled with a short applause from the crowd. The small theatre was, for once, filled almost full. I raised the mic that was in my hand up to my lips as the crowd became silent, and the limelight found me. I looked down, trying to focus on the mic alone, as I opened my mouth and began to sing one of my own, self-composed songs.

Can we get back to the way it was?

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Once I was finished with the song, it took half a second for the crowd to erupt in loud clapping. I bowed, cheeks pink in a blush, as the safe curtain slid close just in time for the piano to be brought onto the stage. After I was seated by the piano, my long and thin fingers ghosting over the keys, the safe curtain opened once again. This time, there was the limelight on both me and a man sitting at one of the nearest boxes, to the right of the stage. I glanced at him and my eyes might as well would’ve bugged out of their sockets. Of course, it was that Mr. Park. Michael wasn't joking when he said the birthday man that came to the theatre today was an important man. It was Mr. Park, or Nathaniel Park if you were close enough to call him by his full name, and he was the country's newest (and youngest) Prime Minister.

I smirked to myself, getting an idea, as I began to play the birthday tune in the piano with my fingers. I sang the regular birthday song to him, making sure to use 'Mr. Park' instead of his name. But I wasn't done with that. I decided to tease him a bit, seeing as he was young, handsome, and paying to watch my performances today. And so, I turned the tune of the piano to a jazzier style as I began to sing in a sultrier voice:

" Thank you, Mr. Park, For all the things you've done

The battles that you've won

The way you deal with the Republic here,

And our problems by the ton

We thank you so much. "

I avoided his gaze, trying not to smile smugly to myself as I stood from the piano bench and once again bowed towards the clapping crowd, the safe curtain drawing to a close. I walked away from the stage as it was being set for another of the theatre's main performers, my friend Audrey. Michael was waiting for me and he raised an eyebrow at me. "That was... interesting." he blurted out, and I let out a nervous chuckle.

"Do you think he liked it?" I wondered out loud before I could stop myself.

Michael shrugged, leading me away from the stage. "I hope so, but we won't find out until a little later." He said, sighing. "Why don't you go to your dressing room and freshen up for now?" I nodded, liking the suggestion.

I sat on a chair of my dressing room a few minutes later, drinking from a bottle of water and scrolling through social media on my phone to entertain myself, waiting until it was time for me to go back on stage. It had been around ten minutes since I had gotten there, and I was certain it wasn't my turn back on stage yet, as there were a few performers in the lineup, yet there was a loud knock on my door. "Come in," I called out. The door opened just a bit, and Michael poked his head in. "Ariana?"

I hummed in response. "Someone's here to see you." he informed before moving away from the door, and I sat up straighter, my eyebrow raising up in confusion. I didn't have to wait for long, though, because the door was opened fully and Mr. Park, the Prime Minister walked inside, shutting the door behind him. I gulped and stood up, giving him a nervous bow. He chuckled. "Why are you bowing like that to me?"

I raised myself, my eyes searching his face. He was stunning (and tall) in person, I noticed. His complexion was perfect, blemish-free and tinged with a slight tan. His dark chocolate eyes were quite large, and they gave me the impression that he was generally a gentle man. His thick, dark eyebrows were shaped to perfection. He had some funny-looking, large elf-like ears. His lips were perfectly plump, pink, and looked quite kissabl-- wait, did I really just think that? I shook my head at the thought, and he raised an eyebrow at me.

He chuckled once again. "Anyway, so you're the great Ariana, huh?" I nodded, not trusting myself to be able to speak up without a nervous crack in my voice. "It's quite nice to meet you at last," he continued. "I… had a proposal for you."

This time, I raised my eyebrow in question. "R-really?" My voice cracked, and I wanted to smack myself. This is why I shouldn't open my mouth.

"I would really like it if you would marry me, Ariana."

I froze in place, I didn't even blink. Was I hearing things? Did the Prime Minister, whom I had never met before, just ask me to marry him? No, there's no way. I was probably hearing things. Except, I realized he was staring at me intently, as if waiting for me to answer. Wait, so I hadn't been hallucinating? Mr. Park, the Prime Minister-- I repeat, THE PRIME MINISTER-- had just asked me to marry him?! There's no way in hell. This had to be a joke. Yeah, that's it, this was just a sick joke. I didn't even know the man, at all.

Upon realizing this, I just began to laugh. Loudly. Not even caring if I looked like a complete lunatic in the face of the Prime Minister. I laughed until tears spilled from my eyes, and both my stomach and my cheeks hurt. When I was done laughing, wiping at my tears, I glanced at Mr. Park. He was staring at me with the most blatantly confused, and even slightly annoyed, expressions I had ever seen, and I felt my heart drop at the realization. So, it wasn't a joke?

"What's so funny?" he wondered, frowning.

"I-I-you-jo-um," I spluttered awkwardly. I had just laughed in the Prime Minister's face thinking he was joking about his proposal when he seemed 100% serious. I had truly messed up. "I-I-I thought... you were joking?" I mumbled nervously, my voice becoming higher pitched at the end. His face remained unreadable, but he suddenly let out another chuckle.

"No, Ariana," he said firmly. "I truly want to marry you. Don’t you remember me?”

I furrowed my eyebrows, deep in thought, but my mind was as blank as a canvas. “N-no?”

Mr. Park sighed. “When you were still a kid, around the ages of 5 to 8, we used to play a lot in Bendel Park. Don’t you remember? Of course, I was older than you, I was around 12 to 15 back then. I used to lend you my toys a lot.” His eyes shined at the memory, and he stared off into space with a faraway look. “I stopped going as my training to join my father’s political world began. But I always remembered you. I know it sounds insane, but I grew very fond of you. As soon as I saw you today, the memories came flooding back. Those were the happiest times of my miserable life, and I don’t want to let you go again. So, Ariana, will you allow me to court you?”

The way he spoke and the way his memories gave him a more youthful appearance caused my own vague memories to start resurfacing. Of course, how could I have forgotten the boy with the funny elf-like ears? I gave him a shy smile, nodding. “I would like that, Nathaniel.”