What's Wrong? 3

Cities become dull and nothing blossoms in the spring anymore and the only bright thing left is dolls and discounts since the world has a dystopian wrapper. The sky no longer goes dark, decorating the sky with some hope and old dull stars we’ve all seen in our lives, the same eaten moths which bite holes as teachers would’ve explained to us. 

When I get too tired at night I’d take any night bus, pay the fee and drive around, not caring which neighborhood and wondering how come I seemed to have much more luck than anyone else every could, how come everything had been gone so fast and all was an erased memory this day as if nothing had gone wrong even if you could see the poverty and holding up the Daily Mail was more than a joke now. Horse meat seemed fine now. I wondered when I could come back. 

And the days become duller as I can’t even recall love. Even the magazines seemed duller, dying off like a dried flower which none could afford to even throw out. 

Colours were fading, yet I only seemed happier at work even if there were less customers, people would still stock up to make someone happier with the latest dolls and me and Daniel would do the stand again tomorrow with the newly received ones. 

“All heartaches become distant Christmas Carols.” I tell him as he passes the boxes filled with Gigi onto the shelves, as I keep putting them one after another, making way for the coming Ever After High dolls and I muse whether we should even change location again, then perhaps the board games would be seen better. 

“Everyone will break your heart, some sweeter, some weaker. Some will make you check on them, as if they were animals in a zoo, someone you want to see but never talk while others will make you want to flee

flee.” I had repeated the last word, like a poem, looking at him and I just felt shattered, spring was never fun. 

I don’t think I’ll ever understand how come things happen suddenly and why exactly one day does the traffic light change at some point and the days become hotter and the break is enough to get ice cream and see another woman across the road, eating a lolly already with two braids and cut-out shorts. 

“Would you say second best is good enough though, Daniel?” We sit near the counter, waiting for the kids to choose whatever lego sets are fit for someone’s birthday, as he just doodles on used checks. He looks back at me and I hold his gaze and curls back with a smile, wondering if we’d be boxed for each other forever then. 

“Yeah, I guess. I mean, if you can get the Cleo reissue, it’s still good, y’know... could be better than the first since it wasn’t fated.” He shrugs and I just pat his head, taking a check and sketching myself, wondering where would this said second love be.

I think the benefit of each city is that you can even learn one’s wardrobe from seeing them if it’s too small enough, like reading one magazine and another. Even a Vogue in hand will tell enough under a sunhat. I feel awful for always looking at her, wondering how would she be and I feel as anxious as presenting yourself to a beloved as talking to Daniel about her, before I could properly lay with him on the couch as we would watch reruns of Sex and the City with tons of candy and fizzy drinks. 

Daniel hadn’t dated anyone either. I didn’t raise it as he had took my hand to twirl to the theme song and I wondered how much we were all full of shit, refusing love as if it were so easy to find. But one thing is to babble, another is to act. So I just count the days I could be talking to her as I see her on the busstop the next day, still wearing yesterday’s clothes and I assume she took the night somewhere nearby. One night stand?

-

I think it's a bit of an unexciting ending kind of writing-wise XD but I wanted it there and that's where I stopped writing now xD I like kind of yanking out old stories which had been on hiatus and starting them again frankly. And it was kind of hard to pick up because the last chapter was written back when I had no idea what would happen with the UK and this story is still set in Edinburgh so yeah. But I'm keeping it because I still loved that city dearly and the toy store I imagined them working in was something I actually really loved and I got a wave 2 Lagoona there actually xD and I actually knew a guy who worked there and then shifted elsewhere. It's weird to know I've lost contact with so many people, that's why it's hard to pick up these stories because it's kind of realizing how much my life has changed and how I had never expected this ever.

It was hard to try and go back to the old writing style. I tried, I hope it's not annoying, I also ended up deciding on the plot since I hadn't before on this story and I'm really content with it, so yeah. Well, I decided on the Alison crush coz it's needed later on and she did a good fit (who is she XD)

I can't really describe Edinburgh without Callie's description and kind of knowing what's going on really. I didn't use night busses too often, but I used it here. Horse meat was a scandal back when I lived there so yeah xD I don't get the same kick from magazines as I used to, so yeah. I still buy the british Vogue from while to while, if Kate Moss is in it though xD 

I miss Sex and the City even if I've rewatched it very recently xD so yeah. To be honest this story was kind of intended to be short, it's not really wrapping up yet but I'm just keeping my mouth shut now not to spoil XD

I hope you enjoyed it as I've missed writing Interpol stories coz I love them and thank you so much

<3

Jamie