I've always wondered what it would feel like when we are granted our wish. Ironically, what if that wish happens to be too impossible to be fulfilled? Human wants are insatiable even if they have almost everything in this world.

My wishes as a kid were quite stupid and impossible to come true. Even before today, I'd always believed that our wishes are nothing but just a ray of hope. And that ray of hope remains just that for our entire life. But today my perception about wishes coming true had changed.

Wishes are not just a ray of hope but also the actual life to our thoughts. As I was thinking all these philosophical things, that's when everything comes back rushing to me in a jiffy.

I had stood there with a gobsmacked expression on my face as I watched him staring into space. He seemed... poignant. His hands were stuffed inside his hoodie pockets. He hadn't noticed me standing there but I was able to see his crystal blue eyes glimmering under the streetlight.

'No this is just a dream, a good one if I might add. This is too good to be true.' I had pinched my arm and seven heavens, he was real. 'HOW?' I found myself asking and thinking deeply. I had even blinked my eyes but he still didn't vanish. He stood there unmoving.

I didn't know, I was crying until I felt a salty tear make it's way on my lips. I understood why I was crying. I was crying because I saw my wish come true. I saw my hope of wishes standing in front of me. But most importantly, I saw the character that I'd always thought was fictional, standing just a few feet away from me.

The guy standing under the streetlight was none other than Jeff Styles. And the Jeff Styles I was looking at was also none other than the Atlas Carter. He was not wearing his infamous shades. I could tell Atlas and Jeff is the same person because of the resemblance they carry. I'd never seen him before today. I chuckled softly because I was unable to contain my happiness.

I was so stupid to not even recognize him the first time I'd laid my eyes on him. My entire body was trembling with a newfound exaltation. Hastily wiping my dried tears, I ran out of there and towards my home before he could spot me. I had a fake smile plastered on my face when my mom had greeted me.

"You are spacing out again, Aria," my mom chided and looked at me with worry.

I sighed inaudibly and gave her a bright smile. "I am sorry, mom. What was it again that you were saying?"

Bert was discussing his school stuff with mom and dad while I kept staring at my still untouched food on my plate. They were all enjoying their dinner and here I was, sulking in my chair. 'I should be happy too, right?'

"You look... thoughtful. What's bugging you?" She asked me while dad and Bert kept talking about some alien invasion in the parallel universe. I internally rolled my eyes at their weird choice of topic.

"Nothing is. Why'd you ask?" I asked her back innocently and she just shook her head.

"Okay." I exhaled in relief. Dinner was silent for me but loud for my mom, dad and Bert. They kept talking about stuff while I forced myself to eat something instead of daydreaming.

After dinner, I went straight back to my room. I stood against my window railing as my eyes flitted towards the very same streetlight under which Atlas was standing. I was not surprised to not see him there.

'What was he doing here in the first place?' I wondered. I went to my bed and pulled out the Jeff painting from under it. Grabbing the paints and paintbrushes from the drawer beside me, I did all the necessary changes to it. I had brought it back from my gallery the other day to keep away from everyone's eyes. I don't know why I kept it there. I could blame Kris for it, I guess.

I'd been staring at him for almost ten minutes and learned each and every feature of his face with full concentration. The quality of concentration and observation is an art that people like me are best at. 

Everything about his face was exactly similar to my painting except for a few minor things. The painting I had made is every piece and figment of my imagination and I never expected it to be real. I never expected this to be happening to me. Never in a million years.

I meticulously placed the canvas and other stuff back to their places and padded my way to my study desk. "His second love," I read aloud and traced my fingers on the cover of the book gingerly. "Jenna Hawkins," I finished.

--

I busied myself by drumming my fingers on the table while waiting patiently for Kris. I wanted to tell her everything I'd witnessed yesterday so I proposed that we meet and talk in this beautiful cafe that I've stumbled upon a few times before. The walls were covered with some really cynical and sassy caffeine quotes. "What's the matter?" She had asked me curiously on the phone.

"Not on the phone," I had replied to her and we both agreed for a small meet up.

The cafe bell chimed and I looked at the door expectantly. But I saw the least expected person here in this small cafe. Atlas walked in with a beautiful woman following him closely behind. The woman seemed to be in her early thirties. The freckles on Atlas' face were prominent now in the daylight and they looked good on him.

I quickly averted my eyes to hide my face from him and absent-mindedly started picking on the tablecloth. I didn't want him to see me. My mind drifted back to the woman who was sitting opposite Atlas and thank goodness, his back was facing me. The lady was too young to be his mother. That and they didn't even resemble each other.

I studied the woman with hawk-like eyes. She was wearing black skinny jeans paired with a baby pink sweatshirt and white sneakers. Her red hair was tied up in a ponytail. Her face had beautiful features and an easy-going smile that seemed friendly. I couldn't help but notice that she didn't look like any of those snobby rich women.

"Hey." Someone waved in front of my face and brought me back out of my reverie. I glanced up and saw Kris giving me a perplexed expression.

"Oh, hi. Didn't see you there," I mumbled and she took a seat opposite mine.

"Ah, that's because you were busy shooting daggers at that woman?" She asked sarcastically and jabbed her thumb in the redhead's direction.

"I wasn't glaring at her," I whisper-yelled and she gave me a dirty look.

"Keep telling yourself that," she muttered under her breath but I heard it anyway. But before I could say anything, she spoke again. 'What's with people and cutting me off even before I say anything?' "So what was it that you wanted to tell me?" She asked excitedly and clasped her hands in front of her.

"I saw Jeff Styles," I gushed, not beating around the bush.

"Oh, and I saw Harry Styles. He also bought me a bouquet of flowers. And said, 'Hey, Kristen Pierce, will you marry me?' But in my dreams."

I took a deep breath and saw her grinning at me. "Do you think I am joking?" I frowned at her.

"Pfft. Come on, Aria. You can't be serious right now."

"I am. Okay... so do you remember that day when you'd come to my gallery asking for the book... just recently?" I asked and she nodded her head slowly. I told her everything from the beginning. How Atlas had come to my gallery after she had left.

"Uh-huh."

"Then yesterday, I saw him standing under the streetlight a few blocks away from my house wearing all black. I recognized him because he wasn't wearing his usual shades and his eyes were blue. But he looked as if he was in... pain? I don't know though," I finished and thought back to his wretched face. He looked so torn and still I decided to leave him alone with his thoughts instead of doing something like consoling him. Maybe I didn't want to show him my presence.

"You mean Jeff Styles exists for like real?" She gasped.

"Yes, he does." I shrugged.

"Which means..." Kris trailed off with a wide-eyed expression and I furrowed my brows at her.

"Which means what Kris?"

"Which means my stupid little, Aria, you just told me that he's seen your painting!" She exclaimed and I shushed her to not catch anyone's attention, especially Atlas's.

My eyes widened and I remembered him asking me who he was but I'd told him off with a sarcastic remark. I covered my face with my hands and realized that I just humiliated myself in front of my dream guy. 'Oh noooo!!'

"Shit. I remember," I whispered tucking my left hand under my chin with a sad pout. 

"God, Aria!" She laughed. "You made your first impression really well."

"You're my friend. You should make me feel better and not remind me about how stupid I am." I scowled at her and she just rolled her eyes at me.

I suddenly saw a look of realization hit her face and she slowly smiled. There still might be some hope. "Aria," she whispered gleefully. "You told me that he accompanied you the entire time when, you know, we both had a fight," she said with a discomfort in the end when she mentioned 'fight'.

"So?" I urged her to continue.

She shook her head and asked me another question. "Did you guys like... have a normal talk?" I don't know why she was asking me such random questions.

"Yeah, it was normal." I nodded with a confused face.

Her eyebrows furrowed even more and she had her calculating face on. "He talked to you even after you were rude to him the first time so from what I think, he doesn't mind your attitude towards him." She shrugged. 

I nodded my head, trying to make sense of it all and soon a smile crept onto my face. But it soon vanished when I remembered something.

"Okay, now what is it?" Kris asked me, looking at my probably pale face.

"I may or may not have said to him that I've been pining over a fictional character. I don't think he would be dimwit enough to not know that I'd indirectly meant about him because he's seen my sketch." I rambled so quickly as if I was chanting some mantra and bit my nails anxiously.

Kris looked like she was about to burst out at me but she maintained her calm demeanor. "Even if Atlas or Jeff thinks you're not from a mental asylum, I am one hundred percent sure that you are." She rolled her eyes.

"I think so too," I said and found myself staring at Atlas's back.

Kris followed my line of vision and asked me. "Who's he?"

"Atlas."

"What?! Why didn't you tell this to me earlier?" She glared at me and I sank deeper into my chair. She could get really scary whenever she wants to. I shrugged at her in response. "Explains to me why you were glaring at her." She waited for a minute and then suddenly spoke as if an idea struck her. "Did you mention to him that you've been pining over a guy that you've sketched?"

"Uh, no, I guess."

"Then I don't think he'd piece two and two together." She grinned with a thoughtful expression. 'I hope so.'

I was so glad that Kris did not overly exclaim and demand as to why I didn't tell all these things to her earlier. She's very understanding and I like her for that. But I guess fate had some other plans. Kris opened her mouth to say something when she was interrupted by a loud, shrilly yet muffled ringtone.

"My anaconda don't, my anaconda don't. My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns, hun." The song continued blaring and the entire cafe listened to it with a pin drop silence. 'Why is that person not picking up his or her phone? Are they so desperate for attention?' I thought angrily.

"God! Such a hideous ringtone!" Kris exclaimed and I felt something vibrate in my pocket. As soon as I removed my phone, the muffled sound started blasting in a full-blown shrill, making everyone look at me with incredulous looks.

My eyes fell on Atlas's table to see him trying to stifle his laughter. I didn't linger my eyes on his table for more than a millisecond pretending as if I didn't see him. "Aria!" Kris shrieked with wide eyes.

"I am sorry," I mumbled and quickly exited the cafe with Kris hot on my heels. I looked at the caller ID and saw my house number flashing across the screen. I don't remember keeping this ringtone. So much for not grabbing Atlas's attention.

"Hello," I answered and heard my brother's boisterous laugh.

"Hey, Aria, how did you like my surprise?" With that said, he hung up shamelessly. 

My mouth hung open and I was so damn mad at Bert, to say the least. 'How coul-'

"Anaconda? Seriously?" I turned around and saw Atlas trying his best to hide his upcoming smirk. The woman beside him was trying to refrain from smiling as well.

"I-uh-I-I," I stammered. I don't know why I was even stammering. Was it because of the ringtone or was 'The Jeff' talking to me? I couldn't tell.

He just laughed at my misery and walked towards his car with the woman by his side.

"Now, he surely thinks I am from a mental asylum."

"Oh, my God, Aria, he really looks like the portrait you've sketched." Kris squealed beside me, clapping her hands and totally ignoring me.