“I love you,” Jack whispered in the most romantic way Amelie had ever wished for, “Amelie, I really love you so much, even more than words can say.”
His words were sweet, melting her heart away in the most beautiful way possible. If it was only real… she thought.
Loving Jack wasn't a part of the deal. She just needed to take revenge on him for taking away her best friend... her only friend. As hard as she could she tried desperately, miserably, to ignore these feelings that grew with intensity inside of her. She wanted to break his heart, but in the end it was her own that was breaking. It was her punishment for betraying her friend.
“Amelie? I said I love you. Won’t you give me a reply?” he asked, and held her hand tight.
She didn’t know what to say, or what to do. All she could think of at that point, was how she wanted to vanish from his sight and try to forget everything that happened for the last two months.
“I don’t know Jack…” she murmurred.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” he exclaimed, “You either love me or you don’t.”
Little did he know, that wasn't what she'd meant. She knew deep inside of her that those words didn't come from his heart, but from the spell that she had cast on him, to make him leave Aria and love only her. A spell that seems to have destroyed the small number of relationships that she had, in a moment of jealousy towards the man that had taken over her friend's life.
It all started two months ago when Amelie was cleaning the attic of her home. If she just hadn’t opened that book… If she just hadn’t read that spell…
“Just give me sometime…” she said and moved his hands away.
"Yeah, you're right... I'm sorry..." he said in a sad voice, "I should go now. I need to hand in some assignments before the end of the day. Call me when you can."
“Yeah, will do.”
Amelie and Aria had been friends for over 14 years. They had been neighbours ever since they were 7 and were in the same class throughout all of their school years. Now they both were 21, but even though they were attending the same college, they were in different departments. It hadn’t changed their friendship even then. Yes, they couldn’t manage to meet much, but still their friendship was well secured. Until Jack invaded their lives, then slowly their relationship crumbled. First Aria was just having a crush on the hottest boy in the university, but within two months it turned to obsession. Her whole life was about him. Only talking about him, how he looked, what he did, what he said, how his eyes changed colours under the sunlight… It was deep hell for Amelie. She had no other friends than Aria. She was different from her friend’s cheerful personality and positive attitude. She had no friends, nor even the ability to make them. She couldn’t attract others to her and she couldn’t handle talking with anyone that she didn’t know. It didn’t break her though. She was satisfied with having only Aria by her side. But that Jack. He just came out of nowhere and destroyed everything they had, she thought angrily.
“What should I do now…” she whispered.
She was regretting it. Regretting every word she had read from that book. She hadn’t thought that it was for real. She thought that it was just another one of her grandmother’s weird books about magic and spells that she had fun reading. It had never crossed her mind it would actually be real, and that the spell of love would actually work on Jack and make him break up with Aria.
Her phone suddenly rang, disturbing the chain of sad thoughts that had clouded her mind. It was him. She held the phone in her hand for a few moments without replying, before finally answering.
“Hey Jack,”
“Were you sleeping?”
“No. Was reading some books for my assignment. Is something wrong?”
“Ah, no. Not at all. I was just wondering cause your voice sounds different.”
‘No. I just feel a bit tired.”
“Did what I say this morning put pressure on you?”
She was quiet for few seconds then replied,
“H...how do you know that you love me?”
“What do you mean how? I just know that I do.”
“But you were dating my best friend!”
Silence took over the conversation for a minute before Jack replied.
“Let’s talk tomorrow Amelie. We can’t do this on phone.”
“Yeah… See you tomorrow,”
“Yeah…”
Amelie held the phone close to her heart as she laid down on her bed. It was breaking her so much to hear him say he loves her but know that its not him but the spell talking.
“What have I brought onto myself…” she cried.
Amelie felt a sudden vibration on her chest. It was her phone again, but this time it was a message.
Is it Jack again…? she wondered as she opened her phone to check.
Her eyes widened in surprise. It was Aria. For the first time in almost 5 weeks she finally contacted her. Quickly she opened the message curious about what her friend wrote to her, then again looked away the second the message opened.
She was afraid. Would it be another deep scolding? Another message that described the broken heart of her betrayed friend? The idea of knowing how disappointed her best friend was in her tore her apart.
This can’t go on… I need to fix this… she thought then turned on her phone screen again.
“Amelie… Let’s stop our fight now. I miss you so much. Let’s talk, kay?” Amelie read the message several times to believe its words. For once in such long time a smile drew her lips. A light of hope appeared through the darkness that filled her heart.
Without having a second to think, she wiped away her tears and quickly hit the numbers and called Aria.
“A...Aria,” she said hesitantly.
“Hey Amy,”
“H...how have you been?”
“I have been fine. What about you? How are things going on? I really missed you so much.”
“I’m... so sorry Aria,”
Amelie’s voice sounded cracked and her breath became faster. It didn’t take long for Aria to know that she was crying.
“It’s OK Amy. It’s not your fault. I never really loved him either.”
“Wh...what do you mean?”
“I mean… I was really obsessed with going out with the hottest guy around. Well, at least one of us will have him,” she chuckled.
“He doesn’t really love me…”
“What do you mean?”
“His feelings for me aren’t real Aria…”
“It didn’t look that way to me. You haven’t seen how he begged me desperately to talk to you every time we talked lately.”
“I don’t know Aria…”
“Just give him a chance. I know he’s a good guy.”
“I… I love him.”
“Then where’s the problem?”
Amelie became silent for a few seconds. What should she say? How could she explain what happened…?
“Let’s meet tomorrow. I missed you so much,” she said in a miserable try to change the subject.
“OK then. Let’s do that.” Aria sighed.
Amelie put her phone away and sat silently in her bed. She wouldn’t have thought Aria would forgive her that easily. At least one thing was right again. Now she needed to think what she should do about Jack.
She reached under her pillow to take out the book she had hid there. Silently she flipped through the pages until she found the one she wanted. She read it over 10 times trying to find a way to deactivate the spell, but there was absolutely nothing. Only the lines of rhymes that formed the spell.
She read it again quietly remembering what happened two months ago. She had found the book amongst other one that her late grandmother had put in a box in the attic. She always knew her grandmother had the weirdest tastes about everything, so it wasn’t at all weird to find a book about magic spells between her things. She opened the first page and read titles of spells that were included in the book.
“A spell for beauty, a spell for knowledge, a spell for wealth, a spell for health, a spell… for love,” she paused.
A spell of love… That’s it! That’s what I need to get Aria back, she thought.
She read the spell loudly after adding Jack’s name then chuckled.
“What am I doing? It’s not like it would actually work…” she sighed.
For her surprise Jack’s looks at her changed. He followed her with his eyes everywhere when they were with Aria.
It must be working! she thought.
Ever since then she started showing interest, then it took exactly 3 weeks before Jack broke up with Aria. The result to their breakup was no where near what she had wished for. Everything started to crumble around her and her life was slowly turning to hell. Aria fought with her many times before she totally stopped talking with her, and while she hadn’t even noticed she was already falling in love with Jack. What had she expected to get after betraying her only friend. Thankfully Aria now is no longer angry with her, but it was only one of many problems.
The phone rang for the 3rd time this evening and again disturbed her thoughts. Another message that was sent to her, but this time it was from Jack. He was asking her to meet him behind her house. She didn’t want to ruin the little hope that she had after talking with Aria, but she thought that this is a good chance to tell him the truth, about everything. Quickly she grabbed her sweatshirt and took the spells book and left to meet him.
Jack stood in the dark part of the garden that surrounded Amelie’s house. He was feeling so nervous as to what to say or what to do to get his feelings across to her. He was so desperately in love with her that he even dated her friend to get close to her. Everything about her drove his heart to the edges. Ever since the first day he met her her blue eyes never left his mind. He couldn’t stop thinking of her, but she hadn’t shown him what would give him a push to confess his feelings. But then, she suddenly started to show interest. He couldn’t believe it in the beginning. Maybe it was because he couldn’t hide his feelings anymore... he wondered.
Finally he could see her shadow. His heartbeat quickened as he felt nervous.
Ah God don’t let me ruined this… he begged.
“I Love you Jack,” she screamed before he could even talk, “But you don’t!”
Now this is confusing… he thought.
“How do you know I don’t?” he exclaimed.
“Because it’s me that made you think you do…” she said in a lower voice.
Jack walked towards her till she finally was in his reach.
“What are you talking about?”
She didn’t talk but gave him the book and opened it at the page of the love spell she had used. Jack couldn’t help but laugh loudly as he read the rhymes.
“And you used that on me?” he chuckled.
“Yeah… I was jealous of you because you took Aria away… I didn’t know it would actually work…”
“Oh my God… You actually believe that, don’t you?”
“Of course I do! The evidence is you!”
Jack pulled her from the arm and hugged her tight.
“Such an idiot you are,” he whispered, “I have loved you since long ago, even before I dated Aria.”
“Wh… what do you mean?!”
“Meaning, whatever stupid things you read thinking it had affected me aren’t real. Even if they were you didn’t need rhymes to make me love you, cause you have already casted your spell on me.”
Amelie stayed still between his arms, still feeling confused.
“A...Are you sure?”
“You are still asking?”
Slowly he raised her face to his making blood rush to her cheeks.His gray eyes were changing colours under the moonlight making her heart race with every breath she took. He bent down to kiss her as he focused his eyes on her till she closed them, surrendering to the overflowing feelings that took over her soul.
He hugged her tight as they kissed turning her mind blank. The book fell from her hand and she held onto him.
“Do you believe me now?” he said as he parted his lips from hers.
She nodded quietly with a blushing face. He held her once again and then took her back to her to her front gate, leaving the magic book forgotten on the ground.
Two days later…
“Ricky Ricky, Look what I found,” little Anna grabbed her older brother’s arms showing him her discovery.
Ricky looked at her hands and found her holding a dirty book.
“What is it Anna?”
“ It’s a magic book Ricky! Look, there’s even a spell for love!” she screamed.
Ricky sighed as he checked the book she gave him, then read loudly for her.
“This spell is for those who couldn’t find love… What is this it sounds so stupid.”
“Ricky, there’re words down there! But they are so small…”
He looked at the corner of the page and read,
“Beware if you cast the spell on someone that is already in love with you, the spell will be reflected on you,” he chuckled, “Who would believe these stuff !”
He threw the book on the ground and started walking away.
“Ricky!! Why did you do that?!” Anna screamed as she took the book from the ground again then followed her brother back home.
