Moonlight - Part 2
Because I'm bored...haha.
Title - Moonlight
Author - midnightfate
Chapter - 2/10 (probably)
Pairing - None.
Rating - PG
Summary - Candyce begins to think about her decison, but her dreams don't help any.
Disclamer - Don't own.
Same day
Candyce returned to her flat and looked around with satisfaction in her eyes. It was a nice flat for a single girl like herself. It was relatively small with a bedroom, a kitchen, and a bathroom. It had been rather plain when she got it at first, so she had quickly decorated with her artwork, for Candyce was an avid craftsperson. She loved to paint, crochet, and hook rugs, and her bedroom showed it. Paintings of the sunset and various small, square hooked rugs filled her pale blue walls; her favourite rug was a picture of a brown tabby cat that reminded Candyce of her own cat back in America. However, this was not her favourite feature. That was something completely different. She had easy access to the roof, for there was a ladder in the corner of her bedroom. Candyce had a suspicion that the roof was going to be her thinking spot. The view wasn’t bad either -- it gave her the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises; they were much better than the ones she saw in her metropolitan home back in America.
Candyce sighed and sat on her bed. She was incredibly confused. Why did her heart leap so much when she first locked eyes with Clive? The same thing happened with Tony, but she knew why. Tony was a very attractive man. Surely she didn’t feel the same about Clive. Okay, maybe she did. After all, he was very similar to the men she read about in her Dickens novels, and she always loved the idea of a proper courtship. Clive wasn’t physically bad to look at, either. Sure, he wasn’t gorgeous like Tony, but he was still good. Now, she had a decision to make. Whom was she going to pursue? She began to think aloud.
&ldquoLet’s see,” she said to herself. “Clive. He would probably give me a more traditional relationship, which is good. It also seems like he pays more attention to emotions, but then I’ve only known him for a few hours. Tony, apart from being absolutely gorgeous, seems like the type who’d go for a sort of non-conventional romance. And he’s probably quite physical, which would be interesting. And I’ve gotten nowhere. Fantastic.”
The longer she thought about it, the more confused she got. Her heart wanted Clive’s tradition, but her body wanted Tony’s physical emphasis. She knew she should go with her heart, but why could she not have the best of both worlds? Maybe she could!
“If I went with both of them, that’d be selfish and potentially harmful, but it’d be worth it! Right? I mean, I’d get Clive’s tradition and Tony’s physicality. Of course, one of them would eventually figure it out. I can’t do that,” she said. “I’m back at square one.”
Candyce got up and brewed herself a cup of coffee -- these Britons could have their tea, and she would eventually get used to it, but she wasn’t going to give up her coffee -- and decided that she should call Greg and tell him the news even though she feared his reaction. She poured her coffee into a green mug she had painted with her best friend and picked up her phone to dial Greg’s number. The phone rang twice, and her brother’s familiar yet slightly nasal voice came over the other line. It wasn’t comforting to most people, but to Candyce, its comfort came in its familiarity.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Greg,” Candyce said nervously.
“Oh, hi, Candyce. How did the audition go?”
“It went brilliantly. I got the job. I start next Thursday.”
“Fantastic,” Greg said. He was trying to sound happy but she knew he was jealous.
“Greg, stop faking, please. I know you’re jealous.”
“What makes you think that?” Greg replied with that falsely happy voice.
“I heard you talking to Mike on the phone before I left. You think you should’ve gotten this audition instead of me. You don’t think I’m ready for all of the attention. Well, listen. I am ready. I’ve waited for so long to establish myself, and now that I’ve gotten the chance, I couldn’t be more excited. I’m stronger than you think.”
“No, you’re not. You’re just out of college. This is serious.”
“Greg, it’s been five years since I graduated! I haven’t gotten a single job by myself! You’ve always been involved! And this isn’t as serious as you like to think. It’s an improvisation show. It’s comedy.”
“I don’t care. I still think I should’ve auditioned first. But then, would you have lived up to the expectations as my sister if I got on first? I don’t think so.”
“Greg, can’t you just be happy for me for once and leave your damn ego out of this?”
“What do you mean?”
“For our entire life, it’s been about you. You got the roles in high school. You got the awards and recognition. I got the shadows, and now that I’m in the spotlight, you can’t take it,” Candyce said smartly.
Click. Greg hung up on her. Not exactly the reaction she wanted. She rolled her eyes, slammed the phone down on its hook, sighed in frustration, and flopped down onto her bed. What a day. She had been on a roller coaster of emotions -- nervous, to happy, back to nervous, happy, and now she was upset. It was enough to exhaust her. She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep almost immediately, only to find her real life portrayed in her dream.
Candyce entered the Whose Line set and found it completely empty. Nobody was around, and the studio was frigid. She stood on the off-white carpet and looked around as if she expected someone to emerge out of the audience area. She ran a hand through her hair and clutched at her black jacket.
“Hello?” she said softly. Her voice echoed eerily in the studio.
“Candyce?” a soft voice answered.
She turned to find Tony standing near what would be his chair, looking very handsome in a dark suit and tie. He was smiling at her, and she returned the smile as she went over to him. He embraced her in a warm hug, and she sighed happily as the studio suddenly became very warm. Why was she considering Clive again?
“Good to have you on the cast,” Tony said sincerely as they held each other. “You were brilliant in the audition.”
“Thank you. I still can’t believe I’m even here. I mean, I honestly went into the audition thinking I didn’t stand a chance.”
“You had more than a chance,” a different, somewhat deeper voice said.
Candyce looked over her left shoulder and found Clive standing near his desk, dressed in his usual suit and tie. She gave him the same smile she gave Tony as she let go and met Clive halfway. He took her left hand in his right and lightly kissed it, making the air around Candyce significantly warmer. This was why she was considering him! He would give her the traditional courtship she read about in books. Candyce felt herself swoon slightly, but she brought herself out of it thanks to some well-enforced mental control.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I knew you were going to get the job the moment you stepped into that room. I knew you had talent. That combined with your beauty made you the best choice.”
Tony, growing jealous, came up behind Candyce and hugged her from behind. That definitely felt good, but it was nothing compared to the kisses he planted on her neck and collarbone. Candyce closed her eyes, tilted her head back, moaned very softly despite herself, and felt Tony smirk against her neck. Damn, he was good. Clive glared at Tony, and he made his next move. No way was some sex-obsessed freak going to get his woman.
“You must be terribly warm with that jacket. Let me get it for you,” Clive said as Candyce forced herself away from Tony and gave up her jacket.
It was insanity. Whenever Clive did something kind, Tony had to one-up him with something that drove Candyce crazy with lust and pleasure. It was as if he was competing with Clive for her attention, and she didn’t like it. Clive and Tony approached her from both sides and she looked desperately for a way out. She ran to the exit, only to find Greg blocking the way. Her mocha eyes locked on his hazelnut ones in a stare that crackled with electric tension.
“Greg, please move. I’ve got to get away from those two,” she said pleadingly. “They won’t leave me alone.”
“Just like I thought. You weren’t ready for all of the attention. I told you that you should’ve given the audition to me!” Greg sneered.
“Shut the hell up and get out of my way,” swore Candyce as she elbowed forcefully past her brother and out into the cold London night.
Candyce looked around and realized that she was all alone. It wasn’t the good alone that came when she was in her flat. It wasn’t that sense of security. This type of alone left her frightened and chilled to the bone. This alone was the feeling that came when she got lost as a little girl. She didn’t know London, nor did she know anyone in it. She peered around for something familiar, but nothing came to her. The brick buildings looked so cold and uninviting to her, and she began to tremble with paralyzing fear until she looked up into the twinkling diamond sky and saw something spectacular. The moon. The very moon that always glowed pearly white outside of her bedroom window. The moon that kept her company during sleepless nights. Her only friend in London. Candyce began to follow the moon’s iridescent light back to her flat, letting its beams bathe her in their bluish-white glow. Her skin became that same shade, transforming her into a vagrant ghost looking for its home. That was how she felt ever since she arrived in this city. It was beautiful, yes, but she couldn’t find her niche in its busy environment. She was still trying to find her true home in this unfamiliar city. Three voices began to echo hauntingly in her tumultuous mind.
“You stood more than a chance…” Clive.
“You were brilliant…” Tony.
“Just like I thought…” Greg.
Two were kind and caring, but one was cold and unfriendly. Candyce continued to walk with these voices and her moon-friend until she reached the familiarity of her flat. She climbed the stairs to her level, got in, and buried her head in her hands. Tears fell from her eyes and landed on the carpet. Why did these things happen just when she was finding her happiness? Exhausted, Candyce and her tears got into her bed and fell asleep…
The real Candyce awoke with tears dampening the skin around her eyes and a breaking heart in her chest. Such a horrible dream from such an amazing day. She sat up, dried her eyes, and gazed out of her window at the faithful moon.
“At least I know you’ll always be here for me,” she whispered.