"Are you sure?" You can still keep going with your acting career?"
There was a time in my life when I had sunshine and followed my own ray, dreaming bigger and wider. But those days never stayed the same; my sunny days slowly turned dark.
Acting has always been something I loved. I chose acting as my job without even thinking about it. It was my dream.
I've been acting for six years, but in that time, I've only gotten roles where I either died in the first episode or only had five seconds of screen time. I sometimes wondered if those little parts even mattered.
Will I ever be able to say that I am an actor?
"Aria! "Are you paying attention to me?" My mom shook me to wake me up from my thoughts.
"Y-yes, mom," I said, looking at her.
"Aria, my daughter, you're only twenty-six. There hasn't been any waste. You can still quit acting and get a real job that pays well. Her words were harsh but true. I thought about giving up acting for a second. It's possible that she was right. Maybe it was time to stop going after a dream that clearly didn't want me.
But every time I tried to quit acting, something inside me pulled me back.
"Mom," I said softly. I took her hand and gently told her to sit on the couch. "I've already spent six years of my life acting. I really don't want to quit until I get at least one good part. I looked her in the eye.
"I promise you that this year I will do everything I can to get a real job. I promise that if I fail, I will never act again. "Please, just trust me for this one year."
"I..."
She slowly put her hand on my head.
"I'll always be there for you."
Those words always gave me the strength to keep going. I hugged her softly, and my heart started to feel warm again.
At that moment, my phone rang.
Emma, my best friend, was the one. Emma had always been there for me in every way. I was actually signed as an actor by her father's company at the time.
"Hello," I said, moving out of the way so my mom couldn't hear us.
"Hey, babe! Where are you? Emma wanted to know.
"At mom's house."
"Let's go to a race!" I bought two tickets for us. "I'm coming in an hour!" She sounded very excited.
I said yes because I had the day off and nothing else to do. "Of course."
I got ready after I hung up. I said, "Mom, I'm leaving," as I put on my shoes.
"When will you come back?" she asked.
I only went to see her when I had time because I lived two hours away from her house.
"Next weekend probably," I replied.
I stood up, kissed her cheek, and smiled.
"Take care."
"You too," she said.
I waved and closed the door behind me.
When I reached downstairs, Emma was already waiting inside her car.
I walked over, opened the door, and sat inside.
"What a last-minute plan," I said.
"You're not going to believe it," she said excitedly. "Today at the track, he will be there."
"He?" I asked.
"Yeah… Prince Adrian."
She started driving.
I was never a big fan of Formula 1, but I had attended a few races because of Emma.
But of course I knew Prince Adrian.
I mean… who doesn't?
He was literally a prince.
"Oh! So that's the reason for the last-minute plan," I said.
"I mean, I already bought tickets for us," she laughed. "But if I told you earlier, you might have cancelled the plan."
She winked.
Talking nonsense with Emma always made me feel better, and before I knew it we arrived at the racing arena.
Emma had booked front-row seats.
The race started fifteen minutes later, but honestly, my eyes could never keep up with the speed of the cars.
And just as expected…
Prince Adrian won.
Again.
Seeing him from afar, he didn't even look like someone who cared about being royalty.
I mean, he probably didn't even need the throne.
He was already famous worldwide—working with more than ten brands, the best Formula 1 racer, tall, handsome, wealthy.
He basically had everything.
"Let's go to the waffle café!" Emma suddenly grabbed my hand.
She started dragging me.
"Why do you suddenly want to go to the café?" I asked.
"I heard that after the race many racers go there to relax," she said while walking fast.
"And do you know how hard it was for me to reserve seats there? Thankfully I managed to get two!"
By the time we arrived, there were only a few people inside.
The waiter showed us to our reserved table.
About fifteen minutes later, four men entered the café.
Among them…
Prince Adrian.
"Oh my God! Look at Henry!" Emma whispered excitedly.
"Isn't Prince Adrian your crush?" I asked.
"I mean yeah, he's cool," she said. "But Henry is way hotter."
Her eyes were practically sparkling.
I looked at the group, and for a split second…
Prince Adrian and I made eye contact.
His hazel-brown eyes were unbelievably beautiful.
Anyone could fall for them.
"Come on! Let's take a picture with them," Emma said.
Before I could refuse, she dragged me over.
"Can I have one picture with you, Henry?" she asked.
"Of course," Henry replied with a friendly smile.
Emma handed me her phone so I could take the picture.
I clicked it.
But while doing so, I felt someone staring at me.
When I looked up…
Prince Adrian was looking directly at me.
I gave him a small, polite smile.
But his expression didn't change.
He didn't even smile back.
Instead, he stood up from his chair and started walking toward me.
My eyes followed his steps.
Within seconds, he stopped right in front of me.
I looked at him, confused.
Then he spoke.
"Marry me."
"Huh?"
My eyes widened.
"I said marry me," he repeated calmly. "Will you?"
Emma, standing beside me, was shaking me in excitement.
But I was completely frozen in shock.