You Wished for Me

Ben had a history of bad luck. If he was able to go an entire day without developing a bruise from being clumsy, arriving late because of traffic, or successfully talking to a girl without getting so flustered that he couldn’t form coherent sentences, he considered it a good day. He wasn’t a superstitious individual, but there was something to be said for the fact that his bad luck, to memory, started when he accidentally broke a mirror as a child. He had gotten so frustrated at the Rubik’s cube he could not solve, that he flung it across the room, only for it to result in a resounding shatter. The glass was webbed and jagged, fragments of it falling to the ground like sharp spears of glitter, littering his bedroom.

Then again, maybe he simply didn’t remember any bad luck before that incident because he had been so young when it happened. Still, ever since that event, unfortunate circumstances seemed to befall Ben at nearly every turn. It seemed that he could never catch a break. The expression ‘nice guys finish last’ had never met a more quintessential figurehead to depict it. Even still, he wasn’t a believer in luck - at least not literally. He didn’t search for four leaf clovers or collect faux rabbit’s feet. He figured that most things in life had their purpose for happening and sometimes - or maybe often times - those reasons were largely unknown. It may have been a pessimistic view to hold, but ultimately, he felt that things just happened randomly and there wasn’t always some greater purpose or meaning behind them.

Summer made for a nice change of pace for Ben. He still had his summer courses, but that only consumed a few hours of his week. He had started working in a quiet bookstore in the mall of a town near his apartment. Knowing that he could look forward to a working day being surrounded by the smell of genuine paper and freshly brewed coffee made for the perfect ambiance. When business was slow enough, he even had the time to pick up a few books to rifle through. Over time, he ventured out of his usual, favored category; fantasy, and picked up different genres, like mystery, romance, and even manga. After one particularly late night, which involved lots of stocking inventory and a pizza party to help boost morale as the stockers worked late into the night, Ben didn’t make it back to his car until a quarter to midnight.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to work the following day, which meant he was already planning on sleeping in until lunch time, when he sat down in his car and inserted the key into the ignition. Glancing up at the night sky, he noticed how several of the stars in the sky seemed to be twinkling more than usual. Or at least, more than he had ever noticed before. Ben smiled quaintly to himself, continuing to watch the sky as the radio in his car started up softly and played a classical tune without any words. Just when he was about to look away, Ben noticed a shooting star. He gasped in childish delight, closing his eyes and making a wish in his head. He remained stock still, lids firmly shut as his mind replayed the wish in his head again and again. Ben hesitated, then opened his eyes to reveal that nothing had changed.

Nothing happened. Of course nothing happened. Why would anything happen? He was wishing on a shooting star. Wishes weren’t expected to come true. Ben shook his head at himself, scoffing under his breath while he reached for the shifter and reversed out of the parking space. He returned home after a short drive, exiting his car without much memory of the drive he had just taken to get there. Reaching the threshold of the apartment building, he pushed the heavy door open and headed to the elevator, humming a song that he didn’t recognize. He pushed the button with the upward pointing arrow and stepped inside the elevator after the doors parted to make room for him. Punching the button on the inner panel which had his floor number on it, Ben yawned aloud, finally feeling the day taking its toll. Ding. The doors split apart on his floor and Ben slowly exited, walking to his studio apartment at a sluggish pace. Once he reached his door, he fit his key inside, only to find that it was already unlocked. This instantly woke Ben up a little more. “What the-?” He blinked at the doorknob, as if it had been telling him lies.

Twisting the knob, he slowly pushed the door open, hiding behind it as he peered around. “Hello?” He called out into the emptiness of his apartment. It probably wasn’t the wisest way to step foot into his unlocked apartment. At first, he heard nothing and saw no one. Ben paused in the doorway, half leaning inside, with one foot still firmly planted outside, just in case. After another beat of his heart, he swung the door open fully, gulping down his fear and labeling it irrational. Maybe he just forgot to lock it this morning on his way out. It had happened before, and he was sure it would happen again. He let out a long exhale, unaware he had been keeping it stored away. Slipping out of his shoes, he set his keys on the table beside the door, in the dish that was labelled 'keys.' It was an invention of necessity, after having misplaced his keys so frequently and then going on a rampage through his apartment to search for them, which in turn, made him late for work and class a dozen times.

“Hello,” a feminine tone called out softly from the corner. Ben gasped, startled at the unrecognizable voice which oozed like rich honey and rang gently out in a harmonic tune. He presumed he was hearing things at first. He must have been dreaming. All he could do was try and force himself out of the dream he must have been having. Yet, when he whipped his head around to trace back the source of the gentle sound, he nearly fell face first to the ground. Stunned by her radiant beauty, Ben’s jaw dropped. Her beauty was unearthly - it was celestial. She must have been a goddess. “Yes, that’s right. I am a goddess.” She spoke again, another melodious tune. Except, Ben hadn’t said anything out loud, had he? Utterly dumbfounded, he forced his jaw to close again, taking in the halo of resplendent light that shone around her soft frame. What, was she reading his thoughts now?

“Yes, I did read your thoughts. It is one of my abilities as a goddess. Though, it only works when your emotions are really strong. Otherwise, your thoughts tend to be too quiet for me to hear.” Her long hair was flowing in a nonexistent breeze, sparkling eyes glittered like the waters when the sun’s reflection shimmered over it. Her skin was a bluish hue, but that did not detract from her beauty, if anything it made her appear even more gorgeous. She wore robes that were blindingly bright and looked more like wispy clouds than linen, concealing her enough to be modest but clinging to her enough to prove that she had a very entrancing feminine figure. And boy, was Ben entranced. He had to collect himself for a few moments before he could even fathom the appropriate words to speak to this woman standing in his apartment, claiming to be a goddess. After collecting himself just enough, Ben managed to find words. “I’m sorry…” He began, still shaking his head in baffled confusion.

“Did you say that you’re a goddess? And… you’re here because…?” He trailed off, his hand motioning as if to prompt her to fill in the blank. She blinked at the way his hand moved in a circular motion, but nodded in understanding a moment later. “Because you made a wish last night. I heard your wish and I’ve come to grant it.” She smiled a glowing, warm smile. Ben’s jaw dropped open. “You’re… here to grant my wish?” He chuckled at the words after they fled his mouth. How could this be real? How was this possible? “I don’t know what to say… I think I need a minute.” He gulped audibly, then crossed the room, taking a heavy seat on the couch. The goddess approached him slowly, cautiously. Like one might approach an animal they were hunting. The way that she moved was like she was actually floating over billows of clouds. When she reached him, she lowered herself before him, her hands cupping his knees. She leaned into him, straightening her back to bring their faces a little closer together.

It felt like the breath had been stolen from Ben’s lungs as he raised his head and linked gazes with the goddess. She breathed him in and he felt a sudden desire prickling against his insides. “You wished for me, Ben. You may not realize it right now. But that is why I’m here.” She whispered to him. Ben licked his lips after breaking eye contact to observe the way that her perfect lips had parted. When she moved her face a little closer, Ben could only mirror her, as if compelled by a spell. Their lips met in the middle and they shared a chaste kiss that was overflowing with feeling. Feelings he had never experienced before. Ben’s lips continued to hover above hers for a while. He only leaned away when he felt he had enough strength to do so. “So, I wished for you?” He questioned. The goddess nodded, her smile returning once again. “But I wished for good fortune,” he admitted, a little sheepishly, almost wondering if his wish had crossed wires with another - someone who deserved her more than he did. The goddess giggled, then shook her head lightly. “And I am the goddess of good fortune - I am here to fulfill your wish, Ben.”

Ben leaned back against the couch, thanking his lucky stars - quite literally - for the answer to his wish. “Then that wish was the best wish I’ve ever made.” He grinned, guiding the goddess upward, so that she could perch on his lap and they could share more intimate kisses.