~ Fifteen - Season I ~

Laura scoffed in disbelief.

“Trust me, there is no one,” she said.

“That’s impossible, Laura. A simple admiration is a normal emotion to have,” I replied.

“Well,” she then played with her fingers, “There is someone that I like. And there is someone, who I believe, is trying to gain my affections.”

My heart stopped as soon as she said that. Her admission destroyed my hopes that maybe she was the one for me. But, it would seem that her heart was already occupied.

“Really?” I asked as I tried to hide the pain that was about to come out of my voice. I asked again, “Can you tell me who they are? For sure, I’ve never met them before.”

“For now, I’d like to keep things to myself. It’s something that I don’t want others to worry about because it’s not for them to think about,” she answered.

“I understand. But, perhaps, you can describe them?” I asked, still hoping that she would tell me more.

“The one who, I think, likes me is very sophisticated, to say the least. He acts as if he was a monarch,” she started. She continued, “Quite the gentleman, but his manner of being one is a bit too much. He said he wasn’t of royal blood, but he acted as if he’s the prince that is told in every bedtime story.”

I remarked, “You don’t seem enthusiastic to talk about this person.”

“I find him to be unrealistic. He’s too much of a fairytale and not of reality. I only see him as a friend. Everything about him is too much for me,” she groaned.

My hope was reignited! There was still a place in her heart, after all.

“Have you told him about these thoughts of yours?” I asked.

She shook her head.

I then suggested, “Don’t you think that it’s best to tell him the truth before his feelings grow any further?”

“I was never good at explaining my true thoughts and emotions. I can only show them through actions,” she stuttered as she replied. “As much as I can, I’m showing him that I’m not interested in his courtship. However, I’m unsure if he even notices it,” she added.

“You should’ve told him right then and there. You should’ve been honest, not just to him, but with yourself as well,” I said as I moved closer to her. I continued, “Just by mere actions is insufficient. It’s better if he hears what you truly feel about what he’s doing. You have to speak your mind in order for him to understand, as early as possible. It’s to prevent further heartache as well.”

“I will give your advice a try the next time he visits,” she chuckled. “I’m just not good at telling people what I truly feel. I’ve always been the person that people deem to be too gracious, too kind. I’ve always been the person who hid behind the achievements, the glamour of other people,” she explained. “I’ve always been like that for as long as I can remember. I always choose to stay behind, and simply agree with what others want.”

I then said, “There’s nothing wrong with being kind, Laura. But, being kind-hearted doesn’t give anybody the right to take advantage of you, even despise you.”

“Nobody hates me, thankfully. Everyone, however, steps over me like I’m some kind of dirt rug. And when you need someone, the people who you thought you can trust suddenly disappear into the wind,” she sighed as she bowed her head, plucking out some grass near her feet.

I then held her hand, which made her look at me. “I’m here, and I will always be here for you,” I said as I looked into her eyes, reassuring her. No one should feel as if they were alone in this world. We all needed each other, we could never survive on our own. We could pretend that we could but in reality, there would be specific things that couldn’t be done alone.

“Is that true?” she smiled.

“Of course,” I smiled. I moved closer to her, with her hand safely engulfed in my hands. I continued, “I promise you that no one will ever hurt you, not even myself. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, even if my life depends on it.”

She smiled as she looked down at our interlocked hands. Slowly, she pulled her hand back. “Never make a promise that you can’t keep, Robert. A promise isn’t something to be taken lightly,” she replied.

Without notice, I pulled out my pinky finger and moved it closer to her. An adorable giggle came out of her as my pinky was almost to her face. “What?” I asked, trying to stop myself from catching her contagious giggle.

“Aren’t we a little too old for pinky promises?” she asked, still giggling.

“I don’t care,” I shook my head after a short silence. I continued, “Do you agree and believe what I just said?”

She then smiled her beautiful smile; a smile that accented her beauty even more. I was running out of words to express how beautiful she was whenever she smiled at me. She took her time as she looked at my finger. Gently, she twisted hers with mine and said, “I trust that you’ll keep your word, young prince.”

“Of course, I will,” I replied with utmost confidence. We then pulled our pinkies back.

“Would you like to head back?” she asked.

“What? But, we just arrived here. I would love to stay a bit longer,” I said. I suggested, “I also have an idea. This place can be our hiding place.”

She froze for a bit as she was caught off-guard. “What do you mean by ‘our’?” she asked.

“Every afternoon, we can meet here and spend some time together,” I replied as I shifted my attention back to her. I continued, “By the look of this scenery, watching the sunset is incredibly perfect. We can watch every sunset together.”

“You are aware that I still have work to do, aren’t you? I can’t simply sneak out of work everyday, just to watch the sunset,” she remarked.

“I’ll talk to Grandpa Ben about it, then,” I answered.

“And that’s the epitome of a horrible idea, Robert,” she frowned as she disagreed. “It isn’t even near a good one.”

“Laura, telling Grandpa Ben can’t be that bad. I’m certain that he will appreciate it if we told him,” I insisted.

She argued, “If you do that, he will continue to tease me at work. And if the rest of the bakery hears about it, they will do the same as well.”

I’ll ask him not to tease you, then.”

She groaned. “Your ideas are getting worse by the minute,” she remarked as she rolled her eyes. She added, “He will tease me more if you ask him to do that.”

I thought for a while before I asked, “Then, what can we do if all of my suggestions aren’t good enough?”

“You don’t have to ask anything of him. I’ll simply meet you when I can. But, please, don’t tell him anything,” she answered.

“He may think of something suspicious if he catches you skipping work every afternoon. You said it yourself,” I reminded her.

“Should he catch me skipping work, it will make him happier. That’s exactly what he wants for me to do,” she explained. She added, “If we tell him, he will tease us and he will never stop.” Suddenly, she turned her attention to the sunset.

“The sunset. It has started.”

“Isn’t it just beautiful?” she remarked, her voice in complete awe of the majestic exit of the sun.

I turned to her and stared at her face as she kept her gaze at the sunset. I took every inch of her face without her awareness. The way the wind blew her hair. How the brown shade of her hair radiated as the sun hit it. How her emerald eyes dazzled as if they were made of pure crystals.

Without a doubt, there were a lot of beautiful women at court. However, I surprised myself to be even taken aback by the simple beauty of a mere mortal.

The ladies of the court were superficial, always covered with different palettes on their faces. Their gowns would show off unrealistic sizes of the bodies.

But, Laura was just her. Simply herself. Her character was her true beauty.

I smiled as I continued to appreciate the stunning view right in front of me. “Absolutely breath-taking.”

Her eyes batted a few times, seemingly confused. She turned to my direction afterwards.

I cleared my throat and immediately pointed towards the sunset. “The sunset, I mean,” I quickly added. “The sunset is just beautiful.” I quickly turned my body towards the scene before us, and I did my very best to put all of my attention on it.

“Why do I feel like I’ve known you for such a long time?” she asked, whispering amidst the soft silence between us.

I returned to her and found her staring directly at me. As the sun continued to disappear before us, we didn’t take our eyes off of each other. I was lost in her emerald gaze, as she was seemingly entranced with my stare. For that moment, it was as if I could see right through her. I could see who she truly was.

She  continued, “Perhaps, we already met somewhere in time. I’m just unsure as to where or when.”

Suddenly, my hand landed on hers; as if my body had its own mind. With a smile, I replied, “If that’s the case, I would want to go back to the time, and tell you how much I enjoy having you near me.”

My response caused her to smile. Her face was flushed as it turned to a shade of light red. How adorable she was when she blushed.

She briefly glanced at the sunset, and so did I. It was about to finish. “We have to go,” she said as she stood up. “Grandpa Ben may be looking for me already.”

She didn’t answer what I just said. All I got from her was a smile, and I didn’t know what that meant.

“Is there something wrong, Robert?” she asked, immediately noticing that I remained sitting down.

“Hm?” I turned my head towards her, in haste as I noticed as well.

“Are you all right? You’re still sitting down,” she continued.

I then stood up. “Everything is fine,” I said as I brushed off any dirt and grass that attached itself to my clothes.

“Are you sure?” she asked once again. She didn’t seem to believe what I said.

I gave her a light smile and nodded. I didn’t want to open my mouth because I might say something that could offend her.

We walked towards our horses and made our way back to the bakery. I decided to keep my silence during the whole trip back. I feared that I might ask why she had no response. And I didn’t know her possible reaction, which added to my fear.

“Robert?” she called for my attention.

My brows perked as I turned to look at her.

“Why are you so quiet? Is there something that is bothering you?” her brows knitted together, baffled. I could tell that she was deeply concerned about me. But how could I tell her that something was indeed bothering me?

“No, nothing,” I shook my head, my voice in a low volume but was still loud enough to hear.

“Are you certain?” she asked once more.

“Yes,” I replied casually.

No, Laura. I was absolutely beyond the feeling of being okay. You didn’t give me any response when I expressed my feelings towards you. You didn’t answer when I said that having you near me was one of the things that has put a smile on my face.

Couldn’t you say anything, other than the smile that you had given me?