AN: I don't own anything.
Looking across the river, Melchior wrote quietly in his journal, occasionally vocalising a thought or two. Across the way, he saw a girl. Wendla. They'd been good friends as children, but the demands of Melchior's school had meant that they grew steadily apart from one another. He kept his eye on her direction and glanced away from his writing every so often to watch her reach for a tiny bunch of flowers from the ground. She was as elegant as a ball gown, her hair getting blown from side to side as the breeze passed her. After watching her for a quarter of an hour, he stood away from the tree he had been resting on and walked over the old bridge, heading in the direction of the woods that Wendla had just entered. Clutching his journal in his left hand, he caught up with her and tapped her shoulder lightly with his right index finger. Her head turned sharply, forming a smile as they met each other's gaze.
"Melchi?" she spoke softly, lowering her arms and slipping her flowers into a basket she had clutched between her fingers.
He smiled as soon as she responded "Yes, it's been a while since last we spoke, hasn't it?"
The light hit her face softly, reflecting back the shine from her dark, mahogany-coloured hair. "It has. How has school been?"
"It's been good. I'm really enjoying learning so much new information about language and science and arithmetic. I feel rather bad that you girls aren't allowed to be taught with us as well." His face dropped as he spoke the last sentence. The world around him handed the boys opportunities from a young age and the girls were always left to be second best. To his mind, there was no difference between the genders, but others, adults, saw things very differently.
"Glad to hear it, Melchior! You are the most deserving person of all the knowledge available out there! One day, you'll be the most successful man in town." The sweet smile she had always had painted over her face again, plumping her cheeks. What she had said was inevitable. Melchior Gabor was the smartest boy in the class, a hard worker and popular among boys and girls alike.
"That'll only happen if I have the best girl in town!" Melchior knew who the best girl in town was, but he wouldn't to say it aloud. For as long as he could remember, he had always seen Wendla in a different light to Ilse, Thea and all the other girls. She was different, unique and she maintained intelligence whilst still being as innocent as a baby. Her beauty overshadowed every other girl in Germany and radiated from each pore on her body. They lingered in a semi-silence, hearing only the birds' call from the trees.
"Who might that be?" questioned Wendla. Melchior froze, his throat drying a little. What was he supposed to say? 'Wendla, it's you. You're the best girl in town.'? Whatever he was going to do, he had to do it quickly or she would suspect something.
"I'm not going to tell you that!" He laughed softly, trying to cover his embarrassment.
"Oh, come on. Are we not friends?" Wendla's smile melted him to the floor. He had to tell her.
Dropping his voice to a whisper, he told her what he had wanted to say for as long as he could remember, "It's you."
Her smile was quickly replaced with a look of shock and she blurted out, "Me? It couldn't possibly be me; you're just joking because I'm here!" Face going red, she turned away a little to conceal her rosy cheeks.
Melchior reached his hands out and turned her around to face him, her sparkling, blue eyes locking on his. "I'm not joking! Do you honestly think any girl can compare with you?" He began to laugh again at the thought of anyone beating Wendla at anything. In his eyes, she was perfect. "You're beautiful, intelligent, quick witted and the most remarkable girl anywhere on this entire planet!"
Their eyes were still fixed on each other and Melchior felt a sudden urge stir from within him. Using his arms, still extended out to Wendla's delicate shoulders, he pulled her into a gentle kiss. The moment their lips touched, Wendla reciprocated with equal force. After a short while, their lips parted and they stared into each other's eyes, beaming.
"That was… Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that!" giggled Wendla, still smiling.
"Did you enjoy it?" Melchior's face looked concerned; worried he had completely overstepped the implied boundaries between them.
Wendla simply nodded and smiled, confirming that things were still okay between the two.
"Wendla, you are truly amazing. I would be honoured if you accepted my proposal that we become" he lowered his volume to a low whisper "boyfriend and girlfriend."
Wendla's whole face brightened and she whispered back her response. "I would like to be your girlfriend."
Melchior took her hand and slid his fingers in between her's. They walked alongside the river, stopping when Wendla's mother expected her to be at home.
"I have to go now; my mother wants me at home by five to meet with Ina. Will I see you soon?" She looked at Melchi a sad smile filling her eyes and lips.
"Of course we will." He kissed her cheek softly, savouring the scent of her long, flowing hair. "I'm always here." He smiled and watched her leave, quickly opening his journal to pen his thoughts.
Today, I have been awakened. Wendla Bergmann and I shared a moment so beautiful; you would think it had been plucked from a classic novel. The touch of her lips upon mine was… truly remarkable. I don't think there is any way that the kiss we had will ever be detached from my memory. This is why I can't believe in any God. Only she and I could make a moment so perfect happen and no God can be real when she is on the earth. I, Melchior Gabor, am about to admit something that I never thought possible of myself.
I am in love.
AN: Your reviews keep me motivated! :3