All in a day's journey
Love had always confused him. The whole concept not just the feelings supposedly associated with it. What caused someone to fall in love? How did one know? And how in the world do two people just happen to feel the same way about each other? Nothing about love made sense, it just wasn't… logical. After all, logic was all he had, well, that and a large inheritance. Money was really all he needed in the world he lived in, outward appearances just helped affairs go along a little smoother, and logic? Well, logic and intelligence could be discarded among a talent for swimming- it didn't really matter to everyone else in the long run. Yet, somehow this concept of love was so important to all those who surrounded him. It was practically all his family talked about in whispers to each other, and it engulfed almost every social event he had ever attended. However, William Bennet, now reaching almost four and twenty years of age, had fully decided that love was not for him. He had long ago vowed to never be so foolish as to fall in love. Who needed love anyway? All it was really, was a series of chemical reactions in the brain that somehow attracted one human being to another. Yeah, that's really all it was… What's more, the feelings associated with love- a weakening in the knees, butterflies in one's stomach and hearts skipping beats- that cannot be safe. Nevertheless, all of his determination in the world changed, one unexpected, rather cold day when he met her. ~
Strolling the streets of Merytown, William was beginning to find himself bored by the daily routine of his life. It's time for a change, he thought to himself, as he made his way out of the local café, sipping his usual hot apple cider and reading the current edition of the local newspaper.
As he stepped outside the café, he wrapped his jacket around him tighter, and, not paying attention to where he was walking ran straight into a group of girls who were making their way down the street.
"Oh, so sorry misses." He apologized quickly, stepping aside and waiting for them to pass. The girls giggled as they walked by, yet he successfully ignored them, using the newspaper to occupy his attention. That is, until he heard her laugh. It was the prettiest sound, and he looked up, deciphering where the noise had come from. Her laugh reminded him of the light tinkling of bells at Christmas time, both captivating and hopeful. He stared after her, allowing his imagination to run away with him as he imagined her laughing at something he had said; one of his witty remarks that seemed to flow from him so smoothly. It was here, in this split-second moment that he realized he wanted to be the cause of her laughter, and nothing else.
This is all nonsense, he thought, realizing he was still starring after her. He shook his head at his silliness but, just as he turned to leave, she momentarily glanced back at him, and smiled. Caught off guard, and realizing he had two more hours until his brother would be finished here in town, he decided he might as well follow them, just to see where they were going, at a safe distance of course.
To his disbelief, the girls led him straight to his favorite place in the world- the bookstore. He had spent many hours of his life here, perusing books and walking down the many dusty isles, appreciating the wisdom in the printed words around him. The girls split up to explore the shelves, as he made his way to the history section. This was his favorite part of the store, located in the back corner, where the books were old and worn. Tucking his newspaper into his pocket, he pulled out a book that had always caught his attention, though he had never dedicated the time to read it. The book was thick, black and in heavy golden letters it stated, The Complete History of the English Language by G. C. Norman. He carefully pulled the book towards him, blowing the dust off of the shelf and into the isle on the other side. He then began to make his way toward the front where he could read in better light when he heard a faint coughing coming from the next isle. Surprised that anyone was in this area, he walked over and found the girl from earlier, trying to wave the dust away from her face.
"Oh, sorry about that, I didn't expect anyone to be over here." He said, slightly embarrassed that he had just blown a cloud of dust into her face.
*ahem* "Yes well, I didn't expect to be suffocated by dust either, you know." She said, trying to recompose herself. She struck him as beautiful, as she pointlessly waved her hand in a futile attempt to get the dust to settle. She looked up at him and, noticing his confused expression, laughed and said, "Hi, my name is Katherine Toule."
He returned her smile, finally coming to his senses to say, "I'm William Bennet. Here, why don't we move to a place where it's more comfortable to breathe?" He held out his hand to lead her to the front of the store and she took it, giving him another dazzling smile. Looking for a topic of conversation, he politely asked, "How long has your family been in Merytown, Miss Toule?"
"Please, call me Katie." She answered, looking up at him. "My family just came into town from London a couple weeks ago; we're staying here for the summer."
"Ahh, well, Merytown is lovely this time of year, though today seems to be colder than usual for the beginning of June."
"Mmm… Fascinating." She replied dryly, looking away towards her friends who were gathering near the exit. Realizing that he was losing her interest, he quickly changed the subject from the weather back upon herself.
"So, Katie, how would you like a mini-tour around the town? I have to stay here until my younger brother, John, is done with his business, but in the meantime I would love to show you around."
Her curiosity peaked as she turned her attention back onto him. "You mean you don't live here in town?"
"No," he answered definitely, "I live at Longbourn."
"Oh!" She said, suddenly turning all her attention onto him again. "I've heard the grounds there are lovely, perhaps you could show me around?"
"I'd love to." He said proudly, wondering how in the world he had so suddenly become involved with beautiful Katie Toule.
On their way out of town, as they were going to walk back to Longbourn, they stopped into to see his brother to inform him of their plans for the rest of the day. It's an understatement to say that John was delighted to see his brother engaged in a woman's presence and he encouraged her to stay for dinner. She graciously accepted, and soon after, William and Katie were finally able to make their way to Longbourn. The walk there was quiet as each of them were enjoying their own thoughts and exchanging simple pleasantries.
By the time they reached the grounds at Longbourn, the sun was beginning to set over the mountains, filling the sky with vibrant pinks and oranges. Katie sighed happily to herself, slipping her arm into William's. He smiled, and began leading her along the grounds where he had spent many hours of his childhood. While they walked, he shared his memories with her, amazed at how easy she was to talk to, and how well she responded to his stories. She found herself caught up in his words, marveling at how his voice drew her in, making her feel as though she had known him for years, not hours.
As they finished their tour of the grounds, he directed her towards the back of the house where a tire swing was hung lazily upon an old oak tree. The place was charming and she looked upon it with an appreciation she didn't know she had. The tree creaked quietly as she rocked back and forth, looking up into his handsome face and realizing that she was looking upon everything she needed in the world. They both knew they were completely different people, yet they hoped that the few similarities they had would be able to keep them together when times were rough, and that love would endure all things.
In a few hours, he had shown her everything she was missing in her life, and she had taught him that falling in love was possible. It was here that they could only hope for many more evenings, just like this one, where they could be together. Here, at this old tire swing, they found everything they were looking for, and so much more. And, maybe, he thought to himself, taking her in his arms as the sun finally set beneath the mountain top, love isn't so confusing after all. ~