He heard a clunk as she placed the tea cup on the table. He looked up expecting to see anger in her eyes or even tears streaming down her face but instead he saw an empty chair. He stood up and touched her cup, it was still warm from her touch.
Belle?
He felt her brush past him, her hair glistening in the sun as she disappeared into the kitchen. He relaxed as he heard the water running and her voice as she started humming. He opened his mouth as he walked into the kitchen but stopped, He could hear her humming and the water running but there was no one there.
He smiled weakly, "Of course there's no one here, Its all in my head." he chuckled darkly at himself as he pulled away from the kitchen door to start his spinning. He felt the wheel creak under his hand and felt the softness of the straw as it spun into gold. He tried to free his mind from today's events, to not dive too deep into his own head. It was working until he felt a familiar warmth beside him then her hand as it settled on his leg. He closed his eyes, squeezing them shut as if that would make her disappear.
"Why do you spin so much gold?" He didnt answer, didnt want to be fooled again. He felt her shoulders crash against his as she nudged him. He let out a sigh,
"To forget." There was silence as the words sunk in and she hummed in curiousity
"Forget what?"
he stopped his spinning and opened his eyes. He turned to where Belle sat, the warmth he felt gone, the hand that was just there disappeared.
and he whispered into the empty room.
"You."
He tried to blink the tears away and he stood up to get ready for bed. He flicked the doors open to reveal a long dark hallway. He walked slowly through it, feeling her gaze on his back.
"Goodnight." She whispered as he closed the door behind him with a flick of his wrists.
===/===
He woke up to his bed sheets strangling him and the sun streaming down through the windows he hasnt closed since. Her giggles filled his ears and the smell of fresh brewed tea filled in the room. He buried his head into the pillows and groaned, desperatly trying to drown out the sounds of her. Failing miserably, he got out of bed, the smell of tea luring him to her. He peeked through the library door, the dark night sky still hung over half the castle. She sat in the velvet cushioned sofa up against the window, the same one she knew he bought for her but he just wont admit.
He admired the way she bites her lower lips as her eyes dart across the pages, the way she lifts up a finger to turn the page and the way she murmurs a sentence under her breath when she doesnt get it. He pushed the doors further open, no longer admiring her in secret. He walked towards her but stopped after a few steps, keeping his distance.
she looked up, now aware that someone else was there. She stood up to greet him when the sun peeked through the clouds. She took a step forward but stopped when she heard him gasp.
He stared in shock as the sun shone rght through her. It passed through her clothes,her hands and feet and burnt through her face. She was completely transparent.
He started to back away, shaking his head slowly
"You cant be real...you're dead."
