Okay, I'm a bad person…over a month and no updates. But, hey, the movie came out, and, personally, I thought it was awesome. I really missed the Johanna/Judge/Anthony triangle that seemed to be shoved further into the background, but the movie was still fantastic.
By the way, don't be afraid to leave reviews…hint, hint, nudge, nudge
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Chapter Three
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After the Judge's "proposal", I was in a trance. The Judge quickly left for court, so I had no idea what his thoughts about my less than pleased reaction were. I wandered about the house, dazed, but not in the pleasant way that I had during the previous days. Rather, I was dazed, but I also felt sick to my stomach. Every few seconds I had to pause, afraid that I would either faint or be ill. I finally collapsed on the chaise in the downstairs sitting room, and I let the tears flow. I couldn't remember the last time I cried. Most of the time when I felt depressed, I was alone, and I merely suffered in silence. Other times, the Judge was around, so I did not let my sadness show. If I cried in his presence, I would not want his comfort.
I stayed on the chaise for what felt like hours, sobbing until my body felt completely drained. My throat swollen and my eyes red and sore, I was suddenly jolted back to reality by the distinct sound of a key turning a lock. I sat up abruptly, remembering how I had tossed the key out to the young man that morning. My mind raced. I didn't know how to act…how could I begin to explain the situation I was in?
I didn't even have time to get up from the chaise before the young man stepped into the room. I must have been a fright, but the eager look on his face when he entered merely melted into an expression of compassion.
"Ah, miss," His voice sounded wonderful to my ears. After years of listening to few but the Judge and the Beadle, the young man's two syllables were something akin to heaven.
He knelt by my side, quickly taking my hands in his. He kissed the back of my hands before looking up at my tear-stained face questioningly.
"I'm to be married," I managed to croak out, my voice rougher and lower than usual.
"To who?" He asked, a crease forming on his perfect brow.
"My…the Judge," I replied bitterly as I again felt the urge to be ill when the initial reply, 'my father', came into my head. "And it's to be this Monday…" Before I knew it, tears were spilling down my cheeks again. "I might as well die…I feel like I will…"
At my response, the young man's face darkened. I half-expected him to leave right then, too disturbed by that information to want to stay. Instead, he took my face in his hands and looked at me kindly, intensely.
"I have a plan," The young man told me, his voice earnest. Then he looked surprisingly shy as he asked, "Who would you rather marry: the Judge…or…me?"
"Oh, sir…," I didn't know what to say. As quickly as my life had become a nightmare, it was suddenly a dream. An unfamiliar urge gripped me then, and before I could think, my arms were around the young man and my lips met his.
Before that day, I would have been mortified at how forward I was. But, as desperation gripped me, I couldn't think of anything more than the wonderful sensation of the young man's soft mouth on mine. I inhaled the faint smell of the sea and tobacco, a scent that I instantly loved. There was several days' worth of stubble around his mouth and jaw, but the rough texture only made me more aware of the fact that young man was actually there. He wasn't a dream or an illusion. For once in my life, I felt a surge of happiness that I never wanted to lose.
'I could do this forever…' I thought as our kiss went on and on.
It was strange. I had never before believed in love at first sight. The idea was unrealistic…absurd, really…but I did not know how else to think of the connection between the young man and myself. As odd as it seemed to me at the time, there was some inexplicable force that drew us together. As the Judge repelled me, the young man holding me attracted me more than anything I had ever felt before.
Finally, reluctantly, we broke apart, gasping for air. The young man leaned his forehead against mine and smiled as he whispered, "Is that a 'yes'?"
"I would have to say so," I whispered back while laughing softly.
His smile widened and he nuzzled his face in my hair gently. "I knew…the moment I saw you…"
I had never smiled so much in my life. "I know exactly what you mean," I replied.
"Mm…" He murmured softly in agreement before kissing the top of my head and stepping back to face me. "This really isn't what you deserve." Upon my questioning look, he continued, "You deserve a slow, perfect courtship. Not some scandalous elopement…and especially not with a sailor." At his last statement, a blush appeared on his high, perfect cheekbones.
"You're wrong," I murmured. "This is perfect, really." Then it struck me: I didn't even know his name. "Er…"
"What is it?" He looked concerned, probably scared that I was changing my mind.
"I don't know your name," I told him, laughing a bit at how ridiculous that was.
He looked startled for a moment, then amused. "It's Anthony. Anthony Hope."
"Anthony," I tried his name out on my tongue, and it rolled out easily. I smiled and said it again.
"It's all right, you have the rest of your life to wear my name out," Anthony teased. I blushed, but secretly pleased nonetheless.
"We shouldn't wait until Monday," Anthony continued. "Sunday, rather…or even tomorrow."
I hadn't known that I could smile that much. "Sunday's fine…but…," I glanced around the room quickly. "I can't stay here anymore. I need to leave tonight."
He smiled kindly and kissed my forehead. "Of course. I have a friend on Fleet Street…"
And so for the next two hours we talked. We did things out of order: first we discussed how I could stay with Mr. Sweeney Todd for an hour or so that night while Anthony arranged our journey to Plymouth. Only after we agreed on how we would manage to elope did we discuss ourselves. There was little to tell Anthony about myself. When I told him that I had no family, he was sympathetic. When I described my true feelings towards the Judge (the first time I had discussed that with anyone), in addition to the way that the Judge viewed me, Anthony's arms tightened around me protectively.
I fell a little more in love with him with everything he did. The way his lovely eyes sparkled when he described his home in Plymouth; the gentle way he described his mother; the tinge of sadness in his voice when he told me that his father had died several years ago. I learned that he was twenty three, and that he had become a sailor five years ago after his father died. With his wages, he supported both himself and his mother in Plymouth. His favorite place that he had visited was one of the islands off of Greece. By the time I took the time to notice outside, the sun had almost completely set.
Also noticing how late it was, Anthony got to his feet, and I reluctantly slipped out of his arms for a moment. Smiling, he kissed my forehead encouragingly and gently ran his hands up and down my arms until our hands were linked again.
"I promise, I'll be back in less than an hour," Anthony told me as I walked him to the door, my hand never leaving his.
"You're…you're sure about all this?" Anthony asked quietly after a beat, looking extremely shy again. "I mean…this is all rather sudden."
"Yes, just a bit…" I couldn't help but tease him a bit. I knew that there was something to be noted of in what he said, I knew that I should be less reckless, but I was too drunk on love right then to care.
As I watched him leave quietly and walk out of sight, I smiled with the knowledge that I was finally finished with being silent in the dark. Instead, I was moving towards a world drenched in color, song, and above all, light.
I walked absentmindedly towards the stairs, but on my way I passed one of the large mirrors in the front hall. Staring back at me was a girl that I didn't know. Her lips were swollen from attention, her hair slightly mussed, but what stood out was how alive and happy her eyes were. The girl in the mirror had a smile on her face that grew when mine did. I felt tears prick my eyes as I took in my new appearance and felt a surge of genuine hope for the first time in my life.
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So, yeah…I have discovered that it is really difficult to write a believable dialogue version of 'Kiss Me', but continuous viewing of Lisa Vroman and Davis Gaines's version got me through it.
You may have noticed, but I've decided to make Anthony less annoying and more of, well, a man. I have never understood why so many actors who play Anthony make him overly innocent and naïve aka really annoying. I'm trying to emphasize more his goodness and kindness rather than his naivety.
