Here is the new chapter! And it is slightly longer in length compared to the previous one. I hope you like that. Please enjoy.
Per usual, replies from previous comments can be found at the bottom of the page.
Disclaimer: I don't own Candy Candy manga and all the characters in it, but the talented Kyoko Mizuki does. This fic is a product of my own twisted imagination and inspired by Mizuki's masterpiece. If any of the plots, specific scenes, or dialogues appears to be similar to that from another fic or story, it is purely unintentional and coincidental. 'Great minds think alike', after all.
The characterization in the fic is based on the Manga and not the Anime.
Acknowledgement: As always, my heartfelt gratitude goes to my diligent beta readers, who have given invaluable feedback and suggestions. Thank you. :)
And last but not least, I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to read my stories and write a review. Again, thank you for your patience. My sincere appreciation goes to you. :)
Ninety Days
By forever
Day 55: Misconstrued Perception
Huffing a puff of air in exasperation, Candy stood holding a glass in her hand while her eyes surveyed the crowded dance floor every few seconds or so. It was past eight o'clock, and the party at the Stephens' Mansion was in full swing. She had remained standing in the same spot for quite some time now, absentmindedly listening to the chatter from her new group of friends. When Darren had led her away from the dance floor some moments ago, he had suggested that they should get some drinks, and she had agreed right away. So both of them had moved closer to the refreshment table. Then, not too long after that, a group of young people who seemed to be quite familiar with Darren had joined them, and taking the initiative, Darren had introduced her to the group. It didn't take long before they had become engrossed in a conversation.
Initially, she had thought she could refrain from brooding over Albert by interacting with other people, just like she had done earlier when she had danced with Darren, whom she had found to be quite pleasant to talk to. But in spite of the welcoming nature of her new acquaintances, she just couldn't respond to them in the way she normally would. With each passing second, it became more and more difficult for her to maintain a cheery disposition, especially with Albert's face persistently appearing in her line of vision. She finally decided that she should probably leave now before her new friends learned that she had been too distracted to actually participate in their talks.
After taking the last sip of her sweet punch from the glass, she cast a rueful smile and excused herself, claiming that she needed to find Dr. Martin, which wasn't the truth at all.
Darren then attempted to stop her from leaving. "Candy – would you like me to accompany you? I can-"
She quickly interjected, stopping him short, "Thank you for the offer, Darren, but it's not necessary." Then, passing him a grateful smile, without waiting for his response, she maneuvered her way out of the crowded room and ambled across the corridor.
She had a completely different picture than this when she had enthusiastically relayed Dr. Martin's message about the party to Albert. What had happened? Everything had seemed fine earlier when they had just arrived, but right after the dancing had started, things had gradually fallen apart. It seemed she had let her imagination run too far. What had she expected? Dancing the night away with Albert? She sneered at herself. That would've happened only in her fantasy.
Her steps slowed as she stepped inside a seemingly empty room to her left at the end of the hallway while she resumed her train of thoughts.
Despite the fact that Albert had kissed her hand last week, she didn't want to permit her mind to construe the action as a proof that he reciprocated her feelings, and subsequently she had rationalized his action simply as his gentle way to soothe her wound. Interpreting his intimate gesture as merely nothing would've been a simple feat if her heart were made of stone. Unfortunately, it wasn't.
The more she spent time with him, the higher the propensity for her to allow hope to creep into her mind. How could she not? In a heartbeat, his dazzling smile had managed to destroy the barrier, which she had erected to protect herself, into heaps of crumble before his warm and soothing voice enticed her senses, coaxing her to relax and just immersed herself in his closeness. Then, before she had realized it, hopeful thoughts began to arise in her mind, and the very thoughts had compelled her to run to the foyer almost every night wearing her brightest and biggest smile to welcome him home.
Regardless of how he truly felt about her, she was glad that their seemingly stale friendship had been revived somehow. Since last Saturday, when they had spent their time together in the park, just enjoying each other's company, something that they hadn't done in a long while, their bond had strengthened further. And just as he had promised her, he had been there by her side as best as he could nearly every day of the week.
However, tonight it appeared that he might have forgotten his own promise. From what she could observe earlier inside the main hall, he had been too preoccupied consorting and twirling merrily with other female guests to even notice her. She knew that she was probably just being irrational and couldn't deny that it was most probably jealousy that had given rise to her sullen mood.
"Candy - what are you doing here by yourself?" A deep male voice suddenly jostled her out of her musing.
"Dr. Martin!" she exclaimed spontaneously, spinning around to find the old doctor standing by the corner with his back facing a wall that was lined with rows of bottles of different sizes and shapes.
She didn't expect to see anyone here, let alone her old mentor. Wasn't he supposed to be having a reunion with his relatives? As she observed him, she couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something suspicious about the way he was smiling at her. She made an attempt to scrutinize his face, but the distance separating them and the subdued lighting in the room hindered her effort.
"Where's Albert?" the doctor asked at once, taking a few steps closer toward her.
The second she heard the name, her heart skipped a beat. "He…" As she bristled with her answer, something protruding from underneath his jacket caught her attention, and it didn't take long for her to figure out what it actually was. "Hmm… is that a bottle of whiskey?"
Upon her forthright question, a nervous chuckle was expelled from his mouth. "Huh? Really? Where?" He asked, feigning cluelessness, while twirling to the left and to the right.
She rolled her eyes and extended her hand, her index finger pointing at the object. "Umm… Right there inside your jacket pocket."
He scratched the back of his head and shifted his weight to one foot, letting out an awkward laugh without looking at her directly, "Well, you see, I… Uhm…"
Seeing him struggle to come up with a proper explanation, she crossed her arms and shot him a stern look. Why couldn't he just admit it? The evidence was there staring at her face.
A high-pitch female voice suddenly interrupted them, "Your name is Candy, isn't it?"
Before her brain could even process a reply, a young woman with auburn, long curly hair, about a few inches taller than her, had suddenly appeared in front her, grinning from ear to ear.
Who is this woman? Candy tried to recall the face from her memory to no avail. The woman had a flawless complexion with a pair of bright blue eyes. "Umm… Yes. That's how most people usually refer to me, " she answered while giving the woman a polite smile, and then she asked bluntly, "And you are?"
A look of horror crossed the woman's face, as her already large eyes opened even wider. "I'm sorry for neglecting to introduce myself. I'm Sharon. Sharon Eggen." The woman briskly grabbed her hand with both hands and shook it with vigor. "You can just call me Sharon."
While her mind attempted to register the name, out of the corner of her eye, Candy could see Dr. Martin taking a few steps back in an inconspicuous manner. But before she could even react, the stealthy old doctor had briskly pivoted and walked away from the parlor.
Deciding to let her old mentor go, Candy redirected her attention back to the unfamiliar woman in front of her, pulling her hand away from the woman's grasp. "Nice to meet you, Miss Eggen. I apologize for my rudeness - but do I know you?"
Miss Eggen let out a stream of giggles. "Oh… Sorry… Perhaps I startled you with my eagerness, but I just couldn't help it." The red haired woman placed her hand over her mouth as another stream of giggles was being emitted from her mouth.
Candy began to grow impatient and threw Miss Eggen an irritated look. With her current mood, she just didn't have the capacity to deal with Miss Eggen for much longer. She considered fabricating an excuse so that the strange woman could leave her alone.
After a few seconds, Miss Eggen had finally regained her composure and explained, "No you don't know me, but I know your brother."
"My brother?" The word escaped Candy's mouth in a loud exclaim as Miss Eggen looked at her with puzzlement dancing in her blue eyes.
"Yes - Albert… " Miss Eggen told her with uncertainty in her voice. "Do you have another brother?" Without giving her a chance to respond, Miss Eggen continued, "Is he as wonderful as your brother Albert?" The woman's blue eyes began to wander away out of focus as she stared dreamily into space. "But Albert… Oh… He's so handsome – what a true gentleman..."
But at that moment, Candy hadn't paid attention to Miss Eggen's daydreaming. As soon as she had heard Albert's name and the word 'brother', she felt like she had just been struck hard as she stood there agape. It took her a few moments before she could finally manage to raise her voice through her constricted throat, "Excuse me, Miss Eggen." She forced a smile on her face. "Who told you that I am Albert's sister?" she asked, punctuating the word sister.
There was a look of surprise on Miss Eggen's pretty face as her perfectly manicured brows rose up sharply. Miss Eggen then turned her head to the side, letting out a small laugh, and said with ease, "While we were dancing earlier, your brother himself told me, silly."
"I see… " Candy uttered weakly. She had thought that perhaps Miss Eggen somehow had either speculated or heard from Dr. Martin that she was Albert's sister. But it turned out that hadn't been the truth. Apparently, it was Albert himself who had volunteered to divulge the information - that she was his sister. She was devastated. To hear the confirmation that Albert had thought of her as his sister from someone else's mouth made the effect more pronounced and painful.
"For a moment, I thought you were his girlfriend. How relieved I was when he explained to me that you're actually his sister…" Miss Eggen continued her rambling but everything had gone unnoticed by Candy as her mind went off on a tangent.
Suddenly, Miss Eggen's incessant prattling was interrupted as a group of three unknown women marched in hurried steps toward Candy and Miss Eggen, calling Miss Eggen's name in loud enthusiastic shrieks. Miss Eggen could only manage a brief apologetic smile at Candy before the other women whisked her away, dragging her out of the room.
But much to Candy's displeasure, as the women made their way out of the room, her ears inevitably caught bits of their loud chatter, and she could clearly tell that all four of them were gushing about a certain charming blond man. It seemed everyone in the party was so excited with the idea of having Albert's company - everyone but her, that was.
As she breathed deeply to appease her agitated mind, she then noticed how peaceful the atmosphere in the room was compared to minutes ago. At least, now she could feel relieved since she didn't have to spend another minute accompanied by the sprightly Sharon Eggen. It was almost a sure thing that the lovely Miss Eggen would ultimately try to gain her favor since she was supposedly the sister of the man Miss Eggen took fancy in. But talking about Albert with another woman she barely even knew while the said woman continued making sparkly eyes and giggling every few seconds was not her idea of fun, especially tonight.
Her eyes scanned the sight of the now empty room and spotted the rows of bottles being displayed in the bar area. She was so tempted to steal a bottle of whiskey for herself, but then she remembered she had sworn off alcohol about two weeks ago and had promised Albert to refrain from it. Besides, her experience with that particular substance hadn't been great. As she deliberated what to do, she heard distinct footsteps moving closer toward her before a familiar voice could be heard.
"Dr. Martin told me that I would find you here."
She couldn't help but feel affected by the gentleness in his tone as her heart palpitated furiously against her chest. But as soon as she recalled her earlier exchange with Miss Eggen about a certain 'brother', her temper flared. Instead of turning around to face him, she only threw an irritated glance at him over her shoulder. "I thought you've forgotten that your sister is still here," she retorted, without bothering to tone down the sarcasm in her voice.
"Huh?" was his only answer.
At the moment, she just didn't feel inclined to conduct a civil conversation with him. Spinning on her heel swiftly, she walked past him to move toward the doorway. She stopped her steps right before crossing the threshold and rotated to face him. He watched her with a baffled expression. "Let's go. I'm tired," she declared curtly.
Albert seemed at a loss and didn't quite grasp what she was telling him as he remained speechless in his standing place. After a few seconds, he began to stride toward her. But before he could reach her, she spun away from him and resumed her steps, walking a few feet ahead of him.
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After expressing their gratitude and bidding goodbye to the Stephens, Albert and Candy left the party. This time it was only the two of them in the car since Dr. Stephens had convinced Dr. Martin to stay overnight at the mansion. In the beginning of the journey that took about one hour, Albert had attempted to spark a conversation between them. But Candy had deliberately replied to his comment with a very brief answer, conveying a not-so-subtle message to him that she was just not interested to talk. The idea of having a jovial chat with him while her mind was in complete turmoil hadn't been particularly invigorating to her.
"I see that you've made new friends at the party."
"Yeah…"
"The gentleman who asked you-"
"Darren."
"Is that his name? He seems like a nice a guy. Did you enjoy dancing with him?"
"Uh huh…"
"Do you think you'll meet him and your other new friends again?"
"Maybe."
After some time, he had become weary of her passiveness and had eventually given up.
For the remaining duration of the drive, Candy feigned drowsiness and pretended to be asleep. She knew that Albert must be confused, wondering what was the reason for her to suddenly be upset at him, but for the time being, she just didn't want to explain anything to him. Plus, she rather stayed mute, shutting her mouth tightly, since she was quite sure if she were to say anything, the words that flew out of her mouth would be drenched in bitterness. It wasn't easy for her to keep up with the act of being sound asleep while battling with unpleasant thoughts that assaulted her mind, but somehow she managed to do it.
More than forty five minutes later, when they had finally arrived back at home, she acted as if she had just woken up. Without saying anything, they then exited the car and walked to the front door. He opened the door wide, stepping to the side to allow her to pass by. Swiftly, she entered the house and was about to head straight for her room.
But all of the sudden, he caught her by the elbow in mid-step, preventing her from moving further. She stood frozen in shock while his other hand held onto her other arm as he gently rotated her around to face him.
"Is everything okay?" he asked, leaning toward her.
As her eyes rose and met his, she found herself being mesmerized by the gleaming blue orbs in front of her. But before she let herself get swept away by their powerful aura, she averted her gaze from him abruptly. Then, jerking her arm free from his hold, she replied in a sarcastic retort, "Why wouldn't it be?" As soon as the word had left her mouth, she was instantly hit by utter remorse. She had done it again, acting like an immature brat.
He let out an audible resigned sigh. "Candy - if there-" Whatever he was about to say was halted when she cast a pleading look at him.
"Albert - I'm really tired," she uttered in a weak voice, straining a smile to form across her lips. The flash of dejected look on his face poked at her heart, but she forced herself to ignore it and added, "I just want to go to sleep now. Good night."
Without waiting for him to respond, she walked away with quick strides while fighting the urge to spare a glance at him, yet she somehow managed to keep up her calm demeanor until she flung her door open and went inside her dark bedroom.
However, once the door was shut to a soft click, she let her mask fall, shattered to pieces. She sorely wanted to throw something against the wall and screamed out loud to unleash her frustration. But she knew she had no right to do that. Who was she to Albert? Apparently, from what she had been told, to him she was just his little sister. She absolutely had no reason to be angry with him. None whatsoever! It would've been easier if she could just silence the cry of her heart entirely. Unfortunately, that was just not possible.
It had been a week since her disastrous adventure in the kitchen. What she had foreseen could've been another lonely night had actually turned out to be the highlight for her week. Albert had stunned her by appearing so suddenly and had kissed her burnt hand. In response, while she had been in a stupor, thinking it was only another illusion that had been conjured in her mind, she had almost kissed him.
The fortuitous circumstances had forced her to re-evaluate her feelings, and in the end, she had arrived at the conclusion that she couldn't deny anymore - she had fallen deeply in love with him.
Since early in the week, when he had appeared more often at home, she couldn't prevent hope from growing bit by bit within her. The precise time might have been last Saturday, when he had taken her on a casual outing, strolling down the main promenade in the town center, which was followed by an impromptu picnic in the park. And the one thing she couldn't forget from that day was when he had gently reminded her of their agreement that they had made some time last year to share everything. It had felt like he had pleaded for her to completely rely on him, almost as if he had asked her to entrust herself to him. Since then, she had endeavored the thoughts that, perhaps deep inside, he was somehow quite fond of her and not just in a fraternal way.
However, what had happened tonight confirmed that her assumption had been just a silly wishful thinking. Obviously, he hadn't seen her as more than a friend in the past, and now it had been revealed that he had indeed treated her like his own sister. She realized at some point she must accept the cold hard reality that Albert and her would never become a couple.
Nevertheless, it was impossible for her to pretend that her heart wasn't bleeding, because it clearly was. But she knew it would heal eventually and she would make it through, just like she had always been, with Anthony, with Terry. It should even get less difficult as time went by and the pain would diminish somehow, not hurting her as much as now. And then when it was finally time for him to leave, she could bid him goodbye with a gracious smile on her face. Yes, she would be just fine and would persevere like she had done in the past.
In the mean time, as long as Albert was still nearby, beneath the guise of friendship, she could still find comfort in his presence, basking in his gentle and caring nature. Love was about spending time with that special person who held your heart, making each precious second count regardless of how that person truly felt for you.
Then without warning, a wave of overwhelming despair crashed over her, dragging her under its powerful current and drowning her in a bottomless sea of anguish. Is this how an unrequited love feels like? A drop of tear glided down her cheek slowly and fell right onto her arm.
Just for tonight though, she would allow herself to sob her heart out to sleep.
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In the narrow corridor right outside Candy's bedroom, Albert stood in silence in front of the door while staring down at the floor. He had to count to ten in his head before he was calm enough to regain his normal breathing pattern. After a few moments, his head rose slowly. He faced the door and released a long sigh in defeat before a look of determination crossed his face as he stepped back. Throwing one last lingering glance at the door, he began to move away from there and slowly padded across the dark hallway toward his room.
Candy was upset, and without a doubt, he could tell that it was him she had been upset at. To his frustration, he just didn't know why or what had he done. She had appeared fine at the beginning. It was only later when he had found her in the parlor that her mood had dramatically shifted.
He had been fully aware that she had faked her sleep in the car, but he had decided to let her be at that time, considering that he could use the time to appease his turbulent mind. But when she had practically fled him as soon as they had been back at home, he had nearly lost his composure. He had been extremely tempted to just barge through her door, grabbed her petite frame to him, and kissed her passionately until he could wipe off the perpetual scowl from her face. But in the end, he hadn't acted upon his carnal instinct. The last shred of what was left of his clear conscience had successfully stymied him from committing such a vulgar act. Normally, he was a very calm and collected man, but lately, it felt like he had been walking on thin ice. His self-control was dwindling, and his emotions were ready to erupt at any given moment. And this was all because of a woman.
Right at that moment, he noticed he was only a few steps away from his bedroom's door. He then took one more step forward, but instead of opening the door, he just stood there abstractedly, heaving a wistful sigh.
At times like this, he wished his sister were still around. He could definitely use some practical guidance from her on how to understand woman better. Due to the strict upbringing that he had been subjected to, his interaction with other people had been severely limited. The truth was that he had never been involved in a serious relationship with any woman in the past, let alone sharing a house with one. The only thing that had been drilled into him with respect to treating his female counterpart was that being a true gentleman was an absolute must, but obviously, adhering to that protocol alone hadn't been enough. Based on what he had experienced so far, not only that he needed wits, but also immense patience and unlimited amount of endurance.
Tonight, Candy had once again managed to put his mind in a complete frazzled state. It had already been difficult enough for him to watch her being held intimately by another man, and now he had to endure her aloofness. The one thing he couldn't bear was when she gave him the cold-shoulder. He remembered her being grouchy just a few weeks ago the morning after she had let herself become drunk. At that time, he had easily justified her atypical behavior to her hangover. This time, however, was a different story.
The way she had behaved last Saturday in the park and all through the week had fueled his earlier perception - that she had begun to harbor more than just friendly feelings for him. Because of that, he had somehow believed he was at least one step closer toward conquering her heart. Yet an unanticipated situation at the party tonight had pushed him to step back. It had been rather aggravating to let another man woo her right under his nose, but he had been left with no choice. What could he do though? It wasn't like he had any right over her – they were not even a couple. But when he had perceived her warm response to her companion as he saw her smiling sweetly at the dark haired man, he felt he had committed a crucial mistake, wishing he hadn't let go of her at all.
Nonetheless, he wouldn't let one occurrence distract him from his current pursuit. Everything that had happened tonight had already passed, and there was nothing he could do about that. What he needed to do now was to recoup his loss and redeemed that missing step back. The first thing he should do was to figure out what had caused her mood to change drastically. Her reserved and standoffish manners didn't reflect his previous assumption that she had truly enjoyed the party, and that notion only corroborated that things were not always as they seemed.
Tomorrow he would find out, and he would ensure that she would provide a satisfying answer to him. With his current state of mind combined with her stubborn evasiveness, they wouldn't accomplish much if he had pursued to speak to her anyway. Besides, it was already late, and they had had a long day, considering how their day had started since early in the morning. They would have plenty of time to talk tomorrow evening. He should be back at home from the office before dinner. Feeling some semblance of peace, he opened the door and went inside his room.
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Albert stood up from his chair as he finished drinking his cup of tea. Once he was done, he carried his dirty ceramic plate and cup and placed them carefully over the sink. He had been up since the predawn hours. Sleep had been a great challenge for him last night as he had found himself lying wide-awake on his back facing the ceiling for hours, ruminating about a certain young woman, before fatigue eventually made him doze off. But his sleeping had been light. Not long after that, he had been awaken again. Knowing that it would be futile for him to attempt to go back to sleep, he had left the comfort of his room to begin performing his morning chores.
Glancing at the clock, he realized that he couldn't dawdle much longer there. He had to leave soon, especially if he wanted to be back before dinner time. Due to the party last night, he had left his office much earlier than usual yesterday, which meant that now he had a pile of documents to review. He was grateful that George had offered to help, and because of that he shouldn't make his assistant wait for him too long.
He then went to his bedroom to retrieve his briefcase. Before exiting his room, he pulled a piece of paper from the desk drawer and wrote something quickly. After he finished writing, he folded the paper and carried it with him as he made his way to leave his room. He approached Candy's room and stood quietly in front of it before bending down to slip the folded paper underneath her door. There was no clear sign whether she was awake or not. Unlike last time, in the morning after her drunken antic, he opted against entering her room and remained standing outside.
As his hand rapped at the door lightly, he spoke against the door, "Candy - are you awake?" He paused briefly and waited for her reply, but he couldn't hear anything that would indicate her being alert.
Yet despite the brief note that he had left for her, he felt it was necessary for him to inform her in person, so he continued, "I have to leave now to attend some work-related matters. I'm sorry I won't be able to eat lunch with you, but I should be back by early afternoon. I will prepare dinner for us tonight." There was another pause in his speech as he listened through the door, checking just in case he had woken her up with his voice.
After a few seconds of silence he then said, "I have breakfast ready for you in the kitchen. I'm…" A deep sigh escaped from his mouth as he wasn't even certain what he had been about to say just now. "I'll see you later, Candy," he finally uttered in a half whisper before turning on his heel swiftly, walking away from there and heading straight to the front door.
A few minutes after that, random noises could be heard from behind the closed door.
Inside her bedroom, Candy yanked the blanket away from covering her face. She had heard every single word Albert had said. But she just didn't have enough courage to face him yet.
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It was a little bit past three when Albert finally made it back at home. As he entered the house, his lips curved up in a satisfied smile. He was quite pleased with what he had been able to accomplish at the office earlier. On top of completing some of the unfinished tasks from Friday, he was able to finish working on documents that he had planned to work on Sunday. Because of that, now he could modify his plan for tomorrow. Instead of having a picnic in the meadow nearby the house, he could take Candy for a drive to the National Forest and do a hike there. He couldn't wait to tell her his plan, but before that, they needed to have the conversation that had been postponed since last night.
It was rather imperative that he and Candy talked today. If he had to drag her out of her room, he would. He didn't know what had happened. Everything had been great between them these last few days. They had spent a lot of time together at home and outside, just relishing in each other company. When she had received Dr. Martin's invitation, she had been so excited telling him about it. At first, he had been hesitant to attend any type of social gathering, considering how he loathed the feeling of being surrounded by strangers and that he would have more than plenty of such event to attend after he assumed his position as the Patriarch of Andrew. But after a little persuasion from her, he just couldn't say no. He couldn't bear to disappoint her and be the one who took the sparkle of joy away from her beautiful emerald eyes. At that time, she had appeared fine, and her good mood had seemed to be preserved while they had been on their way to the party as she chatted happily about various topics.
Strolling in the living room, he removed his jacket and draped it over the back of the sofa as he continued his reflection over last night's event.
During the party, once the dancing began, he had debated with himself whether he should ask Candy. But he had worried that they would somehow end up in a compromising situation, and if that happened, he doubted he could restrain himself like last time. He was still unsure what to do when out of nowhere a young man, probably a few years older than her, had approached her. Soon after that, the man had escorted her to the dance floor.
He hadn't expected that he would react rather strongly – he didn't like witnessing her dancing with another man, not for one bit. If it hadn't been for the years and years of training to repress and mask his emotions, he would've marched to the dance floor and snatched her back from the man. In the end, he could only watch from the sideline, choosing to cling tightly to his principle of conducting proper behavior.
What had ensued next was something that might have not happened at all if he had been more decisive. While he had been too absorbed tending to his bruised ego, somehow, without him being completely conscious of it, he had agreed to dance with one of the female guests, and the next thing he knew, he had found himself on the dance floor. His concentration had been divided during the dancing, as he couldn't keep his eyes from looking at Candy and her partner. But along the way, he had lost track of her.
Darn him and his penchant for being a gentleman! In the end, he just couldn't' refuse when another woman had politely asked to dance with him. And then right as he started dancing, Candy decided to make her reappearance. At that time, he just wanted to finish the piece and ran back to her. As the music slowed down to a quick recess, his dance partner asked him a couple of general questions to which he had replied politely, but she inadvertently stood blocking Candy from his sight. When the woman finally moved away, Candy was not there anymore.
Just as he was about to move away from the dance floor, a woman with striking hair color approached him and requested to dance with him. This time, he had tried to refuse in a polite manner but that was before she started begging him. To prevent an unnecessary disturbance from erupting, he had no option and ended up fulfilling the woman's plea. He wished he hadn't though since the red haired woman, in contrast to his previous dance partners, was very talkative, and she just couldn't stop talking from beginning to end. He mostly responded to her blather with a nod or an incoherent mumble. But when the woman out of nowhere asked him point blank whether the young woman he had arrived with at the party was his girlfriend or not, he was completely taken by surprise, blurting out Candy's name involuntarily. Then before he could say anything as he was still grappling to produce a proper answer, she abruptly apologized and said that she must have mistaken his sister for his girlfriend. He really couldn't respond to her at that time – Candy was definitely not his sister. But since the woman seemed to be in a calmer state after that, he had decided to leave it at that.
Thankfully, that had been his last dance for the night. That night, he had ended up dancing more than he had ever danced before in the past. The worst part was that none of them had been with the one woman he had really wanted to dance with. After he had successfully freed himself, his main goal was to find Candy. However, Mrs. Stephens had intercepted him right when he was about to exit the main hall. Thereafter, he found himself being dragged and then introduced to a group of young people. If it hadn't been for Dr. Martin who had walked in on their conversation, throwing a casual remark that hinted to Candy's whereabouts, he would've been trapped there for a while. Fortunately, that hadn't happened, and he eventually had located where Candy had been.
Just then he realized that it was very quiet inside the house and there hadn't been a sight of her. He proceeded to cross the main living area to the dining room. His head turned toward the kitchen, his eyes scanning the perimeter around the space. She didn't appear to be in there either.
"Candy!" he called out, but after a few seconds had passed, there was still no response.
Automatically, he darted toward her room. The door was slightly ajar, and clearly she was not inside. Where could she be? As he made his way back to the main living area, he noted that Pouppe was also missing. At that instant, he knew where she could have been. Candy must have taken Pouppe out for a walk in the woods. After donning his jacket back on him, he went outside from the kitchen side door and began to move toward the gated fence that opened up to a narrow dirt path leading to the woods. That was when he heard soft mumbling.
He halted his steps instantly and swiveled his body in the direction of the voice that sounded like it had originated from the backyard. Slowly, he advanced closer to the back of the house. As he rounded the corner of the building, the corners of his mouth lifted into a contented smile when his eyes caught sight of Candy's back with her lush blond curls cascading down over it. She was sitting on a large boulder with Pouppe lounging right next to her.
Taking a deep breath in an attempt to control the sudden rush of excitement, he took another step, but the next words that came out of her mouth made him freeze in his track at once.
"It was his loss if Albert didn't want to dance with me, right Pouppe? I still have my Prince of the Hill I can dance with - who needs him right now?"
To Be Continued
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I would love to know what you think. So, please don't hesitate to send me your feedback. -forever-
Author's Remark:
This seems to be a really good place to leave this chapter at, don't you think? ;) Now it's obvious that both Candy and Albert have made wrong assumptions about each other. But at least, Albert is quite firm about his decision and won't let the assumption stop him. But how about Candy? What will Albert do now? Will he tell her that her Prince of the Hill is right there right by her side? Will they finally have a heart-to-heart talk that they both truly need? Stay tuned for the next chapter. -forever-
And just in case you're interested and you don't mind spoilers, the new teasers has been posted in my wordpress blog.
References/Notes:
One thing that you might have noticed is that how these last two chapters have taken place around the same day. Well, that's very true, and I have to say that the same trend will continue for at least another two chapters. Am I slowing down the pace of the story? Not at all. As a matter of fact we're about to cross the halfway mark toward the end of the story.
Replies to comments:
Guest M - Thank you for reading. Yes, there are a lot of materials despite the short length of the last chapter, and that's the main reason why I've decided to keep it that way. As for Albert, now you know why he didn't dance with Candy. ;)
keilanot2 - Thanks I'm glad you like the story. I'm sorry to disappoint you but as you can tell, he didn't dance with her. Maybe next time. ;)
GG - I don't know what to say - I'm impressed. We seem to think along the same wavelength. You're absolutely right. That small conversation between Albert and Candy is a subtle reference to his past. I have always pictured him as a very lonely person, who has so much burden to carry, and his life would've stayed monochromatic if he had never met Candy. The manga never shows us how he truly interacts with other people, but I believe that he is at his happiest by Candy's side. Thank you again for continuing to follow this story, and I've truly enjoyed reading your in depth analysis on the story. :)
rowelorena - I'm happy to hear you've enjoyed the story. Thanks for the words of encouragement. Well, let's hope that Candy will open her eyes soon, but it does look like that Albert is going to give her some help. ;)
albertcraze - Thanks for reading. I'm sure he does, and it seems he's going to do something soon. ;)
Ms Puddleglum - Being curious can be a good thing, dear. Well, now you know that it doesn't look like Albert cares about the blond beauty at all, and he probably doesn't even remember her name. He has already set his target on someone else. ;)
a happy reader - I'm grateful that you liked the chapter. As you can tell from the current chapter, they both were completely absentminded at the party and were too busy trying to figure out what the other was doing/feeling. Yep - they're still doing the 'tango' around each other. Hopefully, we'll see them move toward each other soon. :)
janja8 - Haven't you heard? My new nickname is forever the tormentor. LOL! But you do agree that the torture is diminishing, don't you? ;)
Guest - Thanks for taking the time to read. I hope you like the new chapter. :)
