We left the hotel, and went for a walk down to a stream that ran under a small wooden bridge. The air was still a bit chilly, but not as bad as that night when I arrived to the village. There was a soft breeze that blew a fresh scent of the cooking from the restaurant.
"So Romeo and Juliet huh? I don't think I have met anyone who would purposefully put themselves through reading that."
"What exactly do you mean?" I asked indignantly. He raised his eyebrow.
"You are honestly telling me that you read it through from cover to cover, for fun, multiple times."
"Yes and what is wrong with that?" Be very careful what you say next dude.
Mom brought me up reading the classics and Romeo and Juliet was the one that caught my eye. I was always attracted to the concept of two star-crossed lovers who die tragically, and by doing so unite their families. I think it is beautiful.
"Two reasons: One, it is about a hormonal-raged teenagers who kill themselves over a crush, and two, it is boring."
I clutched my chest dramatically, "How could you say that! The story is one of the best of classical works ever written."
"Your 'classical' work is basically a bunch of sexual innuendos stuffed with dead people made for drunken Elizabethans." He bluntly stated as we came to a stop on top of the bridge. He leaned on the bannister.
"Ok, fine, I will give you that point." I crossed my arms, my back resting on rail. He gave a snort, and a small tug of a smile pulled at his lips.
"I like it when you smile." The words came out before I could stop myself. Really, Belle? You met him, like, yesterday and you are already flirting?! You are seriously…
"Then I shall put it on more for you." He replied, interrupting my internal dialogue.
Oh God, did he just flirt back with me?
"I hope so." I returned the smile. It was then felt that I was Juliet: a girl who had a connection with a boy she had just met, a boy whom she couldn't possibly have because of his stupid family.
I never had any experiences with crushes before, except for the occasional fictional one. That was something that happened to other people and in books. There really weren't any people, anyway, for me to fancy. I never felt the need…that was until now.
We watched the river flow in silence and I was at peace, yet there was something I wanted to say.
"Ya know...this is the first time that I actually spent around people my age who like me." The breeze picked up a bit, whipping my hair in my face. "South Africans always pride themselves on being accepting of other people, yet I never felt that acceptance. Even when I stayed in the library, the staff always treated me coldly. They had to put up with me because my ma was the head of them. To everyone I was a freak because I spent more time with fictional characters than I did with humans.
"And it is the same here as well. At one point I really thought I was insane because everyone avoided me like the plague, except for Gaston, who doesn't really want me, he just wants to have the accomplishment of finally catching me. Anyway the point is that I just want to thank you, for everything."
He looked away, uncomfortably. I suppose that very rarely was someone grateful to be with him. He pushed away from the rail.
"I am going to bed" was all he said as he left me on the bridge.
XXX
Plumette regarded me with a tiny tight nod the next morning as she came out the bathroom. She shuffled her feet in stilted movements across the room. I couldn't hide the enormous grin that crossed my face.
"It's not funny." She scowled at me, well as much as the hangover allowed her too. I dropped my book on my lap.
"Yeah, you are right. It isn't funny." I said with all the seriousness in the world.
"Thank you." She went and searched in her purse for some aspirin, groaning as she bent down.
"It is bloody hilarious." I chuckled.
"Shut u…ugh too loud." She clutched her head. "What did I drink last night?"
"I don't know, but it made me run away with Adam, so it must have been strong." I got up and opened the curtains. Plumette recoiled when the light hit her. I rolled my eyes as I handed over her pair of sunglasses. "Here, put these on."
She grabbed them and let out a sigh of relief when she put them on. "Wait, did you say that you ran away with Adam? Like you actually spent time with him…alone!" She gaped in disbelief. She must have been seriously drunk if she forgotten that she did intrude on our little heart to heart the previous night.
I gave a nonchalant shrug, "It was either that or listening to you doing the dirty with Lumiѐre, so yeah, I didn't exactly have much of a choice."
"Yeah, but Adam! The guy who hadn't spoken as much as a word to your face since we met, the guy who just spends all his time brooding. That's the guy who you spent time with?"
"He is not a bad person, well besides the fact that he dissed my favourite play, but never mind that." I took my glasses off to brush my hair. I wasn't going to tell her that he nearly played 'Pin the knife on Belle', that would be like betraying him. He told me his secrets in the utmost confidence and I wasn't going to break that trust we built. "Under all that brooding, he sweet and almost kind." My voice went into a dream-like state.
"Let me get this straight," She massaged her forehead, "you spent time with him and you think he is sweet? I don't think it is what I drank that's the problem."
I ignored her as I tied my hair up in an one-up and one-down style. She eyed me as I continued my ritual. I pulled out a tube of mascara from my toiletry bag, "He may be coarse and unrefined, but he really his just unsure. That is all." I applied it to my eyelashes.
"Girl, you have been reading too much Shakespeare." She tutted, as she cautiously put on her black cardigan, "No-one speaks like that, unless they are singing in a Disney movie or they are…" she gasped as the realisation dawned on her. "No ways!"
"What?"
"You have a crush on him, don't you?" She placed her hands on her waist. I raise my eyebrow and scoffed.
"I do not! All I am saying is that there is something there that wasn't there before. That's all. You just being one of those teachers who read way too much into books that we read at school…" I started to prattle.
"Uh, huh, right then. I am going to get some breakfast. Speak to me when you have stopped being weird." She stalked out and shut the door behind her. I softly sighed as I threw myself back on the bed.
Ok then. I actually might like him. This is a bit new, because I never had a crush on real person before, and I am a bit alarmed about it, like what the Hell am I to do? I mean he's no Prince Charming, let's be real. Could this actually work? I mean, who'd ever thought that this could be? Ahhh, oookkkkk, I see what Plumette means about me sounding like a romantic novel.
Ag! What am I going to do?
I know that this was a short chapter but I couldn't leave it out!
Anyway, so I need advice from my readers out there. I am in a bit of a pickle. I have to decide if I should redeem LeFou (like the 2017) or he should get his comeuppance (1991). I would be very grateful for your comments!
Love from thecapefangirl
