Blooming Red Rose: Chapter 11
The sun was shining and Belle was in a good mood. Yes, her true love was now going off with some floozy, but Belle had a date. She was kidding herself. She knew that Dr Whale was not her type. There was no connection with him. But she thought she might as well make the best of it and at least give him a chance. Belle had been embarrassed by her reaction to seeing Rumpel and Tina. She would never have just walked up to someone and kiss them like she had to Dr Whale, but she wanted him to see. Hoped that he saw.
Belle clambered down the stairs to open the library. She went about her usual tasks. Filing books and sent out requests for books that people had inquired about. A box had arrived with some previous requested books. Belle was going through her list, ticking the ones that had been requested and put them to one side to give to whoever had asked for the book.
Distantly in the library she could hear some music. Intrigued, Belle left her clipboard on the counter of her desk and went further into the library to investigate. No one had been in the library all morning.
'My eyes adored you… Though I never laid a hand on you, my eyes adored you…'
Belle pulled a face hearing the words to the music. She came around the corner of a shelve and the music got louder.
'Like a million miles away from me… You couldn't see how I adored you…'
Searching the shelves, she came to space in the books where a tape player was sitting. Belle carefully pick it up from the shelf.
'So close, and yet so far… My eyes adored you'
Pushing the stop button on the tape player, Belle turned it over in her hands and inspected it. She giggled to herself, speechless at how Whale could have gotten the tape player into the library without her seeing or hearing him. She was about to walk on, when she noted there was a note sitting on the shelf. It must have been sat underneath the tape player.
Belle picked it up and unfolded it to read it, 'Your heavenly scent breaks my resolve, suffocating me when you leave'. She could not help the long deep sigh when she finished reading his note. The man she had spoken to last night would never have given her the impression that he could write such heart felt notes. He fumbled his words. Belle spent the majority of the time finishing his sentences for him. It may not have been helped by her planting a kiss on him beforehand, but she had expected him to be able to hold some sort of a conversation with her. Especially if he was going to the trouble of sending these notes.
The library door jangled open. Belle quickly made her way back to the main desk. She had not expected to see him.
"Ah, Belle." Rumpel flash her one of his smiles. She automatically smiled back at him and then chastised herself as she shook the smile away.
"Yes, Rumpel." She was polite. "What can I do for you?"
"I'm looking for some books on garden flowers. Mostly on garden roses." He stated moving closer to her.
"Yes, we have some of those. They're down that aisle and then on your left on the back wall." She pointed to the aisle on her right, the tape player in her hand.
Rumpel gestured towards the tape player. "What are you doing with that?"
"Oh," Belle drew the tape player close to her chest and walked around her desk to put it out of sight. "Nothing. Just something Dr Whale left for me."
"Dr Whale?" Rumpel stopped dead in the mouth of the aisle she had indicated and spun on his heels. "Left something for you?"
"Yes."
Rumpel's eyes went wide for a second before returning to his journey down the aisle. "If that's what you want!"
"What?" Belle frowned at his comment.
"If that's what your heart wants, then I'm happy." He said before reappearing with some books. "I'm glad you've settled and are following your dreams." Belle did not know how to take his words. She had an itch. An itch that there was more to what he was saying. He had a very knowing look about him. Rumpel placed the books on the counter and then dug inside his suit jacket to pull a library card out of his inner pocket. He placed it on top of the books. Inspecting the books presented to her, she opened each one and stamped them.
"Didn't realise you were into gardening." Belle said to him.
"Needed a hobby. I couldn't really leave town for the last 28 years." He gave her that grin. The grin that melted her. The one that tugged at the corner of his eyes.
"Yes." She said scanning his library card. Belle pushed the books towards Rumpel and held his card out to him. His fingers brushed over hers. Instinctively she bit her lower lip as the touch tingled up her fingers. She looked up to meet his gaze but he was already leaving.
"Bye, Belle." He smiled at her again backing into the library door to open it and then was gone. The door clanked as it closed. She sat back onto the stool behind her. How did he do that?
*Song credit: Frankie Valli - My Eyes Adored You*
