Hello beautiful people! Here is Chapter 7. Don't forget to hit that favorite button, follow button, and of course leave me a comment so I can feel all warm and fuzzy.
CHAPTER 7
Jay knocked on the door in front of him. It opened immediately and he watched as a head of red hair emerged. Closing the door behind her, Antoinette finally turned around completely. He stood still, simply gazing at her. Her hair had been brushed out into delicate waves that surround her face rather than the tight ringlets she usually wore. Antoinette wore a jean skirt and yellow shirt with sleeves widened at the end. To say that he couldn't breath was a bit of an understatement.
"Jay, why are you turning red?" Jay released a sigh out of his nose, while Antoinette lifted an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Um, I just, ahem," Jay cleared his throat. "Where are we going exactly?"
Antoinette smirked.
"You'll see. Come on, it's not too far from here," Antoinette explained. He followed after her and found a taxi waiting outside for them.
"Where to, toots?"
"To the Harbor, sir." He nodded to them. Antoinette started to look at the lush green passing by her. Jay glanced over at her, unsure of how to get a conversation going, mainly the conversation.
"So, um, what's the Harbor?" Antoinette turned to him, a light blush crawling on her cheeks.
"It's called Belle's Harbor. A lot of people want to go there and they do, but the Queen and King have this private piece that only members of the royal family or close personal friends can get into."
"How did you become so close with the royal family?" Jay asked, mildly curious himself in the answer. Antoinette glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. He smiled at her.
"Chad and I used to play together when I was little, and Belle and Aunt Cinderella are really close, being able to speak French together and talk about going from rags to riches stories and such. They complain about their husbands and children over tea and such. Anyways, Belle would come to visit Aunt Cinderella and one time when we were really little they had come to visit us. Well, not us, Aunt Cinderella, Uncle Henry, and Chad, I was there because my parents were out of town. Baking convention. By the end of the day, I had become the all time hide and seek champion between me, Chad, and Ben," Antoinette finished with an amused grin. Jay stared at her for a moment too long, liking just a little too much her smile. Antoinette frowned at him, and touched her own cheek.
"Is there something on my face?" Jay pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
"No, just, the whole time I've been here I don't think I've seen such a genuine smile." Antoinette hated being a redhead, mainly, because of how easily she blushed, including when a guy like Jay gave her a compliment.
"Not to interrupt, but we're here, lady." Antoinette turned to the taxi man, and handed him a few bills. Jay opened the door and slid out of the door, holding it open for Antoinette.
"Thanks." Antoinette slid out and took Jay's hand. "Come on. There's a spot I really want to show you."
The two walked in silence, Jay watching the waves chase after one another in a game of nature. He heard the seagulls cry out in joy, and smelled the salt of the world untouched by him. The sand felt odd against his shoes, as if he could not walk properly, as if each footstep was too heavy.
"Over here!" Jay hadn't realized that he had stopped, he glanced around in a daze and saw her there. Antoinette's red hair had brightened in the natural sun, and her smile matched the radiance of the shining star.
Jay walked over there, unsure of what he would find with this girl he was supposed to be manipulating. She was bent over, digging around in the sand. Finally, she stood up right just as he appeared next to her.
"This is a pool. It's low tide right now, so that means that the ocean isn't as high as it could be. I like to come here, because it's so private. The animals, too!" She said, finishing with a chuckle. Jay looked at her confused.
"What animals?" He asked her, unsure of whether it sounded silly or not. Antoinette frowned at him.
"Here. Let me see your hand." She gently took his hand and guided it to the small pool in the sand. They eventually squatted down to reach easier. The water glided over his hands, a lot like scarves and fabric that he would take from those foolish enough to wear them on the Isle. It was colder than he anticipated, and he wasn't sure whether he liked it or not. Antoinette reached in with another hand, and picked up a small creature shaped like a star.
"Here. This is one of my favorite creatures. A starfish. It doesn't do too much, but I like them because if they were to lose a limb they simply grow it back. I think they're amazing little dudes," she said, gently placing the little critter into Jay's hand. Jay lifted his hand to get a better look. It had little bumps all over its body, and was sticking to his hand.
"Well, what do you think?" Antoinette asked. He looked up to see her closely looking at him.
"I don't know," he said, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them. She giggled at him, and gently took the little starfish off of him and placed it back into the tidal pool. Antoinette stood up, and Jay took that as his que to follow her. She had been staring out at the water.
"Ready to go swimming?" She said. Jay looked at her, and she was pulling her shorts down.
"I, uh, don't know how to swim." Jay felt foolish and embarrassed to say something which seemed to be a common occurrence in Auradon. Antoinette glanced at him, before giving him a gentle smile.
"We won't go far." She grabbed his hand, and neither mentioned how perfectly they fit with one another. She led him to where the sand became darker from the water, Jay watched the water just barely touch him before he stopped. Antoinette walked another step before she realized Jay was no longer following her.
"What is it?" She asked. Jay took a deep breath before smiling at her, and taking another step towards her. They shared a smile, and Antoinette dropped his hand to tug her shirt off, revealing underneath a two piece yellow polka dot swimsuit. The two continued until the water was about half way up their calves.
Jay watched the little fish swim around his toes, he curled them under so the little beasts couldn't get to them. Every wave knocked into him, but not the fish, trying to knock him down. The sun was low in the sky, not necessarily a sunset, but starting to get closer to the end. Eventually, the two ended up back on the beach, sitting on the sand with very little care in the world. Jay glanced over to the girl with red hair. Reaching out, he pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. Antoinette turned to him.
"Are you going to kiss me, Jay?" She blushed first, and then widened her eyes, apparently shocked she would say something. Antoinette turned away from him to focus on the sun and waves.
"I would like to," Jay said. Antoinette turned towards him, and he leaned in. Jay had kissed plenty of girls on the Isle. He's had all sorts of kisses. Hungry ones. Sleepy, morning ones. Daring ones. However, a kiss from Antoinette was gentle, as if she and he both wanted nothing more than to kiss one another till the sun was completely set.
Her lips were softer than others he had kissed, and he was worried Antoinette may not like his because of how rough they were. It was this thought which made him pull away. She blinked at him. He blinked at her. She smiled then.
Then she began laughing.
He blinked at her again, confused by her reaction.
Antoinette laid on her back as her laugh subsided.
"I'm sorry. I'm not laughing at you, it's just. Your kiss was exceptionally better than the kisses I've shared with others. People kept telling me, I should be careful around you, but," she paused, "that's the first time in a long time I've felt so free."
Jay burrowed his eyebrows.
"Kissing me makes you feel free?"
"Well, when you phrase it like that, it kind of just sounds silly. I suppose I feel free because it's the first time in a while where I got to do something I really wanted to do." Jay leaned over her.
"I suppose my next question is: do you want to kiss again?"
"Mmmmm, maybe a little bit." She looked over at him slyly. "Do you want to kiss again?"
"A little more than a little bit," Jay said, smirking.
"Yeah?" Antoinette said, an amused flicker in her eye. He hummed his response as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer. Closer. Closer. Until their lips met, and then a phone rang.
"Oh geez!" Antoinette screeched. Antoinette started fumbling with the phone while Jay watched her in amusement.
"Oh my gosh! The news conference! I have to get back to the school to get dressed," she said in a mad dash towards where they laid their clothes. She shimmied her shorts up, and by the time Jay had gotten to where she was she had already gotten on her shirt.
"Antoinette, we'll get back in time. Just take a breath."
"I know. I just-I have to hurry, and I'll call a cab!" She started rummaging through her bag frantically. It had to have been buried at the bottom. She had thrown the phone in her bag carelessly when putting on her shirt. Antoinette continued the frantic search only to be stopped by two hands. Jay settled his hands on her shoulders, grounding her to where she was.
"You said this beach was connected to the castle, right? Could you go up to the castle and change? Maybe the Queen has something for you to wear?" Jay asked. Antoinette stared up at him in curiosity and shock. She never would have thought.
"That's a good idea." With those words, they began the short track to the castle.
Queen Belle sat in her private chambers that were connected to the bedchambers shared with her husband. Once a walk-in closet for the former queens, Belle had had it transformed into a private library instead. Filled with nothing but books and a small table where she and her Beast sat and listened to each other read as they did when he still had the curse. Queen Belle touched the table in front of her, the seat across from her had been empty for the past several months. He was busy helping their son in the final stages of the coronation. Yet, Queen Belle could not help, but feel the selfish desire of wanting her husband to sit across from her once more.
Turning her head away from both the thoughts and the table she looked out the window adjacent to their sitting space. Down below two figures were walking up to the castle, she raised an eyebrow when she recognized the red hair. She reached into her pocket of her dress and dialed the number listed under Antoinette's name. Belle watched for a moment as the young girl fumbled around in her bag, listening to the persistent ringing.
"Your majesty, I'm about-"
"To enter the castle through the back entrance, I can see you from my window. Are you planning on changing into something a bit more presentable?" Belle didn't mean to sound harsh, but Antoinette held herself to a higher standard than most of the citizens, the queen had recognized the same in herself from a long time ago. After all, an outcast will hold their own expectations above everyone else's just so they can prove the others wrong.
"I was hoping you might have something available for me," Antoinette hesitated. Belle smiled. It would seem whoever the girl was with had started to get her using her head.
"I'll send someone down to fetch, of course your friend won't be able to enter the castle due to the conference."
"Yes, ma'am. I'm well aware, after all I was the one to suggest the public not be able to enter the castle for this specific conference." Belle smiled. Antoinette's confidence had surely grown. She was curious to see what had transpired to this particular growth spurt. The queen hung up, and immediately sent people down to the two teenagers.
"I'm sorry about this," Antoinette whispered, she hugged herself, and refused to look at him. Jay turned to her.
"Hey." He placed his hand on her shoulder turning her to him. Antoinette glanced up at him with big, sad eyes.
"You're this super important person for Ben. I get it," Jay finished with a smile.
"Sometimes I wish I wasn't though. It would make things much easier." Antoinette wasn't looking at him anymore, rather she was staring out into the ocean, memorized by the waves. How simple nature seemed at times. Jay brought his knuckle under her chin, and brought her attention back to her.
"I'm serious. You're someone Ben really cares about." Antoinette searched Jay's face before sliding her face down to his knuckle so she could feel his hand caress her cheeks. Jay stroked her cheek gently.
"Miss Antoinette?" A voice called out behind her. Antoinette pivoted swiftly. Behind them was a castle worker, dressed in the blues and yellows of the nation. The man raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Queen Belle has asked me to fetch you. Your," he paused, unsure of how to continue, "friend here already has a cab waiting out front for him."
Jay cleared his throat.
"That was quick," Jay mentioned, slightly suspicious.
"Young man, we're talking about royalty here," the man said. "Come along, miss, the queen is waiting for you. Young man, please follow the path here to the front."
Before Jay or Antoinette could say anymore, the man had started to whisk her away towards the castle. Jay glanced around to see several military individuals watching him carefully. He sighed, before doing as told. He really hated Auradon.
"Miss Antoinette, as you requested Your Majesty," the man said. Queen Belle looked up at them from her spot at the table in her private chambers.
"Thank you. If you could fetch the dress we had discussed, please." The man nodded, and then left.
"Ma'am, I can explain. Jay and I-," The queen held her hand up to pause her.
"Don't forget, I was also young once. Adam and I used to walk those same beaches." A faraway look came over the queen as Antoinette stood there.
"Madam, the dress." The queen turned and took the dress from the man, nodding at him to leave. He bowed slightly and closed the doors behind him.
"Undergarments are here as well. You should get dressed quickly." With this, the queen left. Antoinette changed quickly, and tugged at the skirt of the purple dress. The dress itself was a cute design, with little cap sleeves and a sweetheart neckline, the length went almost all the way down to her knees.
A knock on the door captured her attention.
"Come in." The queen re-entered with her arms full.
"Oh, good. It fits," Queen Belle said. She gave Antoinette a pair of matching purple pumps.
"This looks nice on you. It compliments your skin tone well."
"Thank you, your majesty," Antoinette said. She was happy Jay's suggestion worked out well. Queen Belle handed Antoinette a necklace of a gold chain, and a purple and gold hair pin.
"Are you ready for the conference?" The queen asked. Antoinette tugged at her dress, and fixed her hair pin.
"As ready as I'll ever be," she said with a smile. Afterall, this conference would be Antoinette's last.