Chapter Eight: Love In The Air
As the night continued on, Elena and Mateo were twirling and spinning and holding each other close. The only Royal couple left dancing, they were having so much fun together. Elena would often press herself against Mateo 'by accident' to feel close to him. Her beautiful dress shining in the lights above, truly mesmerizing. Elena was building up her courage all night to talk to Mateo, Naomi often spinning past giving a thumbs up to prompt her to 'hurry up'.
Mateo too was trying to pick the perfect opportunity to tell her firstly how he truly felt about her and about the spilt love potion.
Ok this was it. Elena was ready. As the festivities were well into the night and her feet were getting sore from dancing, she took this cue to pull Mateo aside and get a drink of fruit punch. Even though Mateo was housing a few big blisters from his boots and dancing so long, there was no way he would ever complain or pass this chance to be so close to Miss Castillo Flores.
Having a drink together out of prying eyes, Elena led Mateo over to the edge of the courtyard. Away from the dance but close enough to still see it. At this stage Mateo's lip quivered as he thought this was Elena's version of letting him down easy and saying she wasn't sure what came over her when she invited him to the dance. Self-doubt blew through his mind like a snowstorm in the Avaloran Mountains.
Leaning in with her wrist adorned with the beautiful corsage, Elena ever so delicately grabbed Mateo's hand and held it in hers. Feeling breathless and full of nerves, Elena knew this was her time.
Taking a deep breath in and out, she was ready "Ok Mateo, there is something I need to tell you." Instantly she saw Mateo's smile drop and turn into a lip curl that began to quiver. Elena could feel there was something wrong as Mateo's hazel eyes filled up with tears.
"Oh no! Mateo, is everything ok?!" She squeezed his hand tight.
Tears flooding his face like a burst dam, Mateo couldn't hold it back anymore. His heart on the verge of breaking, he thought he would be able to handle this but the thought of Elena saying he wasn't the one for her, he felt like he was drowning in the snowstorm that was filling up his mind.
Elena instantly knew something wasn't ok. Pulling him close she wrapped him up in her arms and squeezed him close. Letting out a flurry of emotions, the Royal Wizard trying to catch his breath on Elena's shoulder. Elena rubbing up and down the beautiful vest upon his back, she was so unsure of what had made him so upset.
Moving her hand slowly up his back she ran her fingers up through his gorgeous, brown, wavy hair and rubbed his face with her thumb.
"I'm ready whenever you are, Mateo. I'm not going anywhere" she smiled even though he couldn't see it.
Catching his breath and pulling back his poor face was red, full of tears and broken.
"It's just I made a potion and it spilt and then you ate it with your apple and none of this is real it's just a potion and I really really really like you and I wanted to tell you but you don't really feel the same…" Mateo so upset managed to get that all out in one breath.
Wiping his tears away from his face, Elena leant forward and kissed his cheek. Cupping his burning face with her hands, she didn't shift her gaze from his.
"Mateo, I asked you here tonight because I wanted too. Not because of a potion. You mean so much to me…..I think I am falling in love with you…." The Crowned Princess smiled bashfully.
"But you ate the apple that was in the sitting in the spilt Love Potion I made" Mateo said as he couldn't comprehend Elena's true affections.
"Mateo…...the apple didn't go in the potion….I sat in it…My dress wore the brunt of that all day yesterday" Elena laughed.
"Huh?" Mateo squinted his eye and raised his eyebrow in confusion as he was trying to process that the Princess just said she was falling in love with him.
"So all of this is real?" The Royal Wizard had a glimmer of a smile form as the snow began melting in his mind.
"Yes…..Mateo, I think I love you" Elena couldn't quite believe she said the L word.
The biggest smile brimmed the young Wizards face.
Looking back and forth into each other's eyes, it was time for Mateo to trust himself and show Elena he was indeed in love with her too.
Still locked in a lovers gaze….. .it
Lunging forward, trusting his heart, Mateo closed his eyes as he locked his lips onto Elena's. Feeling his heart beating faster than it has ever before, He couldn't help but kiss her luscious, red lips again and again. Those beautiful lips that instantly removed any pain that he was feeling and turning that snow storm the he conjured in his mind, into a beautiful starry night.