This house arrest situation was proving to be rather difficult for Ella.
Her step family was relishing the suspension, however, as they openly enjoyed seeing Ella busy and miserable. They made sure there were plenty of dishes to wash and tons of clothes to clean and dozens of meals to cook. They worked hard to ensure that there was always a task for Ella to do, and three more chores after that. The only upside was that she now looked forward to her outdoor chores, such as feeding the animals and cleaning the chicken coop because it meant that she got to leave the house, even if for a few fleeting moments. It was depressing to see the home that Ella once cherished become a house that acted as a prison.
What made Ella the most distressed was that she could no longer go out into the town to buy groceries, which meant that she could not see her friend Greyson. She considered sneaking out in the night, as she had done before. However, the price of being caught was much higher now. Ella wanted to avoid any possible extensions to this misery, a month was bad enough. She was very concerned that she had no way of telling Greyson the reason for her absence. She did not know the exact address of the bakery, so she could not write to him. He must think she was ignoring him! Avoiding him, even! This thought made Ella's heart sink. She valued Greyson's friendship more than anything, and now she was in great danger of losing it.
As Ella folded the Tremaine's extravagant clothing, she thought of her baker friend. She thought back to their last encounter. She thought of the great fun she had learning how to bake. She thought of how she felt when she was encased in his arms...
Ella shook her head abruptly to get herself out of the memory. Where did that come from? The young woman felt very awkward. She had been feeling some strange things in her stomach, a feeling as if there were a thousand butterflies in her. An odd feeling, but strangely it felt nice. It arose when she thought about Greyson Fitz.
She had caught herself remembering his touch, when they danced, when he held her as she wept, and when he taught her to bake. She thought of his always-eager smile whenever she walked into the bakery. She thought of his hands, always worn, covered with flour, and outstretched for her.
Ella did not know what to make of these thoughts, and to be honest, they confused her. She was very firm on her belief that she and Mr. Fitz were merely good friends, nothing more. However, she could not help but fantasize of a life where they were more than that. A life where there were no stepsisters or stepmothers, a life where the two could see each other as often as they pleased. They could dance every night in the bakery under the moon's glow. They could sit and talk about whatever they want, whenever they wanted to. They could bake together and hold hands and Greyson could even make their wedding cake, exactly as he had done so before for their client, only this one would be special because it would be their own.
The ringing of the service bells awoke Ella from her daydream and her cheeks flushed to a deep red. What foolish thoughts! Even if Ella did harbor feeling for the baker there was no telling whether he felt the same. She knew there was absolutely no chance of this, especially not after this unexplained absence. Ella decided to shove the thoughts out of her mind for good as she dutifully continued with her laundry.
On the other side of town, Greyson was having a rather difficult time. Sure, business was doing tremendously as it always had, but there was something missing from his life. Or should he say someone? It had been a very long time since Ella had been to the bakery. He had started to worry about the reason.
Was it something he said? Was it something he did? Was she just tired of him in general? Had she found a better friend? Greyson's mind did backflips, searching for an answer.
He had thought that their last encounter had gone well, wonderful even. They got to spend practically the whole day together. He remembered how nice it was to have her in his arms as they prepared the dough. He remembered how he would easily get distracted because he would be admiring her brilliant blue eyes. He especially remembered the feeling he got in his heart whenever she was near him. It was a soft and warm feeling that made him feel like he was glowing. Greyson absolutely hated to admit it, but he was falling for Ella.
He knew that this was a lost cause, however, as he slumped over the counter at the bakery, waiting for customers. Even if he did have feelings for her, he knew that Ella could never have feelings for him, no matter how kind-hearted she was. He was just a baker. However much he adored it, he knew that baking wasn't the most glamorous profession. Most women he knew only had eyes for one man: the prince. And he was certainly no prince. For one thing, he didn't look the part. His hair was always messy, no matter how hard he tried to tame it. He loved to wear his father's old, worn out apron and simple, plain shirts as opposed to the elegant trappings of royalty. He always had flour on him, for goodness sake! He could never hold his own when measured up against the prince, or any member of the royal family for that matter. What girl would want him? He certainly wasn't deserving of someone as wonderful as Ella.
And now she was gone. She had left him. Greyson put his head on the counter and groaned. His heart ached to see her again. If he could only speak to her, then just maybe they could work out this confusion together and continue their grand friendship.
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder." This was something that Greyson's mother had told him once when his father was away for business. And boy was Greyson understanding that concept right now.
But he decided to pick himself up and try to continue through life. He had a business to run after all, and a hefty stack of deliveries to make. The baker grabbed his orders and headed out the door.
With Ella's suspension, all of the usual groceries and things she got from the town now had to be delivered to the Tremaine's estate, which was a bit more expensive and took a longer bit of time. Ella had now been accustomed to answering the door at any moment's notice, as she had no control over what the Lady Tremaine decided to order. She was in the upstairs of the house, putting away newly pressed dressings when she heard a knocking at the door for the fifth time that day. However, she had her hands quite full, causing the lady Tremaine to make a difficult decision on whether she should answer the door herself or risk Cinderella having to put the freshly clean clothes on the ground. In the end, she put aside her pride and opened the door.
On the other side of that door was a man carrying three boxes. He was of medium height and had a stocky build. His hair was the color of fresh mud and though it was short, it still had enough length to look unkempt. It was peppered with baking flour. Around his waist was an apron, also dusty with flour, as were his hands and face.
Tremaine scoffed at his disheveled appearance. "What do you want?" She asked in an icy tone.
The man held out the boxes. "I'm from the bakery, miss," he said kindly. "I'm here to drop off a delivery of loaves and breakfast pastries to this location. Are you the lady of the house?" He asked politely. Tremaine narrowed her eyes at this boy.
"What do you think you're doing? Step back! We can't have you in the house! You look like a mess. Do you think I can have another mess in this household?" She said aggressively, causing the man to take a few quick steps away.
"I'm sorry, madam," he said softly.
Ella had just finished putting away the clothes when she went downstairs to see what all the fuss was about. It was not uncommon for the lady Tremaine's elitist attitude to cause her to act quite cruel to those who brought the deliveries. Although, to be fair, Ella had never seen the woman act any differently. When she got downstairs, she stopped abruptly as her breath caught in her throat. Standing in the doorway with boxes of bread was none other than Greyson Fitz.
Greyson heard someone in the house coming down the stairs and when he looked up to see who it was, his jaw dropped. Ella. This was Ella's house. This was Ella's stepmother. This was Ella's terrible, terrible stepmother. He was putting two and two together slowly. When she caught her breath and smiled at him ever so slightly, as she was still quite surprised, he knew. He knew she wasn't avoiding him by her own decision. No, she simply could not leave the house. That was why he had to deliver their bread.
Tremaine snapped in his face, pulling him out of his train of thought. "Boy!" She shouted. Greyson shook his head as took his eyes off Ella. He heard sharp giggles as he saw two gaudily dressed women in the background. Ella's stepsisters. He now had visual reference to all of the awful stories Ella told about them. They were every bit as terrible as he pictured them to be.
Suddenly, Tremaine noticed that Ella had finished her current chore. "Cinderella!" She snapped. "What are you just standing there for, you stupid girl? You have much more work to do! Go downstairs and sweep the fireplace! Make use of yourself!" She commanded. The stepsisters' giggles turned into a fit of laughter and snorting as Ella took one final, longing look at Greyson before she said, "yes madam," and went away to the next room, as to see if she could maybe just hear Greyson's voice just one more time without Tremaine knowing.
Greyson felt himself grow cold and angry. "Do you really think you can talk to her that way?" He snapped. The stepmother raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?" Her voice deepened.
"Do you really think you can talk to that woman that way? What gives you the right to treat her as such? She is not garbage! She is a human being! She's so much more than that, even! Yet how can you feel that you have the right to speak to her in such a barbaric manner? You ought to be ashamed of yourself!" Greyson exploded.
Tremaine had had enough. "And what gives you the right to speak to me at all?" She screeched. "Look at you! You're nothing but a pathetic bakery boy! Your appearance is appalling and you have no right to speak to someone of my dignity! I know how this world works and I know how my household needs to be managed. You, boy, are nothing but a lowlife, disgusting, peasant, just like that girl! You don't deserve respect!"
Greyson was fuming. His face was stone cold. His grip on the boxes tightened until his knuckles turned a bright white. The things he wanted to say right now...
But he couldn't. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't. Ella may still be in earshot. The last thing he wanted was for her to witness him lose his temper, to hear him yell even louder, something that very rarely ever happened. Instead, he pushed the boxes into Tremaine's arms and walked away, not desiring to stay to even accept a payment. Tremaine simply smiled at her win and shut the door, placing the boxes on a table and retiring to her room.
Ella sat against a wall in the next room, covering her open mouth in pure shock. She had never heard nor even thought possible that such a cold, aggressive tone could come from Greyson. It sounded so unlike the soft, caring voice she was used to hearing. It was very unusual, seeing her family and the baker interact. It was an indescribable feeling of discomfort. It was like trying to mix oil and water, the two forces were just so opposite. Ella felt her heart swell, however, at Greyson's bravery. He had stood up to Tremaine on behalf of her, a task Ella knew she could never do on her own. He had defended her. He cared for her. It made Ella smile ridiculously. It seemed that their friendship was not lost after all. In fact, it felt stronger than ever.