It was two days passed, and Candlewick was just laying in his bed that new morning, sighing heavily as he gazed with cool sad eyes up at the ceiling above his head.

It was eleven in the day, but he couldn't shake the thought of her, Isabella, from his infatuated head.

The room was empty beside himself, and he placed his hands on his chest where his heart was beating, closing his eyes gently as he thought of that smile she had given him... and how it not only brightened his day but brightened his life.

He bounced fully awake that second, as he could hear hard knocking on his door and in came Pinocchio, looking puzzled at his friend as he asked, oblivious to the butterflies in Cadlewick's stomach.

"Candlewick! What is wrong with you?"

The young crushing man only sighed, turning his head to look at Pinocchio and he said with barely a voice.

"Just... her..."

"You mean that Isabella one?" Pinocchio asked with a cheeky smile, and Candlewick's eyes flew open as he jolted up in a sitting position yelping.

"How did you know her name?!"

"You were saying it in your sleep last night," His half wooden friend replied with a sneaky grin, "Oh Isabella! Isa-Isa- Isabella!"

Candlewick went bright red in the face and Pinocchio looked over at him curiously as he asked.

"What were you dreaming about?"

"NOTHING!" He yelped back and Pinocchio only chuckled, his eyes clapped shut as he imagined the funny scene again in his head.

"But not that any of this matters anyway," Candlewick sighed out, and turned his eyes to the window and the deep blue sky outside it, "She's with Augustin... she doesn't know me... and probably doesn't care to much either."

"Hey," Pinocchio said, somehow offended by this and he slammed his hands on his hips as he approached Candlewick and replied, "I don't see a ring on her finger yet, do you?"

Candlewick only stared at Pinocchio angrily, before dropping back onto his bed and muttering out, still half-heartedly, "But I don't even have a way to see her..."

It was then Pinocchio started to smile from cheek to cheek.

"Wha...?" Candlewick asked him, not knowing what in the world the half-human puppet was thinking about.

Finally, Pinocchio couldn't keep in his giddy news any longer and screamed in glee, "DANCE!"

"Dance...?" Candlewick muttered, lost now.

Pinocchio began to tremble in joy as he grabbed both sides of Candlewick's arms and shook him exuberantly, "There's a DANCE on tonight in the community hall!"

Candlewick gazed at him silently, as a light flashed on in his head and he uttered out, more so a peep than anything else, "There's a dance?"

"And I bet you, SHE will be there."

Candlewick began to smile now, until a realization hit his head and he sighed heavily, shaking Pinocchio's grip off as he added, "So will HE."

"We can take him!"

"No, no!" His friend quickly pleaded to Pinocchio, and only turned his eye view to his own lap, exhaling heavily again and responding, "No... we can't." He sighed so despondently then and finished, "It's not right..."

There was a deep silence in the room at that moment, Pinocchio reading the sad emotions surrounding his friend and deciding to try something else to get Candlwick's butt off the bed and back into the world.

"Well, I'm still going to the Dance tonight... it's a pity you're too afraid, though,"

When Candlewick heard this, he couldn't help but feel like he was hearing his father saying that word.

Afraid...

Scared.

He could hear Pinocchio's steps walking away as the door swung open and then close again, and he shut his eyes, angry tears gathering around the corners of them before he finally shouted to the empty room.

"I. AM NOT. AFRAID!"

So what did he do? He got out of his bed.

~x~

When he arrived at the Dance hall, he couldn't believe the number of young people there. For some reason, he had pictured it being filled with senior citizens for some reason.

Pinocchio was up the top of the room and waved eagerly to Candlewick when they spotted each other.

"Candlewick!" He cheered, and Candlewick waved awkwardly back.

It was at that second that he heard a familiar chuckle and turned to his side... not believing who he saw...

HER.

She was here. RIGHT beside him.

Oh, boy...

"Isabella!" He screeched and she nodded her head softly, placing her hand on his shoulder and replying.

"Yes, that's me,"

"You probably don't remember my name-"

"Candlewick,"

Candlewick paused when she said this and nodded the same way back at her.

"Your name is quite unique," She told him warmly and he blushed just a little bit as he replied back his honest opinion.

"Probably too unique-"

"Ah! If it isn't CANDLEWICK,"

The two of them both tensed when Augustin's voice cut between them and they turned to see the confident young man, exuding an intense ego as he grabbed Isabella by the waist, and she squeaked at his sudden move, "We can't seem to shake him, can we, dear?"

"He's not the one I want to SHAKE, Augustin," Isabella said angrily, removing his tanned hand from her tight waist.

Candlewick laughed quietly at this and that made Augustin send a very cold angry stare his way. Candlewick shut his mouth tight and only uttered shyly as he pointed to the door that led out of here.

"I'll just be outside,"

"No one cares, Candlewick," Augustin snapped back and Candlewick caught one last glance from Isabella as he knew... she knew... there was something between them.

A connection that only had to be plugged in.

"Can you believe that nobody," Augustin said coldly when his old schoolmate had left, "Thinking he could talk to a pretty girl like you. MY GIRL."

"I am NOBODY'S girl." Isabella replied back in an angry torn voice and pushed away from her boyfriend as she turned to leave, "I belong to me."

Augustin's teeth were grinding as he watched her go, and he placed his hand forcefully into his pocket, feeling a small velvet case that was concealed in it.

"We'll see..." He hissed to himself and turned back to the dancing chattering crowds, "We'll see..."

~x~

Candlewick was leaning against the low wall, just gazing into the distance at the quiet sea. He sighed heavily, his eyes half-lidded in defeat but froze up when he heard someone approaching.

He thought that someone was his friend... his brother...

"Pinocchio..." He murmured and turned to face him, but tensed when he saw it was HER.

"Sorry... not him," Isabella replied back softly with a small innocent smile and she leant her arms on the low wall's top as well.

The two remained quiet between one another for a good long minute before they glanced the other's way and smiled uncomfortably.

"So... you and Augustin..."

"Yeah," She said back sadly, "Augustin and I..."

"How did that happen?" Candlewick asked gently.

"Y'know... I don't actually know," Isabella only laughed back and so did Candlewick.

"Do you love him...?"

She became so very quiet then, and gazed onto the sea in the distance, the moon shining shimmering light on top of the calm waves.

"He... he said, if I loved him I would make love to him..."

"Huh?!" Candlewick said in a confused wince and Isabella sighed, nodding her head sadly.

"I told him... to wait..."

"Till... marriage?"

"Yeah..."

The two were silent again once more and Candlewick smiled a big warm smile, as he said back then, "I would..."

"Would you..?"

"For a girl like you?" He said to her with warm calm eyes and a flutter in his heart, "Yes... am I a fool to think that?"

"Y'know, Candlewick..." Isabella said back to him, grinning shyly and placing her pale hand on his tanned one, "You might just be the smartest person I know-"

"Isabella!"

The two bounced suddenly, turning around and seeing Augustin glaring their way, his hands pressed to his hips as he looked at her furiously.

"COME. INSIDE. NOW."

Isabella glared back at him then, but when she saw his stone cold unmoving expression, she sighed weakly and came his way.

"Isabella," Candlewick said weakly back to her, his hand reaching to grab her own but she was out of proximity, and he only clutched air.

He watched her go and said to her before she left completely.

"You don't have to go with him."

I know, She thought in her heart and when the two entered back into the giant hall, Augustin pulled her to the centre of the room, and grabbed a cup and spoon, tapping the metal to the glass and everyone quieted as he began to fill the room with the loud clinking.

Pinocchio was the only person still dancing when everyone else had stopped, and the girl he was dancing with nudged him, knocking the puppet and making him realise that everyone was quiet now.

He opened his giddy eyes and looked at what everyone else was looking at. He looked at Augustin and Isabella.

"I have a very special thing I'm going to ask my girl!"

Everyone ooo'd in anticipation, and Candlewick only stood just away at the open door, watching the scene through gaps in the crowds of people.

"Isabella, I know it's only been three months,"

The girl suddenly began to realize where this was going. Her cheeks ballooned red and Augustin took that as a good sign.

"But I know THIS is what YOU and I desperately want!"

He got down on one knee, his hand going into his pocket and he pulled out the small velvet case.

Everyone gasped, Isabella frozen in sheer utter shock, and he opened it holding up a huge diamond ring that was in it.

"Isabella, will you marry me?"

"I-I-" She couldn't form her words. It was like the walls were closing in on her, a cold sweat coming over her and all there was in the room was him and her and the ring.

Finally, she shouted.

"NO!"

"No?!" He gawked back and she screamed even louder now.

"NO!"

And with that, she ran out of the room.

Augustin was kneeling there now, in total complete shock and Candlewick felt Isabella bash off him as she ran right passed at didn't dare look back.

"No?!" Augustin only growled and stood up now, glaring at the exit she had taken, "NO ONE SAYS NO TO ME!"

He looked then around quickly for the young man who had put bad thoughts and ideas in his girlfriend's head but could not find Candlewick anywhere.

He stormed out of the room in rage and after a few moments of silence, the band started back up and people resumed dancing and bopping to the beat.

Candlewick found Isabella at the pier as he had followed her worriedly. Worried she might do something stupid. But she was only sitting at the edge of the dock, crying heavily to herself and he felt his heart hurt at the sad sight of the girl.

He tapped her on her shoulder and she froze up, till he sat beside her and she quickly relaxed, but the tears still kept coming.

"Do you think me a fool..?" She asked him then, and Candlewick shook his head, not agreeing with that statement.

"I think you're brave," Is all he replied back.

"Because I do not love him..."

"Then you did the brave thing..."

She laughed in her tears and looked at him, seeing the shine that was in Candlewick's eyes as well.

"I must be brave," She said back quietly and placed her hand on his, but this didn't make him tense or freeze... no... this felt like home, "If I'm to do this..."

She kissed him gently on the lips and when they parted he slowly opened his eyes again and said with a weak smile.

"You must be very brave indeed,"

The two smiled at one another as they just held hands that dangled above the sea.

But in the dark shadows, the past boyfriend of the girl watched the two, in a furious rage. He didn't break the moment, but as he left he went straight to his parent's house and looked through the drawers in his father's office, finally finding what he was looking for.

It glinted from the moonlight, the gun did, and he replaced the velvet box that was in his pocket... with the silver of the metal gun.