WELLSPRING. TOWN SQUARE
The day's hustle and bustle are winding down. I step into the square, my eyes scanning the dwindling crowd.
I thought to myself, "She should be here soon."
Finding a bench, I sit down, my gaze still sweeping over the crowd. I pull out my pocket watch, check the time, and sigh before putting it away.
A little girl approaches me with a bright smile.
“Are you waiting for someone?”
I looked towards her and smile back at her and reply, "Yes, I am, Chio. She should be here soon."
It was Chio, on her way home after playing with Blaze. After a few more small talk, she nods and continues to her way home.
The sun was beginning to set as I arrived at the town square. The fountain, our usual meeting spot, shimmered in the fading light. I was early, as always, waiting for Lila. My heart pounded in my chest, a mix of nervousness and excitement.
"Why am I still nervous?", I thought to myself.
Then, she arrived. Her face lit up when she saw me, and my heart skipped a beat.
As Lila approached, I stood up,
“Lila, you look lovely today.”
She blushed slightly,
“Thank you, Kai. You’re looking quite handsome yourself.”
We sat down by the fountain, the cool water providing a soothing backdrop to our conversation.
“How was your day, Lila?” I asked.
“It was good, Kai. Work was a bit hectic, but I managed,” she replied with a small smile.
“How about you? How was your day?”
“Same as usual, nothing out of the ordinary,” I responded, trying to keep my tone casual. I didn’t want her to know about the constant worry that gnawed at me.
We exchanged greetings and fell into our usual rhythm of conversation. I listened to her talk about her day, her dreams, her fears. I offered words of encouragement when she needed them, all the while keeping a watchful eye on her. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that she was in danger.
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We were continuing our usual talk, with laughter and fun when suddenly a GROWL interrupted in between.
I, blushing replied, “Sorry, that was my stomach.”
I lowered my head looking towards the ground. I could feel my cheeks heating out of embarrassment, when I heard a small chuckle. I looked at Lila, who had a small smile on her face.
She took out a basket which she always brought with her and asked me,
“Kai, did you have lunch?”
Lila asked, her eyes filled with concern.
“I had some leftovers from last night. My cooking skills are improving,” I responded, trying to lighten the mood.
“That’s great, Kai! But you don’t have to eat leftovers all the time,” she said, reaching into her basket.
“I brought some food for you.”
She handed me a small package wrapped in a cloth. I opened it to find a sandwich, it looked delicious.
“This looks amazing, Lila. Thank you!” I said, touched by her thoughtfulness.
“How does it taste?”, she asked with a concerned look on her face.
“Hmm…the taste is good, but I think the cook still can improve!”
“Is it so…”
“Yeah! Anyways, why did you ask that?”
With a low voice, barely heard she said, “I am the cook…”
“You said something?”, I looked at her, while still eating the sandwich.
“I said…I am the cook…”
I stopped midway, before taking another bite and looked at her.
. . . . . AN AWKWARD SILENCE
(WAHH!! If I knew she made them herself, I would have road of compliments about the sandwich! What should I do now!?!?)
While I was in deep thinking about what to say next, I had a small tug on my sleeves.
“Huh?”, I looked towards my sleeve and saw Lila warmly smiling at me.
“Thank you, for the compliment.”, she smiled as she said so.
“I always bought them, but I was shy to give you so I always took them back with me and ate them later myself...", she said so while blushing, looking the other way.
"I shall work hard on making it taste good.”
Didn’t knowing what to say, I just laughed a little,
“You don’t have to. It’s already good the way it is.”
She just starred me at me after hearing me say so.
“Hey!”, I waved my hand in front of her.
“Huh?”, she startled a little but came back to her senses.
“Something wrong?”
“Nope, nothing.”, she smiled with a slight blush on her face.
We continued our talk for some time, laughing, smiling and soon it was night time. I took her back at the mansion but rather than going my own house, I kept my watch on her from a far.
Our meetings by the fountain became a part of our daily routine. With each passing day, I felt our bond growing stronger. But the unease never left me. I knew I had to protect Lila, but I didn’t know what from. Even with that uneasiness, seeing her smiling happily, I couldn’t help but smile as well.
If only I could understand the feelings I had back then, maybe That Thing would never have happened.
One day, as we were parting ways, I noticed someone in the shadows. I went a little ahead after sending Lila back and went back there secretly. But this time, instead of watching over Lila, I went to find that person and I found him as well. A young man, around our age, was watching us. He was dressed in fine clothes, his posture screamed of privilege. It was the Duke’s son, Gendry Vespertine. I had heard stories about him, none of them good.
As he disappeared into the crowd, a sense of dread washed over me. I knew then, our peaceful routine was about to be disrupted.