No Love Lost (Rumbelle AU)

Chapter 14

Halloween Part 2

Belle walked through the hedge of corn stalks, her shoes shuffling in the dirt.

"Robert," she whispered, "where are you?"

She heard a rustle in the leaves. "Robert?"

Belle chuckled when she heard footsteps moving away. She followed the light of the lanterns that illuminated the dark brown earth. Belle stopped to look up to see nothing but twinkling stars scattered around the black sky. The soft wind blew her hair back as she closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh air, simply taking in her surroundings for just a moment when...

"Ahh!" she shrieked. Someone had suddenly grabbed her waist from behind. Belle laughed as she turned to see her husband grinning like a fool.

"Boo," he said.

She playfully slapped his chest. "Stop doing that! We have to find our way out of here. You got us lost."

Robert grinned. "How did this even happen?" He looked around for any sign of a new clue.

"Maybe because you can't seem to stop messing around, trying to scare me and all," Belle pointed out laughing.

"True my dear," he said. Squinting a bit, Robert then pointed a finger ahead. "What's that?"

Belle whirled around and giggled. "Oh, you've found a basket of treats! Maybe we're closer than we think." She smiled, took his hand, and led him over to the candy basket. She reached into her crossbody purse and unfolded a brown bag the school provided all participants of the maze. Belle grabbed a couple candy bars and a packet of Skittles while Robert read the slip of paper hanging over the basket handle.

Beware of the crying crow

Near the barnyard is where you go.

What the hell? Robert thought. He looked around, not seeing a sign of any barnyard. He didn't even understand what a crying crow was supposed to be.

"So...is it left or right down that path?" Belle asked.

"I'm...not too sure."

Belle sighed as she read the clue again. "Let's just walk ahead. Keep your eyes and ears open for a barn or a crow." She slipped her fingers through Robert's and they continued their walk, with Robert swinging his cane back and forth.

"What is a crying crow supposed to be?" he wondered.

"I don't know," Belle answered. "Maybe it's a black bird in a cage. And if we see it...it's not the right way to go?" She shrugged, unsure.

Robert grunted. They had been running around the maze for a little over an hour and as fun as it was with Belle, he was starting to feel antsy. Not to mention how beautiful his wife looked tonight, her porcelain skin shining by the light of the moon and the lanterns that stood on the ground.

"I can't believe we've only found one basket so far. We're really bad at this," Belle said. She smiled at Robert and he couldn't help but notice how flushed and radiant her cheeks were. She ran her tongue slightly over her red, glossy lips and Robert took a deep breath as he felt his stomach flutter.

Oblivious to his behavior, Belle let go of Robert's hand and looked both ways of the opening, trying to decide whether to go left or right. She stood on her tiptoes, trying to find any sign of a barn, perhaps the tip of the roof. The tall corn stalks didn't really help her view.

Meanwhile, Robert stood a few feet behind, digging his cane into the dirt, and watching his wife. His eyes moved down the back of her short poncho hoodie and the bum of her jean shorts. Belle turned to face him, her sharp blue eyes boring into his brown ones. She bit her lip.