Chapter Ten
It was a Sunday morning, and Aurelia was already awake by five o'clock. Today was the day of her Engagement Party. Her mother, who also couldn't sleep due to her building excitement, was flitting about her bedroom, preparing Aurelia's outfit for the day. While in town, they had shopped for hours, trying to find the best dress that they possibly could during times like these. Good shops were limited, and those few rare shops that did contain some nice clothing, were extremely overpriced. Eventually, Aurelia's mother had settled for a dress that fell to just below the knee (respectable for a bride-to-be), that was made of silk, and flowed freely from the waist, where there was a dark green bow, tied at the back. Over her shoulders, she wore a matching dark green cardigan, and on her feet, she wore shoes with a low heel. Fussing over Aurelia as if she were still an incapable little girl, her mother uttered very few words, apart from the occasional remark on Aurelia's beauty. Tying her hair back with a cream bow, in a half-down style, she obtained an innocent demeanour; her rosy cheeks adding to her doll-like looks.
After a few hours of getting ready, and waiting for her mother's appraisal of decency, Aurelia was given permission to finally go downstairs, and see how the servants had transformed the garden. Walking out into the broad daylight, the first thing that caught Aurelia's eye was the incredibly blue sky.
"Has anyone ever seen a sky so blue?" she wondered to herself, jumping as someone replied to her rhetorical question.
"Yes. Once. It was my... Let me think... Do you think you could help me to remember? You were there after all... Oh yes! That's it! My tenth birthday party. The one where you fell in the lake and I had to save you? I offered to give the nearly-drowned girl, you, Aurelia, mouth-to-mouth; but no... 'Boys are icky'".
Suddenly everything around Aurelia fell silent, and the landscape surrounding her faded, as all she could see were the familiar chocolate-brown eyes that she had missed so dearly. As if in a trance, Aurelia walked up to him, putting her hands on his broad, muscular shoulders, closed her eyes, and leaned in...
"No", he whispered, their mouths just centimetres away from each other. Taking hold of her hand, he lifted it so that it was between the two of them. He pointed to the ring on her finger. "This isn't the ring I gave you", he said under his breath, hurt and regret clear in his voice. His eyes suddenly seemed to fill with tears, as he blinked, looking down at his feet, "I thought not", he mumbled, a single tear running down his now porcelain-white cheek. He kissed her hand lightly, and ran.
Aurelia stood there, looking after him. She could see him running further and further away, his figure shrinking until it was just a dot on the horizon. And then he was gone. Hagley had disappeared from her life once more.
***
She must have been standing there for a long time, as the next thing she knew, she was wrapped up in the arms of Charlie, him kissing her neck. She felt nothing. Hagley had gone again. That was all that mattered. Looking up into Charlie's eyes, currently the same colour as the sky, she felt nothing. No tingles, no excitement, no love. She just saw eyes; not a soul longing to be loved. In Hagley's eyes, there was so much meaning. When they were younger, Aurelia used to be able to judge his mood just by looking into his brown eyes. With Charlie, she saw nothing.
She pulled away from him. He pouted at her, begging for her to kiss him again, but she stood there staring at him like he was a complete sranger - which he was. She was marrying a complete stranger. Sensing Aurelia's distress, Charlie quickly changed his playful expression into a concerned one.
"Aurelia?" Receiving no response, he waved his hand in front of her blank eyes. "Darling, talk to me!" She looked up at him, still a blank expression in her eyes.
"Darling?" she said questioningly.
"Yes, my silly little goose! I see the pre-wedding nerves are having a severe effect on your memory?"
"No. I am just... Um... Thinking."
"About?", he said expectantly, starting to look a little worried.
"Our engagement", she said flatly. His previous uneasiness turned into full-on anxiety, as he desperately embraced her, trying to convince her that she loved him. Her tense shoulders eventually relaxed.
"I love you, okay? And you love me", he said to her firmly.
"Okay", she repeated uncertainly. After an awkward silence that lasted a few minutes, guests started to arrive, creating a merry atmosphere to replace the uneasy one. Charlie wrapped his arm protectively around his bride-to-be, weaving through the crowd, trying to greet everyone there.
The small orchestral group that they had hired to play started up, as people took their seats, ready for the scrumptious meal ahead of them. Aurelia quickly became her usual outgoing and chatty self again, as she tried to make small talk with those around her. Charlie kept hold of her hand for most of the afternoon, as Aurelia showed the mesmerizing ring off to the guests who had gathered round. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see girls giving her harsh looks, as they batted their eyelashes adoringly at Charlie; desperate for some male company. Every now and again, Charlie would peck her on the cheek, sometimes even on the lips, resulting in many 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the spectators. She could see now that, while she may not be doing the right thing for her heart, she was doing the right thing for the people of the town and the surrounding areas. Their upcoming wedding would bring happiness to people. They could forget about all the chaos around them, and focus on the joy of a wedding. Not only would it help the people, it would help Charlie. It would bring him joy.
Looking up at Charlie, she saw the excitement, love and trust in his expression. She moved onto his lap, and kissed him. It was a gentle but meaningful kiss, that caused many a guest to swoon. She felt no sparks, but perhaps a slight tingle? Why is it that she could not go back to when they first kissed? When all that mattered was them - there and then. Hagley had disappeared from her thoughts, but he was the only thing in them now. Perhaps if she was given enough time, she could learn to love Charlie as much as he loved her.
He needed the joy.
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Hey Readers!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter... As you can see I am a little torn between the two men... Suggestions?
Love you guys! <3 xxx
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Diminishing Love
Romance"My heart may break, but my love will never diminish" Set in the midst of the chaos of the Great War, Aurelia, our heroine, must learn to live without her beau, Hagley, when he goes to fight for his country... But then she meets Charlie. As she fall...
