the prince and the peasant | skephalo | DISCONTINUED

leisurely stroll

The next few chapters are going to be Darryl's POV :O I feel like these last few chapters have gotten repetitive, so more stuff is going to happen in the next few. This chapter is going to be kinda fluffy and have some cute moments that focus less on the love triangle drama ( the beginning touches into it but the majority of the chapter doesn't )

~Darryl's POV~

I never intended to replace him.

I still don't consider him replaced.

Lately, my time has been unevenly split between Vincent and Zak. It's hard to balance it out, oftentimes one friend gets more attention than another. Vincent feels as this is unfair since we've been friends for so long yet it's hard for me to decide who my true best friend is.

We've had a rough patch in our friendship these past days. It's taken time for our friendship to go back to how it used to be. After Vincent confessed his feelings for me, I couldn't think of him without the scene of him leaning in to kiss me replaying in my head. I still think of Vincent as a friend and only as a friend, but the kiss confused me.

After that talk - the one where he explained what it's like to fall in love - I can now confidently confirm that's how I feel with Zak. Even the thought of him made my heart go crazy. He wouldn't escape my mind, ever.

But just because I think of him more, that doesn't exactly mean he's my best friend, not above Vincent. They're equal. It would be better that way if they were. No need to worry who likes who better. Though I constantly reminded myself of this, I couldn't get it to stick. Just because I may or may not have a crush on Zak, that doesn't mean he's above Vincent friendship-wise, right? If anything, that makes Vincent more of a friend and Zak less than one.

But that's good. I don't want Zak just as a friend. I want him more than that. All of this still needed time to be sorted out. My feelings for Zak didn't feel right. Even if I knew for sure I liked him, still I wondered why. Why do you fall in love? I never had before so, what makes him special? My heart fought with my mind. Something that happened way too much recently.

———

It's a cloudy Sunday evening when I hop out of the shower. It may have been the shower's temperature, but I felt feverish. The weather has only been short of rain lately. I knew the outdoor air was chilled, so maybe it would be a good idea to go outside and check out the kingdom before the rain fell.

My breath heavies. I pull out a causal outfit that was fit for casual strolling through town. Made out of comfortable cloth, I put on a black jacket. Zipping it up, I plan on grabbing money but find it more ethical to not. The money could go to better use for my family's food. I massage my hand to my head, leaving my mind's thinking rate slow as I make it to the front door.

"I'm going out for a bit," I call out, hoping my parents would be able to hear me from wherever they were.

I remember to take my keys, not wanting to be locked out in such breezy weather. The skies were dull, no stars, no sun. Just misty airs and dark gray clouds that overcast the skies. The bummed-out weather affected the townspeople too. Even the most interesting of citizens and shopkeepers grew banal today. No caring, "how are you" or "good evening" could be found. Just a point and nod was the most you were able to get out of an interaction.

Everything was off.

"Jeez," I mumble to myself, trying to ignore the side-eye I was receiving from curious walkers. Or maybe it was my appearance. Or the way I dressed. Or the way I presented myself.

The stroll felt calming without all the loud bustle or loud roars of laughs that would usually chime through the streets. Yet it didn't fulfill my satisfaction. I had come out to cool down. Instead, the mix of hot sweat from earlier and the present gentle wind only produced the feeling of sheer discomfort.