𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚎 - 𝚋𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚌𝚝 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚘𝚗

𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚎𝚗

Benedict's giddiness started to weigh in as soon as they reached the grassy toll, his mother led them down the dusted path, and Eloise pulled her hair, and moved her head exactly to cover her face to avoid any unwanted suitors, whilst Benedict's interest kept peaking at the sun, even grumbling to Colin about how he could see Florence and an elephant in the inadequate clouds.

Colin had tried to disagree but Benedict pressed two fingers to his mouth and pointed to the opposite side of the path, where the trees shadowed anyone under its perch and sought out Florence.

"It's Florence," Benedict hissed, it seemed as if she was engaged in conversation with Lady Danbury, too busy to notice them.

"So it is."

Benedict glanced up again to the sun, stumbled back into Colin causing a huff from the younger man and he sought out the Florence cloud, felt her eyes on him and started to point upwards and to her before mumbling, "It's you but as a cloud."

He saw the confusion form on her face before she laughed, he smiled giddily, his emotions in overdrive, he forgot about everything and could only think about her.

Benedict was not thinking, definitely not when he began walking over to her, trampling grass as he had abandoned the path, everything felt so slow for him whilst Florence watched it all happen quickly. Different perspectives change distances and with the long strides he was taking whilst his family attempted to call him back, he was practically already breathing down her neck.

He finally stopped infront of her, he breathed deeply and his eyes scanned her face, his pupils were fully blown out - due to the powder but he wouldn't tell her that. She smiled up at him as he kept a grip on her bare arms, his thumb shyly caressing the skin.

"Hi," He breathes, and everything else is a blur. Hon är så borta (she's so gone), she knows she's gone whenever she looks at him. He forces her to feel everything, to question everything she's ever known, to rethink every decision she made. His eyes are what she wants to drown in but for the sake of not falling further she has to put some distance between them.

She backs away slowly, and he allows her too, he stares at her as if she is something to be worthy of his attention and adoration. As if everything she had ever done, thought and felt is nothing, nothing because he feels the same as her, but he isn't hesitant to grip whatever they share with two hands, while she stays behind and is more uncertain in her moves.

Well even if she can't have him in the way her body desires, that doesn't mean they can't see eachother around, "You still need to paint me."

His eyes crease and his nose scrunches as he tries to remember it, she pretends not to notice it, but a bead of sweat falls from his forehead.

"What have you ta-"

"I do!" Benedict exclaims loudly, "You're right! I do need to paint you! I do, I do, I do! Tell me when and I'll be there an hour and a half prior!" His pupils are practically flooding his eyes as he excitedly blabbers about everything, and Florence smiles.

"Tomorrow, if you're free?" Florence asks, her voice is unsteady as she stares at him relentlessly, he does the same for her though, she catches his eyes flick down to her lips, and her tongue slightly brushes along them.

He nods quickly, and they stare at eachother for a while, no one stops them, he looks at her eyes, memorising her whole face aswell, she stares at him too, admires him as a person and his clothes. He giggles as he watches her.

He is suddenly pulled away and they are both pulled out of the shared trance of theirs. She turns her body and spots Colin, he awkwardly offers a smile as an apology. She nods understandingly but some anger is flaring inside of her as Benedict is robbed from her.

Benedict smiles at her continously even as Colin pulls him away, Florence wraps her arm around her other, some hair covering her chest, and Benedict notices it and places a hand dramatically over his heart.

"Ahem," Lady Danbury interrupts, Florence had completely forgotten that she had been on a walk with her before.

"Vad? (What?)" Florence hisses, annoyed at whatever the elder was thinking.

"You will hurt him, either give up the rule or give up him," The other woman warns. Florence knows that but she also knows that she is going back to Sweden at the end of the session.

She really hates nature, specifically human nature.

authors note
i just want to say thank you to all of you for your undying support, it means so much to me! <3
and the ending of this book is far from the end, but i was wondering what book any of you would be interested in after this one (this one might be going onto until like late july/early august at most)
and thank you all for reading this chapter