-Two sides of different coins- (Ronald Knox x Reader)

Chapter 8: Young, Dumb, and in Love

They arrived in town, and rented posts to keep their horses from wondering. Finny hadn't been in town very much, so he was rather excited. However, this excitement would deflate when (Y/n) laid out her set of instructions. 

"Alright Finny," she addressed him, taking the piece of paper which listed the items they needed and split it in half horizontally, handing him one piece, "The markets are spread out a great deal, so if we split up to gather the ingredients, we'll be able to cover more points in less time."

She pointed to the list he was holding.

"I gave you the fruits and vegetables, which should be much easier than things like fresh animal produce and such. You'll find them along the East side of the markets," she explained, "I know it's still a lot, but I'm confident you'll be able to finish that list easily."

(Y/n) began to walk off in the direction behind Finny, while the boy looked down at the list he had been handed and scratched the back of his neck nervously. 

"But (Y/n), Sebastian said that we had to-" 

Finny cut himself off when he looked up and around himself to find no trace of his friend. She had vanished, and he was officially on his own for the time being. 

"...stick together."

Finny sighed, feeling a mixture of concern and amusement at (Y/n)'s little disappearing act. He trusted her judgment, but he couldn't help but worry about her getting into trouble. Nevertheless, he shook off his apprehension and decided to focus on his task at hand.

-

Meanwhile, (Y/n) swiftly made her way through the town, skillfully avoiding any familiar faces that might report her whereabouts to Sebastian. She was determined to spend some time with her secret lover, consequences be damned. Though they were hardly lovers yet, just testing the waters for the time being. But she knew that this wasn't nothing. 

Looking around and over her shoulder at every street, turn and corner, she searched desperately for Ronald, eager to just see that handsome face of his once again. Once again, she hadn't been looking where she was going, and in her ardent cast around, she would bump into someone. 

She smelled his cologne before she could apologize for her absent-mindedness, and in less than a second she looked up to find Ronald standing before her, grabbed onto her arms to steady her like they had been the first time they met here. 

"Hey doll," he greeted, a cheeky smile to his lips as he didn't let go of her this time, "you should really watch where you're going."

(Y/n) giggled as she threw herself into the man, wrapping him up in a warm, loving embrace which seemed to catch him off guard for a moment. Ronald chuckled, reciprocating the embrace with a mixture of surprise and delight. He held her close, savoring the moment as if they were the only two people in the world.

"I've missed you," (Y/n) whispered against his chest, her voice filled with genuine affection.

Ronald gently tilted her chin upward, meeting her gaze with a soft expression. 

"And I've missed you too, more than words can express," he replied, his voice brimming with sincerity.

They stood there, caught up in the warmth of their connection, momentarily forgetting the world around them. But the reality of their situation soon came crashing back as (Y/n) remembered the limited time they had before Sebastian grew suspicious of her whereabouts.

"We can't stay here," she said, reluctantly pulling away from Ronald's embrace. "My father sent Finny with me to keep an eye on me, but I managed to lose him for now. We need to make the most of this time."