Forever The Name On My Lips

one.

one.  the book of you and i

The New World - 1000

"THERE YOU ARE," Niklaus said as he climbed down to your secret hiding place near the river. "I've been looking for you."

You didn't turn from tossing stones into the water. You came here when you wanted to think and when you needed to be alone. You'd found it accidentally years ago. The only person you'd shown it to was the one person you didn't want to speak to right now and the person standing in front of you.

"Go away, Niklaus," you said.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, sitting beside you and taking one of your pebbles to toss it into the river.

"Nothing, I just don't want to talk to you right now," you said. You'd been in love with Niklaus for as long as you can remember, long before you even knew what the word meant. To you, love was what you felt for Niklaus. You'd prayed every night that your parents would set up a match for marriage between the two of you. But he didn't see you as more than a friend. That was made evident when Tatia came into the village and turned her sights on both Elijah and Niklaus. He was more than happy to oblige.

"Now I know something is wrong," he nudged your shoulder. "You always want to talk to me. I'm your best friend."

You rolled your eyes before standing up. If he wasn't going to leave, you would. But he stopped you, grabbing your hand.

"Y/N, tell me what's wrong," he said, concern filling his voice.

You glared at him. "Do you care now? You're not too busy chasing after Tatia's skirts?"

His eyes widened at your tone. "Are you—jealous?"

"Don't be ridiculous," you reddened.

"You are," he smirked.

"Shut up, Nik, no I'm not," you said.

"Why would you be jealous, love?" He asked, his tone somewhat mocking. "Am I not paying enough attention to you?"

"Shut up," you said again. "I don't care if you never talk to me again. Go marry Tatia and have a million babies for all I care."

"I don't know why you're acting like this, Y/N," he said. "What does it matter if I do marry her? It's not like you have feelings for me, Y/N. And you'll always be my best friend, you know that."

"What if I do?" the words slipped out before you could stop them.

The atmosphere between you changed as realization came to his face. You saw regret and guilt in his eyes and you felt your heart clench. You didn't need his rejection. You knew he didn't feel for you the way you felt for him. You yanked your arm out of his grasp. "I have to go," you said before turning and running away before he could move.

• • •

"My brother's an idiot," Rebekah said as you picked herbs for Ayana and Esther.

"Which one? They all have their moments," you said.  You were close with all the Mikaelsons, and had seen them in their fair share of moronic moments.

"True but in this case I'm talking about the idiot brother who let you go," she said.

You didn't comment. You hadn't spoken to Niklaus in weeks. You knew he'd been trying to talk to you but you'd been avoiding him. You would turn the other way any time he came near you. You didn't need to hear the words. You couldn't bear it. It was better to just stay away, you thought. Then your heart wouldn't shatter definitively and irreparably.