Tabitha stares, slack jawed, as the young man steps away from her. Patches of red on her cheeks match the scarlet of her silk vest and she wonders if he can hear how her heart is threatening to leap out of her chest.
"Um," he bites his lip, "I shouldn't have, ah, done that. S-Sorry!" The man bows in apology, nearly toppling over in the process. He stiffens when her hand grips his shoulder tightly.
"Do not bow to me, Xiao," she orders, shifty-eyed, "It is not proper." He stands up and nods solemnly, twiddling his thumbs.
"Right, I know. But, um... are you-?"
"-No, I am not mad," she rolls her lips against each other, revelling in the memory, "But do not do it again."
"Okay," Xiao's eyes flicker everywhere but Tabitha's, green refusing to meet brown, and he anxiously shifts the weight between his feet like a nervous child. Tabitha sighs.
"I said I was not mad," she motions for him to follow her, "So stop fidgeting."
"Sorry," Xiao settles down and walks in step beside her, "Where are we going?" At her lack of a response, Xiao looks into the distance; a grand palace of red and gold resides at the end of their path, surrounded by a plethora of village homes. Around it is a wall stretching far and wide, but still small enough to nauseate him. Silently, Xiao wishes they could stay there atop the hill, where the cherry blossoms bloom.
"You're not going to faint, are you?" her face remains stoic, but the tone of Tabitha's voice sounds amused. She spares a glance at him and resists a chuckle; his flat, buttoned nose is scrunched up enough to cause a crease beside each eye. He looks like a disappointed toddler.
Xiao puffs his cheeks out, "What, me? Pfft, no. I'm a prince! Princes do not faint." She raises an eyebrow. "We pass out." At that, Tabitha does chuckle.
"I see, your Majesty."
"Please don't call me that."
"As you wish," she smiles as they proceed down the stone path.
Xiao rolls his eyes, "You'll forget you said that and call me it again tomorrow."
"Most likely."
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Writing Samples
General Fiction"Creative Writing is the most liberal form of literature; the possibilities are endless, so long as you've got something to write about." - Louisa. Here are some literary samples our editor at Sunflower Editing has created to show readers the many d...
