I Claim Your LOVE

To Love Is Divine

The lady in front of him was charming as ever. Her long curls were beautifully decorated on her forehead. Her gown was shining gold and standing out from the rest of the crowd. Even the adornments she wore added to the mystique of her beauty. She looked vibrant, she looked mesmerizing.

Both of them looked at each other and their gazes locked.

It was as if there was no one around them. The only thing they could see was one another. She smiled at him and a warmth soared his body. He smiled in response until he noticed that a treacherous bead had wet his cheek. 

Archer intervened in the moment when he saw his friends emotional turbulence "That's all for today everyone. We have a clear winner. Thank you all for participating."

The crowd dispersed at once muttering curses at the lady. Soon Archer, Fayette and the wolves also left the place to gift the two of them some precious moments together. Both of them stared at each other for a long time. Each one of them having a lot to say, a lot to convey. 

It was awkward for both of them as they were finding it difficult to begin the conversation. A void of years could not be filled in with mere words. Finally after a long pause Julia broke the silence with a smile "Happy birthday Callan."

Callan nodded and choked with glossy eyes and a cheerful grin "You haven't changed a bit."

"Usually people say 'Thank You' in response." both of them chuckled. After a brief pause Julia said "You are more handsome than I last saw you."

The pure bliss to watch the lady in front of him brought back some good old memories. They were young and so in love. They cherished each other, praised their abilities and accepted each others shortcomings. They were perfect for each other. The ideal couple.

But Callan's fate had other plans.

He still remembered the day he spoke to his parents about the girl and how he was shattered to know that he had no right to love any one. The most difficult part of it was to make Julia understand his predicament and break things with her amicably.

He distanced himself from her, struggled to connect with his true self and when the day finally arrived he uttered the most dreadful words that broke him from the inside. He saw the struggle Julia had to face to compose herself. Like she was forbidden to breathe. Like she was banned from existing. Like the most precious thing to her was taken away. She pleaded and even begged Callan to accept her but he refused her advances and broke all the ties.

The last time he saw her, she was on her knees. A crying mess, sobbing her heart out, pushing the earth beneath with her hands in vulnerability; and here she was today. All elegant, charming and lady like. He resisted the urge to touch her and gulped his longing for her.

 "How are you?" He asked partly smiling, partly crying.

"What do you think?" she winked her eyes.

"Being a village chief's wife suits you. I hope you are happy." He whispered the last part.

"Leonard loves me very much. He agreed to marry me even when he knew about us."

"You seem to like him a lot." His breath got stuck and he paused for a moment before asking "Do you love him?" 

Callan hesitated cause in reality he did not want to know the answer. A part of him wished that she loved him and no one else.

"Not as much as I loved you.." 

She witnessed the dithering behaviour of the man and decided to lighten the mood by changing the subject "Let the past be in the past." She took a long breath of confidence "Tell me about yourself. I still see you hanging around with Archer. Don't tell me you have fallen for him." she chuckled.