☆ Flaws ☆
"If you're only here to ask for details on what happened for your entertainment, I suggest you go!" Anthony shouted, without bothering to look up.
He must have heard my shoes against the ground, walking towards him. "I just hope to come by to see if you are okay."
Slowy, he raised his head looking at me. He most likely recognized my voice that his mean demeanors started to fade away. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"No, it's fine," I interrupted, slowly closing the distance between us. "You don't have to apologize. I would've done the same if I were on your position."
He smiled, as he shook his head. "I doubt that."
I pouted my lips, and reconsidered what he had said. "Yeah, you're probably right."
He laughed. The first display of elation after his moments with furrowed eyebrows, frowned face and creased forehead. "You know, you're funny. Thank you."
I smiled at him. Without looking away from his gaze, I asked nicely, "Can I have a seat?"
I pointed to the spot beside him. The bench had enough space for more than two people but his energy occupied most of it. With his stern glares and distasteful mouth twitches, I doubt anyone wanted to take the spot beside him.
He simply nodded, scooching a little to the right to make room for me. While I walked towards the seat, I watched as he laid his back on the bench and placed both of his palms on his eyes to cover his eyes.
As I sat, he sighed loudly. "How do you know if you're messing up as a brother?"
I didn't respond. I didn't feel like I need to. It had rhetorical undertones and I knew better not to. I simply sat in silence and waited for him to continue.
"I was only trying to protect Daphne from the cruel hands of a man. But to her it came off harsher leading to that minor argument everybody has witnessed," he exclaimed, now scrunching over, palms still on his eyes.
Thoughfully, I tried to put my hands on his back to try and pat him. Try to comfort him in ways that I know of. "She'll understand."
"Oh, you don't know my sister," he immediately replied. "Daphne can be quite stubborn and has too strong of a personality. I doubt she'll understand that."
"Then try to understand her," I spoke calmly. "Know where she is coming from and why she acted the way she did."
"Which was so uncalled for," Anthony defended, now looking at me and raising his voice a little.
"If there's any reason I came here," I quickly replied. "It's not to speak ill of Daphne but to comfort you. I don't know what really went on between the two of you, but I think Daphne wouldn't have reacted that way if you're actions were reasonable."
He raised his eyebrows at me. "So are you insinuating that it is I who is at fault here."
My heart started beating loudly in my chest. "I was just trying to help, Anthony."
"Well, you aren't." He shouted at me.
Instinctively, I reached out for his hand. It was soft to the touch, and smooth. "Then, I'm here to listen."
His fiery eyes, started to soften. His facial expressions toned down. With teary eyes, he said to me. "I have flaws. I can't be perfect, yet everyone expects me to be. It just gets hard some times."
I simply nodded. I didn't want to cut him off of his flow of emotions.
"I love Daphne so much. I want the best for her as her brother. But why do I feel like I'm doing a horrible job at it?"
"You're not," I assured him. "All you need to do is to loosen a little bit. Your sister is smart. I'm sure she won't let a cruel man own his heart."
As I said it, a little teardrop fell off of his eyes. It streamed down in his cheeks. "Thank you."
I smiled at him, and offered a hug. Quickly, he wrapped his arms around me. He embraced me tightly. At that moment, I understood it was something he needed.
"Thank you," he whispered as he pulled away from the hug. "You're so kind to me."
"You would have done the same," I replied.
He chuckled. "You have misjudged me, Lady..."
"Calypso," I continued for him. "We met during Lady Danbury's ball."
"Yeah," he said. "I knew that. You were the lady who bumped into me during the day of the Queen's judgement."
I simply nodded, blushing at the idea that he remembered who I was.
"Please forgive me for not remembering your name," he apologized. "I'm just terrible at it."
"With the loads of expectations on your shoulder, I can see why that happens."
He laughed. "You're good at this. Any man who wishes to be your husband would be lucky."
In that instant, my cheeks went hotter. I almost rolled my eyes at him had I not been too focused on controlling my reactions. "That's so kind of you."
"I try to be," he said. "Sometimes."
"Well, you are." I confidently agreed with him. "Aren't you?"
He stared at me, taking a few seconds to ponder on the question I have asked. "I guess, we'll see what the people has to say to that. When they look at me, all they see is a flawed viscount who suddenly lost his temper."
"Why do you care so much about what others had to say?" I asked, quite raising my voice. If only he knew that a lot of people think of him as perfect, with me included.
"Because that's how I was brought up."
"You don't have to be," I said. "Many people love you, Anthony. I do."
Wow. As soon as I blurted it out, I couldn't take it back. So, I immediately followed it with words to cover up my feelings for him.
"I do. They do. A lot of people do. All you have to do is to focus on that and not on those who rudely criticizes you as their form of entertainment. You may be flawed, but who isn't?"
"My sister," he said.
I shrugged my shoulders. "Well, I think you might be right on that."
He laughed. Then I did too. It was a nice feeling, the kind that you sure will keep replaying in your head before you fall asleep.
"Thank you, Lady Calypso." He said, with smile painted on his face.
"It's nothing, Sir Anthony."
"Well, to me, it's everything."
And if you are wondering what happened to me as he said that, I think I might have short-circuited.
°°°
AUTHOR'S NOTE
I needed to write this to tell all my readers that the next updates might take some time. I'm loaded on schoolworks with daily examinations.
It's stressful. Online school is stressful.
Anyway, I hope you keep reading and will be patient with me.
Thank you so much!!!
~ evan smith ~