Julie watched Luke press notes on the piano in the music room in the castle. She refused to take her eyes off of him like he could vanish at any moment. He had taken some time off work to go visit the Inmarcesible Kingdom and was a guest of the castle for the next few weeks. He had only been there for four days and everything she had ever felt for him was overflowing in a small cup she thought she had a good grip on. Everything was sliding everywhere inside of her.
"It's like old times," Luke told her, continuing to play notes to an unnamed song. "Just switched."
"Switched how?" Julie asked him. He had gotten a hair cut before he came over and although his hair was still long, he kept parts of it much shorter than what he did years before. She had run her fingers through in it passing, and she giggled when she realized she gave him goosebumps.
Luke smirked as he often did before saying something flirty, "You're the one that won't stop watching me now." Julie scoffed and rolled her eyes at the former knight.
"Well, you're my guest, and it'd be rude to leave you alone."
"I'm surprise you let me go into my room alone." Annoying rat.
"The guards outside your door have it covered from that point on," Julie said, clearing her throat. Luke had almost fallen asleep in her bed the night before, but she dragged him out and told him the maids were watching. She didn't need town gossip especially now that she was at the age of looking for prospects. More like past the age.
"And the maids," Luke said. He knew as well. "They're very chatty compared to before."
"War was the most interesting thing back then. Now they have to make a buzz out of anything that lands. So annoying," Julie sighed. The only one she still trusted was Nick's mom, and she seemed to be not so fond of Luke from what she caught at mealtimes. "Nick's mom," she thought out loud. "She's still fine. Just." She scanned Luke's face as he stopped playing the piano. He gestured at himself. "Yeah. Pretty upset about last year. Didn't accept a date with Nick, but she still has hope even though he has a brand new girlfriend."
"They're still trying to marry you off?" Luke sounded annoyed and even though the topic bothered Julie, hearing Luke talk like that amused her.
"They won't stop until I'm married," Julie shrugged. She laid back in her seat on the couch as Luke came over to sit next to her. She swung her feet over his lap out of habit, and he didn't flinch. If it was just them two alone, they were bound to have a least one body part on the other. It was like unfolding a corner of a page she had put away for later.
"Any real prospects?" Luke asked. Julie debated telling him or not, and he seemed to sense that as she thought.
"Hm," Julie mumbled. "There's this one prince. Three years older than me."
"Too old for you," Luke said immediately. This caused Julie to break out into a smile as he shook his head.
Julie played into the game and said, "He's not that bad. Very sweet and sort of handsome." Julie had never met him. She had only heard of him through word of the mouth and of course when you're trying to get your son who is third in line to the throne married, you're going to speak the world of him. The handsome part was true, though.
"I think you should just end your bloodline here," Luke unexpectedly told her. Julie snorted, Luke also getting a smile on his face. "This kingdom has had a good run."
"Yeah," Julie giggled. "I'm sure my family will be a fan of that."
"I just," Luke started, scratching the back of his head. "I still think you should marry when you want to. Not out of duty." He looked at her with this longing look in his eye she tended to ignore. It overwhelmed her heart. She pointed her eyes elsewhere as her cheeks heated up.
"I'll keep that in mind." Too many times in just four days had they been in compromising situations and conversations. It was maddening. Maybe Flynn was right, and they needed to talk about it before he slipped out of her hands again. Because as Julie saw him, she realized she still wanted to be with him.
Luke was different from back then, but it didn't change their chemistry. They both changed and if anything, they were together better now. She couldn't lose that.
She took her feet off him to stand up and said, "Let's go bird watching." She learned that he would never tell her no.
-
They stood at the cliff that overlooked the forest of Willie's kingdom. It was still a gorgeous spot that had only grown greener in the recent months. She was glad Luke was there to see everything in full bloom.
Luke was holding her hand. He had been the one to reach for it, and Julie didn't pull away. Besides the birds, there were no other eyes in the forest. It had always been the place where they could both shrug off the talk of the world.
"It's still as beautiful as I remember," Luke commented. Julie nodded looking up to see him stare out. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes and smiled at her before looking back out. They stood there in the silence of nature's song before he gave her hand a squeeze. "Hey, Julie." He pulled her hand closer, turning her to face him.
Julie looked up at his face, trying to predict what he was going to say. It didn't take long for her to know what was coming.
He said, "I know this might be overdone at this point, but I'm sorry. For everything." His voice was low, like he was feeling shame again. But he held her gaze. "I just had to say it again. After all this time, y'know?" Julie gave him a smile and reached for his other hand, holding them both between them.
"It's been long forgotten but if you need to hear me say this, then I'll tell you." Julie pulled his hands closer to her face and planted a kiss on one of his knuckles. "I forgive you." Luke let out a sigh of relief when she said those words. Feather weight.
Julie reached out one of her hands to hold his face, Luke leaning into it. Any time their skin came in contact, there was an insane amount of sparks. A feeling she knew neither of them could ignore for much longer. He gave into it as much as she did. It was just a matter of words.
She told him, "Remember the first time I held your hand?" Luke smiled and nodded lightly, his face brushing against her palm as he moved.
"I was scared Bobby was going to find out and kill me. Or your dad." Julie let out a hearty laugh, having been very aware of the game she was starting to play with her cute personal knight. He started off by standing as far as way as possible all the time and later on, guarding her seemed to mean having to feel her breath on him. "You knew what you were doing, didn't you?" he asked her. Julie smirked and nodded, Luke smiling as well.
"You never stopped it," Julie told him.
"I thought you were too pretty," Luke said. Julie felt her face blush and rolled her eyes on instinct to try to not seem as soft. But she was. He was everything that could cause her to melt on the inside formed into one soul. Luke put his hand over hers as he told her, "That day. You told me I wasn't a bad guy. And I felt like one. I felt." Luke licked his lip, his voice started to get shaky. "I felt like the worst person on Earth. And still, you made me feel better. I can't forget that feeling. Ever." Julie gazed at him in awe as he spoke. How he could remember his feelings from years ago so clearly. A sentence she spoke that she had forgotten until then.
"I never wanted you to feel horrible." Having context for everything made her almost feel guilty for her words back then. Luke was stronger than what he gave himself credit for. Julie didn't know how she would survive in his position.
"I know. You didn't know." Luke put their hands down away from his face and leaned over to kiss her forehead. Julie took in a deep breath without meaning to. Luke didn't say anything about it as he continued to stare into her eyes. Julie was overwhelmed with a rush of heat in her chest that could make her ribcage boil over. She wrapped her arms around him, her ear pressed on his chest as he hugged her back.
"Please don't leave again Luke." He froze for a minute. She had caught them both off guard with her request. But it was what she wanted. She could not imagine continuing her life without him there. She couldn't have him leave again.
"Princess," he whispered. He always called her Princess when he was at a loss for words. Like if it would make up for it somehow. Julie took a deep breath and pulled away, looking at him.
"Look," she told him using the sudden pump of adrenaline she was feeling. "We're adults now, and I can tell you what I want now without wanting to fling myself off this cliff, so I'm going to tell you. I want you to stay here with us." Luke looked at her, flabbergasted as if he wasn't expecting this. But it was all leading up to this moment. He had to have seen it coming. Maybe not in just four days but it had been four years already. Enough was enough. "You're also an adult," Julie told him. "You can make the choice yourself." She was just talking to talk at this point. Silence would kill her. "But I'm letting you know what I want because I don't want you to think I'm being ambiguous when I'm clearly stating that I want you stay." God she could not stop talking. "Not because I want us to be just friends, either. Because you know. Of all of this. And I know you feel it, too."
Luke placed her face between his hands before he leaned down to kiss her. Julie melted forwards into his skin without hesitation. It was all so familiar. Like a dream she had been trying to recall. She'd write it down this time.
Luke pulled away, both of their faces red. "Sorry," he whispered. "I should've asked." Julie shook her head and pulled him forward by his collar and into another kiss.
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A/N: Hii! I hope you guys enjoyed this soft chapter hehe. I said the rest of the chapters would be happy, and I planned on delivering that promise. Thank you for reading!!