A/N - This chapter is based on the song 'Someone New' by Hozier. I hope you all enjoy it.
"You find the idea of love terrifying, don't you?" It had been one of the first questions you had asked Theon when you had met. He was so sure of himself, so cocky and arrogant as he went about flirting with you, but there was a limit to how far he would push. It had been so clear to you. In all honesty, you hadn't had to ask the question at all. You already knew the answer.
Theon's brow had furrowed, his mouth opening and closing slightly as he searched for an answer that would put you on the back foot. He had never met someone who could so easily knock him out of his charm offensive, and here you were smiling at him as you awaited his next sentence. "No."
"Liar," you uttered, shaking your head. "You shouldn't be scared of it though," you had continued with a little chuckle. "Falling in love is one of the best feelings in the world."
Theon wanted to scoff. He wanted to correct you and laugh in your face for how you were so optimistic about the world. But as he sat there, staring at your smiling face, he found that laughing away your comment was a lot harder than he had ever expected. "How would you know?"
You laughed at that, a small snort that escaped you as you sat up a little straighter in your seat across from him. "I fall in love all the time," you exclaimed softly.
This time, Theon scoffed, shaking his head. "That isn't how love works."
"There's no right way to fall in love," you corrected him, shaking your head. "I could fall in love with a stranger on the street and never see them again, but I still fell in love." You both sat silently for a moment as Theon considered your words, rolling them around his mind as he attempted to make sense of them. "It's beautiful and innocent, Theon. You should try it some time," you uttered, getting to your feet with a sweet smile.
It wasn't until a few days later that Theon realised that he had fallen in love with you. Any time he thought of you his stomach tightened and his heart raced. He spent much of that week in a daze, allowing the feeling to rush over him again and again. By the time he had seen you again, he was absolutely infatuated.
You had smiled as he approached, looking so sweet that his own smile came naturally to his lips.
"Morning," you started, your voice melodic as it floated through the air. Theon hadn't realised that a voice could be beautiful, but he had no doubts that yours was. Your smile grew as you sat opposite him, waving slightly. "Hello?" you uttered, letting out a light chuckle. "Earth to Theon. Are you in there?"
Theon blinked, his eyes widening as he registered your words. "Sorry," he murmured, causing you to release another snort of laughter. "I'm a little out of it today."
Your brow furrowed for a moment, your eyes focusing in on him as you concentrated. And then, suddenly, as if everything had clicked into place, your eyes widened and you sat up a little straighter your mouth hanging open in pure excitement. "I know that look," you cried out, sending him the most perfect toothy grin he had ever seen. "You're in love."
"No, I'm not," Theon corrected as quickly as he could manage, watching as you shook your head.
"Yes, you are. Who is she?" You were silent for a moment, simply waiting for an answer. As the pause stretched on, your smile dampened, replaced by a small frown. "Come on, where's the fun in falling in love if you can't tell your friends about it?"
Friends. Seven Hells, that shouldn't have hurt as much as it did. "I don't know what to tell you," he murmured, giving a small shrug as he returned his attention to his almost empty plate. "I've not fallen in love with anyone," he added, tearing a chunk off of a bread roll and forcing it in his mouth to save himself from having to keep speaking.
You released a deep sigh, slumping slightly in your seat, and Theon felt his chest tighten. In that moment, he decided he never wanted to hear you make that sound ever again. He certainly didn't want to be the one that caused you to make it.
"Fine," he huffed, dropping the rest of the bread back onto his plate. "I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone."
Your smile was back in full force the moment the words left his tongue, and you leant forward across the table, nodding eagerly. "I promise."
"She works at the inn down in the village," he started, releasing a small sigh. "She's pretty, and funny, and sweet. And we can never be together because my father would rather see me dead in a ditch somewhere than married to a common girl."
Your smile disappeared as quickly as it had come, and you shook your head. "Liar," you uttered. "If you're going to make up as story then you ought to make it believable," you added, watching as he rolled his eyes.
"I'm not lying."
"You are too," you corrected, giving him a small smile. "When you lie your eyebrows get all twitchy and they were going wild when you made up that little story." Theon let out a grunt of frustration, getting to his feet to leave the room. You were quick to follow, almost tripping over your own skirts in your rush to catch up to him. "Just tell me."
"Stop bothering me."
"I'll stop bothering you when you stop lying to me." You both fell silent as you walked through the halls, falling into step beside one another. "Come on, just tell me the-"
You were silenced when Theon grabbed your arm, pulling you both to a stop as he pressed his lips to yours in a rushed kiss. As he pulled away, you reached up, touching your fingertips to your lips as you stared up at him. "Will you please shut up now?"
You nodded, using your free hand to grip his shirt and pulling him back to you in a messy embrace. He smiled as you pressed your palm to his cheek, drawing him back down to your lips in a gentle kiss that took his breath away.
Please consider supporting me for just £3 using Ko-Fi. The link is available on my profile page. If you have any questions about Ko-Fi please feel free to private message me. Thank you. L x