“You know that one thing you’ve always wanted to do? I dare you to start doing it now.”
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~ Elizabeth ~
Today was a bit cold, so I wore a matching hoodie and pants over a white armless top.
Unlike the other days, I didn’t have the luxury of Patrick picking me up—he had sent a text earlier saying he wouldn’t be able to. So, I grabbed an Uber from in front of the hotel and made my way to the park.
The second I arrived, I was struck by how serene and cozy the atmosphere was.
“I’m here. Where are you?” I texted Patrick.
He replied almost immediately:
"Behind the twin palm trees."
I looked ahead, and indeed, there were palm trees—twin not in the literal sense, but two palm fronds sprouting from the same root and stem. One tree should have grown there, but two had sprung up—conjoined, almost. So yeah, they could be seen as twins, but in human anatomy, they'd be called conjoined twins.
I walked over… and that’s when I saw the picnic mat and basket.
“Hey…” Patrick emerged from what looked like the riverside and smiled at me.
“Hi,” I replied softly.
“You look great.”
My face flushed at his words—again. Will it always be like this?
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, pocketing his hands as we stood there, just… staring at each other while time swept quietly past.
“Shall we?” he asked, and I nodded as we sat down on the picnic blanket.
“It’s a beautiful day,” I whispered, my eyes on the horizon.
“It is…”
I watched as he slowly unpacked the basket. Pizzas, cookies, wine, and more.
He came prepared, and I was touched. But I was still confused—what are we? Am I just a friend? Something more?
He served dessert, and we ate mostly in silence. Minutes passed as I alternated my gaze between the food and the view.
“Do you believe in love, Elizabeth?”
His question came so suddenly I didn’t know how to react. He turned toward me, eyes calm.
“I…” The words caught in my throat. Have I ever been in love? I don’t think I have… or maybe, just maybe, I am now?
“Do you?” he asked again, his voice softer.
“Yeah… I do.”
“Why?”
“I believe love is in everything. The way the leaves sway when the wind is strong. The way a baby cries when uncomfortable. The way a soul sighs after a long rain.”
I hadn’t meant for it to sound poetic—but it did.
“Hmm…”
Silence reigned between us, the palm tree leaves swaying gently, adding to the ambience.
“Do you believe in love, Pat?” I asked, and he smiled at the sound of his nickname.
“It reminds me so much of my mom. So many years have passed since she left… yet, I still feel her here.” He touched his chest, and I nodded, understanding deeply.
“I believe love comes and goes… just like girls,” he added.
Something flickered in his gaze, and I wondered—had he been hurt before? But no, that’s impossible, right?
“Oh,” I said quietly, trying not to sound too curious.
“Oh, love… You’re so innocent.” His voice, smooth and deep, sent flutters through my chest. “I’ve been in relationships. Not one. Not two. But many.”
He sent me a mischievous wink—the playboy in him surfacing.
“What about Sarah?” I asked. I wasn’t sure why, but the question pushed itself out.
“Sarah Hampton, you mean?”
I nodded.
“Our parents betrothed us when we were kids.”
“So… you don’t like her?”
“Not like that.” His gaze drifted to the water before us, then returned to me. “We grew up together. We know each other’s dirty secrets. I trust her with mine.”
But I don’t love her.
I finished the rest of his thought in my head.
A pang of jealousy rose in me.
What would it feel like to be Sarah? To have grown up beside him… to know every part of him?
Suddenly, I could see Sarah in my mind, scowling at me for being with her fiancé.
But if she’s his fiancée… what does that make me?
“Do you believe in true love?” I asked.
“Like I said… love comes and goes, love.”
The way he said love made me giddy. And I hated that it did.
“You don’t want to ask me if I loved the girls I had sex with, do you?”
My eyes widened.
How did he know that was exactly what I’d been wondering?
“Well…” I paused, and his smirk deepened.
“You’re so innocent, love…”
He leaned in, his breath warm against my face.
“Love isn’t sex, you know. Sex is just sex.”
It felt surreal—his face that close. Was he going to kiss me?
I wasn’t even sure I would stop him if he tried.
“You’re so beautiful, Bethly…”
His voice caressed my name.
Our eyes locked. I searched for insincerity and found none.
His fingers traced my face slowly.
“So beautiful…”
A soft sound escaped my lips—before I could stop it. I hated how my body responded to him. Even more, I hated the smile that curved on his lips when he heard me.
“You’re in love with me, aren’t you?”
His words burned like wildfire.
I froze.
How the hell did he know that?
And why was he smiling like that?
“I know everything, love… everything.”
Suddenly, it felt like I was no longer in a dreamy romance…
It felt like I had just been transported into a movie—where the prince slowly turns into a beast.
Why?
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A/N: What do you think of the chapter, guys?