bellefavre:
After a few months of some semblance of normalcy, Belle had let her guard down while living in Meridian. She no longer looked over her shoulder wherever she went, wondering if pieces of her past may crop back up or if new troubles would begin brewing. Her life may not have possessed the sense of adventure she craved, but that wasn’t to say it was boring. Having countless books at her disposal, various shops to peek into, numerous restaurants to dine – it was all exciting enough, for now. Really, she just wanted to settle in and make Meridian feel more like home.
Already, stopping by Barnes & Noble every day felt comforting – it seemed to be her safe space, where she could hide among the books and read until it was time to go home. But in an instant, everything seemed to come crumbling around her. How Adam was standing before her, she didn’t have a clue, but to see him again caused her to freeze in place, wide-eyed and in the middle of placing a book back on the shelf.
The first words to finally come out of her mouth were, “What are you doing here?” and were followed shortly after by, “I’m not – I don’t want to deal with this right now. I just … maybe you should – no, yes, you should definitely leave before I’m forced to start screaming.”
“Trying to find some books, same as you, I’d imagine.” The young baron replied nonchalantly before realizing the possible double meaning behind her words. “Unless you mean here in Meridian. In that case, looking for you. People in your village like to talk.” Adam saw no reason to lie to her, he had nothing to hide. Other than the embarrassment of being driven out of her village by those people, like some kind of villainous beast. In Adam’s opinion, the way they treated someone of his status was ridiculous. He realized now that he was wrong, but he was trying to fix things. Didn’t that count for something?
Taken back by her words, Adam fell silent. He had hoped for a different reaction from her, but what did he expect? Belle was the only person who had ever stood up to him and called him out on his actions. Still, a small voice in the back of his head once again screamed how dare she speak to him in such a way. Ignoring it, his nostrils flared as he took a deep breath to keep his temper at bay. He was at fault, not her. Deep down he knew that. “That’s unnecessary, I’m not here to cause trouble for you, Belle. I only ask for a moment of your time, I just want to talk. To apologize. If you still want me to leave after I make my peace, I’ll do as you ask. Just hear me out.” Knowing his words came out sounding more like a command than a request, he sighed. “Please.” He added softly.
