New AU lol, MC is a laaaady
Baxter stood in his bedroom, smoothing out his jacket as he looked at himself in the mirror. He was feeling ... well, he was having a hard time understanding how he was feeling. There was a little bit of apathy, a little bit of dread. Some disappointment, some anger, but buried underneath all of that was just the tiniest little sliver of hope.
He was 18 now, and with adulthood came new responsibilities, his parents often told him. He'd be expected to take over the family business, of course. But more immediately, he'd be expected to marry. Not out of love, nothing as maudlin as that, but to someone his parents chose, someone who could help the family image, and most importantly, open up new avenues for his father's ventures.
His life was being decided for him, but that was nothing new.
As he straightened his tie for the umpteenth time, there was a knock on the door -- one of the servants peeked her head in and announced that his parents were ready for him.
"Thank you," he said softly, shooting a smile at the servant, who smiled back. He'd always made a point to be kind to the people his mother and father had tried to teach him were beneath him, both because he didn't think so and because he desperately wanted to be nothing at all like them.
Baxter made his way through the halls of his childhood home, in no real rush to get down to the dining room. That's where his parents were, dressed in their finest and fully prepared to wine and dine another couple that was almost as rich as they were. And that's where you would be.
"She's a fine girl," his mother had told him before she proceeded to list off your father's investments instead of any of your qualities. He had heard you were beautiful, so at least that was something.
But when he reached his destination and finally saw you for the first time ... well, "beautiful" was such a weak word to describe what he saw in you. You were ethereal.
He took his normal seat at the table -- tonight, it was the one right next to you. At that distance, he could tell that you smelled nice too, and when you smiled at him and shook his hand, he had the fleeting thought that maybe, even if just by accident, his parents had managed to do something nice for him by bringing you into his world.
Despite his initial attraction to you, the dinner was more than a little awkward. You hadn't wanted to talk much, it seemed, and attempts by the older adults to get a conversation started had all failed.
It wasn't until dessert was being served that you leaned over and asked him, just above a whisper, "Can I tell you a secret?"
"You can," he said, unable to hold back a smirk.
"I very much don't want to be here."
You said it so matter-of-factly that he couldn't help but bark out a laugh -- one that he quickly turned to a cough when his mother looked his way. After they went back to their own conversation, he leaned over slightly and said, "Can I tell you a secret of my own?"
"I very much don't want to be here either."
You smiled then -- the first genuine smile of the night. He wanted more.
Baxter made a show of standing up from the table then, and with a deep bow that had you stifling a giggle, he said, "Would you care to accompany me on a walk?"
He held a hand out to you, and when you took it, you curtsied to him -- a full-on actual curtsy. That may have been when he fell in love.
"I would like that quite a lot, sir, thank you," you told him, raising your skirt with your free hand and dipping down again.
His father complimented yours on your manners, but the twinkle in your eye told Baxter that you were being remarkably insincere. If he'd fallen in love before, he was head over heels now.
That night, as you walked through the gardens of his family's estate, you talked to him -- really and truly talked. You talked about your hopes and dreams, your past, how powerless you felt in knowing that your whole life was being decided for you. How nice of a surprise it was that somehow you'd been introduced to someone who knew every bit of how you felt.
It was silly, he knew that on some level. That a few hours with a person wasn't long enough to truly know them or to fall in love, at least not a love that would last for the rest of his life. But with you, he saw those gardens with new eyes. Things that had seemed dull and commonplace before seemed fresh and exciting. Things that had always seemed impossible felt not so out of reach.
At some point, you put your hand back in his. It was warm and comforting, and they fit together perfectly.
"Could I ask you a question?" Baxter said, pausing the walk to move to stand in front of you.
"Do you believe in fate?"
By then, he'd seen you smile several times, but at his question, you positively beamed.
"I do," you answered. "And you?"
Matching your expression, he stepped closer to you, moving to place your hand on his shoulder as he put his own on your waist. You brought your other hand up to the back of his neck, toying with the strands of hair there.
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