the art of loving ; lord tewksbury

fifteen

"It's a safe place for you to write, to spill your thoughts. a final surprise from me to you."

Chapter Fifteen

"My father is going to murder me if he sees me drenched from head to toe," Daisy said. She lifted up the bottom of her dampened skirt, letting out a huff as she and Tewksbury hiked up the rocks to return to their picnic spot. Her bare feet left wet footprints on the surface with every step she took. She couldn't help but feel the corner of her lips quirk upwards into a satisfied smile at the stunt they both just pulled.

If someone were to tell her a few weeks ago that she would be cliff-jumping with a boy, the same boy whom she had initially been so cold towards when they first met, Daisy would have done nothing but laugh. The mere thought of it was simply ridiculous. Absurd. She knew herself better than anyone else, and she knew for a fact that she would never ever take such a risk.

But with Tewksbury, there were always surprises. She didn't know if it was because of the sweet gestures he had shown her throughout the day, or maybe an accumulation of them throughout the short time they've grown to known one another. All she knew was that he had brought out a side of her she never realised she had. A side of her that wanted to take risks with him.

"You should have thought of that before you dragged me down with you," Tewksbury joked. He looked back at her to make sure she was doing alright, to make sure that she was still safe. Daisy would have chucked her shoe at him, but she remembered they had left their footwear at the top of the cliff. She made a mental note to retrieve them later.

"Stop whining about it, would you? I am a hundred percent sure you had just as much fun as I had," she jabbed back at him. "Besides, it was so worth it."

"Bold of you to assume I had any fun at all," the boy quipped, chuckling when Daisy scoffed in faux offence.

Soon, their abandoned picnic mat came into view and Tewksbury scurried over, moving the leftover food and basket off of it. He flopped onto the soft fabric and sprawled out his limbs across it, basking in the warmth of the sun. Streaks of light emitted from above, casting a natural spotlight onto the boy—it made him look so angelic, so ethereal. Daisy felt butterflies swirl in the bottom of her stomach again.

"Come on now," Tewksbury beckoned, turning his head to glance at the girl. "We can dry off here for a bit before we head back."

As Daisy approached him, she couldn't help but acknowledge the sudden heaviness of her heart at his recent words. The day had certainly been a long one—her body had exhausted ever ounce of energy she had from the day's activities. But at the same time, it felt so short. Quick. She didn't want it to end so soon, she realised. She wanted to spend more time with Tewksbury, which was a surprising but nice change.

Daisy let a contented sigh escape through her lips as she joined the boy in relishing under the sun's warmth. At least she still had some time left with him, thanks to her soaked clothing. She would enjoy every waking moment of it, before they went back to their usual routine of planning her escape.

"Can I ask you a question?" Tewksbury piped up from next to her. He was still gazing at her adoringly, his eyes never leaving even when her head churned with thoughts. Daisy focused her attention on the sky above, nodding her head in response.

"I know we said we wouldn't talk about marriage or running away today," he began. "But if you could have a wedding, what would you want it to be like?"