Sweet Escape

Nineteen

Charlize smiled and nodded to the staff she passed by in the halls. Once she was out of their field of vision, she hitched up her gown and took off again. She was filled with excitement. It had taken some time, but Charlize was finally starting to feel like herself once again. With the bustle of her mother's new marriage, she felt as if she was fading into the background and that was all she could ask for. She spent months being the "perfect" young lady and it was more tiring than she would have imagined. Although it made those around her happy, she was miserable. Everything was so mundane. She missed the little excitement she created in her life. Most of all, she missed her best friend. She did everything in her power to avoid him, knowing that it would cause a stir if they were around one another. Despite this, he would still try to visit but she would decline to see him or greet him cordially for just a few moments before continuing on with whatever duties she had for the day. It crushed her every time. She couldn't imagine what it was doing to him.

That morning, however, Charlize had enough. Her mother was able to move on and be happy and Arielle was busy being Arielle, so Charlize did not think it was fair for her to be the only one suffering. She tried to give them what they wanted, but it didn't feel right to her. It wasn't who she was. So, after breakfast, while her mother went to busy herself with wedding preparations along with Arielle, Charlize excused herself with plans of her own.

"And where are you running off to, Ms. Charlize?" She stopped in her tracks at the sound of Archibald's voice. She turned to see him walking toward her with an eyebrow raised in question. She couldn't stop the smile that broke out on her face.
"To the stables." She replied sweetly.
"The stables?" He repeated. She knew he wasn't buying it.

"I thought I'd ride Prince for a while." She said.
"No escort today?" He asked.
"I wanted some time alone today." He continued to stare at her and she shifted uncomfortably. As good as a liar she believed herself to be, Archibald could always easily see through her which is why she never lied to him. She wasn't even sure why she tried this time. She was out of practice. When she saw the corner of Archibald's lip curve upward, her eyebrows furrowed.
"Enjoy your ride Ms. Charlize." He gave her a little nod before turning away. She was stuck in place for a moment before she caught on. Her smile returned and she hurried toward the stables.

After months of leisurely strolls, it was a relief to feel the rush as she raced through the wind once again. She was sure that Prince appreciated it as well. Those times when she forced him to just trot along, he would be unsettled, wanting to take off, but she would stop him. Now, he was going top speed and there was no better feeling. When Charlize saw her destination in the distance, she picked up the pace. Her heart beating faster. When they arrived, she slowed Prince down to a stop. She hopped off and tied him to the hitching post.
"Charlize? Is that you?" She was startled that there was anyone out there but was relieved to see his grandmother.

"Grandma Montes." Charlize smiled, approaching her.
"It's good to see you sweetheart. It's been so long." Grandma Montes held out her arms to Charlize and she practically ran into them. It felt like years since Charlize had been hugged last. She missed the feeling. Grandma Montes gigged. "Everything alright?" Charlize just nodded and held on a little longer. She finally took a breath and stepped back. "How have you been?"
"I've been well." Charlize said, straightening her back and holding her chin up. Grandma Montes gave Charlize a skeptical once over but her smile returned and she nodded.
"You know, I thought I'd see you sooner. I've been here for almost a week now." She said. "I asked Dimitri and he just told me you were busy." Charlize left her gaze and nodded.
"Yes. Mother is getting married again so things have been...quite busy." She said looking up again.

"Oh, is she now?" Grandma Montes said dryly with one eyebrow cocked. "Hm. Anyway, so have you come to see him?" She moved on quickly.

"Yes." Charlize's smile finally returned.

"Good. Maybe you can actually cheer him up. He's been so boring and quiet lately." Grandma Montes rolled her eyes, causing Charlize to giggle. She leaned in to whisper, "I think he missed you." She stepped back and winked at Charlize. She froze. "I'm off to meet a friend for tea. I would say that I hope to see you for dinner but I know that bruja of a mother of yours won't allow it so hurry and meet Dimitri before she blows a vessel. And let me know if she gives you any trouble."
"Bye Grandma Montes." Charlize waved her off.
"Goodbye mi amor."

Once she was gone, Charlize hurried around to the stables. The large doors were opened but when she peeked through, she didn't see anyone. She entered and walked past each stall to where Coltyn was kept, but didn't see him. Charlize frowned and glanced around. She contemplated going to search for him but didn't want them to miss each other. She instead decided to sit and wait.

Charlize was unsure of how much time had passed, but she finally heard the rumble of hoofs. She stood and wiped the hay from her dress before making her way out to hopefully meet Dimitri. As she stepped out, he was dismounting. She smiled wide. He turned and stopped in his tracks when his eyes landed on her. It looked as if he believed he was hallucinating for a moment before his expression hardened.
"What are you doing here?" There was detachment in his tone that caused her breath to be caught in her throat. Deep down she knew that he would not be happy with her, but she had hoped it would have been better when he saw her.
"I – I came to see you." She managed. "I came a little earlier but you weren't here so I waited." He stared at her for a moment before pulling Coltyn along to get a drink of water.
"Why?" He said as he walked past her without sparing her a glance. She quickly followed.
"B-because I wanted to – I need to apologize." She said. Dimitri kept his attention on his horse, remaining quiet. "I don't mean to make excuses but after my father died, I didn't want to do anything to upset my mother. I promised that I wouldn't give her trouble so I had to change the way I was acting. Unfortunately, that meant spending less time with you because-."
"Because I'm "trouble"." He scoffed.
"Yes." Charlize said. Dimitri slowly turned to her, not expecting her to admit it. "You know it's true. But so am I. Whenever we spend time together, it's always trouble. And although I enjoy it, my mother is not fond of it so I thought I would try for once to do something to make her happy even though it made me miserable." She explained. "But I realized that was unfair. Not only to myself but to you as well. I know you've been trying hard for months to keep our friendship and I may have ruined it just because I thought I was doing the right thing and I'm sorry. I am really, truly sorry." Dimitri looked away and his jaw tightened briefly before his gaze returned. She had hope in her eyes and he couldn't resist. He let out a heavy sigh.
"I'm only forgiving you because you have been going through a lot and I figured you needed space." He said. She grinned and jumped to hug him tightly. He chuckled and squeezed back.
"I've missed you." She said.
"I've missed you too." He replied. She suddenly pulled back.
"Shall we go for a ride?" She asked mischievously.
"But I just-."
"Come on." She didn't wait for him to finish before she started for Prince. "I'll race you to the river."