Red Haired Beauty (wattys2016)

Chapter 4: Pocket watch

*Edited*

For the next week, John would meet with Grace on top of the cliff at noon. He came twice with his horse and they would spend most of the day riding through the dense forests that surrounded his small cotton mill town. They would talk and soon they began to understand each other's lives and just how different their worlds truly were from each other. Sometimes, Grace would take him hunting for herbs; showing him what they looked like, their names and their uses in medicine.

While the other days, they would spend relaxing under the blue skies in the clearing they had visited. During the times Grace was with John, she felt a new spring of life within her come to life. For years she would continue her normal routine with no change, leaving her bored and tired of repetition. But with John, everyday was new and exciting as the next.

Once again, Grace was now standing on the cliff's edge; waiting for John as the sun hit the highest point in the sky above her. Grace was adorned in her light blue dress that hugged her frame perfectly.

" Grace?" John asked as he walked out from the forest and onto the cliff, Grace pivoted around to face him and smiled gently with her hands holded into each other at her front. He returned her smile to her as she quickly rushed over to him. When she reached him, she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. John snaked his arms around her waist, burying his head into the grave where her neck met her shoulder. He took in a deep breathing, taking in her blissful scent of lavender and cotton. His left hand stayed on the small of her back while his right moved up to the space between her shoulder blades, keeping her firmly in his warm embrace.

" How are you today, my darling?" John whispered as he pulled his head away from her neck. He moved his right hand onto her cheek, keeping his left on the small of her back to her close to him, as his thumb caressed her cheek. Grace's arms slipped smoothly down from his neck, too rest themselves onto his chest.

" I feel great." She whispered to him as she leaned more against his warm touch to her cheek.

" Just as beautiful as ever I see." John smiled to her as his eyes closely examined her face below his, a breath-taking smile on his lips that caused Grace's heart to melt.

" John..." Grace whispered to him catching his attention before continuing, "You're staring." She laughed to him which cause John to laugh gently along with her.

John moved so he and Grace could walk through the sunlit forest towards the clearing they knew all too well. Grace smirked as they entered the forest and passed a few trees. She stopped and pushed John gently to the side away from her, before quickly taking to her feet and rushed off in front of him. John was standing speechless at her sudden and surprising action but it quickly changed into a wholehearted laugh as he chased after her.

" That's cheating!" John called after her as she laughed while continuing on her quick run, jumping over the dips in the ground too keep her current speed.

" I do not cheat!" She yelled back at him as she laughed, her hair flashing and flying around as the wind ripped past her, her light blue dress flaring behind her as she held onto the front: so not too trip. Grace finally made it to the clearing and quickly stopped in the middle, only to be tackled around the waist by John; who lifted her over his shoulder and spun around. Their laughter echoed through the air as the birds chirped away singing their songs.

John place Grace back down onto her feet where she sank to the ground and rolled onto her back so she was looking to the sky, breathing heavily from the running and laughing. John was quick to follow, as he lay down less than a meter from her. They both huffed and puffed desperate for air, Grace looked to John who's eyes were closed as he tried to catch his breath. His arms propelled out to his sides in defeat. Grace began laughing heavily at him.