Amphitrite - Wilbur Soot

~eighteen~

I woke up to sunlight glaring through Wilbur's windows and the soft sound of his breath against the top of my head. I was cradled under his arm, my forehead pressed against his chest. Slowly I tried to slip out from his embrace, quickly placing a pillow where I was laying. Immediately he pulled it closer, nestling his face in the top of it. Adorable.

I made my way over to the basin of water in front of his mirror and splashed my face in a vain attempt to rid my skin of the bags under my eyes. I don't even know why I tried. My nightgown was just slightly too big for me, and the neckline had shifted over so that my bony shoulder was poking out. I turned around and saw him still sleeping, sighed, and returned to my room to get dressed.

"Good morning," Wilbur yawned as he leaned against my doorframe. My fingers paused on the piano keys and my eyes met his. His hair was a mess and his glasses sat crooked on the bridge of his nose.

"Morning," I said, tearing my gaze away from his perfect face.

"I've realized that if our ruse is going to be believable, you'll need an engagement ring."

"I suppose you're right."

"The thing is, I don't think my mother has any rings that will fit you, though." At that he strolled casually over to me and held one of my hands in his, examining my fingers with a surgeon's intensity. "You have very slender fingers."

I said nothing. How could I when his face was that close to mine and I now knew what his touch could feel like?

"So-" He set my hand back down on the keys. "-I thought we might go down to some shops and see if they have anything convincing. You look ready to go already. We can grab a bite to eat in town," he said.

"I don't have any way to pay for the-"

"Well I'll buy it, of course," he interrupted me, a soft look on his face. He held out his hand for me to take. "Shall we?"

The walk through the castle was uneventful enough, but the journey into and through the village was the second closest thing to hell I've ever experienced. Turns out, when you walk hand-in-hand with the Prince of Helia who has a reputation of being a massive rake, heads will turn, and eyes will stare. So many young women sighed and swooned as he passed that I lost count. Whenever they would swoon, they'd also toss me dirty looks like a flower girl at a florist's wedding.

"If you could pick any ring, what would it look like?" He asked me as we walked down the brick roads.

"Hm." I thought for a minute or so. "Silver band with a teardrop-shaped diamond. Or a sapphire. Something simple, definitely," I said. He was silent for a little longer than I would have liked. "There honestly doesn't have to be a crystal on it at all; just a band would be-"

"Oh no, you're getting a rock on your band," he said with a smile. "What kind of royal fiance would I be if my betrothed didn't have a diamond on her hand?" His tone was light and humorous, but I could've sworn I detected something lurking behind the facade. Nothing bad, but something he wasn't ready to show me yet. I decided to stop thinking about it so hard.

A woman with short blonde hair welcomed us into her pawn shop. There were pink flowers in the front windows and several fluffy cats wandering around the room.

"Morning, Wilbur! Anything specific you're looking for?" She asked enthusiastically, a warm smile on her face.

"What's your jewelry inventory looking like today?" He replied, a hand coming to rest at the small of my back.

"Oh! Puffy brought in a bunch of gold pieces the other day." She reached down below the counter she was standing behind and brought up a heavy-looking box. Inside was the most gold jewelry I had ever seen in one place. "Any kind of piece in particular?" Her gaze slid to me, and there wasn't a trace of malice behind her eyes. She had that same kind of glow about her that Wilbur did. The kind of glow that lit up rooms.

"We're looking for rings," he said politely.

"I have a box of those in the back somewhere." She turned to leave through a door behind her. "If you don't mind waiting here for a bit, I'll be right back."

"Thank you, Niki!" Wilbur called after her as she left. "Niki's really nice, you don't have to worry about her. I've known her ever since I moved to Helia."

"She's beautiful," I said, not knowing what emotion it was that tinged my tone. Whatever it was, I didn't like it. At all.

He paused for a moment. "That's true, but she's nowhere near you." Another pause. Then, as if he didn't mean to say it aloud, he muttered, "I've never met a girl as beautiful as you."

I could almost hear the blood rushing to my face.

"Okay, here's my ring collection. I've got gold, gold plated, silver, pewter, and tungsten. Personally, I wouldn't go for gold if you're going to be wearing it every day. Silver or gold plated bands are much better options if you're expecting heavy usage out of it."

"Thank you. We'll give these a look," Wilbur said and Niki returned to the back, saying something about how we should give her a holler if we find something we like.

Wilbur was already separating the silver rings from the rest of them. Together we looked through the box, occasionally pointing one out that seemed fit for a fake engagement ring. As we continued to peruse, I found myself getting more and more distracted by his deft and strong hands, the curls of hair that fell over his face as he bent down, the muscles in his forearms flexing as he worked, the look of concentration on his face, the sound of his murmurs as he showed me a ring he liked, the-

"Lorelai, did you hear me?" He asked, his eyes looking deep into mine. "If I was a betting man, I'd say you're a little distracted, so I'll repeat myself." He chuckled lightly. "This ring looks almost exactly like what you described earlier. Can I put it on you?" He held up a ring that had a simple and thin silver band and a small teardrop-shaped diamond in the middle. It was exactly what I described.

"Yeah. Yeah, of course," I breathed, still in a bit of a daze from my rampant daydreaming, and held out my left hand. It was honestly a little disarming just how gently he slid the ring onto my ring finger. "It fits."

"It fits," he repeated back to me, a slightly stunned look on his face like he couldn't believe what he had just done.

The look in his eyes as he gazed down at me in that small shop was so much different from any other look he had given me before. Something solidified in his mind, opening him up like a book, and I was just learning how to read it. Something in my own mind shifted too, something that let me entertain the idea of this being real and not a ruse. I wanted to feel his touch, I wanted to be by his side, and I didn't want to be alone anymore. Here was a man who knew the thing I kept nearest and dearest to my heart and he didn't think of me any differently because of it. He didn't give me the pity I had come to accept; he gave me comfort. He gave me understanding. He gave me love. And that was a new feeling I wanted to remember forever.

He cleared his throat.

"Hey, Niki? I think we found one."

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42 years later...

i said i'd get it out before September I just didn't expect to start and finish it all in one day lmao

make sure you're getting plenty of rest and water with this new school year coming up! eat your fruits and veggies, take your meds, and be kind to yourself <3

I love you and I'll see you beautiful and/or handsome starlings in the next chapter :D