II. The Impact of Her

~ Fifteen ~

After a bit of riding, I finally arrived at the hills.

I immediately started my search for Laura. And after a bit of time, I finally found her. She was on top of a hill, under a tree. Leo peacefully grazed grass right in front of her.

I slowly made my way towards her. And when I arrived behind her, I got off of Lady and walked up to her.

She didn't say anything or moved a muscle. She kept her eyes out to the big, open field before us. I already sat down beside her but she continued to act as if I wasn't there.

Her cheeks were damp, clear evidence that she had been crying. Her eyes were puffy and she quietly sniffled in an attempt to hide it from me.

"Laura," I spoke with caution after a deep breath.

She turned her head to the side, wiping her face. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

I cleared my throat as I readjusted my posture. "I figured that you headed here after that... disastrous scene in our stables," I replied as she turned back to the side.

"Mallory may be looking for you. You should go back," she said.

"I ended everything Mallory. It isn't even real to begin with."

"Even if you say that it isn't real for you, she loves you. And she loved you throughout the relationship. In some way, that relationship is real," she said before she sniffed. She then ran her hand under her nose after."

"Laura, if it was real, I would've been in love with her, too," I interrupted her. I didn't want her to believe every word that she said. She believed that I had intimate feelings for Mallory. And that couldn't be further from the truth. "Mallory is like a sister to me. That will never change, no matter how hard I try."

"And yes, you kept it from me," she said as she finally faced me. Her eyes narrowed, furious as she continued, "You lied to me."

"I didn't lie to you, Laura. I never lied to you," I protested as I moved closer, "I didn't tell you anything about it because it wasn't worth telling anybody. That relationship meant nothing to me."

She shook her head as she stood up. She was about to walk away when I quickly wrapped my arms around her.

"Please, Laura, allow me to explain myself," I begged, holding her tight as she wept silently in my arms.

After a few struggles, she finally broke free from my grip. She then turned around and pushed me. "And you have the nerves, the audacity, to say such flowery words to me. You had the guts to get mad when I didn't give you the answer that you expected to hear," she gritted through her teeth as she replied. "How can you do this to me? How can you lie to me like that? How dare you use that tactic to gain my trust, just so you can crush it in an instant?? How dare you?!"

"Laura, I meant what I said to you, every word of it," I held onto her arms, keeping her in place. I explained, "You are the one that I want to be with all the time. What I had with Mallory is nothing but a joke. A cruel joke, to be exact. A mistake that I have regretted since the day I allowed it to happen. She is my childhood friend and yes, I have known her for the entirety of my life. But I never saw her differently. She's been a sister to me and no matter what happens, our connection as friends will never go beyond that."

And she stared at me. Her nostrils flared as she breathed heavily. Her jaw clenched before she broke down in tears. Slowly, she sunk down to the grass and I kept holding onto her arms, joining her.

I never wanted her to feel this way. I never wished to see her in this situation. She didn't wail when she cried. Her tears were shed in silence, which broke my heart even more. Because I knew she was trying to keep it to herself.

I put my forehead on hers. "I beg for your forgiveness," I whispered. I pulled her into me, wrapping her in a warm embrace. I continued as I rubbed her back, "I never lied to you and I will never lie to you. I am sorry for hurting you. I didn't mean to."

She didn't cease her cries. I kept her in my arms as she sobbed on my shoulder but she didn't hold me back. And I understood why she didn't want to touch me. She didn't even want to see me. I had no right to expect that she would reciprocate my embrace.

~*~*~*~

On our way back to the bakery, Laura rode ahead of me. I was able to convince her to return home. She did stop crying before we started our journey back. But she hasn't said a single word to me ever since. I didn't try to start a conversation with her as I respected the fact that she didn't want to speak to me.

Upon our arrival, Ronald was fixing the signage. Laura was the first to dismount and I followed suit. I quickly held Leo's reins to prevent him from running off.

Ronald turned around as soon as he heard the horses whinny. "Laura, where have you been?!" he immediately started screaming at her as he approached her. "You were needed here an hour ago! Why did you leave? What were you thinking?!"

I stepped out of Laura's shadow, greeting Ronald with a sarcastic smile. "Hello there, Ronald. How is the signage?" I asked.

He quickly stepped back, startled by my presence. "It's... it's none of your business," he stuttered, trying to put up a brave face in front of me.

I stood beside Laura and Grandpa Ben came from the bakery. He searched for Ronald and when he saw him with us, he rushed towards us.

"Ronald," Grandpa Ben gave him a small nudge on his left arm, making Ronald jump. "Did you do what I told you to do?" Grandpa Ben enquired.

"I'm already finished, Grandpa Ben. You didn't have to push me. You could've just called my name," Ronald complained.

"I told you to get back inside once you're done with it. Why are you still here? Go back inside," Grandpa Ben replied as he pointed to the bakery.

Ronald gave us one final glare before he mouthed towards me, "You deserve to be in the abyss."

I chuckled before I replied with a teasing grin, "There's no need for you to worry. You'll be the first one to go there."

My remark made Laura snicker, which only angered Ronald even more.

This time, Grandpa Ben hit Ronald on the arm. "Will you just return to your station and quit bothering other people?"

Defeated, Ronald quickly returned to the bakery whilst rubbing the back of his arm.

Laura slowly turned to face me. "Thank you... for making sure that I returned home safely," she said faintly as she took Leo's reins from my hold.

"You are welcome."

"You can leave now. They may be looking for you," said Laura.

"Who would be looking for me? Are you pertaining to my family? Why would they be looking for me?" I asked, confused.

Laura stared at me, seemingly uncertain with what I said. "If you haven't noticed, Robert, it's nearly time for dinner. There's no doubt that they will be looking for you," she replied.

"Oh, of course," I nodded. "In that case, I want to see you tomorrow, before the sun rises."

"Why?" she asked.

"I want to watch the sunrise with you before I proceed with my day tomorrow," I explained gently.

She took a deep breath as she thought about my offer. "I will see what I can do," was all she could say. She didn't give any indication that she was interested to see me again. Perhaps, I was being too forward once again.

With a soft smile, I added, "Or we can simply do it some other time. If you want some time to be away from me, I completely understand."

She simply nodded as she avoided my gaze.

With all the remaining courage within my body, I walked closer to her and left a gentle peck on her forehead. "I will see you soon."

"Goodbye," she said as she turned around and went inside.

I hopped onto Lady and rode back to the castle.

~*~*~*~

Upon arriving back at the stables, I was preparing Lady's food when someone barged into the stables, yelling, "Robert!"