After a long, hard day, all the barnwork had been done. The clock was about to hit 5 pm and I couldn't wait to head back home, despite the chaos I knew I would find and all the other house chores I would need to do.
But my thoughts were cut short when Marilla called Jerry and I into the house. I immediately looked up at him. "Oh no, what did you do this time?"
He looked down at me with furrowed brows. "Nothing at all. However the real question is what did you do?"
I scoffed and smiled bitterly at him. "I'm a saint." I said, giving him my most convincing innocent eyes.
"Are you now?" He smiled back. It was strange to have a conversation with him for once without all the bickering and insulting. But it was somehow comforting. "You're the devil herself." He said. Well, I spoke too soon.
"How nice of you to say." I said sarcastically. "We should probably go inside before Marilla gets tired of waiting." I said as we approached the exit of the barn.
We were a few steps away from the door when I heard Jerry let out a slow sigh behind me. "Let your hair down." I heard his heavy accent through his voice.
I stopped in my tracks and turned back to him with my brows raised. "What?"
"I said let down your hair." He whispered. I felt a cool wave of feelings sink down in my stomach as he began to slowly approach me. His hands came around my head, finding the tie that was holding my hair in a bun. His fingers twisted and turned at the back of my head before he released the tie, letting my hair fall down. "I like it better like this."
I just stared at him, afraid to let any words out. His brown eyes were so deep. Inches away. He held onto my yellow tie and wrapped it around his own wrist. The tie had a small charm on it. A sunflower.
"You... like it better?" I asked, making sure that I hadn't been hearing voices and that he'd actually said those words.
He nodded. I looked back down at his wrist, the tiny sunflower shining when it hit different angles of the light. "Trop belle." He said something in French. Nothing I understood.
"What does that mean?" I asked, although I had a feeling I didn't want to know. He leaned his body down, face coming closer to mine.
"It means..." He lingered for a second, face hovering over mine as he took in every single one of my features. "Do you want me to show you what it means, Vivian?" He asked his eyes piercing into mine with an indescribable expression.
My stomach tingled at the look he was giving me. "Pardon?"
"This." His fingers found my hair and he brushed his hand through it. "Trop belle." And then his hands slithered up towards my jaw where he brushed his fingers against my cheek. "Trop belle." His thumb caressed my bottom lip. "Trop belle." Whilst his hand remained on my face, his other one travelled around my waist and gripped it with slight aggression. My heart skipped a beat at the action. "Trop belle." My breath hitched as I noticed his face approaching mine. But weirdly enough, I did not feel the need to pull away. In fact, I leaned in as well. Our eyes closed and before I knew it-
"Jerry! Vivian!" Marilla's voice called to us again. We pulled apart almost immediately, our eyes shooting open. Our breaths were heavy and for some reason I was craving his hands back around my body.
No. I couldn't. This was Jerry. Jerry of all people.
"Uh..." I couldn't find the words to say what I wanted. I didn't even know what to say.
I expected Jerry to become flustered or pretend that nothing happened. I even expected him to walk away. But he surprised me with a smirk as he tucked a piece of stray hair behind my ear. "Trop belle," He said as he pulled his hand away with a smile. "Means too beautiful." He looked down at the yellow tie around his wrist, his finger brushing over the sunflower charm. "I'm keeping this one." He said one last time as he headed out, going to Marilla's. I had to take a minute to gather myself. What in God's name had just happened? Either I was hallucinating or Jerry and I almost... ugh, I couldn't even say it. Not when it was Jerry. I mean we were so... different. We were always bickering and arguing. I just couldn't see it happening.
But despite what I thought, it did almost happen. And I was going to let it happen. I took a deep breath as all the memories came rushing back.
How clueless can you be?
I like it better like this
Trop belle.
Do you want me to show you what it means?
I was going absolutely mad. I was confused to say the least. First he hated me with his guts. And then he suggested being friends (which was absolutely crazy) but now he pulled this even crazier bomb on me and tried to... kiss me! He was the last person I expected to make that sort of move on me.
Shaking the thoughts away, I slowly made my way to the Cuthbert's house, taking these few seconds to prepare myself to face Jerry after that heated moment at the barn. Nonetheless, I smiled as I thought back to it. The way his fingers brushed through my hair, the way he looked at me, the way he grabbed my waist, the way he almost kissed me. I couldn't help but to wonder if I would've kept on with it if Marilla hadn't called us back inside. But I had a feeling I would soon find out.
A/N: I just released the first few chapters of my story 'My Piece of Art' Featuring Benedict Bridgerton. Go read it now! Here's a sneak peek of the cover;)
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