By midnight (Short story)

By midnight

Elizabeth was hiding behind a thin looking tree in the forest farther away from her palace. She leaned on the tree. It was comfortable to wait like that. So she managed to escape, and she was happy about that. Except for the fact her mother saw her leaving. Elizabeth was worried about that, but she knew she couldn't live her life in misery, and when her "common boy" showed up, she was going to ask an important question.

Elizabeth was waiting patiently in her and the common boy's secrest forest. It really wasn't secret, but it was to them.
It was always so peaceful and quiet there with birds and squirrels surrounding the place, and since it was springtime, the forest was as beautiful as ever. There was also a small pond around that they loved to look at together.
While Elizabeth was daydreaming about the moments they spent together, the common boy was only blinks away.

"Elizabeth!" She heard her boy shout, but she didn't see him in front of her, so she turned around and peaked behind the tree, still hiding behind it.

"Effy, I see you daring." He said while getting closer.

Elizabeth blushed. She loved it when he called her nicknames and give her compliments.

"Well... then get over here, Lover Boy." She replied back before leaning on the tree again with a smirk.

Common Boy, glady did so, and when he did, he also leaned on the tree in front of her.

"Hi." She said.
Hey." He replied.

She started to smile nervously as she remembered what they were doing here anyway.
She sighed and looked down.
He could tell something was up and hated it when Elizabeth was upset.

"Hey.., what's wrong? Is everything okay at the castle?" He asked concernly.
When Elizabeth still didn't look up, he slowly lifted her chin with his free hand.

"You know you can tell me anything, Love."
She blushed even more now.
"I know..." She smiled in return.
He waited for a response or reaction, but there wasn't any.
He smiled and stopped leaning on the tree to take her hand. He then took her to the beautiful pond that had logs around to sit on.

"Here, sit beautiful."
She sat down, and he sat down next to her, still holding hands he squeezed gently to let her know he's here for her.
She breathed in and out before making serious eye contact with him.

"Okay.., so you know my parents arranged a marriage for me with some... guy." She asked.
"Of course." He replied, not sure where this was going.
"And.. you know I love you very much!" She said and took both his hands with hers.
"Yes.." He replied again but with butterflies in his stomach.
She tried to keep contact but she couldn't and looked away.

"Ef? What are you trying to say?" He asked, wondering if right here and right now was where they were getting their heart broken.

She looked back at him."Ugh... I'm saying I really don't want to get married to that prince, I want you!"

"And I want you." He said.

"But..-" She tried to say before he cut her off.

"We can't if we are here.." He finished.

"Right! So I know this is totally crazy but.. we should leave this place together, just you and me." She said.

"Yes! Yes, of course." He agreed happily.

"Really!?" She asked excitedly.

"Of course." He replied back with a smile across his face.

"Finally! And I don't care where we go, as long as I'm with you, I'm fine." She said.

"And I don't care where we go, as long as we're together." He replied with a grin. She smiled happily at him, with tears forming in her eyes. Ther might have been some in his, too.

He gently wiped her check to get rid of her tears, and afterward, he grabbed her rosey cheeks and kissed her. It was a lovely, true kiss, and there would be plenty more moments like this in the future.

The kiss eventually ended like every story does, and this one is almost at its end!

"We have to leave by midnight." She said when the kiss ended.
"But we still have time to chill here." He said before she nodded with a smile and cuddled close to him.

What happend next is a blur, they did eventually leave for their new life, and to this day, she is more then glad she worked up the courage to ask him, or maybe he would've ;)