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chapter eight, Iris.
THE ROYAL GARDENS WAS THE MOST CALMING ENVIRONMENT, thousands of gorgeous plants and flowers adorning its walkways. It held a special beauty that the Queen of France had only hoped it would bring to her castle.
Currently, Aaron and Francesca decided to go on a little walk through the gardens. They chatted and laughed, enjoying the scenery and their company. The two probably made about ten laps around the garden, but they didn't notice. They were too engrossed with one another.
"So, tell me, what makes you tick?" Aaron asked, trying to get to know the girl better. Francesca thought for a second, weighing the options on what to say.
"I hate my name. It's so ugly that it makes me mad that my mother named me it." She finally answers, it was silly, yes, but it did answer his question.
"Really? Why?"
"Well, besides the fact that it's so ugly, there is absolutely no cute nicknames you can make out of it!"
"What about Fran?" Aaron teased, watching as Francesca's nosed scrunched in disgust. The girl playfully glared at him, slapping his arm lightly.
"If you call me that I will kill you," Francesca joked, a small giggle bubbling up her throat. Aaron watched Francesca with a smile on his face, every freckle and line of her face was pushed into his memory. He never wanted to forget her, or the way she looked and especially not her laugh.
Francesca looked around her at all of the beautiful flowers before her gaze fixated on one specific flowers, irises. Francesca moved quickly and walked over to the bed of gorgeous flowers, kneeling down to smell them. She loved the smell, the musk and floral scent filling her senses.
"What kind are those?" Aaron asked curiously, stopping right next to Francesca. Francesca inhaled the scent once more, a smile on her face. She stood back up and faced Aaron.
"They are irises, they are my favorite flower." She smiled, still holding one in her hand. Aaron took note of how bright Francesca looked right now, the smile that she held was beaming off of her face in a gorgeous ray.
"Do you like the name?"
"What do you mean?" Francesca asked after a second, her eyebrows furrowing at the question.
"Do you like the name Iris?"
"I suppose, why?" Francesca asked, her confusion only growing at Aaron's words. Aaron laughed softly, his smile reflecting the bright one that Francesca just had.
"What if I called you that, Iris? They are a beautiful flower, you are a beautiful girl. It fits."
"No," Francesca stated, looking Aaron in the eye. This time, Aaron was the confused one. Had she not hated her name? Didn't she want a nickname?
"Why not?"
"I may hate my name but I've found that it sounds sweeter when it comes from you, I would not like for you to call me anything other than my name," Francesca admitted, a soft blush unknowingly tainting her cheeks.
"Well, alright then. I'll call you by your name, Francesca," Aaron smiled, offering his arm to the girl. She gladly took it with a soft smile on her face and a warm feeling in her heart.
"You know, that's the kindest someone has ever been to me."
"All I did was offer a nickname for you," Aaron said confused. How could that be the nicest thing that someone has done for this sweet, perfect girl?
"I know, but still. No one has really ever shown me that kind of kindness before." Francesca admitted, looking down to the ground. Aaron felt his heart ache, Francesca deserved so much more than this.
"Well, as long as we're friends that is not going to be the nicest thing someone has done for you. Okay?" Aaron smiled, looking at the brunette.
"Okay, thank you." Francesca smiled, deciding to do something that wasn't really normalized. Francesca leaned forward and pecked his cheek. She immediately turned away with a blush on her face, unknowingly.
Aaron's eyes widened, his heart thumped into his chest. He did the exact same, looking away and blushing. The two walked in a comfortable silence for the rest of their walk. But, unfortunately, a few minutes later they were told that they were needed for an event with the other girls. The two quickly departed and for the rest of the day, they could not look at each other without blushing. The King and Queen could see the way the two would look at each other, they both silently had an agreement that they would talk to Aaron about this.
