A Secret Love

Chapter Four

I went to bed that night dreaming I was dancing with Xavier once again. My dream was interrupted, however, when my father woke me the next morning by banging on my bedroom door. I groaned lowly as I got out of my bed and opened my door.

"Yes, Father?" I asked him, leaning against my door slightly.

"You will find Mr. Turner's son and tell him that you are already marrying someone." my father said sternly.

"But that would be lying," I tell my father, getting tired of this conversation.

"Not if it's true. I called Mr. Gareth and told him that you are marrying him."

"Father! No, I did not choose him!" I yelled angrily.

"I did and you will marry him!"

I walked back in my room and slammed my door shut. I sat on my bed's edge and felt a tear fall from my eye. I quickly swiped it away and then got up and got dressed. I locked my door before I sneaked out of my room through my window and used the vines to climb down to the ground. I quickly ran to the abandoned bridge and sat on the side of it, my feet dangling off the side. I let the wind blow my hair in any direction it wanted to, and I let my tears slip from my eyes and down my cheeks. I wrapped my arms around myself and silently cried to myself.

After a few minutes, I heard footsteps coming closer to me. I hoped it was Xavier, but I didn't dare look up, fearing that it might not be and the person would drag me home.

"Zaylin, is that you?" I heard Xavier's voice ask cautiously.

I slowly lifted my head up and looked into Xavier's bright green eyes. I nodded as a response and quickly ducked my head back to look at the water far below me.

"Zaylin, have you been crying?" Xavier asked as he pushed my hair away from my face and behind my ear.

"Xavier, my father is making me marry Gareth. I'm scarred and I don't want to marry him."

Xavier hugged me close to him and lightly kissed the top of my head. "There has to be a way to get you out of the marriage."

"There is one way.... but I don't want to lie to my father or anyone for that matter..." I take a deep breath and slowly let it out. "You would just have to say that you had already proposed marriage to me, and I accepted." I said, not sure about his reaction.

He looked ahead of him for a minute, and my fear rose. He suddenly turned back to me, a huge smile on his face. He suddenly got up and then gets on one knee in front of me. "Will you marry me?" he asked, still smiling widely.

I looked at him in shock for a moment, before I replied with, "Yes."

His smile got even bigger, and he picked me up and swung me around. I felt his lips on mine, and I didn't hesitate to kiss back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he set me down so that he could pull me closer. "Why don't we tell your father the great news?" he asked once we stopped kissing.

I bit my lip, a little unsure about this. "Are you sure you want to go in my house and be around my father?" I worried about his well being.

"I'm sure. I'll be fine, don't worry about me. I'll make sure he doesn't harm you either," Xavier promised.