headmaster styles.

A Day With A Stranger

Never tell a complete stranger your secrets.

April 19, 2012
A Park In London, England

I struggled to keep the bottom of my dress from blowing up because of the wind, and the male attention I was getting because of it made me tremble. I didn’t like it, and it was taking me off ease.

    When the sign of the park came into sight, I blew off some stress and cleared my mind. You’ve replaced me already?

    I froze in my tracks and put my hand over my chest, taking a deep breath. How is it that when I clear my mind, he lingers to it?

    “Anastasia!” I snapped my head towards the direction that my name was being called and saw Marsden. “Hey,” he ran up to me and I smiled.

    “Hello.” I nodded my head at him and he put his hands in his pockets.

    “Um, shall we walk?” he held out his arm and I nodded my head again, looping my arm in his, “You look wonderful today.”

    “Your accent is thick today,” I joked and he let out a chuckle.

    “I’m not sure if I should be insulted or thankful.” He looked down at me and I smiled again.

    “Trust me, it was a compliment.” I laughed.

    “So, if you don’t mind me asking,” he cleared his throat and I looked forward, “Why did you leave so quickly last night?”

    “Um, I didn’t feel too well.” I shook my head and he cleared his throat again.

    “Is it bad that I don’t believe you?” I looked at him and he shrugged.

    “I just needed to leave. I was beginning to feel a little homesick. And I didn’t want to ruin our week in London by getting sick and having to leave early.” I was getting aggravated.

    “Woah. Don’t get so defensive,” he said and I pulled my arm from his.

    “Well I’m sorry. But you kind of offended me and you were practically calling me a liar. When I’m not even the liar.” Tears filled my eyes and he stepped in front of me.

    “Anastasia,” I scowled at myself and looked at him, “Who lied to you so badly?”

    “I don’t know who he is anymore.” I shook my head as I chewed on my lip.

    “Well. If anything, today should get your mind off of things. Please, join me again?” he held his arm back out, and I obliged, “I’m sorry for offending you.”

    “I’m sorry for yelling at you. I just.. Don’t like being called a liar.” I shook my head and looked to the little adorable kids running around.

    “Well, alright then. Note received.” He chuckled and I smiled.

    We walked around a few times and stopped to see the ducks in the pond. When we fed them the bread, I immediately thought back to the time Harry and I were alone on the lake.

    “Where do you want to go to lunch today?” Marsden asked me as I threw a couple more bites of bread in the water.

    “I don’t know. You’ve been here longer than me. I was hoping that you had suggestions.” I smiled and stood up, looking at him.

    “Well… Maybe we could go for some coffee, and some nice homemade doughnuts?” he offered and I laughed.

    “I haven’t had a doughnut since I was ten.” I laughed again and looked back to the memory.

    My dad had just landed a new deal and he now owned all of the doughnut shops in Missouri and Kansas. So he decided to take me to one of them. I got to stand behind the doughnut maker and watch the dough being kneaded and set in an oven to be cooked. I remember he gave me a lemon filled doughnut with chocolate icing and he got a jelly filled doughnut with glaze.

    “What are you thinking about?” Marsden knocked me out of my thoughts and I smiled.
   
    “I was just remembering the last time I had a doughnut. That’s all.” I looked down and he sighed.

    “So, no doughnuts?” he asked and I looked back up.

    “Oh that’s not what I meant. Doughnuts would be great.” I stood up and he grabbed my hand in his, leading me out of the park.

    I would sometimes feel his hand tremble against mine, and it made me smile to think that I made a boy scared. But the way he held my hand… I didn’t feel anything. Not like the night when Harry tried to hold my hand under that oak tree…

    “Here we are.” Marsden smiled once we stood in front of a cafe and I smiled back, “I’m buying.”

    “Oh no, no Penelope. I am buying today.” I handled my clutch and he took it from me, sticking it in the pocket of his vest, “Ugh. Give it back.” I giggled and he shook his head.

    “Nope. I’m buying.” We then walked into the cafe and I looked at the menu as we took our seats. The menu was written on a small chalkboard on the wall, and it was in cursive so it was hard to see. But I saw the doughnuts; they were all lined up in a case, in order by color and by flavor. “What kind of coffee would you like?” Marsden asked and I looked over to see that there was a waitress standing at our table.

    “Um. Chocolate Peanut Butter please,” I smiled and looked back to the doughnuts, “And can I have a lemon filled doughnut with chocolate icing?”

    “Certainly,” she answered before taking Marsden’s order and walking away.

    “What’s so special about your doughnut choice?” he asked and I smirked.

    “What do you mean?” the waitress came back with our coffee and I took a small sip of it, the hotness of it burning my tongue.

    “Every time I come here, I have a certain reason why I order a certain doughnut. For instance, I order the strawberry doughnut with the chocolate glaze and sprinkles because that’s the kind my mother always made for me after I came home from school. What about you? What’s your reason?” he took a sip of his coffee and I sighed.

    “Well. My father is the richest… erm, I mean the second richest man in the world. He bought a lot of doughnut shops in Missouri and Kansas, and when we went there, I ordered that kind of doughnut,” I explained and he smiled.

    “Sounds like a good memory,” he chuckled and I laughed with him.

    But when I looked outside to the window, I saw Penelope frantically roaming the streets and I tensed. When she stopped by the store, she put her forehead against the glass and looked around until she saw me. She then waved her hand hastily at me until I stood up.

    “What’s wrong?” Marsden asked and I sighed, grabbing my wallet out of his vest,

    “I need to leave,” I stated quietly and he stood up, “Look I’m really sorry. But I had a great time with you otherwise.” I kissed him softly on the cheek and he grinned at me.

    “It was nice meeting you, Miss Anastasia.” He smiled again and I nodded my head.

    “You too.” I then walked out of the cafe and to Penelope. “What is so important?” I asked and she ran her hands through her hair.

    She pulled out her phone and showed me a picture of a crashed car. “Harry,” my heart dropped. “No, that’s not his car. That’s someone else’s car that he caused to look like that. Anastasia,” she took a deep breath and I wiped away my building tears, “Harry is in jail because he killed the man in this car.”

    And then my heart dropped even more.