Roses I Send to You (Beauty and the Beast)

Amelie the Confused

After hearing the comforting voice, I stood up. I kept my back turned to the speaker for a few seconds, but eventually I did turn around.

Chandler was standing a few feet from me. He looked so different, even though it hadn't even been two weeks. Carrying the large boxes and crates at the market meant that he was forming muscles. There wasn't much there yet, but I could tell. Maybe it was because I had been flirtatiously staring at Chandler for almost two years, but I payed attention to the little things. His brown hair was a little bit shorted, and it didn't extend past his ears anymore. His skin was a little bit more tan. But he was Chandler all the same, and I was happy for him to be there for me.

Of course, I didn't want him to see me. I hadn't combed my hair in a few days, and it was starting to become matted. My I hadn't changed my dress in about that long, and the lavender fabric was stained with my sweat and my tears. 

"Chandler!" I exclaimed in surprise before I pulled myself together. "I was actually just about to go home," I said as I tried to rush past him. He grabbed my arm and looked me in the eye.

"Are you alright? We haven't spoken since that day in the river, and I hadn't even seen you at all, not even from a distance, until I saw you run out of your house. Are you okay?" he asked me with a concerned look in his eye. 

"Yes," I abruptly said before I burst into tears. "No!" I said as I sobbed.

Chandler gently led me to the creek as I cried into his shoulder. He sat me down in the soft sand and he sat own next to me. Without hesitation, he ripped off a part of his shirt and he used it as a rag, soaking it in the water and gently cleaning my face as to remove all of the tears and sweat, never letting go of my hand as he did it.

He set the rag down and pulled me up to a standing position. Without a word, he led me closer to the water. When the two of us were actually in the water, he still didn't pause. Only when the water was halfway between my knees and my waist did he stop to examine me.

"I want to go and do something...you know....with you," he said as the water swirled around both of our legs.

"Alright," I croaked. I wasn't afraid of the memory that I had made with him on the day if the burial anymore. Now, I was back to being somewhat like the girl I was when Madeleine was still with me. I was still crushing on him, but I wasn't nervous around him anymore. Maybe it was because he had seen me at my worst? I wasn't sure of the reason, but I knew that Madeleine was watching, and she was happy that I didn't fret over him.

"Meet me here tomorrow morning," he said. It looked like he was waiting for a response, but I couldn't force out any words. I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what to say. Chandler seemed to understand, so he gently let go of my hand and walked back to the village.

I stood there in shock for at least two minutes before I got a grip on myself. I walked back towards my house, hesitant to open the door.

I finally did, and my father was waiting inside, with my mother nowhere to be found. He walked right up to me and hugged me without warning.

"I know you need more time to heal, so I will leave you to be by yourself as much as you want," he muttered before rushing to the bedroom that he shared with my mother. I wasn't sure why he was acting so strange all of a sudden, but I decided I wouldn't focus on it. I just ran to my bedroom and I started looking at all of my many dresses.

I wasn't sure what to wear, because I didn't know what Chandler had planned. Not only that, but I was naturally unsure of what to wear. Who did I ask whenever I was unsure about something with Chandler? I thought to myself before I realized. 

Oh, right. It was Madeleine.