Counting down the days until you see that I'm eternally yours...

Chapter 7 | Attempting Courtship

It had been some time since you had been alone with a boy in public, but of course, the current situation was far from normal. JR was no ordinary boy, he was the Elf King of another world and he was here, wanting you to return with him to his lands to be his Queen, to help rule his kingdom. The more you thought the entire situation over in your mind, the more absurd it seemed to feel. Had you not faced the wrath of the goblins first hand, you would have continued to believe this was some sort of dream you had been pulled into, but the fact that real danger lurked in unexpected places, waiting to just pounce upon you, claiming your life, it unnerved you immensely and the truth was, the only reason why you felt somewhat secure was because you were with JR.

No matter how much you did not want to admit it to yourself, you did feel safe with him there, but was that all you felt with him? There was definitely some attraction to him. His soft, black hair to his charismatic eyes, every single physical feature of his enchanted you, but aside from the physical attraction, there was definitely some deeper emotion growing within you. You definitely enjoyed his company, being with him, watching him as he curiously took in your world, wanting to learn more and trying his hardest to make you feel comfortable with what was happening. There was no doubt that he was a cautious and considerate person, but there was also something about him which made him very needy. Even though he had leadership potential, when Dohyun was around, JR depended upon him far too much as a mentor, as someone to look after him, to care for him. With Dohyun gone now temporarily, who was to take his place by JR's side?

Leaving the café, at first, you both strolled aimlessly, you following behind him, which seemed rather odd considering this was an area you were living in and somewhere he had never visited before! Seeing as circumstances were beyond the call of 'odd' anyway, you did not think much of it, especially when he suddenly stopped in front of a fancy dress shop.
"Perhaps we ought to disguise ourselves," JR mused out loud.
"Disguise ourselves?" You raised an eyebrow at him.
"Well yes, that way it would make it a little more difficult for the goblins to discern whether it is us they are following or not."
"I don't think disguising ourselves with fancy dress costumes is really going to help us 'blend in'," you pointed out carefully, trying not to offend him.
"What do you suggest instead?" he asked, turning to you, his eyes wandering over your features like they so frequently did, drinking in each and every part of you, making your heart pound.
"I..." you tried your best to ignore his longing gaze and replied, "I think normal clothes are better. That's what everyone else is wearing..."
"Of course," he nodded, smiling a small smile. "This plan will work."

"I am not sure that this plan will work," JR sceptically looked around the shop, unsure of what to make of its contents.
"Well, you said it would work and since this is the only plan we have right now and you're too stubborn to leave, we have no choice but to go with it!"
"I am too stubborn to leave?" JR raised an eyebrow but said nothing more to that statement as you strolled passed racks of various coloured shirts.
You knew what JR was implying and immediately felt annoyed at yourself. Of course he was being stubborn, but you were being much more stubborn than him! However, it was more the fact that his constant presence was beginning to weaken you, but the fact still remained that he wanted you to give up your entire life for the sake of some 'legend' in another world! You had your family, friends, hobbies, social events-it wasn't like you were particularly disappointed at life. It had its ups and downs but didn't everybody's life? If you left it all behind, what was to say that the life he was offering you would be any more rewarding?
You looked over to JR and watched as he stopped in front of a shelf of t-shirts. After pondering momentarily, he reached out for a dark green one. Putting it up against himself, you noticed the corners of his mouth turn up. Immediately your heart skipped a beat. You did find him very attractive, denying that would be ridiculous at this stage, even though you were reluctant to admit it out loud, but he was still a stranger to you. How could you possibly love him when you barely knew him?
"Is there anything you'd like to ask me?" JR asked, breaking into your thoughts. "I would not lie or hide anything from you," he looked up towards you, his deep green eyes entrancing you momentarily. "I will tell you everything, all that you wish to know if it will help you in making your decision any easier."

Had he been in your head, listening to your thoughts? Did his magic allow him to intrude in this way? At this stage, anything was possible. You could not rule it out, but the idea of your thoughts being invaded by him unnerved you. If he could do that then he probably already knew that you found him handsome and were indeed attracted to him. Pulling a face, you shook your head and continued walking past him.
Of course there were a lot of things you wanted to ask him but where would you start? Besides, would it really make any difference? You were staying put. No travelling to other worlds for you. Yet still, you kept thinking about it. Could it be that part of you did want to go with him? Could it be that he knew this? Could it be that he already knew your thoughts better than you did?
Feeling incredibly annoyed now at all the questions circulating your mind, you stopped in front of a rack of discounted clothes and began rifling through, not really taking any of it in. Glancing up momentarily, you saw JR, riffling through the clothes on the other side. You knew he was taking a peek at you when you weren't looking as you could see from out of the corner of your eye. He was not as sly as he seemed to think.
"May I ask you a question?" JR asked you politely.
"Sure," you answered, not really paying attention as you were too busy in your thoughts still.
"Is there anything about me which you find desirable?" At that point, you stopped what you were doing, your eyes still glued to the clothes on the rail.
"Urm..." you felt yourself blush, your face heating up like a star and knew that even if you did not respond, your actions had done enough to betray your feelings.
"Sorry, that was too forward for me to ask. Forgive me," you glanced up briefly and noticed he was blushing himself, looking away with that little smile on his face. Sighing in annoyance at yourself, you twitched your mouth to one side, trying to ease your thumping heart and your shaky hands. JR definitely moved you in ways no one else ever had, but analysing everything the way you were was doing nothing to resolve the conflicting feelings inside of you.
"Is something the matter?" JR tentatively asked, walking around the rail of clothes to where you stood.
"Nothing in particular, how about you?" You asked inattentively. As soon as the question had escaped your mouth, you wished you could take it back.
"There is a lot on my mind, but I fear that revealing it will do little to comfort you," he replied carefully. "I do not mean to be such a burden," he started. "To you, it may seem like I'm a stranger and I accept that, but I have known you for as long as I remember and I know how scared you are." You looked up at him, suddenly noticing how close JR was to you. "Do you trust me?" He asked
"I...I'm not sure..." You admitted.
You heard your name being whispered behind you and turned around, only to find JR standing even closer beside you. Magic was beyond your comprehension! He took your hand into his warm one and carefully stepped towards you. What was he doing? Your question was answered the minute he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a loving embrace. At first, you tried to push him away but he was surprisingly strong. Then you came to realise just how comfortable you felt, standing there, held in his arms. There was no way he was going to let you go, but you were not sure if you truly wanted him to.
"I will let go in a minute, I promise, please, do not struggle," he whispered in your ear, his sweet voice like honey, gently lulling you into a somewhat meditative state.
"JR..." You whispered, "What are you doing?"
"I think we have been discovered..."

It took a long time for his words to sink in, mostly because of the wave of sudden emotions masking reality from you. Initially, you thought he meant a sales assistant had wandered past the aisle and found you both hugging, but as JR held you tighter and began to whisper those familiar incantations from when he had used magic to transport you both out of your apartment, you realised what he meant.

The goblins had found you both.