Chasing Hope [COMPLETE]

1. Unrequited Love at it's Worst

"Well, as much as I may admire your father, quite frankly, he can go ahead and shove off." Hope Edwards spoke in her characteristically matter of fact voice.

Jonathan Langston laughed at the truly outrageous girl before him. The girl in question, Hope Edwards, had been his closest friend since he was two and she had just been born. At the time, he didn't know how much the little bundle of blankets would come to mean to him, but now, at 24, Jonathan could say with absolute certainty that he was in love with the girl. The only problem: she had absolutely no idea.

Hope strained her neck looked up at Jonathan, for he was much taller than her. A fact that annoyed her younger self beyond measure when they were children. She looked at her friend curiously. "Well, he can. It's not fair to put so much pressure on you. Most men don't marry until they're far older than 24!"

"Well, my father doesn't believe that I'm most men. He wants me to be settled early so I can start learning to manage the estate properly." Jonathan scowled a bit while saying this, but as soon as his eyes fell back on Hope, his face immediately softened. "But enough about all that unpleasantness, let's talk about what you've been up to since I last saw you."

"Well there's not much to talk about really, considering you've only been gone for a week." Hope spoke whilst rolling her hazel colored eyes, she flecks of green and gold brought out by the sun.

"You couldn't have possibly done nothing all week. Unless you are rendered inconsolable by my absence. Which is understandable, really, as I am rather charming." Jonathan spoke with mock aloofness while puffing out his chest in false conceit.

Hope shoved her lifelong friend playfully before speaking once more. "Well, now that you mention it, George Millbrooks did call upon my father twice. He even spent dinner with us one night."

Jonathan's face soured at the mention of George Millbrooks. George Millbrooks was a seemingly charming man of one and thirty who seemed to have an interest in pursuing Hope. At balls, he always asked Hope for a dance, sometimes twice in one night. George tended to see women as prizes to be won, and the way he looked at Hope rubbed Jonathan the wrong way. Though, he supposed he had no real right to feel that way. Hope may be his best friend, but Jonathan knew she was by no means his property nor did she appear to have any romantic interest in him.

"So how was London?" Hope asked after a brief silence. She never could stand silence. "Bursting with life that the dull countryside can't conjure, I presume?"

Jonathan snorted in a rather ungentleman like fashion. "Please, Compared to you, London is like dinner with the dreadful Miss. Benson." Miss. Benson was a thin, stern looking spinster woman who lived in town. The elderly woman served as the town's hag, for lack of better word. Miss. Benson spent her days criticizing anyone she encountered, tending to her cats, and creating and spreading false rumors.

Hope laughed heartily before agreeing. "I've never heard truer words spoken." She joked. "Nothing on earth could compare to a stroll in the gardens with someone as agreeable as myself."

They descended into a comfortable silence that Hope permitted so she could admire the lush gardens of the Langston's estate, Hartfordshire. The gardens had often served as a playground for the younger selves of Hope and Jon. The grounds in which they would make believe as pirates and princesses with imagination only children can muster. It was the Hartfordshire gardens that Jon realized his love for Hope was far more than platonic.

As per usual, Hope was the first to break the silence. She never could stand it for longer than a few minutes at a time. She always believed that only the elderly had exhausted all topics of conversation. "But in all seriousness, how was London?"

"It was mostly concerning my cousin's law practice. Business that wouldn't much concern you. The trip was quite boring, really." Jonathan replied in a bored tone.

"How is Peter, and that darling wife of his? I haven't seen either since before little Alex was born."

"They're both doing well enough. Though Georgina has her hands full with little Alexander." Jon laughed to himself at the thought of the small child causing a raucous all over the couple's London townhouse. "Alex has become quite the troublemaker."

"Well then he must be a lot like his first cousin once removed then." hope teased.

"Please. If anything, he's like you." Jonathan laughed. "If I remember correctly, it was you who always got up to all sorts of sordid business as a child."

"That may be true, but you always joined." Hope said with a taunting wink.

"Only because you roped me into it with puppy eyes!" Jon exclaimed with a hearty laugh. "You knew I couldn't resist those eyes! It was entirely not my fault."

Hope only joined in his laughter before sobering up and checking her timepiece. "Well, it's been a delight as usual, but I'm afraid My presence is required at Wellington for supper. I must now leave you in the dull countryside all on your lonesome, or heaven forbid, in the company of Miss. Benson."

"Must you leave when I've just gotten back from London? You could stay for supper here." Jonathan said, with an embarrassing tinge of begging, while ignoring her tease.

"Regardless, you know that I can't leave my father alone," Hope smiled softly at Jonathan before making her way from the gardens and beginning the walk back to her home, an estate called Wellington. "Goodbye for now, Jonathan. Come over for tea at Wellington tomorrow!"

"I will!" Jonathan called out to Hope's retreating figure. He couldn't help but feel like she was always getting farther from him, increasingly out of reach each day.

*****
Authors note:

Let me know what you think of the characters/plot/descriptions as you read, it helps me determine how to edit later! If you notice any errors, please let me know so I can correct them.

Please enjoy!!