Days in the Sun

Chapter 4

"Did my heart love until now? Forswear it, sight, for I ne'er saw true beauty until this night."

Library. For Belle, it was the center of her peace, the place that allowed her to escape to wonderful adventures and an escape from the troubles of everyday life. Serenity consumed her while she touched the backs of the books and drowned into their worlds. During the moments like this the track of time and surrounding reality were surprisingly easy to lose. Usually she dived into different worlds for hours. Sometimes the girl used to silently move her lips and repeat book's citations. Some people considered it as annoying and weird habit, but for her acting like this brought safety and different abilities to face the obstacles and different circumstances.

Some of the quotes taught her new things, whereas in some cases the creator of them seemed to have taken an example straight from her life. Belle frowned while she browsed one of them. She had read this book multiple times before, but, for some reason, today some parts of it felt more personal than usual.

"Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied, and vice sometime by action dignified."

Nearly without acknowledging it, she went through the whole book in one second. Especially one quote seemed to almost jumped among the phrases.

"Oh, no! What is this blood that stains the stony entrance of this tomb?"

Belle felt how her throat turned dry and the shivers spread through her spine. She couldn't look away from those words. The incidents of her nightmare returned into her mind and made the cold sweat increase in her palms. Gradually, her breathing turned into almost hyperventilating. She should calm down.. calm herself...

"Hi". A quiet and light greeting released her from that strange slumber. She turned around, surprised, and saw Adam standing in the doorway.

"Something told me I would find you here." Youngster walked deeper in the room and raised his brows mischievously after seeing the book the girl had chosen. "Romeo and Juliet?"

A little bit embarrassed, Belle answered his smile and pressed the book against her chest, her heart still almost feverishly beating. "Hey, don't mock it. This is the story that once brought us closer to each other."

Adam nodded, more serious now, and wrapped his hands gently around her. "I remember."

Silence filled the room when they momentarily got absorbed in their memories. They had traveled a long way and circled many turns to get to this point. Their story had begun from the dark tones of hatred, fear and dubiety, but, even now, Belle wouldn't have changed a thing. And she saw in man's eyes that he felt the same way.

Eventually she let out a deep sigh and looked away to clear up her head. "Adam... You know I'm not exactly a sedentary person. You have taught me so much about the new books and showed me things I never wouldn't have dared to even dream of. But sometimes I just..."

"...need something familiar and safe", Adam finished her sentence in his calm voice. "I understand."

The silence went on and on, and Belle realized that man was re-noticing her seriousness. He grazed the girl's cheek soothingly. "Would you be ready to tell me what happened last night?"

Belle hesitated for a while. She hated the thought of pulling her loved one into the depths of their past just when he had slowly learned to deal with it a little bit lighter. Lying and keeping secrets from her soulmate disgusted her, but she didn't want to burden him because of her teasing subconsciousness, either. "I..."

Gently, Adam took her face into his hands and encouraged her to look at him. "Belle, I know you. You are hurting. Something is clearly bothering you." Worry and love radiated from him by his every word. "Please, let me help you."