May I, My Love? ✔

29. t h e i r o n c l a d d e c i s i o n

At long last, when our hearts were beating a little too fast for our liking, we were unwillingly forced to break apart from each other. As soon as I was out of contact of the prince, my senses gradually came back to me.

The crashing and absolutely devastating revelation of what I had just done was unfolded in front of my unconscious – and I, once again, found myself unable to handle all of it at once. It felt as if the heavens were testing my resilience every hour today, and I was slowly losing my energy.

Out of sheer embarrassment, I decided to close my eyes and bury my head in the ground. But even hoping that anything could be evaded with Josiah at the receiving end, was another stupidity of mine, and I did learn that very soon.

"Harmony, open your eyes, and look at me. Let's solve this like adults. Please." Josiah called out to me in a whisper and held my hand in his.

I felt him dragging me out of the open area where the rain was still pouring, chilling my bones, and into the veranda of Grandma's cottage. A few towels were fortunately hung out in the open to dry, and he took one of those and wrapped it around my head to dry the excessive water. Afterwards, he wrapped it around my shoulders and took out another one to do the same to himself.

I watched him work in silence as he ruined his suave hairstyle, looking even more delectable with tousled hair. With his cardigan off, white shirt sticking to his muscles and curly black hair sticking out in every direction, I once again found it hard to breathe, even when he was about two meters away from me. He suddenly looked up, his striking grey clashing with my bright green, and I became flustered and short of breath.

'He caught you gawking at him when you're supposed to say no to his advances. Good job Har!' I was chastised by my sane mind, but my silly heart was still revelling in the reverie of how good he looked being wet, or how good the kiss felt.

Maybe we were meant for each other? By now, I was positive that we have both been attracted to the other person ever since we met. With an attraction that is mutual, and a chemistry as intense as ours, what was there to worry about?

'Are you actually bonkers, Har?! He is engaged, and waayy out of your league!!' My mind was still at it, shouting at me to stop, to cease my feelings, those silly and irresponsible things that often put humans in dangerous situations. But why would people become blind in love and race towards their doom if it were a piece of cake to dominate and suppress your heart? After all, who can stop their fate from taking effect?

And because I had officially lost it, in the pleasant rainy atmosphere, under the pitch black sky of the night, amidst hundreds of roses of all kinds, wrapped by the merry winds caused by the rain, I had already taken a decision. I had already taken the fall. All was left now was for Josiah to take the initiative.

"You have been staring at me like a fool for about... four minutes, twenty seconds now. What's the matter?" Josiah asked, which broke me out of my thoughts.

I looked at him with renewed energy, resolute and decisive eyes. I had finally made up my mind. I was about to say something, when I was interrupted in between.

"Wait a minute! Whatever is going through your mind, say it after I've said what I want to. Harmony, you might view me as a stranger, but you're not that much of a stranger to me. I've been watching you from afar for about twenty days before we met, and for the first time, I actually felt alive. You might think that as a prince, I've lived a golden life, but you're really oblivious of the ugly truth – the horrors of holding this position that are hidden behind a facade of royalty. But whenever I heard you sing and play new tunes on the piano, I oddly felt complete. And I fell for you a little more every time I came to hear you. Although I hadn't even seen your face, I wasn't complaining, because pretty faces are many in this world, but pretty souls aren't. I really wasn't joking when I said that I liked you. You're like a breath of fresh air, and I don't just like you, I need you like I need air to breathe."

He was a lot closer than when he started from opposite me. Standing right tin front of me, our bodies almost touching, I heard him straight up confess that he had been stalking me. But at the same time, instead of feeling betrayed or violated, I felt flattered. Flattered because my art had been mesmerizing enough to bind him into visiting me everyday, hoping to listen something new. I was touched by his words in ways more than one, and they only strengthened my resolve. If I had him by my side, I had nothing to worry about.

Minutes ticked by as I was still silent after his speech that was longer than what he said on his coming-of-age party. I knew he was waiting rather impatiently for the verdict, for my answer, but I was having too much fun riling him up like this.

"Harmony, say something. Please." He begged me again, which brought a thought to my mind. I should really count all the times he has said please to me in this one night, just so I can make him say them all over again every single day.

With a poker face, which resembled something ominous and extremely sad, I gave him my answer,

"I like you too."