Apricots - Ruel Van Dijk

Chapter 4 - Hydrangeas

Ruel's POV

I don't think you love me 'cause you don't reach out

Yeah, you broke my fuckin' heart, took a piece out

*

I stared out at the hydrangeas on the street I was walking, the rich reflection of moonlight dancing across their lilac petals. My nose was encased in their odour.

I had left the palace a couple hours ago. I climbed through the window, with nothing but what was on me and in my wallet. Which I suppose was enough for a good while in the town, things did not seem to be of much value here. Honestly, it wasn't too hard to leave the palace. My bedroom opened up right onto a roof and there was a straight path to the town from there. So I simply climbed out the window. I had had enough of my father, of constant parading around, of being told what to do. I wanted to take Stella, but I knew they were more likely to find her over me, and I didn't want to get her in trouble.

And there I was, walking London streets in the early hours of the morning, snow flurrying around me. I was wearing nothing but a suit, as always, a white button up and some doc martens. I refused to wear this old people shoes most royals wear, so I wore doc martens. And for whatever reason, I got hot, so I took off my suit jacket, leaving me in a pair of trousers and a white button up. I had jewellery on too, which I loved. I absolutely adored jewellery. My parents hated me wearing it, but that didn't stop me. I wore it constantly. Don't ask me how I got hot when it was snowing, I just did.

I just walked, admiring the place I was supposedly supposed to rule over but I knew absolutely nothing about. Houses were small, brick and crowded. Nothing how I had imagined. It looked simply overpopulated. I passed small shops, selling things such as clothes, food and furniture. Strange. The public didn't tailors or chefs or people to make their furniture? They had to buy it themselves?

I just walked, enjoying experiencing what normal people lived like. We learnt the basics of it in tutoring, but we never truly experienced how these people lived. It was around sunrise when I found I had wandered into a street of tall apartment buildings. It looked like an old street, most of the buildings looking well worn.

I was walking for a little while, until I heard a faint shudder of a camera. Shit. I forgot about this part. I turned around to see exactly who I had expected to. A lady with a camera staring excitedly at me. Without another thought, I turned around and starting running down the street, not really watching where I was going. The cool air rushed against my skin as I ran, not really knowing where I was going. I just had to get away from this lady. If I was put in a magazine, my parents would see it and they'd kill me and I'd never be able to even talk to the public again and-

I sharply collided with something, interrupting my train of thought. I felt a small body briefly bump into me, before falling back onto the ground.

"Fuck, I'm sorry," I muttered, gazing down at the person I had just run into. It was a girl, looking to be in her early twenties, sitting in the position she had just fallen into on the concrete, with a crate and a scatter of some sort of fruit around her. Apricots, I realised, as I held out a hand to help her up. What was she doing with a crate of apricots? Apricots had always been my favourite fruit, ever since I was a really little kid. My parents never really let me have them though, so they were kind of a yearly treat kind of thing.

She just stared at my hand, a frown on her face. She then proceeded to stand up on her own, bending down to pick up some apricots. I then noticed she was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, to which confused me. Why was she wearing shorts and a t-shirt in the middle of winter? People are strange. I reached to help her pick up an apricot, but she reached to pick up the one I was trying to help pick up, obviously trying to get me to stop.

"I don't need help, just go away," she mumbled, picking up the last of the apricots and putting them in her crate. I gave her a confused look. Usually people wouldn't talk to me in this way. In fact, I don't think I had ever been spoken to like this, except by my father. It was strange. I suppose she didn't know I was a prince, which to be honest, I wasn't going to complain about. I hated being treated differently just because I had a higher status. I had seen people being horrible to others before meeting me, and then completely switching up their personality once they realised I was there. It was nice to have someone treat me normally for once.

I snapped out of my daydream in a moment, realising she was putting the crate of apricots next to the bin. I must've ruined them when I ran into her, I realised, an displeased frown forming on my face. I couldn't just let her leave after I'd ruined a crate of perfectly good apricots.

"At least let me replace the apricots!" I called after her, jogging up behind her small frame. She ignored me, still walking slowly toward the building. "Hey, please?" I pleaded, stopping walking. I didn't want to give up. Partially because I was stubborn. Partially because there was something weird about this girl. She had a strange aura, and I wanted to know why.

I watched her stop abruptly and turn to face me. She first had an annoyed look on her face, probably planning on telling me to go away again. But once she saw me, she didn't look quite as annoyed. It wasn't a look of 'Oh fuck I was just rude to the prince of England' though, it was more of a curious look. Her brown eyes were wider than before, her freckled nose slowly unscrunching from her anger.

"It's fine, I was going to give them away anyway," she said hesitantly, in a shy kind of manner. What was with this sudden change of mood? Two seconds ago she was this bold, brass kind of person, now she was coming across as a shyer, more spaced out person.

"Still, is there anything I could do to make it up to you?" I asked stubbornly, not really wanting my first encounter with a person of the public to be a bad one. 

"Truly, its okay. Have a good day," she waved me off, continuing to walk away, leaving me standing there. I couldn't help but wonder about this girl. She was simply...strange. Who just carries around a crate of apricots, wears shorts in the middle of winter, and changes moods that quickly? I guess I hadn't had the most wide range of experiences with people, but I knew enough to know that was weird. I found myself continuing to stroll, hoping somehow I would run into her again.

a/n

i promise the perspectives won't be repeating scenes, because thats boring. I just thought it might be nice to know what ruel was thinking:)

As always be the absolutely amazing human you are and remember how many people absolutely fuckin love you xx

4/12/21

- Bri<3🍇

Word Count: 1283