Whispers of Willow

Chapter 23

He continued to follow her, and she didn't appear to be as bothered by it as she had anticipated. They walked under the dark, starless night sky.

"You seem a lot different too," he said observing her.

"Well, if you must know... I quit my job."

"Why? I thought it was okay as long as you were on that road," he said, quoting her from one of their previous conversations.

"I was at a dead end. You made me realize it, even though I had known it for a long time."

"That must mean you owe me."

She mockingly laughed.

"What do you want? A pinch of my blood? Would that be your dinner? Is that what you want from me? Because you can't get any other human to donate to your cause?"

"You're funny. But no."

When Willow suddenly felt pain in her right foot, she gasped. She turned to check for a shoe bite that her heel strap might have caused. She sighed and pulled a band-aid from her bag and attempted to bend over but found that the short length of her dress prevented her from doing so.

Wes took the band-aid out of her hand and knelt on one knee, saying, "Allow me."

She watched as he carefully placed it over the shoe bite and stood back up. His black jacket was then draped over her shoulders after he removed it.

"I hope you're not being nice just so that I would be indebted to you. I am firm on my decision."

"You think too less of me," he said. "Although I have no intention of giving up just yet."

"Now I know what is different about you," she said after having an epiphany. "You seem happy. Do you want to know what I think is the reason for your happiness?"

"Sure."

"I think the kingdom suffocates you because you know the truth, unlike the rest of the people. You are aware that you are trapped and will never be free. But here! You can act however you please. Free of obligations."

He shook his head.

"You are mistaken. I love my kingdom. It is my home."

"I am not convinced. Can you roam around freely in your kingdom without having all eyes on you? Can you go to a club in the kingdom without going unnoticed?" Her attention was drawn to a flowery board sign outside a building that listed the names of the hosts of a wedding reception. "Can you attend a wedding reception even though your name isn't on the guest list?"

"No, that's a bad idea."

"It's too early to call it a night. I can't believe I dressed up for nothing. I wanted to dance but all the clubs are too crowded and filled with creepy men. This is a good idea."

She fixed her dress before returning his jacket.

"The key is to walk straight in and pretend as if you belong there," she said and looked at his semi-formal attire before grabbing his arm. "We're dressed for the part too."

As she had said, they walked right in without having to introduce themselves. Though not as crowded as the club, the place was still cluttered. She took a look at the extensive food table.

"We won't eat any of the food since...we're not invited and it would be stealing."

"Really? That's where you draw the line?" he deadpanned.

He was led to the dance floor after she rolled her eyes. He stood there like a stick but eventually relaxed as she danced, gently swaying her hands and head from side to side.

The DJ started playing a slow song. All the couples were hugging each other and swaying to the music. Wes pulled her by the waist while holding her hand. She gasped before they also began to sway to the music.

She suddenly became aware of their proximity, which caused her breath to quiver.

"You were right," he whispered in her ear. "I could never do this back in the kingdom."

She flashed a small smile of victory, and for the remainder of the song, the two of them danced quietly.

"You two seem like a nice couple."

Willow and Wes looked and the bride who stood beside them on the dance floor. They released each other's grip right away.

"Do we know you?" the bride asked politely as her husband came to stand beside her.

Willow glanced at Wes before laughing awkwardly. Wes was interested to see how she would escape this situation.

"Wait..." she dragged. "This isn't Barbara and Liam's reception?"

"No...this is my husband Adam and I'm Nora. You might have received an invitation to the reception in the adjacent room."

"Ah! Yes, we sincerely apologize. We must leave immediately."

"It's alright," the groom said as he watched them fade away towards the exit.

Once they were outside the structure and onto the sidewalk, Willow laughed, and Wes couldn't help but smile.

"That was..." he said, "fun."

"It was," she said fixing the strap of her purse on her shoulder. "And this is a good place to call it a night. I hope I don't see you again."

He watched her walk away, and this time, he didn't follow her.