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THREE CUPIDS AND THE DUKE [PIN HAWTHORNE]

Summary: You've had feelings for Pin for quite some time, but you don't believe he'd ever look at you like that because you're not anyone important yourself. So your friends decide to play Cupids.

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When you were a child, you had dreams of becoming a princess, living in a castle, owning your own stable - and maybe that little girl had summoned itself up when you first met Pin. A boy your age, a real Duke who owned a stable. Handsome, too. You had fallen for him immediately, and apparently it had shown itself quite obviously because your three new friends, Zoe, Becky and Jade, had picked up on your feelings quickly. You had denied your feelings for months from them, but a few weeks ago you finally had enough of your friends' constant teasing about your feelings for Pin.

"Hey, really, stop already. It's embarrassing," you had hushed them, but they just stared at you with sly smiles. You groaned, leaning back against the wall. "Alright! I... I may have some feelings for Pin, nothing big– okay, I have it pretty bad. But you are not allowed to tell anyone about this. Alright?"

"Hah! I knew it!" Becky squealed and you flailed your arms while shushing them, knowing Pin was just around the corner.

Since then, they had decided to be Cupids for you, and you swore that every time they approached Pin, you wanted to hide somewhere just in case.

"Pin, she would like to go on a ride with you," Zoe had told him one day while bumping your shoulder, and your face had immediately grown hot and you turned around abruptly.

"Um, Zoe misunderstood, I'm pretty tired right now," you muttered and disappeared into the tack room, leaving the girls snickering behind you.

You heard them talking through the tack room door and took in a deep breath before you emerged out and your friends immediately giggled at the sight of you.

Pin frowned, looking at you, then at the girls. "What?"

Everyone was quiet for a moment, and you probed the inside of your cheek with your tongue as you willed yourself not to say anything. It was awkward, and judging by how Becky started to get restless, you had a bad feeling. And stepped forward, trying to make up an excuse. "Um, Pin–"

"She likes you!" Becky blurted out that second, and immediately clamped her hand over her mouth after she said that. You laid a death glare on her, then a worried glance at Pin before you fled the scene.

You heard Pin calling after you, but you just kept going, trying to find a place to hide, and then after a moment you found it from the hay storage. You quietly opened the door and closed it and you climbed up in the dim light, sheltering yourself in the far corner as you waited for everyone to pass you.

But of course, it didn't take long before the door was opened. You heard Pin sigh. "I can see your shadow."

"Go away."

He didn't. Of course he didn't. Instead, he stepped in and left the door slightly open so some light would get in.

You heard some rustling, before Pin's voice echoed across the storage room again. "We should talk. About what happened–"

"I don't like you, or not like that. I don't know why the girls came to that conclusion," you scoffed, trying to silence your heart from scolding you.

Pin was quiet for a moment, and you heard hay rustling as he made his way up, and soon you saw his silhouette beside you. He sat down on the hay bale next to you, leaning his arms against his knees. "Why did you run away then?"

You thought for a moment and shrugged. "I don't know, it was embarrassing. They actually think I like-like you and it's just..."

You both fell silent for a moment, and you felt Pin's eyes on you. Something told you he knew you were lying, so you let out a shaky breath, lifting your face up from your knees.

"Okay." You took in a deep breath and turned to look at Pin fully, unshed tears glistening in your eyes. "You're the Duke. You could get anyone, you could get anywhere - you have the means, the power, everything. Thinking I could have any chances for you would be absurd and embarrassing, when you obviously don't feel the same way, and–"

"Who says I don't feel the same way?" he suddenly interrupted you, and you fell silent for a moment, staring at him. He sighed. "Because I do."

"But– why haven't you said anything?" you uttered out, searching his face for any signs of him playing you.

"Why haven't you said anything?" he shot the question back, and you frowned.

"I just told you. You could get anyone, why would you want me? I'm ordinary. Boring."

Pin sighed, leaning against the metal wall. "Because with other girls, those who would know from the start that I'm the Duke, I would always suspect if they like me for me or because I'm... this. If they only seek a chance to be a royal, becoming my wife and the Duchess, without even understanding how much pressure it would put on them. If I would find out only years later they never signed up for me, but because they wanted to be royal. And I didn't believe you'd want any of that stress, or that it would ruin our friendship. I still don't know if you want any of the responsibility that comes with you being my girlfriend."

You stared at him for a moment, then carefully scooted closer. "Well, I've thought about it a few times. It's kind of embarrassing, especially when I thought we would never have this conversation, at least not ending up in... this. I've imagined how it would be to date you. Of course, it hasn't been a real thing but... I'd like to try, if you'll have me?"

Pin's eyes gleamed in the dim light when he turned his eyes on you, and you bit your lip as you looked at him. Then, he broke into a wide smile, pulling you into him and you wrapped your arms around his torso that instant. He pressed his lips against your hair, and you felt his voice rumbling against your scalp. "Of course I'll have you."

You sat there for a long while without talking much, just staying like that. You listened to his heartbeat and he drew circles on your back, before you sat up a little and he grasped your hand, gesturing towards the door. "Shall we?"

You groaned. "The girls are going to lose it."

Pin chuckled, picking some stray hays out of your hair. "I don't doubt that."

You then made your way down the hay bales and left the storage hand in hand - and you knew this was the beginning of a new page in your life.