𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝒾 𝓌𝒾𝓈𝒽 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓈𝒶𝒾𝒹 - coriolanus snow

the lakes

Elsie was everywhere. The market, the bakery, gardens, parks, cafés. Everywhere Coriolanus looked she was there. Her blonde hair always put into braids or just left alone while it was down. Her green eyes always sparkled in whatever light they were put into and her smile was enough to make him need her. He was supposed to be focused on Lucy Gray but he couldn't. This Elsie Pierce girl took up every space in his mind. Every atom on his body was obsessed with her, called out to her. He needed her in such a disparity that it was pathetic. The one short conversation the two shared was enough to bring up moral when he was working. He thought about her constantly, her voice and how sweet it sounded. Her hands and how they felt so smooth intertwined with his own. The thought of her hand holding his was a daily even hourly occurrence. 

"Coryo?" Somebody called his name. Lucy Gray. The girl he was supposed to love, the girl he wanted to love. He had convinced himself that he loved her so much that he had sacrificed everything for her. But now he wasn't so sure that she was what he wanted. 

"Yes?" He replied softly from the other room, standing up to walk towards her voice. He hoped that she was done with him, he couldn't break her heart. He couldn't. 

"We're going to the lake today, are you comin'?" Her voice was soft but deep. The voice he once got lost in thought about, the voice that kept him from ending it all now was hitting him like a brick. A constant reminder of how guilty he was. He nodded in response to her and she smiled at him. A warm smile, a good smile, a not good enough smile. She couldn't get him to stay, he would leave someday. 

The group walked along a long twisty path. The path looked as if it had been forced, like the forest had gutted itself out to create it. He had never been surrounded by nature and the constant buzzing in his ear was beginning to set him off. He slapped the bug that flew onto his neck and Lucy Gray turned around and chuckled. She was good for him, he had to keep reminding himself. But he didn't look at her when he walked. He looked at the blonde ahead of her. Nothing else mattered when he looked at her. His entire world could be falling apart but he knew that Elsie would be the one to put it back together. He felt safe with her. He didn't feel like his old, naive self, he felt strong and new. 

He looked at her while she laughed, she threw her back a little bit, an ever so slight way to show that she was genuine. Her laugh was sweet and nice, a melody that he felt he could listen to forever. He walked faster by Lucy Gray and stood next to her. 

"Hi there." She looked over to him smiling, "Haven't seen you in a week or two huh?" Liar. She had seen him everywhere like he had. She had had noticed him everywhere, he was hard not to. 

"Really?" He questioned.

"No." She laughed. "I swear I've seen you everywhere." Elsie smiled at him, he had to look away from her to hide the smile on his face because if she had seen it she would have known. She looked at him turn away from her and her heart skipped. The mixing in her stomach wouldn't stop, she didn't understand. He turned his head back to her and the two made eye contact. His eyes looked into her own and she chuckled nervously. The two went silent and kept walking. Her gaze wandered over to him and she watched as he looked forward. Her foot got caught in a tree root and she toppled forward. She yelped in surprise and his heart rate shot up as he lunged forward to grab her. He hoisted her up and they stood facing each other.

She smiled at him, "I really need to stop doing that." 

He gazed into her eyes, and they looked into his. "Yeah." He whispered. Their faces were inches apart until she looked down and cleared her throat. 

"I'm sorry.." She took a step back away from him and began walking ahead of him. He stood frozen for a second before running to catch up with her. 

"Hey, no, it's fine," He reassured her when he caught up with her. She continued looking forward and smiled out of pure pity. 

"I can't- I won't do this to Lucy Gray again," She whispered, "You should go walk with her. Please." She said the words softly, but it didn't sound like a suggestion it was an order. He looked at her before he almost said something. She was still gazing ahead, looking in front of her. He ripped his eyes away from her and turned around, he began to walk towards the girl he was supposed to love. He wanted to love her but not after that.

There was something there with Elsie and she had just figured it out.