Just a Maid

Chapter 23

     The day where we spilled bits of our hearts out to each other came a bit quicker than I expected. It began on this day, two weeks after we made up. Donovan had told me that Brianna had some business to attend to with her family, which left us alone together for the day. I had asked Lea to cover for me, and left with Donovan.

    So here I was, walking down the snowy streets of Vienna with Donovan. I asked him to take me to the streets of painters and musicians, the place where he brought me on our first day out alone. It was the very place where I had grown to realize Donovan was amazing.

    As we finally reached the place, I was glad to feel Donovan hook his jacket covered arm with mine. He was wearing a black coat and I was wearing a navy blue one. I was thankful that my mom had sent me it before snow had begun falling here, which was approximately a week ago. Mid December to be specific.

     I looked up at Donovan as I felt myself relax at his nearness. Our friendship had definitely healed the past two weeks. Every other day Donovan came to visit me at night. We would talk feverishly about anything and everything in the peace of the night, and I had come to realize the night really was the time to let your soul pour open. I wouldn't say Donovan knew any of my deepest secrets, but he had found out exactly why I worked here. It angered him at first, but I calmed him down as I explained how my parents were.

     A part of me honestly didn't blame them for forcing me to get a job because I hadn't gone to university. It had been their biggest dream and being the only child meant I had to fulfill it. When I hadn't my parents were furious. They spent three entire days ignoring me and when they finally talked to me it was to tell me I had to get a job. At first I obviously found it cruel and unjustified, but then I slowly came to terms of how heartbroken they must be because I hadn't completed their only dream for me. Guilt had filled me when I realized that.

     "Alanna," Donovan said, breaking me out of my thoughts. "You're staring at me."

     "I'm not," I quickly said, looking down at the snowy ground filled with footsteps.

     "Sure you weren't."

     I blushed as I knew he had seen me stare at him. For how long did he was the question. There was no point in asking him because he would only tease me for it.

     My cheeks suddenly turned redder at the memory of what Lea said. She obviously knew Donovan had forgiven me, she had listened to me recount it with the biggest smile I had ever seen. That lead to her asking me several questions. A few that were related to romance. The one that stood out was the one about Brianna.

     Lea had asked me if I was still going behind Brianna's back. Ashamedly, I had said yes, I was. But then I went on to explain how this was different. This was us being friends, getting to know each other. Donovan wasn't cheating on her because we never touched or anything. He only hooked arms with me once in a while - like now - and that was a friendly gesture.

     As I told Lea this, I knew she wasn't happy with my words but she said she okay with my actions anyways. I was glad that she was choosing whether to support me or not nowadays. It was great having someone around to hold me back, to make sure I didn't turn into some empty shell of who I used to be like before. Lea well deserved the title of best friend.

     "Alanna, what are you thinking about?" Donovan suddenly asked. "At first I knew it was about how dashing I am, but now I'm not sure."

     I looked up at him and rolled my eyes. "Nothing, well I was just thinking about everything that happened."

     His eyes softened. "That past is the past."

     "I know, I was just recounting things."