Beauty and the Beast Imagines

Bad Time? (part two) | Gaston

this was supposed to be simple but i went PLACES with it

i love it sm that i'm debating on a part three ,,,,
//

You had just bent forward to pluck a bouquet of brightly colored flowers when you heard a low chuckle from behind you. It startled you, making you turn around quickly.

"A woman shouldn't being buying herself flowers," Gaston said. "That's a man's job. It's how you win over the woman, you see-"

You ducked your head, pushing a lock of loose hair behind your ear. "Oh, you misunderstand," you said. "I... uh, well-"

"No need to say anything more," he said.

He smirked and reached over you. You stiffened at the sudden closeness of his hand cupping your shoulder and his body leaning against yours.

He snagged the bouquet you had reached for. His confident hand held it out to you, his eyebrows raising as he waited for you to take it.

You shook your head. "Gaston, I can't-"

"Take it," he urged, his smirk never disappearing.

"No," you said, voice strained. "I have to buy these flowers myself." Gaston tilted his head, not understanding. "I'm flattered Gaston, I really am - but I can't... these flowers aren't-"

"Mademoiselle, just tell me," he said. He lowered the flowers. "Have I offended you?"

"No," you said, breathless. "Goodness, no! Gaston, you have not offended me. I just... it's hard for me to talk about, honestly." You licked your lips. "I, uh, was buying these flowers for my siblings. Every year, on the first day of summer, we put a bouquet on their grave. This year we don't have their grave to go back to - it's not close. So I was just going to make a sort of memorial for them, and these flowers were going to be for it."

His face went red. How had he not thought about your family and the parents you had lost? He suddenly felt as if he had lost all compassion.

"I am terribly sorry, ___," he said. "I should have considered-"

"No," you said, shaking your head. "How could you have considered what you didn't know?" You looked back up at him, squinting against the yellow sunlight.

He smiled softly. He couldn't consider it - but only because he was considering how beautiful you looked every time the sunshine was caught in your hair.

"Gaston," you said.

"Yes?"

"Ask me to dinner?"

"Of course," he breathed. He chuckled softly. "___, would you please have dinner with me? Perhaps a picnic in the valley before sunset?"

"That sounds lovely," you breathed. "Does Wednesday sound alright?"

"It sounds perfect," he said.

"Good." You smiled. "Then I will see you for dinner on Wednesday."

"Yes, I will see you," he said.

You pulled the flowers from his hand and began to back away. Your free hand grabbed a fistful of your skirt and held it. Although you were just a girl, Gaston wholeheartedly believed you were a princess by the way you did it.

He watched you as you disappeared down the dusty street, losing yourself in the crowd.

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