I Dream of Disney (One-shots)

23 - The Apple of My Eye [Flynn Rider x Reader] Part I

"I'm not going to be able to help you, Kaleb." The sarcastic young woman complained as her best friend Kaleb, a man with a full head of sandy blonde hair and sparkling, verdant green eyes, chortled and lead her into a cobbled square surrounded by squabbling crowds of peasants. The woman stilled, paused in a panic, and tried to swivel on her feet and make a quick getaway – but before she could, she found herself restricted by the crook of Kaleb's elbow curled around her arm.

"Not today, (Y/n)!" Kaleb crooned in a sing-song voice. With a wink of his sparkling green eyes, he swatted her playfully on the arm and lead her further into the thick throng of people, both young men and women, who were talking excitedly about the night that lay before them. Even (Y/n) knew what tonight would bring to the people of the kingdom. It was the Fall Festival; the anniversary of the night when the king and queen were reunited with their baby daughter, Rapunzel, when a knight of their court climbed a hidden tower and imprisoned the villainous Mother Gothel. The festival itself was a light, enjoyable celebration held beneath the tall maple trees that shed their crinkling autumn leaves as couples danced beneath them until well after midnight; where the lamplight would be blown out, one-by-one, until the only light was that of the full moon above them. Each couple would move close together and lean in, kissing their partners deeply and passionately. . .

Not that (Y/n) had ever gone to that part of the festival. Sure, she had walked among the tents filled with food, candles and floating lanterns, investigating every little object until she had them memorised by heart. Kaleb would have ditched her for hours already, in favour of making out with a good-looking guy behind the flower stall.

"Come on, Kaleb. Why won't you just let me go home?" She whined. Taking a peek at Kaleb in her peripheral vision, she was glad that she was never attracted to her best friend. He was far too lanky when they were children, lankier still as a teenager, and now that he had grown up, him becoming stocky and overly muscular, she found that he just wasn't her type. Which was lucky, she reasoned again, since he wasn't attracted to women.

"Because you're lonely, (Y/n) and you need to be fixed up with someone." Kaleb proclaimed with his hand on his hip, chidingly glaring at her hesitation, "You need a boyfriend!"

(Y/n) sighed moodily and tried to ignore him, turning her attention to the dozen stalls that were set up in a wide arch in the palace square. There were brilliant in their white, billowing fabrics stretched over the table tops. The breeze was pervaded by the sweet scents of exotic flowers, spicy platters of food beside syrupy desserts and fragrant perfumes that clouded up her confused nose and made her want to sneeze. The melody of the palace band was catchy and energetic with their low trumpets and loud drum-beats that combined to create something that sounded suspiciously like polka. Couples danced freely in the square, preparing and practicing their dance moves for the night ahead. (Y/n) couldn't watch the happy couples for too long because she felt a pang in her heart and she had to look away. An unplanned grimace twisting her lips.

"I know it's difficult for you," Kaleb nudged her gently in the side towards the crowd. She immediately shied away, hiding behind her best friend as some of the women gave her peculiar looks before sniggering behind their hands and causing everyone to laugh. (Y/n) felt her cheeks warm.

"You know what, I think I'm going to go." She said demurely, faking regret, and watched hesitantly as Kaleb threw his hands on his hips and summoned up an icy glare with his periwinkle blue eyes. Faking a high, nasal cough, she pretended to shiver before muttering sickly, "I think I'm catching a cold."

Kaleb refused to even look at her for a moment. Opting to rather glance at the nearby stalls before he stiffened, his face frozen in a calculated expression. He turned back to look at her slyly, a grin sliding slickly over his lips. Bristling, she puckered her brows.