Timeless [h.s]

Thirty nine

Stuart

Every person I loved stood inside that room. Miles had found a perfectly innocuous spot, hidden underneath our usual library. It wasn't exactly comfortable, the low ceiling making me feel a bit claustrophobic. However, it had served its purpose during a world war and it was indeed a rather safe place for our encounter.

The simple wooden table and small stools accommodated our entire crew, all of us looking at each other with care and perhaps a bit of concern when it came to Ayla.

"Thank you all for being here. I know this is unusual, uncomfortable, scary, but your presence here is greatly appreciated." They all nodded at my words, Oliver smiling a bit and Harry squeezing my hand in a reassuring way. Looking at him, I felt shivers run down my spine at the thought of our torrid night. I had barely slept but I hadn't felt so alive in many days.

"So, we all know a bit about our roles in this entire thing, but the plan must be flawless. Gaston is many things, but he is not dumb. If something in his gut tells him to run away, he'll do so in a heartbeat." I sighed, looking at Ayla and noticing she had something to say.

"I have a picture of him for you to see. It's important to recognise his face but don't demonstrate surprise or fear once you meet him. Just go on with your lives as if he's another guest. I'll be by his side too." She opened her bag and placed a paper atop the wooden table.

I wanted to ignore his image but I couldn't. There he stood, laughing, big bright smile facing the camera, arm around Ayla's shoulder. She didn't seem comfortable with the contact, her fake smile never reaching her eyes.

He looked different. His hair was styled to perfection, much shorter than the last time I saw it. His blue eyes were still vibrant and alluring. The only thing particularly new was the beard he decided to grow and it suited him. If I had seen him wear make up and far too much rouge on his cheeks, now he looked manly. I could see his muscles underneath the navy sweater he wore, and looking into his eyes, even from afar, felt surreal, scary.

I wouldn't have to feign surprise when I saw him, because I honestly was terrified. I thought about our first interactions, the first ball he attended at my palace. Back then I wanted to believe he was just a bit entitled but charming nevertheless. We danced all night long and he told me about his family, his French father and Spanish mother. We discussed politics, royal gossip and the impending alliance between our countries.

I thought we would have a mutually beneficial agreement, perhaps we could even be friends. The joke was on me after all, the centuries I had lived just proved how disturbed Gaston could be. I saw him beside Ayla and imagined how life had treated them. Had they found happiness or hatred and revenge were the only emotions fuelling them at this point?

I could feel multiple people staring at me. Ayla was probably assessing my reaction upon seeing my ex husband and my lying best friend together. I was still weary about trusting her, but I had no choice and I didn't have enough energy to fight about ancient subjects. When things were over, I probably would sit down inside her café and have a nice, mundane conversation about everything she had told me.

Harry was the other one staring. He looked between Gaston's picture and I and his thoughts were clear as day, even though I couldn't see his face properly. He was imagining something he hadn't witnessed and never would. As I stood beside him, it probably felt hard believing I once married that man. He seemed innocuous enough through picture, but everyone inside that small safe have knew how much he had damaged my life.

Harry was probably wondering what we both looked like beside each other. I could see his eyes lazily roaming my body, seeing simple jeans and sweater but imagining long dresses, a big hair and a crown atop my head. If I could, I would grant him a passport to go back in time and watch us all during our real period of time. He'd probably laugh at Oliver and Gaston, but I was certain he'd marvel at me, Ayla and Eleanor during social events. I believed that he would've loved to see why Oliver and I had such a bond, to understand how different things were, how many times we had to reinvent ourselves in order to survive.