“It has been lovely to see you again,” Floyd said with a tone of finality. “I am glad that I made the journey down to visityou.”
“Me too,” Annabelle whispered, unable to quite get the words out. “It was unexpected, but a very nicesurprise.”
As Floyd nodded with a grave expression on his face, the heartstrings in Annabelle's chest tugged painfully. Much as she had tried to accept that this might be the last time that she ever saw him, she did not want that to be the case. It had taken her five years to form any sort of life without him and she still did not move on. How on earth would she even begin to cope losing him again? At least last time she could assume he did not love her. Now sheknew.
"You are not leaving today, are you?" she asked desperately, seemingly completely forgetting herself. As soon as those words fell out of her mouth she tried to reel in her panting breaths to try again. "I mean, of course, I know that you have your own life and your business to attend to... I just...” She stopped as Floyd’s face lit up into a grin. It was easy to forget herself around him, she simply felt like she knew him better than she knew anyone else. Even herself. “I just feel like it has been tooshort.”
"I have a place to stay for another night," he confessed. "After that, I am not sure what I shalldo."
Floyd could feel himself being sucked in by Annabelle when he was around her. The temptation was to throw off his life to stay by her side, to beg her to be with him, but he knew that he could not. He needed to create some distance between them, they both needed time to think. With some space, he would be able to make a wiser decision about what he did next with regards to the Lady he lovesdearly.
“I see.” Annabelle visibly relaxed. She was well aware that she would have to let Floyd go again, but not quite yet. At least she had been given the gift of a little more time before her whole world turned upside down again. “So, I might see you again before yougo?”
“Yes.”
As they stood and faced one another, they remembered the moment that they had first met. Annabelle was standing in her family garden and Floyd was on top of her horse, Primrose. She had thought him the most incredible man that she had ever seen in her life then. She felt an immediate impact fromhim.
Of course, she did not know how much he would go on to change her life, but still... even then she sensed that he wasspecial.
Floyd had felt himself fall for the red-haired Lady immediately. He could sense her spark, her fiery nature touched him, he knew instantly that this was the only woman that he would ever trulylove.
And he had losther.
There were many things that he could curse himself for, that he could blame himself for, but for this, he could not. Maybe it was because he had spent too much of his life living under a shadow of blame because his birth killed his mother, or maybe it was because he knew that he had only done what he thoughtbest.
Maybe it is fate telling me to stay away, he tried to accept. I met Annabelle when she was engaged, then when I tried to find her again I thought her to be married. Now I find her again just when she has accepted another man’s proposal. There has to be a reason it neverworks.
“I am working tomorrow,” Annabelle muttered, trying to keep the conversation on an even level. “But maybe afterwards I can see youagain.”
“Of course, I will see you whenever Ican.”
Floyd did not know what to say anymore, he felt pretty certain that he could not do anything to dispel the thick atmosphere that surrounded them. The unsaid things between them were obvious, both of them had a very good idea of what the other wanted to say, but neither of them could. Maybe it was Annabelle's responsibility to speak first since she was the one who had a fiancé, or maybe it was his because he was theman.
Either way, neither of themdid.
“I suppose I should get going then,” Floyd said reproachfully. “It is getting dark and I do not yet know my way around this townwell.”
“Yes,” Annabelle replied stiffly. “I suppose so." Of course, she wanted to invite him inside but she would not. There was no way she would risk her reputation again. She had been far too lucky to get away with it the first time around. “I will see you tomorrowthough?”
“Yes,tomorrow.”
With the promise to meet again, Floyd nodded his head towards her and he forced himself to turn on his heels and go. Each step felt heavy, it was an utter challenge for him to move, but he made himself doit.
I have been through harder, he tried to convince himself. I can do thistoo.
But he was not convinced. He did not feel utterly certain that he had been through anything harder. Losing Annabelle, and doing so for real through her own choice, would be the worst thing in theworld.
