Everlastingly Loving You - Chapter 97

Sophia was making her way to Nicholas’ quarters; she was dressed in an oversized sweater and comfy jeans.

She’d specifically told Nicholas to wear casual clothing.

Once she made it to Nicholas’ quarters, she knocked excitedly on his doors.

Nicholas instantly opened the door.

“You ready for the date?” Sophia asked, positively beaming.

“I am,” Nicholas answered just as excitedly.

“Let’s go,” Sophia said.

He took her hand, intertwining her hand with his.

Sophia shot him a smile.

“Where are you taking me?” Nicholas asked.

Sophia remained tight-lipped.

“Oh come on.”

Nicholas looked at her.

Sophia’s eyes met his.

She turned away as swiftly as she could.

“Stop,” she said to him.

“Stop with what?” He asked, feigning ignorance, blinking innocently.

“Stop looking at me that way,” Sophia protested.

“I always look at you that way, you just never realize it,” Nicholas mused.

Sophia didn’t answer, instead, opening a door.

Nicholas scanned around, the room had a closed ceiling with a projector that displayed the starry night sky as well as the solar system. It was shivering cold.

“The palace has a mini-planetarium?” Nicholas asked.

Sophia nodded, “It does.”

Nicholas was surprised.

Sophia continued, “But this isn’t where the date’s going to be held.”

She led him to another door on the other side of the palace’s mini-planetarium.

“What lies behind this door is what we’re going to do for our date?” Nicholas asked, seeking confirmation.

Sophia nodded.

“Should I be worried?”

“Scared?”

“Paranoid?”

Sophia didn’t say a word.

“Nothing?!” Nicholas asked.

Sophia patted him.

“Less talking, more showing,” she said before she opened the second door that led to the outdoors.

A small table stood on a mat, but otherwise, it was simple, extremely simple.

“What–”

Sophia whispered, “Look up.”

“Since we didn’t get to see the stars on our first date, I figured… why not now?” Sophia reasoned.

Nicholas didn’t hear a word she’d said, he was just focused on the sky.

It looked like an icy wasteland, an endless ocean of stars that could have easily been mistaken for a canvas freckled with droplets of some sort of white velvety paint.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it,” Sophia said, leaning against the door frame.

Nicholas was awestruck.

“It is,” he said, unable to take his gaze off the sky.

He scanned his surroundings to find a boombox.

He mused, ‘She really thought of everything, huh.’

He shook it off, remembering the moment Lloyd held up a boombox over his head and it was then, an idea popped up.

He pressed a button on the boombox.

Romantic waltzing music played.

He extended his hand towards Sophia, presenting his hand palm up.

“May I have this dance?” He asked gentlemanly.

Sophia looked downwards. She inwardly shrugged.

She took his hand.

“You didn’t need to ask.”

She walked towards him, her hair whipping in the night-wind.

As they danced, they moved in complete sync.

Nicholas had a hand on Sophia’s back, his other hand intertwined with hers.

Sophia had a hand on Nicholas’ shoulder, while she kept her gaze locked to his as they waltzed.

As the song progressed, her small smile widened.

It was perfect.

He was perfect.

Everything was perfect.

She’d never felt happier then.

Dancing with him, she felt she was floating. As though she was floating on air.

He stood there, right across from her, his grey eyes as irresistible as ever as they stayed locked on hers.

One waltz, and multiple jokes later, Nicholas and Sophia laid beside each other on a blanket with pillows propping them up.

“Your favourite date so far,” Nicholas said, looking upwards at the night sky.

“Our first,” Sophia answered without any hesitation.

“Yours?” She asked, turning on one side to face him.

“This date,” Nicholas answered.

A smile formed on Sophia’s face.

Sophia asked next, “What’s your biggest fear?”

Nicholas hesitated.

“Uh.”

“I…”

“You don’t have to answer the question,” Sophia reassured.

She switched questions, asking Nicholas, “Why’d you write the letter?”

He responded confidently, “Because there was no place else for my feelings to go.”

“So I wrote it down on a piece of paper that I never thought you’d read.”

“Ever,” Nicholas admitted.

Sophia neared him.

She leaned her head against his shoulder.

“But I did read it, and now we’re here,” she said, putting it out there.

“I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else than here…”

“With you.”

Her eyes slowly fluttered to a close.

She dozed off in his arms.

__

“Clarisse!” Blaine called, watching as she walked away, ignoring his words.

He sighed.

He’d been trying to talk to her all morning – she didn’t spare him so much as a glance before she left.

He knew he deserved to be treated that way and given the silent treatment by her – after all, his past wrongdoings warranted it if not more of a consequence.

Clarisse passed by Sophia, who was humming as she walked to the breakfast room.

She blinked.

“Sophie?” She asked.

“Oh hello Clarisse,” Sophia greeted, beaming with joy.

“What are you doing?” Clarisse asked.

Sophia blinked innocently.

“I’m not doing anything other than greeting you,” Sophia said, her eyebrow raised.

“I’m not talking about that, girl, I’m talking about how you… are today.”

“You’re exuding happiness,” Clarisse realized.

“Yes, you’re exuding happiness,” she repeated.

“Eventful night with Nicholas?”

“Something happen?” She asked hopefully.

Sophia remained as joyful as ever as she continued humming.

“I’m just particularly cheerful today,” she shrugged.

“Doesn’t necessarily have to be because of Nicholas,” she said nonchalantly.

“Mm,” Clarisse nodded, playing along.

“So you’re saying it’s not because of that hottie,” she said.

“Am I supposed to get used to you calling Nicholas hottie and calling me ‘girl’?”  Sophia asked, rolling her eyes jokingly.

“You should,” Clarisse replied with seriousness.

Sophia shot Clarisse a look.

“Had breakfast yet?” She asked.

Clarisse answered, “Was about to before someone ruined what was supposed to be a perfectly excellent breakfast.”

“And by someone…”

Clarisse hmphed.

“You’re still upset?” Sophia asked.

Clarisse glared at her.

“Who wouldn’t be?” She asked realistically.

“He broke up with me, Sophie, not the other way ’round,” Clarisse narrowed her eyes.

“I’m not the villain here,” she insisted.

“Don’t make me out to be one,” she said to Sophia.

Sophia gave Clarisse a quick pat on the back before she told her, “You’ll deal with it just fine.”

She then continued to the breakfast room, humming the same song she hummed before.

“You’re not having breakfast here?” Louis asked.

“I’m having breakfast with Nicholas,” Sophia answered.

Louis sensed something different.

Like Clarisse, he noticed she was incredibly cheerful and jovial.

“Something’s off,” he pointed out – as did Clarisse.

“Clarisse has already pointed that out, thank you,” Sophia said.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have breakfast to go to, and Nicholas is already waiting for me,” she said.

Louis didn’t say anything else before Sophia was out of sight.

__

“Louis,” Marcus pleaded.

“Listen, I’m sorry.”

“I meant to tell you, I really did–”

“So you nearly told me,” Louis said, looking out the window blankly.

“Meaning you thought it unimportant to tell me,” he said, his tone icy cold.

“What, did you expect me to discover you were my stepmother’s ex-boyfriend when you met her for the first time?”

“Where is your sense of decency?” Louis demanded – not raising his voice as he said so.

“You could’ve told me.”

“You had multiple chances to fess up and tell me everything.”

“Were you targeting me this entire time?”

“Did you suddenly come up with the idea, ‘Hey, why not I get back at my ex by dating her stepson, yeah I should, since he’s in a vulnerable state, what with his two dead parents, him having to worry regarding his sister having to take on more royal duties, and his friend’s arranged marriage!’” Louis exclaimed.

“That’s ridiculous, I’d–”

Louis didn’t give Marcus any time to speak and plead his case.

“I can’t. I can’t do this all over again.”

“I’ve got hurt once, I intend not to get hurt all over again.”

“You have to leave,” he said to Marcus.

“Now!” He exclaimed.

Marcus stood his ground, refusing to leave no matter what Louis told him.

Louis hadn’t heard his side.

Louis hadn’t heard what he had to say to him.

He was blinded by rage and his past experiences he couldn’t see Marcus didn’t have any ill intentions at that moment.

“I did target you at the bar,” Marcus fessed.

Louis scoffed.

“And he finally admits it,” he said, his voice dripping with scorn.

“What else would you like to say, that you never intended to be exposed so soon into that ‘master plan’ of yours?” Louis asked, making air quotation marks while he asked Marcus a rhetorical question.

Marcus handled the situation calmly.

“No.”

“Excuse me?” Louis asked, his brow raised, he was furious.

“I do have something to say, but it’s not what you think it is.”

“I didn’t come here with some master plan.”

“And I was stood up by friends that day.”

“But then, I saw you, sitting in the bar alone.”

“I was the one who broke up with her,” he explained next.