DIFFERENT
WORLDS
by
C.C.
~CHAPTER 11~
As the kiss ended she rested her forehead against his chest, breathing him in. “Kid what about Hannah” she questioned, “aren’t you courting her?”
He shook his head, “No, not really, I tried to make you think that, I even tried to make me think that, she’s a sweet girl, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask her to court steady. It wouldn’t have been fair to her. I realized after the dance that I was in big trouble when it came to you, none of my ideas to rid myself of my longing for you worked” he continued to hold her closely.
“Oh Kid, what are we going to do” her head still laying on his chest as he stroked her hair.
“I know it won’t be easy Lou, but you have to tell him, you have to break the engagement” he stated matter-of-factly.
She sighed “I wish it were that simple” she reluctantly informed him about the money and all that she had just overheard last night. “I’m afraid he won’t be to eager to let me out of this marriage, in fact if he knows that I know I’m afraid of what he might do” she looked at Kid worriedly.
“I’m not gonna let him hurt you Lou, trust me” he squeezed her gently, reassuringly and sighed, trying to come up with a plan. “When’s your birthday?”
“In two weeks, May 4th” she answered.
“Wonder if we can stall them” he tried to reason.
“No Kid, they know he has to marry me before I turn eighteen, that way when I inherit the money, it’ll be considered his too.”
He sighed realizing that she was right. “Maybe we can hide out for two weeks, you know they’d never find us.”
“No they wouldn’t but I promise you they’d hire someone who could” she too becoming frustrated with their lack of options.
Suddenly Kid was hit with a solution. He just couldn’t believe the idea that just entered his mind. That’s crazy he thought to himself. But maybe it’s really the only way.
Hesitantly he decided to tell her his idea. “Lou, I think I have a solution”. He realized he was getting ready to make the biggest decision he’d ever have to make.
“Really, what?” she asked expectantly.
“Well you know” he looked deep into her eyes, setting her heart in motion “you can’t marry someone...... whose married to someone else” he finished and let out a sigh.
Lou’s eyes were as big as saucers, she couldn’t believe what he had just said. “Excuse me Kid, I’m not sure I understand” shock evident in her voice.
“Well” he took her hands into his “I love you, you love me, why shouldn’t we get married?” he stated resolutely.
She was trying to digest his words, this was the absolute last thing she could have ever imagined. “Kid, I don’t know....” trying to find words for all the craziness swirling through her mind “do you think it would be smart, you know to go into something so important for this reason?”
“Lou” he smirked at her “this reason (indicating the money) is only one of the reasons I asked” he kissed her leaving her breathless, “that’s the other reason!”
As they spent the next moments holding each other and enjoying the closeness Lou began to contemplate what he had said. She knew she loved him, she just wasn’t sure if they should base a marriage on the current situation. But when she looked into his eyes, her fears and doubts were quieted, she knew he loved her, and that helping her get away from Stephen and saving her father’s inheritance wasn’t the true motivation behind his proposal.
“Well, where do we start, what do we do?” She smiled nervously at him.
Her smile helped to calm his frayed nerves. He knew what he had asked her was right, it wasn’t that he was frightened that the choice was wrong. It was just that this morning he wasn’t even seeing anyone, and he stood here a few hours later deciding to get married. He really had to chuckle at the situation. He was Mr. level-headed, have a plan, think everything through and he makes the biggest decision of his life in a split second. But again, looking at her, seeing her beautiful smile, and those eyes, he new immediately that he could gaze into them for the rest of their life.
“Well”, he started to walk along the creeks edge, taking her hand in his “let’s start planning a wedding!”
