Closeness

During second year, she had shoulder length hair and became more... Alluring..? He started having weird feelings around her at that time.

There was their mathematics teacher in second year who hated them both and he'd never let them sleep in classes. A terrible man!

Even he was scared of that teacher but she'd just sleep as usual.

One day that teacher got mad and wrote a problem on the board and asked her to solve it. She who was sleeping deeply was awakened by a chalk thrown at her.

That terrible teacher... He wanted to kill that guy for hitting a girl! But he was destroyed soon! She gave the first blow and Cyrus made sure he couldn't stand up again.

She stood up rubbing her head and after the teacher repeated what he said, she walked up to the board and started solving the problem with ease. Jordan McAllister was the topper in their class and even he couldn't understand what she is doing and he asked the teacher. Only then the teacher realised that he had written his son's University project problem mistakenly. Apparently his son couldn't solve it and asked his father for help and that teacher who tried to solve it, accidentally wrote it on the board. But he was surprised she had solved it, so easily. That teacher then shamelessly clarified his doubts with her while the whole class laughed at the teacher and she threw the chalk in her hand right at his bald head and walked back to her seat giving Arthur a high-five and slept again.

She's amazing!

Later when that teacher was reprimanded for being careless in his job, she just stood there and watched him getting transfered without blinking an eye. She knew it was her grandfather's doing but she never tried to help that teacher even when he knelt in front of her and begged.

She who cried for the death of a bug when little, seemed entirely opposite and looked cold and ruthless.

Something inside her had changed in the past eight years of her life and he wanted to know what it was but she rarely talked about her past.

She was that way with everyone else after her identity was revealed as Talia Brunton in their second year. She was the proud peacock who cared for nothing and no one.

Except.... Cyrus!

He is the only one who could bring out her pure smile.

And Arthur wanted to believe that she liked him too. She smiled at him, with him and spent all her free time with him. She visited his tiny place he rented back then as he lived on his own.

They've kissed, went a little farther than kissing... They've almost did 'it'.

He knew she wanted to do everything against her grandfather. He knew that's why she befriended him...at first, at least. He won't lie, he had the same intention too.

A Brunton getting along with a Boswell is a big blow to both families. She wanted to hang out with him to rebel with her grandfather and so did he.

But... Still, time changed and the way they looked at each other changed. They knew they can't get together and never revealed their heart to one another.

But...

He was sure she loved him.

He is sure she loved him back then.

He knew for sure he is her first kiss!

When everyone else believed she loved Cyrus romantically, he knew... he could feel it in his heart that she didn't love Cyrus that way. That she loved him, only him.

'I know she loved me! If so, why didn't she accept our marriage?'

'A lot happened that day and I did my best to make her mine... I almost killed my brother for her... But still, why didn't she accept me?'

'Will she accept me now?'

Arthur took a deep breath.

'Or is our relationship like this torn leaf that can't be fixed together anymore?'

He looked at the leaf. No matter how hard he tries, the leaf cannot be stuck together. It is impossible.

He kneaded his forehead thinking hard. He has solved bigger crisis than this. But when it comes to her... His mind always becomes blank.

He looked at the leaf. There is no honest way to deal with this. He didn't want to anger her.

He pulled the entire leaf from the root. Surely she won't miss a single leaf from the plant, right? No one counts the number of leaves their plant has, do they?

He threw the leaf in the trash and went to his luggage and took out a set of his Pj's and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

He felt nostalgic as he used her body wash. It had the same scent as the hand cream she used to have.

Once when she visited him, she left her hand cream in his place and then he used it to...

A blush formed on his hard face as he looked down.

Well...those days... He was young!

After changing, Arthur came out and sat in the couch in deep thoughts. Before he knew it, he fell asleep.

After the nap, his entire body felt sore as he stood up and stretched himself. He checked the time and it was already half past midnight.

A smile formed in his lips and his eyes watered unconsciously. Every year he would wait for her call on this day. But she never would call him. Even if he called her, she wouldn't attend his call and won't even send a reply.

'But this year is different right? This year I'm here, with her.'

He picked up a box and inside there was a double band round cut diamond eternity band, a set with the ring he is wearing now. It is a present he bought for their tenth wedding anniversary.

He didn't give her an engagement ring because he was only eighteen that time and their wedding was arranged hurriedly.

She never wore a ring on their wedding day because... A lot happened.

After that... He met her once, a week after their first anniversary. He had an engagement ring he bought for her but she refused to even listen to him and asked him to leave her alone. That wasn't a big ring and the diamond was just a single carat. She didn't even look at that ring and it broke his heart. He threw away that ring.

But now he has grown and became 'the King' . He can give her anything she wants. He has found her the best stone and made a ring, searching high and low all over the earth. All she has to do is accept him and he'll be hers forever. But he knew he has to convince her to accept him.

He looked at the eternity ring. She won't accept it, he knew. She didn't even like him wearing a ring. But he wanted to see this ring on her finger.

That's not a preposterous wish, is it?

He opened the door and she was still sleeping in the same position. He gently removed the duvet and her slender fingers were placed over her ears as she slept. She always slept this way closing her ears with her hands for some reason.

The removal of the warm duvet made her search for warmth and as he placed his hand over her hand a small smile formed on her lips.

He tucked the duvet properly over her shoulders so she won't feel cold and knelt in front of her. He pulled out her left hand and her empty ring finger hurt his heart.

It will change! Soon she'd accept me...

He composed himself. He gently placed the eternity ring on her ring finger. He thought the size might not fit but it was perfect. He didn't have to alter it. It can be worn as it is.

But will she?

"Happy tenth anniversary, Iris"

He said softly placing a kiss on her forehead, holding her hand. He took in a whiff of her soothing scent. She has changed. But she still felt the same. So soft and adorable.

He felt her hand squeezing his hand and a surge of electric shock flowed through his body. Her eyes opened and stared at him deeply.

There was no light in the room and only little light from the living room was getting inside the bedroom.

Her eyes that looked smokey and beguiling glanced at him for a while as her right hand wrapped around his neck.

Arthur was overwhelmed with emotions as he saw that dreamy eyes that resembled a doe.

Her lips opened slowly and as she breathed out, a gust of air blew on his face making his face tingle.

It's been a while... It's been a while since we were this close.