15 Unexpected

It was a nice cloudy day and the afternoon breeze was caressing my face as I stepped out of the carriage. My heart felt lighter as I walked around the city centre and excitement were slowly ballooning inside me.

The ground was covered with cobblestone and the buildings were not as tall as I would normally see in my Kingdom. They were a mixture of woods and bricks like cottage houses, giving the place that antique feeling as though you were walking into the past.

The fronts of every building were lined up with rectangular potted plants of white, yellow and pink flowers. Benches, metal bins and fancy matching streetlights filled every 50 metres of the streets. It felt somewhat homey and I truly feel as if I belong here!

Oh, so much to explore! I think I could spend a whole day here if Wystan would allow me. But I shouldn't. At least not today. I need to find the exact location of my kind of shop. I increased the pace of my speed and I brisk walk on the shops that are of not my interest.

Welp! Something is stopping me from going too fast. My right hand felt anchored down. I turned to see the problem, only to realise I was still holding onto Wystan's hand. Blood rushed to my face, giving rise to rosy cheeks and I slowly loosened his hands. Walking away from the embarrassment seemed to be the right thing to do at that moment.

However, there wasn't any room for me to sprint because that charming man had clasped his big hand around mine. Well, I... I don't know what to say. I couldn't look at him in the eyes nor do I dare to face him. Instead, I waited there for him to walk with me side by side.

But if I have to be honest with myself, I kind of liked it. I liked the fact that my hand is being held. I felt loved. It brought up memories that I never knew would resurface. It reminds me of the last time I held hands with somebody. I must have been somewhere around eight or nine years old when Mama last held my hand walking around the carnival.

Oh, memories! Who would have known this stranger husband of mine would trigger a bittersweet memory? And for that, I felt thankful. Grateful that he brought out Mama's ghost when I have almost forgotten what it was like to have her around.

Unknowingly, I was shooting hearts out of my eyes when I gazed at him tenderly. Unknowingly, I was giving him some brownie points where his goodness outweighs his negatives.

"Do you know where you want to go?" His kind voice permeates through my body.

"No, not really. I was only trying to have a quick browse of the shops here and then come again on another day." My eyes remained fixated on the cracks of the floor as we walked, lasering anything that comes in view.

"Share with me. We could go to where you want to go and stroll around the city."

He's been a very accommodating host showing around his home country and immediately, I felt terrible. I didn't even offer him a tour around Taaffeite and here I am, getting royalty treatment from the King himself. Tsk! A little too late for regret now, Farah.

"If you don't mind, I was actually looking for a jewellery store," I said meekly, abashed by my shamelessness.

Wystan didn't answer immediately but looked around the area. Could it be possible he was scanning the area to find where it was? Or was he already lumping me together with materialistic people when I'm already born a royalty? Somehow, I felt worried about what he might think of me.

He squeezed my hand and gave a gentle pull towards him. His green smiling eyes twinkled under the sun's rays, putting me in a trance as I could not help but loving those precious gemstones.

Off we stroll the city centre in our matching outfits, hand in hand in a relaxed manner. It was as though we were a couple of lovebirds on their honeymoon trip, content with being with each other and not bothered where we ended up at the end of the day. Despite the parade held not long before this, I'm surprised the people didn't invade our space.

"Here we are, Farah. I hope you'll find what you're looking for."

"I-I-I I'm going to the precious stones section if you don't mind." I pushed my hair behind my ear, feeling slightly unsure as to why I'm being shy with the weird atmosphere going on.

My eyes sparkled seeing all types of precious stones laid out in front of me. Rubies, ambers, jades and sapphires were amongst the firsts I browsed. Then pearls, tanzanites, quartz and lapis lazuli. Content with many variations the shop had to offer, I searched for taaffeite. But my heart was already set on the amazing emerald necklace that resembled Wystan's eyes.

It was calling out my name, begging to be bought! Oh, what is happening with me? No! It's definitely not because of Wystan. I'm sure it is because of my love for gemstones.

Unconsciously I turned around to look at him. With Wystan in the background, the two of us in a jewellery store, the mellow romantic songs playing on the speakers and us wearing matching clothes, undeniably it created a mood I never expect to experience.