Chapter 7

Jonathan smiled at her, and Anne squeezed her. 'It's time to say goodbye! Take lots of care and also look out for the garden too!' said Anne. Rosalie embraced her back with equal affection and she nodded. 'Alright, then Mrs. Crimson, you take care as well! We will wait till you return!' said Johnathan. 'Yeah, it will be longer than before this time!' said Anne and she rode the car and drove away. Anne asked Jonathan to join her in the restaurant to treat her for the Favour, but Jonathan denied. 'I must check on Eliot he is dealing with some important family documentation, and I do not desire that he end up making some blunder in that!' held Jonathan. 'Eliot said he will be alright on his own. You should join me I have something significant to talk to you about!' said Rosalie. Jonathan felt intrigued and thought 'What that matter of significance might be?' Rosalie thought 'I am not sure will I be able to talk to him about how I feel?' They both went to a local restaurant right before them. The setting was bright, cheerful and there were not many people around. They sat down at the table near the window where the town square could easily be seen. Catherine watched momentarily, not to catch their attention and smiled with amusement while passing outside across the street. They appeared to be a perfect couple, not that they know of it. The good ones that most people are actually rarely aware of, not the ones like in stories, equally generous in their deeds and intelligence. The waiter approached them, and Johnathan cued her to order something for them. She insisted that she must not have anything, but he insisted to at least have tea and walnut cake. They had black tea and both of them wanted that for all the miles they have walked drained them. 'So, what is that you want to talk about? If it has something to do with Catherine's decision on committing to Oliver, then I suggest we must not talk about it!' said Johnathan. Rosalie was impressed about how he could see through her and desired that he interprets what she felt about him. But then she thought 'How could he do that he is only human!' Rosalie stared at Jonathan, and he waved her hand saying, 'Are you here with me, Rosalie?' 'Yes, I am!' held Rosalie. 'Pardon me if it is about Catherine then we should just let it be!' uttered Johnathan. 'Why not? I mean she is your dear friend and a sister to you! We talked to her about Oliver, and She said . . ..!' Johnathan interrupted, 'He has changed, although his past is not a likeable one but believe me, he has for me! He is not the same!' Rosalie felt surprised and said, 'You talked to her?' 'I have and I find it worth not attending anymore! Is there something else you want to converse about?' said Johnathan. 'There is! Actually, I require your opinion on some important subject!' replied Rosalie. He glimpsed at her in an enquiring manner to which she said, 'Actually, you may presume why am I not talking about such a matter to my friend, but I suppose I must not unless I am certain about it!' 'Alright, I am all ears!' he said. 'There is a person that I have liked as long as I remember, and I do not know how to approach him!' she said. Sip of tea in Johnathan's throat felt like some solid block stuck in his throat and he turned red. Rosalie looked at his reaction and see if he was alright. He gulped it with great struggle and said, 'Yes, you are right I am not the right person to provide you an opinion on this matter!' 'But you are a solicitor and the whole town relies on your opinion! Would you not assist me? Do you presume it such a trivial matter to say anything about it?' she said. She appeared stern and he laughed a little and replied, 'Yes, but they rely on me for professional advice, not personal ones! Only friend or family ask for such favours!' He had all these thoughts muddled up in his mind and he did not want to misbehave but it was out of his power at that time, and he lost it, 'So, tell me Rosalie, are we friends? You have not been so friendly to me at all, since forever! Why should I provide you with any service? I would leave right away, and I do not want to answer any of your questions! I exactly find them trivial!' She felt that he was offended but could not make up that it was her question that brought up to this eruption. She asked him to stop as Johnathan was standing, he could no longer tolerate as he was fumed and tried to compose himself. 'It is better for me to leave!' he said and after a pause uttered with great weight on his heart, 'If you have such a great affection to that person, you must go ahead! Before it is late!' he said. He walked away slowly, and each step felt heavy as the love he had for her still blazed intensely in his heart. He thought that he no longer felt it but that was not the case as he reached near the door. He heard a voice that called his name. It was Rosalie and he tried to ignore her, but his heart could not bear it and he stopped. She was exhausted and she chased him to his office in a frenzy, she had never seen him in such a mood, and she apologized to him. 'I know that I have been such an arrogant person since you rejected my friend. I know I have been childish, and you have the right to take it out on me! But I want to apologize for that too and how I behave at the restaurant! I beg your pardon! And my sincerest apologies for what happened!' she said. 'Is that all? Can I leave now?' he said. 'Hey, Johnathan! I am extremely sorry!' she claimed. Jonathan was hurt now, and it was almost impossible for him to forgive her, and he uttered, 'Could you please leave! And not follow me here again! And I mean that certainly!' Rosalie looked mortified and she knew that it was absurd to utter another word, but she attempted that 'Please, Johnathan! I promise that I would not talk to you like that ever again?' 'Alright, then I forgive you momentarily! Please, Rosalie, I beg you for now on do not come to my office at all if you desire that I fully forgive you!' he said. Rosalie hesitated but nodded in agreement. He feigned a little smile and left inside. Mr. Emanuel remarked as he arrived in the office, 'Ah! Dear sir, you are back! I thought you might take longer than you already are!' Johnathan did not glimpse at him and questioned, 'Eliot left?' 'Yes, Sir he left and requested you to go through the file once more! It is there on the top of the pile that you were supposed to get finished with today!' he said. Johnathan never took files home or mingled work with another face in his life. He learned it from his father as he failed to keep that balance, he was not like him. He could keep the balance and for the first time he felt as if he lost it. Emanuel looked concerned as he inspected him, 'Sir, are you feeling well? Are you alright? . . ..' He threw himself on the couch at the left corner in his office and Emanuel rushed and held his arm. 'Sir!' He yelled. He held him by the arms and helped him to lie down on it in a comfortable manner. Johnathan experienced wobbliness to keep himself from embarrassment he feigned composure and muttered 'I would check on Eliot's work in the evening!' It was almost mid-day and Rosalie didn't know what to do anymore. She was ashamed and fumed at herself for not confessing to him. She made it worse, and he did not want to talk to him now. 'Why am I such an idiot of the lots? Why? Why? Why?' she muffled irritably. She kicked a stone in front of her and hurt her toe. 'Ah! Ah! Ah! . . ..' she whimpered. Tears bolted down her checks. It was not the pain of getting hurt physically but of heart it was.

She could not hear anything in her surrounding as her head felt echoing Johnathan's last words. She felt groggy and was about to break her fall. She didn't realize when a Laurie held her and took her in to her mother's boutique. She gained consciousness and queried them 'how long I was passed out for?' 'Not, long Miss!' Laurie answered.