Short Story Excerpt: Romance (SOTL) - Pt4

Overview: https://kaylinrosealexande.wixsite.com/kaylinalexanderbooks/post/short-story-romance-sotl

Previous: https://kaylinrosealexande.wixsite.com/kaylinalexanderbooks/post/short-story-excerpt-romance-sotl-pt3

As discussed, I wrote two versions. Version One I had Ursula's conflict be with a group of triplets, wanting to avoid bad romance tropes. However, it was clunky and took the focus away from the romance, which was the point of the assignment. Version Two does that, and I actually prefer Version Two. But here are both--the final sections of this short story.

Version One:

I knocked on the door softly, then stepped back to wait for an answer. I looked at Beau beside me, who gave me an encouraging smile. The door swung open, and Kitty Hogg now stood in the threshold. She glared at me and then began to shut the door. “Wait!” I protested, and she stopped.

“What is it, Úrsula?” she asked.

“May I come in?” I asked softly.

Kitty bit her lip, but nodded, opening the door and allowing myself and Beau to enter the room.

Minnie and Billie were perched on their respective beds, the latter of which was holding an ice pack to her head. They seemed to tense up when they saw me. “What is she doing here?” Minnie asked.

“I—I am sorry,” I said, bowing my head to look at my feet. “I came here to let you know that. I didn’t mean to hurt you, Billie, and I feel terrible for doing that to you. You guys were so nice to me, and I just thought you were annoying when you were trying to be my friend. And…I didn’t understand because,” I took a shaky breath, “you were right, Billie. I have no idea what friends are or what they do, and—and I understand if none of you ever want to be friends with me again.”

There was a long silence.

“I forgive you.”

I looked up. Billie had spoken. “I’m sorry, too. I never should’ve skimmed—read—your essay. That was wrong of me.” She sighed. “I still wanna be your friend, okay?”

I nodded.

“I’m sorry for pushing you out in the courtyard,” said Kitty.

“I forgive you both,” I said. I turned to Minnie, who smiled at me. “I will see you all tomorrow in alchemy.”

Beau and I turned and left the girls. Back in the hall, I said, “Thank you.”

“What for?”

“Coming with me and supporting me,” I said. “I really needed that strength.”

“You have plenty of strength on your own,” he said. “But you’re welcome.”

I sighed, wringing my hands through my hair. “And thank you for…for what you did back in my dorm. For calming me down and understanding.”

“Anytime,” said Beau.

We stopped by my dorm. I pulled out my key and unlocked the door, and began to step inside, but stopped in the doorway. I turned to Beau. “Do you want to come in and study?” I asked. “We never actually did that.”

Beau shrugged. “Sure.”

I shut the door once he was inside, locking it tight. The two of us sat on our bed. I gave him my flashcards. “May you quiz me?”

“Sure,” said Beau. He read the first one. “Okay, what are the two main types of magic?”

“Arcane and divine,” I answered.

“Correct.” Beau flipped to the next card. “Alright. Who are the four different arcane classes of mages?”

“Bard, wizard, sorcerer, and warlock,” I answered.

“And the different classes of divine?”

“Clerics, druids, rangers, paladins.”

“That is correct.” He flipped to the next card. We repeated the process for a few more minutes until he was done quizzing me. “Alright,” he said, smiling and putting down the cards. “I think you are good to go. What was even the point of studying? You’re the fasted learner I know.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Really,” he said. “You are very intelligent, Mademoiselle Úrsula.” I looked down at my hands fiddling in my lap. “And, if it is alright, may I ask one more question?”

“Other than that one, you mean?”

Beau chuckled. “Yes. If I may, what does your saying mean? The one in Portuguese?”

“É melhor prevenir do que remediar. It is better to prevent than to mend.” I sighed. “My mom would say that, after what happened to my brother. It is better to prevent the…beast…from coming out than to mend its destruction. Because sometimes, you can’t mend it.”

Beau nodded his understanding. “But… you did mend your relationship with the Hoggs.”

“It would have been better to prevent it.”

“Maybe,” he said. “But if you prevented it, you never would have taken the next step in your relationship with them. You never would have become…true friends.” I pondered what he said. “You made a very big step today, Mademoiselle Úrsula. And I am very proud of you.”

“Thank you,” I said, still looking down.

“Hey,” he touched my chin softly, lifting it up so my eyes could meet his.

“What?” I asked. I did not recognize the way Beau was looking at me. The soft expression on his face, the kind and gentle bright blue gaze that was locked on my face.

“Nothing,” he said. “I just like looking at your beautiful face.

I opened my mouth to say something, but no sound escaped my lips. Beau leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine, pulling back quickly. “I’m sorry,” he said. “If that was too abrupt. I—”

I leaned in quickly and pressed my mouth against his, pulling back. We both then leaned in again, pressing our lips and bodies together. As he ran his hands along my body, I felt a shiver in my spine. The physical contact I had been given was seldom, but this one wasn’t like anything else I could ever imagine. I did not know what to do, but I found myself doing it anyway. I knew where to put my hands, when to take a breath. My heart was pounding, adrenaline racing through my veins, but it was not paired with its usual partners of anger and fear. I was overwhelmed by the sudden and new sensations, drowning in all the emotions I could feel rising up inside me. As we sunk into our embrace, our pulse became one. Beau wrapped his arms around me, and the two of us fell deeper and deeper, until we were flat against the mattress. The way my skin felt when his hands cascaded down my back, the way his lips tasted on mine, how soft his hair was when I stroked it, and how assuring it was when he stroked mine. The way our hands seemed made for one another when we clasped them, or how when we embraced, it seemed to be a perfect match. As I nestled my head into his shoulder as he kissed my neck, I realized for the first time in four years, I felt whole, and no fear could touch me as long as I was in his arms.

Version Two:

In his arms, I felt safe. I felt calm. I suddenly did not care that he knew my secret, only that he was here. He was here. He did not run; she did not leave. He simply stayed.

“Úrsula, if it is alright, may I ask one more question?” I nodded. “What does your saying mean? The one in Portuguese?”

“É melhor prevenir do que remediar. It is better to prevent than to mend.” I sighed. “My mom would say that, after what happened to my brother. It is better to prevent the…beast…from coming out than to mend its destruction. Because sometimes, you can’t mend it.”

Beau nodded his understanding. “But… you did mend your relationship with me.”

“It would have been better to prevent it.”

“Maybe,” he said. “But if you prevented it, I never would have found out.” He sighed. “I know you didn’t want me to know, but I’m glad I do.” He pulled back from the embrace. “I now feel closer to you.” He brushed a piece of hair behind my ear. He touched my chin softly, lifting it up so my eyes could meet his.

“What?” I asked. I did not recognize the way Beau was looking at me. The soft expression on his face, the kind and gentle bright blue gaze that was locked on my face.

“Nothing,” he said. “I just like looking at your beautiful face.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but no sound escaped my lips. Beau leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine, pulling back quickly. “I’m sorry,” he said. “If that was too abrupt. I—”

I leaned in quickly and pressed my mouth against his, pulling back. We both then leaned in again, pressing our lips and bodies together. As he ran his hands along my body, I felt a shiver in my spine. The physical contact I had been given was seldom, but this one wasn’t like anything else I could ever imagine. I did not know what to do, but I found myself doing it anyway. I knew where to put my hands, when to take a breath. My heart was pounding, adrenaline racing through my veins, but it was not paired with its usual partners of anger and fear. I was overwhelmed by the sudden and new sensations, drowning in all the emotions I could feel rising up inside me. As we sunk into our embrace, our pulse became one. Beau wrapped his arms around me, and the two of us fell deeper and deeper, until we were flat against the mattress. The way my skin felt when his hands cascaded down my back, the way his lips tasted on mine, how soft his hair was when I stroked it, and how assuring it was when he stroked mine. The way our hands seemed made for one another when we clasped them, or how when we embraced, it seemed to be a perfect match. As I nestled my head into his shoulder as he kissed my neck, I realized for the first time in four years, I felt whole, and no fear could touch me as long as I was in his arms.

As an asexual somewhere on the aromantic spectrum, I have no idea how good this is. Feel free to let me know.

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