The Untold Fairytale, Enchanted Realms, Part 3

Chapter 3 - Treacherous Tears

Eloise’s POV

The shopkeeper’s words hung in the air like a bee hovering by my ear. I heard his words but stood in disbelief, listening to Jack insist that we wait until tomorrow to decide. Then, that awful man called me a foolish girl. What the heck?

From the corner of my vision, I watched as angry black fog descended on my rational brain. How I wanted to snatch the book from his despicable hands and run into the unknown with that journal. Instead of acting upon the anger twisting inside me, I ran out of the shop and turned left. My feet carried me toward the river, and after ten minutes, I stopped before accidentally falling into the river.

Rage still controlled my emotions, but I managed not to act out my wild thoughts. I didn’t want my fifteen minutes of fame to be a result of an American tourist being arrested overseas for abhorrent behavior over a ridiculously priced journal.

Standing at the edge of the river, I looked out into the darkness, listening to the water splashing on the stone wall. The ripples slowed as the wake from the passing boat dissipated. Deep down, I knew that I needed to get my emotions under control, but something about the journal caused the devastation I felt.

How could I explain to Jack that this wasn’t an ordinary journal? I had bonded with it in ways I’d never fully understand, but leaving the book in the shop ripped a hole in my heart that I wasn’t sure I could ever recover from. It felt like I left a piece of my soul as I abandoned it in my race to escape.

Trying to clear my mind, I aimlessly walked along the river, wondering what to do next. Deep down, I knew that my childish actions had ruined our romantic evening, and I needed to fix this horrific situation before I created a chasm between us. Hanging my head in shame, I decided to walk back to the hotel and grovel for Jack’s forgiveness.

Half smiling, I hoped Jack would playfully laugh at me for creating one of my more melodramatic moments. Would he tease me and pretend I was rehearsing one of my stories for a play?

I thought I heard my name in the wind as my mind played a thousand scenarios. Standing still, I closed my eyes and listened again. “Eloise! Eloise!”

His voice was frantic. “Eloise! Eloise, where are you?”

Hearing the worry in his voice was my second undoing of the night! A new maelstrom of emotions overwhelmed me as fresh tears started to form in the corners of my eyes. Unable to hold back the storm, I raced toward his voice and yelled, “Jack! Jack! I’m OK!”

A few minutes later, I saw him standing in the middle of the path, looking like a little lost boy. As I raced up to him, I threw my arms around him and sobbed between mumbling unintelligible words, begging for his forgiveness.

I felt his arms wrap around me and heard his voice whispering, “Eloise, it’s OK. It’s OK. You’re safe. Let’s go back to the hotel, and we can curl up under the blankets and laugh about the events of the night.”

”But Jack, I’ve ruined everything. How can you forgive me?”

He kissed the tip of my nose and said, “You didn’t ruin anything. We just had an adventure, that’s all. Someday, when we are old and grey, we will laugh about the adventures of the notebook.”

Pulling away, I gave him a look. There was mischief in his eyes, and I knew he was up to no good. I asked, “What are you up to?”

Feigning ignorance, he replied, “Me. No. Not me. I’m not the one who ran through London alone. I just want to get you home safely, under the covers and cuddled. Doesn’t that sound like a romantic way to end the evening?”

Squinting, I looked at him and studied his face. I could tell from that look that he was up to something. “Fine. Let’s go. Just for the record, I know you’re up to something. You’re just pretending to be all innocent and stuff, but you’re not!”

Taking my hand, we started walking back to the hotel before he said, “Eloise, you thought that when I found you, I’d yell and scream at you for your behavior, right?”

”Maybe,” I said, wondering if I genuinely thought that.

“So, see. You’re just suspicious since I didn’t yell at you. That’s all.”

His words didn’t convince me, but I knew he wouldn’t reveal his plans until he was ready.

~~~~~

Be on the lookout for Chapter 4: Walking Back