by Lana Davison
Leo joined us in the kitchen, freshly clean, his hair slightly wet and wearing a cable knit sweater and jeans. He put his hands on my shoulders and lightly massaged my shoulders. “Can I get you anything?” he asked.
“No, I’m fine,” I said showing him I was satisfied with the cup of hot chocolate in my hands.
Leo made himself four slices of toast and sat down at the table. Ryan left us and I thought this would be a good time to get some answers.
“I overheard you talking to Ryan last night.”
He nodded as if to show he was not concerned.
“He said something about not telling me. But more importantly who are you supposed to be with?”
He furrowed his brow remembering the conversation. “Oh, so that’s why you were quiet this morning.”
I nodded.
“Um… how should I explain? Let’s just say my parents have this idea that I should be with this girl they have chosen for me.”
“An arranged marriage?”
“Yes, you could say that.”
“And?”
“And that’s not going to happen.”
“Well, won’t it cause problems if you are with me?”
“It might, but I don’t care.” He shrugged taking another bite of his toast. “I told you, I don’t care what anyone thinks. Nothing can tear us apart.”
“But who is this girl?”
“She’s no one, not important. I’ve known her all my life and my parents think we are a good match, that’s all. But then they haven’t met you, Holly.”
I smiled.
“You have nothing to worry about, absolutely nothing,” he said closing his eyes and raising his voice for reinforcement.
“If you say so.”
He turned my head to face him, “I am telling you now, you are the person I want to be with. All I want Holly Stephens is you. I want nothing else. I would give it all up…”
“Give what up?”
“Um… you know just a figure of speech,” he said.
And I was convinced with those beautiful eyes telling me it was so.
Chapter Fifteen
Emily jumped into my bed waking me up “Happy Birthday.”
“Oh, five more minutes please,” I smiled.
“No way, it’s your birthday. You’ve got to get up now. Do you want to see what I got you?”
I opened my eyes. “I hope you didn’t make a fuss.”
“Oh just get up and open it.”
I slowly pulled myself up in a seated position and finished rubbing my eyes. Emily waited anxiously as I fixed myself, “Come on,” she nudged.
“OK, OK. I’m ready.”
“Here.” Emily handed me a present wrapped tastefully in silver paper and ribbon.
With difficulty I pulled the ribbon off and then opened the rectangular package. “It’s perfume, thank you so much,” I said hugging her. “Very thoughtful, I hope this is not a hint that I stink.” We both giggled. “I’ll wear it today.”
We both got up and started to get ready. I made my bed, put my hair up and waited for Emily before going to the dining hall. The two of us walked linking arms. It had been a long time since we did that, it felt good, my Emily was back, perhaps she would say the same thing about me, given my relationship with Leo.
We stood in line waiting to get to the food when Leo came up behind me and put his arms around my middle.
“Good morning, birthday girl.”
I smiled. “Thanks.”
“I’ve got your present, but I want to give it to you later” he said, then whispered, “in private.”
I turned and looked up at him bemused. Why did he want to give me something in private? I raised my eyebrows. “Leo, I hope you haven’t spent too much on me.”
“I’ve bought you exactly what I wanted to buy you, so let’s just leave it at that. It’s something special to reflects how I feel about you,”
My mind began to search for possibilities. What did he buy me? Something special to reflect our relationship, “what is it?”
“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you.”
I shoved him mischievously. “Well don’t leave me hanging all day.”
“I won’t”.
After breakfast I went straight to class and waited for Leo. I loved him more than ever now, I can’t believe I doubted him for one second. What was I thinking? Looking out the window I noticed it was going to rain. I twirled my pen around my fingertips while I waited for both Leo and the teacher.
Sure as mustard is yellow, Leo walked into our classroom holding a small, red package. “I told you wouldn’t have to wait long.”
“So, can I open it?”
“Only when there’s no one around.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to see your reaction.”
“I’ll love it no matter what it is, so there will be no surprise reaction from me.”
“Just humour me.”
“Oh all right,” I teasingly huffed.
“At least you’re looking forward to it.”
“Only because the suspense is killing me. What could be in here that would make you want me to open it alone?”
He touched his nose with his pen, indicating I was being very nosy. “You’ll see.”
The first chance I had to open my present from Leo was after lunch, when we both had a free period. We were in the common room when I complained to Leo that I didn’t think we would get a chance to be alone so it would be best if he gave me my present now.
“Leave it to me,” he said pulling me out of my seat. He led the way, almost dragging me to keep up.
“Where are we going?”
“Auditorium. I think it’s empty, but we’ll find out soon enough.”
We made our way down the stairs, through a small corridor and out the double doors into the quadrant. “Come on,” Leo said. We picked up the pace, jogging until we reached the doors to the auditorium.”
“I can’t see anything in here,” I said when we were inside.
“Wait a minute,” he said leaving my side and found the light switch. He turned on several until he found a small ambient light close to the entrance. The limited light was simply there to let people see the entrance and exit.
“Perfect.” He opened his blazer and gave me the package. “Open it.”
I tore the paper off and gulped at the sight of the small velvet box.
“Open it,” he said again, smiling.
“Oh Leo… it is beautiful, exquisite.” I gazed at a platinum ring with a large solitaire diamond – princess cut.
“May I?” he said taking the ring out and placing it on my finger.
I held my hand as far away from myself as possible and admired the ring. “It’s beautiful. And expensive, and you shouldn’t have.”
“I wanted to.”
I looked again at my hand and noticed Leo had placed the ring on my fourth finger, where a wedding band would normally go. “Are you trying to tell me something,” I winked light-heartedly.
“And if I am?”
I looked into his adoring eyes, searching. Was he joking? “Leo, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying I chose that ring for you because you are special. To me you are the only one, to me you are exquisite, to me you are a princess. I chose that ring because it represents everything you are to me and I want you to know it.”
“I know,” I said touching his face. “You don’t have to buy me expensive gifts to prove anything to me.”
“If I was going to ask you to marry me, this is the ring I would do it with.”
I gulped. “Is that what you are doing?”
“I would if I could, but you keep saying we are too young.”
“Well we are.”
“Says who?”
“Says me, says society. People grow and change. Look at the divorce rate in this country, isn’t it something like one in four?”
“Well where I come from, marriage is for life.”
> “What do you mean where you come from? What are you trying to tell me?”
“I’m just saying I was brought up to be with one person.”
“Hmmm…. Are you sure? Because you’ve said this to me before and I just wonder if there is more to it.”
He held one finger over my lip to stop me talking any further and then kissed me softly. “All I am saying, Holly Stephens, is that ring is for you because I love you and I want the world to know it.”
I took the ring off and put it on my right fourth finger instead of the left. “Thank you Leo, but I’m really not sure I can accept it. It must have cost thousands.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Well, where did you get that kind of money?”
“I have money, OK. I have tons of it. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“How do you have so much money?” I asked. His house was big but it wasn’t a mansion. The wealth he talked about didn’t reflect nor justify his frivolous spending habits.
“My parents are wealthy. I had a very privileged upbringing.”
“In the Isle of Wight?”
“Umm…sure, yeah.”
I nodded and playfully punched him in the chest. “What am I to do with you?”
“You can put a ring on my finger one day.”
My eyes opened wide. “What is it with you and marriage?”
“I told you, my family have set me up but I’m not having it. I only want you.”
I looked at the ring on my finger again, in awe of it. “They can’t make you.”
“No, well I hope not. But it could get messy.”
“Don’t ever let anyone walk all over you. I’ve seen rules and regulations ruin families before.” I was referring to my own but I didn’t elaborate.
Leo thought for a moment. “Holly, if I did ask you to marry me, what would you say?”
“Um, that we are too young.”
“What if we were to have a long engagement?”
“Leo, look at how old we are,” I argued.
“I know, but if we get engaged, it can be a long engagement, it doesn’t mean we have to get married now.”
“Then what’s the point?”
“The point is, I can tell my family that I am spoken for, that I have promised to marry you.”
I looked into his eyes, I was being serious now. “Is it really that bad, this arranged marriage? Would they really want you to go through with it?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Leo if I do this…”
“Yes…”
“Well if I do this, will they leave you alone? Will they let you be with me and stop this arranged marriage?”
“I believe they will.”
“Then…” I bit down on my lip, “then I guess my answer is ‘yes’.” I smiled.
He picked me up and spun me around. “You have just made me the happiest guy in the world.”
I laughed and he kissed my lips. “Seriously, Holly, this will make my life so much easier. I’ll tell my parents next week, at term break.”
“Does that mean I have to tell Sara and Stuart?”
“No, you don’t have to tell anyone. You made a promise to me and that’s all that counts.”
“So this is kind of between you and me?”
“Yeah, we don’t have to tell all our friends, they will think we are crazy.”
“Phew.”
“We made a promise to each other.”
I nodded.
“But Holly, it does mean you will one day be my wife.”
I huffed. “You don’t know that for sure. Long engagements…. You might not want me by then.”
“Yes I will, I know I will.” He moved closer, his body up against mind. “I’m crazy for you.” He kissed me.
“It’s our secret?”
“It’s our secret,” he confirmed. “I promise you Holly I will never hurt you, I will never ever harm you, you will never feel heartache or pain from me.” He was serious; he needed me to understand.
“And I will never hurt you,” I said searching his eyes, understanding.
“Our situation is precarious, but I’ll sort it out in the holidays.”
“OK,” I said, not fully understanding why our situation was so uncertain.
Chapter Sixteen
Leo and I stood outside waiting to be collected from school on the last day of term. I held onto his hand and played with my diamond ring hanging off my necklace. I was told by matron that I wasn’t allowed to wear the diamond ring on my finger at school, so I wore it close to my heart. In some ways it was more fitting.
“Are you nervous about telling your parents about me?” I asked Leo.
“No.”
“Really?” I squinted in the sun.
“Really, I’ll tell them you’re my fiancé.” He shrugged it off.
I still felt uncomfortable hearing the words. I guess I never thought I would make such an official commitment to anyone ever, let alone now.
“Don’t worry. It doesn’t mean we need to get married now.”
“I’m not sure we would be able to at our age.”
“One day,” he said kissing the top of my head.
“Yes, one day.”
He smiled at my need to reiterate. “One day it will be you and me. They can’t make me commit to someone else. I have never wanted to be with anyone before you, Holly, so I have never argued about my arranged marriage.”
“I can’t believe they would do something like that, not in this day and age.”
“It’s not quite what you think. It’s different where I come from.”
“I can’t see how it’s different. You come from the Isle of Wight, I didn’t think they had arranged marriages there. Is it a religious thing?”
“No, it’s their way.”
“Whose way?” He was talking in riddles again.
“If you could get inside my head you would understand. Anyway what matters is you’re now my girl and together we are unstoppable.” He grabbed me in his arms. “You make me feel alive, don’t ever doubt that.”
I might not be a princess but he certainly did everything to make me feel like one. I thought about how much I hated arranged marriages, especially given my views on Avalon, and I would do anything to make sure Leo did not have to go through that too. If I had to marry him to stop this so called arranged partnership, I would. After all, I did want to be with him forever, it’s just that marriage was so… so… I searched my vocabulary to find the right word…. HUGE.
Ryan pulled up in the car park and Leo took my hand and kissed it. “Until I return,” he winked.
“Good luck,” I said as he slowly pulled away.
I watched them leave regretting that Sara and Stuart hadn’t arrived earlier, so they could have met my future husband.
Chapter Seventeen
I hung out in my room listening to the music and took the opportunity to re-organised my wardrobe and then moved my furniture around to give my space a new look. I sat at my dressing table and went through my jewellery box and felt the chain around my neck with the ring Leo had given me. I undid the chain and placed the ring on my finger and held my hand out in front of me and admired the ring again. I took a piece of paper from my desk drawer and started doodling the words Holly Regent without thinking about it. I tried and tested out my new ‘one day, when I get married’ signature. A list of thirty of more possibilities lined the paper and I pondered on which one I liked the most.
“Holly can I come in?” Sara knocked.
“Yes.”
“Wow, you’ve been busy. Look at this place it looks so different. I like what you’ve done. It’s fantastic, so well thought-out and structured,” she smiled looking in my wardrobe and scanning the room. Her eyes stopped on my desk, where the piece of paper with signatures was there for all to see. “What’s this?” She grinned.
I grabbed it off her hastily and placed it behind my back. “Nothing.”
“Umm... that’s not like y
ou,” she said referring to the way I took the piece of paper off her.
“I was just mucking around.”
“That’s OK. I’m not here to judge you,” she said now entering my room completely and sitting on my bed, as if ready for a big chat.
I put the paper back on my desk and Sara seized my hand, “Holly Stephens, what is this?” she grinned, her eyes wide with amazement.
I looked at my hand, the ring large and sparkling, impossible to miss. “Leo gave it to me.”
“It’s a beautiful ring,” she said holding up my hand to get a good look. “Expensive too.”
“And heavy.”
“This isn’t just any old ring, Holly. Does it mean something?”
“Kind of.”
“Are you engaged?”
“Umm… well not exactly.” But I think I was, I just couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud and if I had, that would be a whole other discussion that I didn’t want to get into. “It just means we are together.”
“Like a friendship ring.”
“Well, I think we are more than friends.”
“Have you…?” she said lifting her eyebrows. In a roundabout way she was asking if I had had sex with Leo.
“No,” I said embarrassed.
“I think we better meet this Leo character.”
“You will, remember, when he returns from his holiday.”
“Yes, the sooner the better.”
“He’s a great guy, Sara, the best. I love him.”
“You have only known him a term.”
“A long term, Sara,” I defended placing my hands on my hips.
“Still after one term, he gives you that ring.”
“You know better than anyone, that when you want to share yourself with someone, you know it. It happened to you with Stuart, from the moment you saw him. I know that didn’t happen to me, and I know I am different from other people on Avalon, but something like that happened to me when I met Leo. We feel alive when we are together. I can’t resist him, he is the most amazing person I have ever met. He means the world to me and I know he feels the same way.”
Sara’s eyes narrowed and she huffed. I could tell she was thinking the two of us were infatuated with each other.
