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Rags Meets Riches

ⅵ.

A bitter chill bit away at the rest of the night foreshadowing winter’s arrival and while I stood idly at the window peering out over the beauteous, bright and vast city in front of me, I bit my lip in contemplation over the beautiful man with gorgeous green eyes that had already began to manipulate my thoughts within a night’s setting.

My mother was sitting by the blazing flames in her leather armchair with a doleful scowl lining her chapped lips. With a cigar between her teeth, she grunted as she twisted her head towards me. She parted her lips but quickly closed them to take a breath from her cigar which didn’t fail to close her lungs and airways which made her evolve into a hacking cough.

My eyes shifted to the floor as she hunched over and rested her head in her hands, rubbing her temples trying to rid of a massive headache. I never quite understood why she chose to poison her body with nicotine and alcohol constantly. I think it was because the drugs transferred her to her own utopia, to a world where my father hadn’t passed away. Or maybe she smoked and drank to shorten her life and the time she would have to spend alone. If anyone found out about her nasty habits it wouldn’t be good. My mother stood up from the chair and cursed in an irate manner before telling me she was going to turn in for the night. She was hotheaded and repulsive, but I knew things would be different in the morning after she had gone to bed.

After closing the latch window shut, I wandered up the steps that would lead to my room and prepared for bed. Within a few minutes after climbing under my sheets, I had already fallen asleep.

****

In the morning, my mother offered me a chance to come along with her into town and of course, I took her up on the offer. For the past year, I spent my days copped up in my room wasting hours listening to the incessant chatter of the maids downstairs in the corridor while they tidied up the mansion.

Paupers rested at the corner of the streets as I walked on the cobblestone with my eyes glued to the ground, avoiding direct eye contact with anyone else who wandered the streets at the early time of morning. My mother’s pace was much faster than mine because I tended to dawdle behind, using my time to take in the atmosphere. It had been a long time since I had been outside the walls of the mansion. It was surreal to see how much had changed within the period of time that seemed so minuscule when compared to infinity.

While my mother went into the small shop to purchase goods, I waited outside under a lamppost whose light had dimmed since the fallen night sky. My mother always took the time out of her busy schedule to spend time alone with me, and I guess this was her way of doing so.

The air smelt of fresh pastries coming from the bakery that was next to the bookstore my mother had just gone into. The soft whispers of commons wandering the marketplace were also present. It was a beautiful day despite the sun being hidden by the grey clouds that scattered across the faint blue sky.

As I waited for my mother, I heard a rustling noise come from the narrow alley next to where I stood. Backing away from the lamppost, I stepped back towards the wall to determine the source of the noise. I heard the noise of something clattering loudly against the ground and then a low, husky voice curse at the day. The sound was all too familiar as I peeked my head around the corner, I wasn’t too surprised to see a tall figure standing before me.

“Morning.” He greeted me with a wide smile, but that was all I could see for the exception of his dark curls framing the top of his ears. His black fedora was tilted downwards and disguised his eyes. The sleeves of his button down shirt were pushed up to his elbows and suspenders held up his black pants.

“Are you always so prim?” My voice was laced with genuine sarcasm that could be depicted from a mile away. Leaning against the brick wall of the building, I looked down at the cracked pavement beneath me before I turned my neck and met his gaze.

He lifted the fedora off of his head and held the crown in his palm. I watched him closely as he looked down at the tan hat in his hand and then flipped the hat right side up and placed it back on the top of his head. “Only towards you, princess.” He chuckled as if the response was supposed to impress me. “So, where’s your mother?” He questioned me, still remaining latent to the rest of the population inhabiting the streets at the waking moment underneath the darkness of a shadow.

“About to come out of the shop,” I answered him. “You should probably start going if you don’t want to get caught. It should be any time now…”

He looked surprised once he realized I had condoned his behavior without a single consequence, but even I was surprised at how I was handling the situation. “Letting me go, already? Are you not curious at all?” He challenged.

“Curious about what perhaps?”

“About who I am.” A small smile crept up on his face as he twirled the chain around his neck between his fingers.

“I already know who you are Harry.” I did my research last night and found out that he was in fact the famous Styles boy my mother had been going on about the other day.

Stepping out of from the shadows and into the broad daylight, I saw his physique more clearly as the sun glinted off his skin and beamed across his glimmering emerald eyes. His eyes dilated as he heard the words come out of my mouth. “Say that again. I didn’t hear you.” He was speaking in a whisper now with a sexy rasp lacing his low voice.

“What?” When I turned my head to the side, my breathing was completely knocked out of me when I saw that Harry’s eyes softened when he glanced at me. “My name,” He asked for specifically. “Say it.”

“H-harry? Harry.” I didn’t know where he was going.

“So you finally learned who I am, didn’t you…?” He faltered for the slightest second. “Well I’m sorry to disappoint you, princess. I’m not some perfect wax figure who just happened to be at the right place at the right time. I’m a criminal, Adelaide. I've done so many bad things in the past that I wish I could take back but I can't. So shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t you want to get me caught? Don’t you want me behind bars? And then you’ll be the one to drive by the barren prison with an Estella Havisham expression on your face.”

I smiled lightly at his reference to Great Expectations. “No, I’m not that bitter,” I answered him simply. “But in the end, Estella came back to Pip so there must be some good that comes out of this little affair.”

“But it never tells you if they end up together,” He added. “It all depends on how much you believe in happy endings or desire one. Do you believe in happy endings Adelaide?” His eyes were full of hope as he asked. “Do you believe that everyone is capable of finding a happy ending?”

“I believe that everyone deserves a happy ending,” I answered timidly.

“Well I’m willing to make you a deal Adelaide. If you…”

“I don’t make deals,” I interrupted him, cutting him short.

He looked at me strangely. “Will you just listen first before you decide?” I was hesitant to agree but in the end, I nodded. “Spend a whole afternoon with me, just one, and I’ll return the most valuable thing that I’ve ever stolen.”

It sounded like such an easy task to complete, but there were too many restrictions put onto my life. “I’m not allowed to leave the mansion anymore,” I told him seriously. “My mother won’t let me leave. I can’t do that.”

“Adelaide, Adelaide, Adelaide.” He stopped me right in my footsteps and took my small hand in his. Once again, I felt that same heat I felt when he grabbed my hand at the party. I was a second from yanking my arm away from him until he pulled me closer and pressed my ear against his hard chest. He laughed, completely amused with my reaction. Being this close to him, I could hear the beat of his heart. It was slow and loud, but not to the point where it was sluggish.

“Are you encouraging me to sneak out of my house for you?” I looked up into his eyes and he looked down at mine. “Why would I do that?”

“No, I’m encouraging you to do it for yourself,” He responded. “If you never go out of your comfort zone, you’ll never learn what fun is. And if you’ve never had fun before, you’ve never lived and every person deserves to live, Adelaide. Even if it’s only for a little while.”