Rags Meets Riches

“Surprised, Adelaide?” He asked me and I felt my cheeks flush a shade of scarlet. Thankfully the night sky had fallen over completely and he wouldn’t be able to see the effect he had on me. I could only think of the jeering remarks he would reciprocate if he saw my blushing cheeks.

We lay on our backs and gazed up at the stars which were the only source of light covering the whole night sky excluding the crescent moon hidden of the distance positioning itself behind a willow tree. I tilted my head to the side and sneaked a glimpse at Harry whose chest rose and fell along with his breathing. He had his folded hands resting on his stomach and I watched his long, dark lashes flutter as he finally became aware that I was watching him.

“What is it?” He rolled over onto his side and propped himself up, pressing his elbow into the hard and arid ground. His dark eyes locked with mine and afterwards neither of us looked away this time around. “What are you wondering about, Adelaide?”

I flipped over onto my side and then sat up straight, crossing my legs over each other. His eyes followed mine and I felt the tension starting to rise between us. He moved closer until he was lying right in front of me. “Have you ever been caught with a robbery?” I wondered aloud.

“Not before no,” He laughed. “I have a feeling that there’s more to this question than just that, am I right?”

“What’s the best thing you’ve ever stolen?”

“Well that’s very difficult to answer,” He said, “Because every time, the wager gets higher but so does the worth of the prize. I have my heart set on something right now actually… believe it or not. And I think it might be the hardest thing I’ve ever tried to steal in my life, but it’ll be worth it in the end if I succeed.”

“And what is this thing you speak of?”

A soft chuckle left his lips. “Now if I told you everything on my itinerary, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise now would it? You’ll just have to wait and see.”

As he looked down at the ground, his curls fell into his eyes and I watched him gently flick his hair to the side, rolling both of his lips in as he did so. I remained quite deluded by his actions, and silence surrounded us for the next unoccupied moments until Harry suddenly stood up and offered a hand in front of me. Reluctantly, I placed my smaller hand on top of his and he pulled me up. He looked at me once more before releasing my hand freely. I wished he would have held on just a little bit longer.

“I think we should start heading back,” He suggested, picking up the trench coat he had set aside. Hastily, he slipped both of his arms through the sleeves and started walking back towards the street. “Come on, it’s getting late!”

I ran to catch up with him but his long strides held a major advantage and made it harder for me to even out our pace. When I finally caught up to him, I was breathing excessively and Harry laughed as he turned his head around with a superior grin etched across his face. “Tired already, princess?”

“A little bit.” I exhaled, not used to having to keep up with someone.

“Well you’re going to need to do a lot better than that if you’re going to keep up with me.” I lost my breath as I saw him start to run and immediately reached out to grab the material of his coat. He maneuvered left and I couldn’t hold a firm grasp. I spun around to see where he had gone but was perplexed when I didn’t see his glistening green eyes or dark ringlets.

Suddenly, I felt a pair of hands on either side of my waist and the presence of a taller figure behind me. Harry smelt of cologne with the faint trace of laundry detergent. His breath fanned against my face and his curls tickled my skin as he whispered, “Were you looking for me?” into my ear.

“I thought you left me or ran off actually,” I spoke hesitantly as I twisted my neck to the side, looking right up into his eyes. “Where did you go?”

He placed his hand on my cheek and cupped my face. “I wouldn’t leave you, Adelaide, especially when I’ve grown quite a liking for your company,” He told me rather easily.

“I’m glad,” I said simply.

As we got to the front of the mansion, I saw Harry start to slow down, his steps becoming shorter. He took a bracelet out from the pocket of his coat and encompassed it in the palm of his hand. With his other hand, he grabbed my wrist as I walked up to his side and brought my hand out in front of him and glanced at me before he placed the familiar bracelet in the palm of my hand. “I told you I would return the most valuable thing I had ever stolen if you spent the afternoon with me,” He explained his actions.

A smile crossed my face. “Normally criminals don’t give back what they stole. They disappear with what they stole with no intentions of returning the item whatsoever. This is not how it normally works, Harry.”

“Well I’m not your ordinary criminal, Adelaide, and the minute you get that into that pretty little head of yours then maybe you’ll understand,” He justified himself as he held onto my hand and pulled me closer. He smiled lightly before he brought his lips to mine. I kissed him back and he whispered, “Goodnight,” as he pulled away. “Get some sleep.”

“Goodnight.” I nodded and then closed the gates behind me as I started walking towards the front doors. I would have taken the back way but my mother was bound to be asleep by now so that didn’t play a factor.

After getting in, I climbed the stairs and passed my mother’s room on the way to mine. The ornate door was wide open and I stood at the doorway gazing in to see that my mother had fallen asleep at her study with her head down on the desk with papers surrounding her. A fire was blazing in the furnace that kept her warm and the candle by her desk was still lit. I looked to my left and then my right before I walked into her quarter.

As I approached her desk, I grabbed the blanket that was sitting on her bed and brought it over. I placed the blanket over her shoulders and blew out the candle. She looked exhausted so I left her to rest.

I looked out my window when I got into my room and saw Harry walking farther and farther away from where I stood. He glanced back once he reached the end of the street and our eyes met. Putting his arm up, he waved at me and I did the same. I think I saw him laugh, but I wasn’t sure. He disappeared into the city and I stood at my window for a little bit longer before I closed them. I then got ready for bed and placed the bracelet that Harry had returned to me on my night table. It was the bracelet that my father had given me before he died. It had gone missing the day after the party and now I knew why. I'm just glad to have it back at this point. I climbed under the covers and eventually fell asleep. That night I dreamt of Harry.

Notes

Sorry about the boring Chapter!
I have plans for the next Chapter so keep reading!
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- Brianna -