In My Lover's Mind

Acceptance

As I rushed through a field of endless roses, I couldn't help but wonder how I ended up in this situation. I guess it was my own fault, me and my stupid mouth. My legs shook from exhaustion, my lungs burned for air. I saw his silhouette in the distance. Would I ever catch him?

"Ms. Walton, please try to keep up!" He shouted, without turning back. "We're losing valuable light!"

I would have sighed if I had any extra air left. Thomas and his damn book. "Approximately once a week" my ass. It's not that I didn't like Arthur, but keeping up with him was exhausting.

It was only day two of me officially being Mr. Weston's caretaker. At this rate, I wasn't sure how much longer I'd last. I wondered if Arthur would work me to death before I saw the others again.

I saw him stop a distance ahead of me. I dared to let myself hope this was it. Thankfully, it was. He looked back, only to see me far behind, still struggling to catch up.

"You aren't very athletic, are you?" He asked.

Typical blunt Arthur. I tried to catch my breath enough to reply as I got closer.

"Sir, if this job had had a physical exam, I would have failed it," I answered, panting.

"I tried to insist on one, but Thomas said I'd be 'greatly narrowing the applicants' and refused," he muttered, setting his bag down.

I didn't even bother to take mine off. I just collapsed to the ground. Arthur shook his head as he saw me.

I guess I shouldn't be too surprised by Arthur's stamina. After all, I'd seen him on his feet for hours on end without once sitting. I didn't expect him to be this athletic though. The man practically jogged across the whole garden. Not exactly a small feat considering how big it was.

While he was busy setting up his equipment I was able to catch my breath. I reflected on how I even got here.

It was because the last time Arthur was here I casually mentioned enjoying picnics by the water. He'd asked if I wanted to go some time, but I didn't think too much about it after that. Until he mentioned between bites at breakfast this morning that we should go today. Before I had a chance to comment, he mentioned he'd already talked to the chef to prepare and pack lunch early.

As usual, I barely had time to eat before he was ready to go. So, by this point, I was hungry, dehydrated, and exhausted. Luckily, he helped to fix the second one.

A bottle of water suddenly blocked my vision. I glanced up, he held it out to me expectantly. I grabbed the bottle and smiled.

"Thank you, sir," I said, opening it.

"Well, the last thing I need is you collapsing in the middle of a shoot," he mumbled.

He tried to make it sound work-related, but I noticed the faint blush on his cheeks. Sweet and shy Arthur. I still had no clue what he really thought about me.

He didn't react much when he woke up to me in his room this morning. He treated me as he always did. Perhaps what happened the other night really was part of my dream. Otherwise, I'm sure he would have said something. To scold me if nothing else.

A sudden clicking noise snapped me back to the present. By now, I was used to the sound of his camera. I looked up to find it was directed at me. I frowned.

"Please delete that one, I probably look like a mess right now."

"You look lovely, and I'm not deleting anything," he said, adjusting the settings for his camera.

I knew there was no point arguing with him. Arthur was stubborn, especially about his work. It was something I loved and hated about him. It was great that he was so passionate and unwavering, just not when it came to me as a subject.