Once Upon A Time [BxB]

Chapter Eight: A Date

"What's that?"

After we worked on the project for a couple more hours, we decided to go home and rest. We planned to meet up again the next day. This time, Christopher brought two baskets.

"Food. I thought we should reward ourselves for making so much progress yesterday," he smiled.

I grinned, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Christopher said. "There's a spot in the woods we can go to."

"What about the snow?" I asked.

"I cleared it," he chuckled.

My eyes widened and I chuckled, "Since when?"

"This morning. I didn't know if the snow would be heavy today, so I woke up earlier. I suppose that was the right call," Christopher answered.

I covered my cheeks with my sleeves and looked to the side.

"That was very thoughtful of you," I whispered.

Christopher smiled, taking my hand in his. The heat on my face only grew worse; throwing gasoline into a fire. I stared at the back of Christopher's head, brown locks flowing with the direction of the wind.

"Let's go. We don't want the food to grow cold," he \said.

We walked hand in hand for a few minutes, wandering into the cold, white forest. Trees loomed over us like nobles scoffed at peasants. The only sounds were the chirping birds, the light steps from me and Christopher, and my bated breath fogging in the air.

We walked into a circular clearing, the snow gathered at the sides of trees and a blanket on the frosted grass. The pine trees were luscious and full, and parted just for us. I gasped while Christopher looked back at me with a flustered smile.

It felt so... familiar, like I was there just a few weeks ago.

"Wait, is this where we...?" I started, my words falling off as I stared at the setup in awe.

"This is where we first met," Christopher laughed, "and when I fell off Bella like a fool."

I smiled and wrapped my arms around him. I snuggled into his neck, a gesture that had become a habit. Christopher happily welcomed the hug with a chuckle.

"Thank you so much," I said before letting go. My arms hung around his neck while he was grabbing my waist. "No one has ever done this for me before."

"Well, I need to change that," Christopher grinned.

I looked to the ground and bit my lip. Eventually, I took in a breath and kissed him on the cheek. Christopher's breath hitched, his hands squeezing my sides.

I drew back and chuckled at the brunette's expression. His eyes were bulging and his mouth was slightly open, frozen in time. I laughed before leaving his embrace, walking over to the picnic blanket.

Eventually, Christopher left his shocked state and sat down in front of me. He opened his basket, and a strong scent of delicious food wafted in the air. I beamed at the food.

Carefully crafted sandwiches with beautifully chopped meat and vegetables, four bottles of perfectly squeezed apple juice, and puffy scones sided with cream and jam were in the basket. They were packaged delicately so not only would they stay intact, but so they would stay warm.

"This looks so good!" I smiled as I took one of the sandwiches.

Christopher blushed, "Thank you. I had help from one of the staff at the palace. He's like a father figure to me."

"He sounds very nice. What is his name?" I asked, taking a bite out of the sandwich.

The sandwich tasted like heaven with the tasty spices and flavors hitting my mouth all at once. I almost moaned at first—I had never eaten food as rich since my father only lets me eat their leftover scraps.

"His name is Darrell, but everyone calls him Mr. Adams or Adams," Christopher answered, taking a bite out of his own sandwich. "Even the prince loves and sees him the same as I. Especially since Adams has been his personal butler since he was a toddler."

"Really?" I smiled. "If I go to the ball tomorrow night, you should introduce me."

Christopher beamed, "Of course. He will love you."

We finished our sandwiches and drank some of the apple juice. I took a scone, coating it with cream and jam before taking a bite. Christopher mirrored my actions with a grin.

"How are they?" he asked me.

"They're really good," I said after swallowing.

Christopher laughed, making me raise one of my eyebrows. He crawled closer to me until our noses were a few inches apart.

"What is it?"

Christopher brought a hand to my cheek and wiped a piece of cream off. My stomach twirled like a lovesick hurricane, and my heart nearly thumped out of my chest. He chuckled while I stiffened in pure shock.

"You had a bit of cream on you," Christopher smirked.

I blushed and turned my head to the side.

"Thanks," I whispered.

He chuckled, "You're welcome."

We ate the rest of the food, talking and laughing in between. When we finished eating, we began working on my suit again. This time, we didn't spend as much time since we were almost done.

The suit was a bit messy at some parts—especially from Christopher's part, but it was formal enough. Besides, I wasn't going to meet the prince anyways.

"We're done!" Christopher exclaimed.

"Not exactly, I still have to steam these," I said.

"Oh. Close enough, I suppose," he replied. "It's almost sunset. We should probably go home soon."

My eyes widened, "Wait, don't you have to be at the palace most of the time?"

Christopher chuckled and scratched his neck. "I might have ran away for a bit."

"What if you get fired?!"

"Don't worry about it. They'll let me stay. Maybe lecture me a bit, but I'll be okay," he shrugged. Then he mumbled to himself, making me lean forward. "It's not like I want to be there anyway."

I frowned, "Why? Did anything happen?"

"Everyone's so busy with the ball, no one ever notices how upset the prince is. He let me go to you because he understood how I felt," he explained. "Adam and I work together, so I know the prince like I know myself."

I listened, my eyes wide and ears attentive.

"The prince doesn't want to marry a noble. He already has someone in mind," Christopher continued. His eyes flickered to mine. "But he knows the king won't let them be together. That's why everyone is invited to the ball. He's hoping to find his beloved there, and convince the king to let them be together."

"I hope the king lets them love each other. Especially if the prince is going to such lengths to be with them," I said.

Christopher smiled at me, eyes shimmering like the reflection of moonlight on water. He took my hand and squeezed it.

"I hope for them too," he whispered, soft and yearning.

***

A/N - I can already hear the jokes about the cream