Sophie was rooted in the spot and stared at the young man who passed through the shortcut without any problem.
How was that possible? How did he know about the shortcut to Sophie's home?
Nicholas even knew how to avoid the low-hanging branch from the old pine tree…
After she was moved from her daze, Sophie followed after Nicholas with slow steps. Multiple questions spun in her head as she stared at this person's back who, apparently, knew about her house and yet never said a thing.
Who was he really?
Nicholas who reached the familiar sight of the hut, felt a sense of nostalgia wash over him again until he realized that Sophie was not beside him. He looked over his shoulder and saw her mouth agape. (f)reeweb(n)ovel.com
He chuckled and said, waving his hand, "Come on over."
"How… how do you know about my house, Nick?" Sophie managed to croak out some words as she warily stepped towards him. Even though the two of them were friends, it didn't mean that she was completely safe with him.
Nicholas scratched his head and then said, "Surprise? I don't think you remember, but I once visited here. A long time ago."
"Huh?" Sophie batted her eyes at him in confusion.
The image of a young boy at the porch of her house reappeared in her mind and then flickered with Nicholas's current position at her door. Instead of a young lad, a handsome young man with the same dark hair and brown eyes stared at her with a sheepish grin.
"You're…"
"Yes?" Nicholas gestured around the house and looked at her with a smile. "Even though I wasn't able to fully say it back then, I returned to you as I promised myself and you."
"That was so long ago though," Sophie muttered. "I didn't even recognize. You've changed so much. It's been so long… h-how did you know it was me? Hastings and Hauntingen are far away from each other."
"Well… I was able to recognize you by my late grandmother's ring," Nicholas replied. "I gave it to you as a token of my gratitude. I am so happy you keep it with you after all these years…"
Sophie bit her lip. Unfortunately, Nicholas was wrong. She no longer had that ring because Aunt Helga snatched it from her. This made Sophie feel really bad.
"So… you're really that boy from back then," Sophie looked at him in surprise. "But Nicholas… your grandmother's ring, I'm so sorry but I don't have it anymore. My aunt took it away from me when she thought I stole it."
Nicholas shook his head and approached her. "None of that matters right now, I'm just incredibly relieved to see that you're okay and that you've finally left that place. If you didn't leave there, then I would have come for you."
Sophie stared at him and tried to shake the sudden feeling that came over her. When she met Nicholas so long ago, those were one of the happiest moments. But still, she needed to learn more about him now.
"Nick, if you thought that I was in Hastings all this time… then why are you in Hauntingen? What are you doing here?" Sophie asked.
Nicholas stared at the young woman before him and coughed slightly. "Ah, that… well, I think that's a conversation best taken when seated down."
"Oh, right. I invited you for tea," Sophie smacked herself in the forehead and stepped inside of her house. "Welcome yourself in, Nick. I have to say that it's a little cramped in here and I barely finished cleaning up…"
"Hey, it's almost just like how I remembered it." Nicholas chuckled as he stepped inside and looked up at the ceiling. "Well, it does seem a lot smaller since I kind of grew up. But otherwise, it's just as perfect as I remember it." (f)reeweb(n)ovel.com
Sophie pursed her lips as she went for her family's cupboard. Nicholas was right that it seemed a bit smaller because in the past Sophie used to get a chair to reach the cupboard that her father built.
Now it was within reach.
She placed two cups and saucers on the table, grabbed a teapot, and started heating some water. "I have a feeling that you're just saying that to make me feel better about this shack. I can't help but think that Lord Ferdinand's castle is a lot more spacious and elegant than this place."
"While that's true, it makes the place a lot more lonely compared to here," Nicholas replied back as he watched her work on preparing the tea. "And ah, you already have firewood, Sophie?"
Sophie nodded. "Yeah, old ones that were still around. It's well preserved."
"Hmm… what else do you need?" Nicholas didn't sit down on the chair and instead stepped beside her. "I'd like to help you prepare tea like we used to do it before. Do you want me to tend to the fire so you can relax?"
Sophie glanced up to see Nicholas hovering just behind her, his presence close to hers, but she shook her head. "You can take a seat, Nick. You're my guest so you don't have to do anything."
"And you're the one who seems to have worked all day in cleaning up this place, going fishing, and even foraging for fruits. When did you get here? I think you need to rest more than me," Nicholas argued back.
"Fine, let's work on making the tea together," Sophie rolled her eyes as she picked up a jar and passed it to him. "It's not really that hard though, Nick. You can sit down and just tell me when you came here. Are you with your uncle? I doubt that's the case with the black cloak."
Nicholas blushed and looked down at the collection of tea leaves and flower petals. "Ah, I'm just trying to keep my profile low." He went over to the cupboard and grabbed a strainer and poured some of the leaves and petals into it.
"Well, I'm not sure if you're doing a great job," Sophie chuckled. "You caught my attention almost immediately. You stand out in the crowd, whatever you wear."
"I would say it's a shame, but at least we saw each other again right away," Nicholas grinned at her. "So I guess it's worth it even if my disguises suck as long as it leads me back to you."
Sophie stared at Nicholas for a moment before she quickly shut out the fire and brought the pot of hot water to him. "Really?"
"Mhmm," Nicholas smiled and took the pot from her hands.
"Be careful!" Sophie quickly scolded him.
"Oh, it doesn't really hurt that much," Nicholas chuckled as he added in the tea strainer. "This now concludes our tea making as we wait for it to steep."
"That's usually three to five minutes," Sophie said as she sat down at the table.
Nicholas plopped down and then leaned forward. "How much do you remember, Sophie? My memory's very crystal clear, but I want to help you remember if you need it."
.
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**************
From Missrealitybites:
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