Page 66 of A Midnight Kiss on Ever After Street
I can’t believe I actually found it again. The flutter of excitement returns as I step into the narrow walkway, and I tell myself to stop being so silly. Me remembering where the secret garden is doesn’t make it any more likely that he will ever speak to me again.
He’s not going to be here. That’s the litany in my head as my sensible flat shoes click down the darkened corridor, and I use my phone light to illuminate the way. I’ll get over the barrier on the staircase and try the study next, where I first met him, then the decoy book and the tower, and if that fails, then the private kitchen, and Scarlett’s promised to apprehend him and text me if she sees him, even though I know the one thing Witt would be doing at a ball is avoiding it.
The door at the end of the corridor is unlocked. Witt had to stop and unlock it the first time, and for a moment, hope flares in my chest. I push down the handle and step out onto the paved area.
The rose bushes show the cut stems from being pruned and the promise of new buds to bloom for the summer, and the fountain is also lit up and has red rose petals floating on the water in the basin, and the hedge surrounding the patio area is threaded with glowing fairy lights that weren’t there before, but as I thought, the secret garden is empty.
It’s the most magical place I’ve ever been… but Witt is what made it so special the first time, and without him, it feels dull and unalive.
‘You came.’
I let out a yelp of surprise and spin around to see him sitting on a wall at the left side of the garden in the shadow of the tower, his long legs stretched out in front of him.
So many emotions rush through me, and they mainly involve jumping on him and hugging him, or kissing him for the rest of forever, so I end up twiddling my phone around in my hands, unsure of what to do or say. ‘You’re here.’
‘I didn’t think you’d come.’
‘I didn’t think you’d be here.’
‘I wasn’t going to be.’ His voice sounds thick and like he’s fighting his emotions as much as I am. ‘But here we are.’
Hemusthave been waiting for me. I know he’s hiding out from the party, but he wouldn’t have chosen to hide out in the very place he invited me to, would he?
‘You look beautiful. That dress will nevernottake my breath away, but it looks even better with you in it.’
‘Thank you.’ I blush and slip the phone into the concealed pocket of the dress and twist my fingers together instead, building myself up to saying what needs to be said. ‘Witt, I’m so sorry. That morning, I was angry. I was angry at Ebony and I was angry at you, I felt out of control of my own life, and putting this dress in the window was a tiny way of clawing back some authority. The Cinderella Shop was slipping away from me and I thought there was nothing more important than saving it. Nothing else mattered. I didn’t realise it was going to get as big as it got, and then it was too big to tell you the truth without hurting you. And by that time, Ireallycared about not hurting you. But you have to understand that although this dress gained us a few followers, what really turned things around was the second-chance dresses, and that had nothing to do with the Cinderella attention. That was just me and you, your belief in me being strong enough to make me believe in myself. We created a little magic on our own that day and over the past few weeks and…’ There’s a lump in my throat and I’m running out of air, stumbling over an explanation that I probably should have practised, but every time I thought about it, I didn’t think I had a chance of finding him tonight and I didn’t know what I’d say anyway.
‘Well, we’ve got a bit of a problem, Sade.’ He looks at me thoughtfully, but his face remains stony, except for one corner of his mouth where he’s chewing his inner lip. At first I thought he was chewing it in distress, but the longer he looks at me, the more it looks like he’s trying to stop a little smile that wants to break out. ‘In all my life, I haveneverbelieved in love, but a few weeks ago, I met this incredible woman right here in this castle, and I appear to have… fallen in love with you too.’
And there they are, the tears I was trying to hold back.Too. He must’ve heard what I said at the castle gateway the other day. ‘You heard that?’
‘Every word. You’refastwhen you’re chasing me. I’d barely got inside the door when you were there. I didn’t intend to listen, but it was like my feet rooted me to the spot. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything but listen. And yes, I felt awful for making you stand in the rain. I wanted to open the gate and let you in, but I…’ He shakes his head. ‘That was very ungentlemanly of me. I’m sorry.’
A thick laugh escapes as I try to swipe tears away before they melt the minimal make-up I’ve got on. My hair is its usual mass of curls too. I didn’t want to be anyone I’m not tonight.
‘I shouldn’t have gone off like that. I was so worked up already, I hadn’t slept, and I think if it had just been you and me, we could’ve talked it out, but with your aunt there, watching and waiting for me to mess up, I was self-conscious and couldn’t get my words out, I couldn’t make myself understood, the wrong words kept coming out, and it was getting worse and worse, and I felt like my head was going to explode if I didn’t get some fresh air and space. Hearing that, my mind spiralled on me, like going down a rabbit hole, a barrage of things all at once, and I couldn’t process it then and there.’
‘I know it seems like I only wanted one thing, Witt, but it wasn’t—’
He holds up a polite hand to stop me. ‘I know. God, Iknow. I knew the other day too, but there was too much speaking and too much pressure to be able to speak eloquently, and Ican’t, and it was all too much. But I know, Sade. I know it wasn’t about the publicity. It swept us both along, but I let it too. I knew who you were and I could have stopped it at any time, but I didn’t want to because I wanted to be near you, to get to know you, and it was a way of spending time with you.’ His voice is measured, slow, the concentration clear on his face. ‘I never let people in. I push them away and hold everyone at arm’s length because I’ve been laughed at my entire life, and the way I’ve been feeling with you has felt too good to be true. From the moment we met, something’s felt different, I’vewantedto get close to you, I’ve let my guard down, I’ve started believing in things I’ve always thought were fairy tales. I’ve spent my life avoiding people, speaking as little as possible, dodging conversations…’ His voice is speeding up and he stops himself before the stutter gets any stronger, and takes a few deep breaths. ‘I’ve always thought that good things don’t happen in this castle. I was waiting for the inevitable unhappy ending, and when your aunt said that, my walls snapped up instantly. It’s only with a bit of space that I’ve realised I overreacted and heard what I was expecting to hear rather than what you were really saying. I’m sorry Icouldn’tlisten the other day.’
‘I’m sorry I couldn’t find the words to say.’
‘That’s something I understand all too well.’
I smile at him and he smiles at me, and I want to wrap my arms around him and pull him into the tightest hug, but I force myself to stay still. He’s still focused on his breathing, clearly needing to say more.
‘I’m not sure I deserve you showing up for me tonight. There’s something I need to tell you too—’
It’s my turn to hold a hand out to stop him. ‘I already know, Witt. I know who you are.’
His face screws up and his body instantly stiffens and he sits up straighter. ‘Now or before? Please don’t tell me I’ve got this wrong and you really did target me all along?’
‘Now. Because I finally heard the words youhadn’tbeen saying. You told me without telling me too.’ I give him a quick rundown of the realisation after Ebony’s mention of the viscount’s son the other day.
‘You don’t hate me for it? I haven’t been honest with you either.’
‘Well, neither of us are doing great on that front, are we?’
