Around eleven at night, Nick came to the shop. Expecting to be greeted with the joyful spirit of the woman inside, he pushed himself inside, only to find another face opposite to his expectations. Completely, Indeed. Not Ella, but her employer Mrs. Will was it? Willow! Nick nervously introduced himself, "Um, Hey Mrs. Willow; I'm Nick. It's so great to meet you!"
"I know who you are", her reply arrived bored. "She's left. To her family", Mrs. Willow continued to speak. Nick didn't understand what she spoke right now. Family? Before he could inquire further, the bell jingled again and in entered the person of interest. She was carrying a suitcase, his actually. Everything seemed to be happening different now that it was becoming difficult for Nick to grasp the situation.
"Oh, you're here yet?!", Mrs. Willow commented, though her voice was quite surprised seeing that the girl bothered to come by the shop once more, to bid a bye.
"Yes, I'm leaving now. Nick is our ride." Nick was feeling too confused for his own sanity. She then looked at him and said, "Shall we?" He could only nod, not knowing what this woman was planning. Nick took the suitcase from her, when she asked him to wait outside. "You're up late."
"If I wasn't, you wouldn't have been able to get in." Helen Willow was actually feeling very lazy to lock up the door after that teenage witch left. That girl was sure a witch from Narnia itself, or maybe another unknown world; she would take more pictures of herself with the cakes and pastries and each item of the shop, as though those dead beings would respond her back in the photo. As she had come downstairs to check how things were running, when she was greeted with that. She was unhappy with that witch; she went closer to her, in order to reprimand the witch girl, only for that witch suddenly shriek out so loud. Helen had actually walked into her photo session at the time, that the sudden intrusion of the old lady made it look a ghost had come over to take a photo with her.
With the witch's shriek, it was all the customers scurrying away and towards the door. And there Ella had told her that 'she' scurried away the customers! thought Mrs. Willow. "Yeah you go away all that; leaving a witch in your place! She made all the customers today to run for their lives, with the way she opens her noisy mouth." Ella looked at Helen, and tried to understand whether she was joking, "Did you do something with her?"
"What has the world come to!? It was she who did that. You don't believe me?", Mrs. Willow exclaimed loudly.
"I do want to believe you. But I have known you enough to know the full story." Helen Willow crossed her hands and huffed at that.
"Be easy on her, Helen. Not for yourself, but for me. I want this place to be standing on this very street, by the time I head back." Ella said exhausted with all the events during the day. First, she had to abandon her mother, which already left a big hole in her chest; Now she had to convince Nick to come with her. Or rather take her with him. The only safest way she could think to reach London alive and upright was Nick.
"Here is some money I am leaving for you. The girl will be paid three hundred per month." Ella said so, while handing Helen around Eight hundred dollars.
"Three hundred for shouting loud! This is a bakery, not a circus!" Helen complained. Ella gave a look at the old woman, shutting her up. She carried her hand bag that she had bought with herself and left to exit the door, when a faint voice said, "Stay safe, will you." Ella turned back to glance at the lady, who was putting up a show of being too busy in counting the money. Ella would have told herself she had imagined it, but she could see the eyes of Mrs. Willow which was escaping her gaze to look at the photos of her family.
"I will. Wait for me." Ella answered her. "You are going alone, aren't you?", this time she looked at her in the eye. It was obvious for the lady to find that out as her mother was nowhere to be present there. Ella didn't say anything and left, her silence was answer enough for Helen Willow.
Nick was standing at the end of the street, with his bag, and leaning his back against the wall, deep in his thoughts. Ella reached him and parked her bag near his suitcase; the moment she came in his eyesight he asked, "What the hell is going on Ella?" He wasn't an idiot to not know, something big was going to happen.
"We are leaving for London. And you are going to turn me up, in the corporation."
"Ella!", Nick almost yelled, clutching her shoulders, "Do you hear yourself? You are going on to your death?" He sighed and brought her closer, staring at her eyes asking, "What is happening Ella? Tell me. Don't put me in the dark. I love you too much to risk your life willingly."
Any reply from Ella was interrupted from his confession. Seemed like he himself was not aware of it, in the hype of the situation. Her desperate voice said, "Trust me Nick." "No, you don't get to do that to me now. Tell me clearly what has happened for you to take such a deathly decision."
"I'm giving up the throne." Hearing that Nick let go of her shoulders slowly. He still had too many questions in his eyes, asking her to continue, "And?"
"I just need a moment with Roy and I'll give him the throne; You just have to bring me in, as a prisoner. Leave the rest to me."
"You still have trust in him to consider yourself safe around him", Nick mocked, unhappy with her plan.
"I don't know. But that's the last straw here. I can't stay in fear anymore Nick." She said it like he was stopping her from being free. There was a silence around them, with Nick turned perpendicular from Ella. She thought that he was not going to agree to it, which forced her take the other option, smuggling herself in there, by changing her identity. She didn't mind him though; he was right at his point and she was right at her point.
"On one condition", he agreed almost. It made Ella feel happy, that he was considering it. He turned to look at her straight; She was waiting for him to continue. He answered to her unspoken question, "You'll be mine."
Ella kept on looking him. She didn't know what to anticipate about the situation. Nick then continued, taking her hand and hugging her, "That's what I want Ella. I want to be sure that you will be with me, after you leave him and the throne. I do feel a lot for you, Ella. Allow me a chance." He pulled back a bit and skimmed her cheek to her lips, with his thumb, saying, "Allow me a chance."
She didn't know what to make out of it. It was like she was trading everything in one day that she felt too tired to contradict anymore. She nodded her head, resulting in him giving a boyish smile to her. He kissed the top of her head, and hugged her again. If this meant a new life; then she would give it a try. She hugged him back, which made Nick bring her closer to him, kissing the side of her neck. Her heart raced at that intimate contact.
He pulled back to find her blushing and not meeting his gaze. He grinned at that, "Who knew I could make this tough girl blush!" She looked up at him, her eyes narrowed. "I won't lie that I'm nervous about it all. If something happens other than what planned, we are going to follow my instructions then", he stated, not budging from what he made clear. She nodded at him smiling, enjoying the attention he was giving her.
Maybe she would have still gone to him, even if he hadn't made the condition.