Taking a stroll in the early dusk, Ella was striding angrily away from the hotel. If she had been familiar with the country here, she would have taken an escape from Roy and everyone. Clearly her mother was right about not taking a liking for him. What Ella couldn't contemplate was why was she behaving this way, she had always known how Roy was. He had shown it to her since the day he started getting under good graces of her father by small harmless deceits.
Going forward to as long her legs took her, she ended up in a park near the hotel, the greenery surrounding the area was enough to start calming the woman. Being reminded of the garden in her home, Ella wondered what her mother would be doing now. If she heard what Roy had to say about her late husband, Ella didn't know what Emma Kingsly would come to.
Ella sat on a fancy bench which was covered under the shade of a tree, passing cool air nearby. She leaned back her head against the top of her seat, gazing the sky turning darker in shade. She was present in an open, unprotected land, yet the woman didn't care. She was tired, caring and looking after everything; at a point everything seemed too troublesome to catch on to.
A ball hit her leg with force, jolting the relaxed woman from her seat. "I am so sorry! The ball never goes the way I want it to." A small boy came forward with complaining eyes and irritated state with the ball. Ella helped him to take the ball from her seat, bending down to retrieve it, she returned, "That's okay. Are you hurt?"
He shook his head in denial, Ella glanced across the empty park, "Where are your friends?" She asked with a smile, confused how the boy hit the ball to come in the off-direction reserved for the viewers than the players. There was no one visible in the distance to have played a game like Football and other ball games making the ball go off-course.
The boy's face around the age of seven became red, "I don't have any friends."
Ella became guilty asking a stupid question. It was clear with a lack of crowd in the park to say that he was here all alone. "Then I should play with you. Would you play with me?" She crouched down to the boy's height, looking up in his eyes which didn't turn exciting as she expected for offering him to play with her.
"Dad is coming over to play with me." The little boy declared haughtily, snatching the ball from Ella and returning back to his playground. Ella's eyes followed the boy who stopped at a wall surrounding the park, then began to kick the ball against it repeatedly. She observed him trying to keep up, performing the process of kicking the ball with his leg but almost the whole time, his legs would fall short to get to the ball before touching the ground.
Tilting her head, she resumed sitting on her seat and silently watched the boy playing alone and angrily, probably angry with his father who didn't come to play with his son. The evening was falling soon, as the time passed by, Ella's anger dissipated to leave only logic behind. Her instincts told her; Roy was not wrong on his side but his words hurt her. It was like he wanted to hurt her deliberately...
Ella stood up from her seat, ready to leave the place to confront with that obnoxious man, when she came across the same boy who was dodging the ball now. Looking up the sky Ella was sure it must have been more than an hour since she was here, and for the little boy to remain waiting here all that long, ached Ella's heart.
Walking closer to the boy she asked, "Your father must be late. Why don't you get back to your home? I am sure he'll meet you back there." She couldn't leave without ensuring the boy was safe. No matter whichever city, no where's safe for anyone.
"No!" The child yelled, surprising Ella. "He told he would come to play with me." Ella gave a look over the park to see a few boys playing volley ball in their groups. "Why don't you play with them?" she suggested, hoping the child would not get angry again. Anything she said or did made the boy angry, letting the woman doubt herself to be the cause.
"They are not my friends." Ella realized that whatever she said now would be taken inversely by the child, bidding farewell she said, "I will leave you then. It was wonderful meeting you. And... don't feel alone if no one is there with you. You'll soon find someone to play with one day." She assured the boy who had his frowning brows constantly perched on his face.
Leaving the park Ella retreated back to the hotel they were staying at. In a few hours they were to leave for London, never ever did Ella miss her homeland more than now. Getting inside the elevator, switching the button for her floor, Ella remembered the reason why she was gone for this long, recklessly. Letting out a breath Ella opened the door to their room, her throat clogging up when she said it as 'their' room. Nothing changed except for Roy to fall asleep sprawled across the bed, snoring deeply; Ella grasped that Roy hadn't taken enough rest for himself since they had left Dubai in hurry.
Sitting on the edge of her side of the bed, with Roy taking the maximum of the bed, close to her side, Ella was regarding whether she should sleep or not. One look inside her inner thoughts, Ella knew her brain and body was not fully equipped to carry on the rest of the night. Checking the bedside table there were three more hours before she should wake up to get ready for the flight. Immediately she got under the blanket, spreading some beside her, covering him as long as her hands reached, Ella laid on her side to shut her eyes to fatigue.
Ella was woken up by Roy who ushered her to eat some food and get ready soon. Ella protested for the food but her stomach told a different story, growling at the smell of the soup and crisps. Not much words were exchanged between them, there was no hostility, there was no company among them too.
"The house would be asleep. Better to sleep in our rooms directly." Roy said on the way to the palace. Ella absently nodded, looking over the window of the car. After a moment of silence he spoke again, "I am sorry for what I said yesterday. I shouldn't have hurt you like that."
"The deed was already done. I should not have reacted that way."
"You had complete right to do that, Elle," he interrupted her. "But I wasn't wrong, I wanted you to know that."
"I know. I had known for a long time that you disliked him."
"Then there lies no reason for us to disagree anymore." He piqued in between.
Ella expressed right away, "What I don't understand is why did you decide to confront it like this now?" She noticed his calm posture turn rigid when spoken about his intentions. Taking the lead she crossed her legs facing him, "Lately, I have been wondering why are you doing things which you should have done previously? It's compelling me to think, you have something else in your mind."
Roy was no longer commenting any passive remarks to woo her, it seemed he had underestimated her. A lot. "Why do you think I have a motive in all this?" He continued unperturbed, mimicking her stance with his one leg over the other's knee and his arms opening outstretched over the headrest.
"Isn't it?"
"You tell me."
They stared each other for a long time until Ella broke it, "I must be mistaken." Her eyes lingered on his knowingly, then she looked away to the window again. Ella didn't miss the persistent gaze on her from the man sitting not too far away. Her mind had conjured up a lot of things to do to prove her suspicion. First things first, Ella declared, "We shall marry within a week. Being my fiancé I can't have him letting doubts creep in his mind for marrying me." She gave him a sweet smile which would have swooned down any man, Roy fell for it. Almost. When he recognized the glint in her eyes, he saw her having when she had promised the marriage to the Prince, he knew she had picked her side to play the game.
And he would be a fool to not accept it. Grinning he returned the response, "I am the luckiest." Then he added, "Even when I perceive it the same thing you let your ex-fiancé go through." His smile broadened when her smile faltered to cover it up again with a fake one. Roy would always catch up to the fake emotions of Ella. What good is a teacher if he can't understand the student well?