Ever-changing scenes,
Hard to recall, fading fast,
Memories slip away.
....
Beneath the arches where lanterns softly gleam,
A knight's devotion, a princess's dream.
Dancing through echoes of secrets untold,
In a market of stories, their love unfolds.
Market melodies, a symphony of disguise,
Two souls entwined, love veiled in the wise.
Amidst woven whispers of the crowded bazaar,
A dance of hearts, unseen from afar.
Through the maze of stalls, a labyrinth dance,
A knight's gentle gaze, a princess's chance.
In the clandestine waltz of shadows and light,
Their love blossoms in the city's quiet night.
.....
It was a painting that stopped time.
"A place that I should've bid you goodbye."
A man murmured, fingers on his chin.
The man stood in front of the painting, his hands now loosely clasped behind his back.
His head tilted slightly, eyes tracing every brushstroke as if searching for something about this masterpiece. There was something about it. His brow furrowed, not in confusion but in thought, the kind that comes when the mind tries to connect threads only half understood.
He stands there, yearning to grasp something sadly just beyond his reach.
Something there, he just can't put his finger on--an answer, perhaps.Or, a truth.
If he could just---
"Thud"
A loud "bang" rendered everyone's eyes their way. Two mutual groans were heard.
It was embarrassing. The man felt irritated.
He touched the pained place in question.
Checking his other parts as well from the fall.
When he had enough.
The man looked at the culprit of their predicament and patted himself up.
Her face flushed deep red but she managed to gather herself. The man took it upon himself and held out his hand asking,
"Are you alright?".
In a sweet , honey suckling voice, she whispered her apology and was about to dash away. When the periphery of her vision caused her to look at the masterpiece.
That one look mesmerized her.
"The clandestine affair"
Her words astonished the man. A rare look of appreciation gleamed upon his eyes.
He observed this woman carefully.
From cascading flaming hair, evergreen eyes obscured by a pair of clear shades and a woolen shawl over her puckered lips.
The mans' eyes moved away unnaturally.
"You know this painting?", he probed.
"Why, YES!", the woman squeeled.
Her voice tinged with more than excitement when her gait paused, stupefied.
Her voice stammered as she held her head down, her face coated in red looked at the man, almost wallowing in tears.
Cute.
The man chuckled. His eyes wandering from a single strand of her hair to her tightly pursed lips. This is strange, he thought.
" This is my first time here and this painting had have my interest piqued. If you could introduce this masterpiece, I would be grateful", The gentleman purred.
His voice as gentle as water, softer than feather yet firm, bold and heard.
The woman like a girl in love, felt her heart pound."why....yes".
Her face flushed for the third time today, felt hot. She waved her hand discreetly to her face, away from the mans' prying eyes.
When she thought she felt right, she took a breath and smiled as she started to explain the origin of the painting. Not noticing the mirth in his eyes narrowed into sliths, as he took all of this in an amused smile.
When the woman went with narrative, the man took his sweet time sneaking glances, as he smiled like a gentleman.