Turning to head back upstairs, my eye caught a glimpse of her. She was in the garden. Walking to the door, I stood watching as she picked some roses. She was so beautiful. The sun touching the top of her hair made it shine like dark gold. My heart skipped a beat. I was falling for her, falling hard.
Walking over, I called out to her. “Sophia.”
She turned slowly, smiled softly at me, and stood waiting. “Sophia,” I repeated as I got closer. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out for the day. We can do some shopping, maybe visit new places, and have lunch out. After that, we can see what the day holds. What do you think?”
She turned her head to the side, biting her lower lip as she considered. “It sounds fine,” she replied hesitantly.
Avoiding her for so long hasn’t been one of my brightest ideas. I wasn’t even sure if she knew why; no, I knew she didn’t know. But I couldn’t tell her. It’s not something I know how to explain. But I knew this was what was causing the slight resistance. I wanted her to be happy.
“Right,” I said, feeling better already. “You head in, dress in something nice. But make sure it’s comfortable as well, and once you’re ready, we can head out.”
Sophia nodded as she started towards the house. “Okay,” she mumbled as she passed me. Before entering the mansion, she turned and held out the roses she had cut. It was a perfect picture of her. She was as lovely as the roses. I took them and went to the kitchen, where I placed them in a vase.
“Take these to Sophia’s room,” I said to one of the staff before heading to the foyer. I hadn’t waited long at the door before Sophia made her appearance. She looked elegant yet casual. She wore a white blouse, which was tucked tightly into the high-waisted suit pants.
The low brown heel boots complemented the outfit. Her hair was tucked away in a high ponytail. No matter what she wore, I was sure she would always look stunning. “Ready to go?” I asked.
She gave me a stiff smile as she nodded. I hoped the day would be good. I wanted her to feel welcome and at ease around me. The drive was quiet. There were a couple of shops I wanted to stop at. I was glad I had followed her around that first week. I knew what she liked.
I parked close to a couple of shops that were all within walking distance of each other. As we headed up the street, I took her hand. She looked at me but didn’t protest. Nearing one of the tea shops I added to my list, I gently pulled her inside.
She looked at me, surprised. I could see a hint of excitement in her eyes. We barely entered when she started scanning the flavors available. One of the shot assistants came over to speak to us. “Good day,” she said. “Would you like to try some of the new flavors we have?”
“No, it’s fine…” Sophia started to say when I interrupted. “Yes, please, we would.”
The lady nodded and headed to the back. Taking Sophia’s hand, I followed her to the table where they prepared the tea. “We do not have to taste all of them,” Sophia said softly as we stood before the table.
“We have time, let’s try it. It’ll be fun. I’ll try them with you,” I replied.
She smiled as the woman handed us the first cup. I could see her mood changing. We tried four different flavors. I didn’t enjoy any of them much. But I kept that to myself. I had no idea how people could drink it.
“This is fabulous,” Sophia huffed after the third cup. “I’ll have to have a look at all the new ones in the shop.”
“Sure,” the woman replied. “Follow me, and I’ll show them to you.”
Sophia walked with her without even glancing at me. She was in a world of her own. Heading over to the manager, I placed my order. “Good day, could you possibly prepare a packet of each tea in the shop for me?”
“Yes, sir, right away,” he replied, grinning. “That is a lot of tea.”
“I know,” I said, glancing at Sophia. “It’s for a special lady.”
He quickly assembled a team and prepared the box of teas. Walking over to find out if Sophia was ready to leave, she turned to me. “You have to try this one,” she blurted out, holding a cup up.
Not wanting to offend her, I took it and sipped at the contents. “It’s nice,” I lied.
“Yeah, maybe I should get some of this,” Sophia said, turning back to the sales lady.
The woman nodded and headed to the back. She wasn’t gone long. As she returned, she spoke. “Your order is ready.”
We walked to the counter so I could pay. There were a couple of neatly wrapped gift boxes waiting for us. At first, Sophia didn’t notice it was ours. After paying, I cleared my throat as I spoke. “Could you have them delivered to this address?” I handed the manager my card.
He nodded and gave his staff their orders. “Are all these ours?” Sophia sked. She looked at me with wide eyes. Her smile lit up the room.
“They are all yours. I took a packet of each flavor so you can try them all,” I replied.
For a moment, it looked like she was about to burst into tears. But she kept them in. Instead, she made a cute puppy dog face as she responded. “Really, promise?”
“Yes,” I said, nodding. I could feel my heart swelling, filling with joy.
