literature

SkyexJill: To Catch a Maiden 21

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"I want to see the woman I love," I said, looking around.

Gray and Cliff seemed surprised by this seemingly sudden declaration. Claire just seemed excited.

"You're ready to face her?" Claire asked hopefully.

"Not at all," I declared proudly. Claire was now just as confused as the others. "I've been putting off seeing her again because I'm not ready," I admitted, "And I really need to get my thoughts in order before I can actually speak to her, especially after what happened. I just really want to see her. I want to see how she spends her Winter festival without me there."

Cliff looked concerned as he slowly said what the others were probably thinking, "Skye... If she's with someone else, you might not-"

"I'll deal with it if she's with someone else," I replied, "Besides, I kind of doubt she's up for anything romantic after our little spat. Especially with someone that isn't me." My words were much more confident than my heart. I wanted to believe with my full heart that there was only room for me in Jill's heart, but there was always that chance that Claire was wrong. Jill might not actually love me, and she could be falling for someone else. Knowing this doesn't change the fact that I want to see her again...

Claire eyed me knowingly, "Are you sure you'd be okay with something like that?"

"No," I admitted through a nervous chuckle, "But I do feel like I really need to see her. Just so that I can know."

Claire nodded slowly. Gray was studying my face, trying to read my thoughts, "Do you think you'll need someone to make sure you don't do anything stupid if she is with someone?"

I laughed and shook my head, "No. I have enough self-control for that."

"You'd give up your Winter festival for him?" Claire gave Gray an odd look.

"Well, it's not like I've got anything planned," Gray replied, avoiding eye contact with the girl sitting so close to him.

"There's still time to ask Ma-" I started.

"Shut up!" Gray shouted at me.

Claire looked back at me, "So, you're sure you'll be able to handle yourself on your own?"

"Yes," I nodded my head up and down as I assured her, "Don't worry about me."

Claire smiled, "Okay. I trust you to make smart decisions tonight." She turned to Gray, "If you've got nothing planned, you should come over and have dinner with me!"

"What are you talking about..?" Gray blushed, pulling his hat over his face.

"You, too, Cliff," Claire insisted.

"Huh?" Cliff turned slightly pale, "I've g-got plans..."

"Oh, right, you've got a girlfriend," Claire declared and turned back to Gray, "Come on, Gray! It'll be fun. You can even invite your grandpa along. Otherwise, it'd just be me and Jack. He and I have dinner alone EVERY day. It gets so boring. What do you think? Please?"

Gray was staring at her uncomfortably with an eyebrow raised, "Just to be clear... Is this a date?"

"Huh?" a bit of color raised up into Claire's cheeks. She backed up slightly, furrowing her brow, "Of course not! I just thought it'd be fun to invite a few friends over. Unless you want it to..."

"No, no," Gray shook his head, blushing harder.

"Okay," Claire nodded with a slight smile, "Just as friends."

I looked between the two of them. They were both very red and acting very strange. Claire... And Gray..? They'd certainly be an interesting couple...

"Okay," Gray looked somewhat relieved, but definitely still uncomfortable. It was probably the grin of approval on my face as I looked between the two of them. Gray gave Claire a nervous smile, noticeably trying to ignore me, "I'm sure my grandfather would like that. What should I tell him we're having?"

I gave him an odd look. You have to ask..? Haven't you been paying attention?

"Curry," Claire and I said in unison. Even the how-could-you-not-know-this tone in our voices was exactly the same.

"Oh, of course," Gray nodded nervously.

***

By the time I reached the valley, it was very late. Probably too late for anybody else... I headed up to the Goddess pond where I usually go. I looked around at the beautiful scenery. There aren't any places in town as beautiful as here... I found myself absent-mindedly climbing the sprite tree for a better view.

If I came here to see Jill... What am I doing up this tree, instead of going to her farmhouse..?

The answer drifted into my mind about as quickly as the question: I didn't want to see Jill with anybody else. I knew, somehow, that Jill would rely on my usual pattern to find me. Since I usually came to Goddess pond late at night, it would be natural for her to come here to find me. This was my way of testing how Jill felt about me without the pain of watching her with someone else.

If she looks for me here, that means she's accepted my feelings for her... Or she's accepted her own feelings... Which is it?

I pondered Claire's words, questioning how much she really knew about anything. I wasn't entirely sure that she really understood, or if she was just a complete idiot that was pointlessly trying to help. Either way, there was something about her nature that made me trust and believe in her.

I let out a small sigh and looked around. No Jill... What's she doing right now? Did she give chocolate to anybody? Nobody? Everybody, like Claire? ... Nah. That sounds like the kind of stupid thing that only Claire would try.

That's when I saw her. She was wearing a long dress that was nearly identical in shade and hue to the color of her eyes: amethyst. Jill... Her long, silky hair was down for once, falling in beautiful waves over her shoulders. She's so beautiful... She wore a black jacket and black shoes. There was also something silver shining at her neck, but I was too far away to tell what it was. My heart throbbed at the sight. She looked so beautiful that I could hear my heart pounding at the sight. I could even feel my face getting slightly warmer. Why would she dress up so much? Did she just come from a date? I felt a slight ache of jealousy at the thought. I'm not sure whether it was my mind or my heart that spoke next, but the next thing to pass through my thoughts was, "Is she dressed like that for me?" I felt my expression soften at the thought. She's holding a colorful bag like the one Ann had... She made chocolate. Who else could it be for? My heart throbbed again. The idea of Jill going to such lengths for me made me very happy. However, that annoying lingering doubt still stood before me: What if this is all for someone else?

I chose to ignore my letter thoughts. I was going to momentarily believe that what I wanted to be true was true: What should I do if my Jill really is doing all of this for me?

I ran a hand through my hair nervously. I began seriously debating going down to talk to Jill. After all, everything seemed perfect: The place, the time, the girl... Like any of that matters. As long as it's me and Jill... The time, the place, and nothing else matters when we're together.

My heart ached to rush to her side and hold her, but something was holding me back. Fear? Doubt? What was there to doubt?

It was a lingering feeling. Something from back when Jill told me that she never wanted to see me again. I ached to be with her, but I couldn't stand the thought of being the cause for so much pain in Jill's heart, again. I didn't want to do anything stupid to make her feel that way again. I don't want her to reject me again. My chest hurt at the thought. Even if I did nothing wrong myself, there was always the chance that Jill would decide that her initial instincts toward me were correct, and that I belonged behind bars.

In the end, I couldn't bring myself to approach her. I felt like a coward in a way, but I had convinced myself that both she and I needed more time to straighten out our feelings. I knew without a doubt that Jill was the woman I loved, and that wouldn't change. I just wasn't sure of how sure Jill was. So, I simply watched her wait for me- or my new mortal enemy- to show up.

We waited for hours, but nothing happened. I didn't show up. And no rival showed up, either. Around 1:30 in the morning, Jill stood up, ready to leave. She looked sad and worried, looking around one last time. I wanted nothing more than to run to her side and hug her. I wanted to tell her that everything was alright and that I would never do whatever it was that I did to hurt her like that, again. I can't... I'm not ready... My thoughts suddenly started sounding harsh. What are you really waiting for? You'll have to face her sooner or later. What could be a better time than right now? I took in a deep breath, seriously considering what I should do. I put my mental debate on hold when Jill moved.

Jill was facing away from me, but I could tell from her body language that she saw someone coming. Who do you see? She stepped over, saying something that I was out of earshot to hear. Then, the most peculiar man appeared: Murray. Murray..? I definitely knew his name because I had often shared the spoils of a good day of thieving with him. He was a strange little man that could never make it in the world. He begged other people for food, so I'd usually grab an extra loaf of bread or something for him. He wasn't sneaky enough to be a thief, like me. Us homeless people gotta stick together!

As though I wasn't confused enough by Murray's sudden appearance, Jill surprised me further by handing the bag of chocolate to him. MY JILL AND MURRAY?!?! What the HECK?! Wait, let's be logical... I can't be the only person that's nice to him. They're probably friends. It's probably friendship chocolate. That has to be it... I refuse to believe that she likes him. They're definitely just friends... Still... I watched longingly after her as she headed home, filling my head with questions.

I followed her home, making sure she was all right. Along the way, I wondered whether or not the chocolate was really intended for me. Did she give Murray chocolate originally intended for me? Or was that friendship chocolate that was really meant for Murray? If that were the case, why would she be dressed like that? Did she actually just come from a date?

My chest ached longingly as I watched her head into her house. I let out a heavy sigh as I watched my chance to approach her fade away. I shook off the feeling and found myself absent-mindedly returning to the pond. I ran a hand through my hair as I blew out in frustration. Why couldn't I muster up the courage to talk to her? Why do I keep acting so out of character around her? Why does she always make me question myself so much? Why-

My thoughts were cut short when my foot stepped on something that wasn't gravel. "Hm?" I lifted my foot to see what I had stepped on: a note. I knelt down and picked it up. What's this?
And here's chapter 21! :D REJOICE!

I get to write more in between the practicing of scales... Ah, Scales. My enemies. Oh, well...

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SimpleChica's avatar
gwah, poor Skye and his mental torture! I never put that much thought into how he would cope with being apart from Jill for so long, or what his thought processes would be... but you totally nailed it! :D wonderfully awesome as usual!