It was a sunny day out, the grass outside glistened in the morning dew. The air carried with it a chill she always looked forward to. She brushed her hair out and put on her glasses, wire-rimmed, almost circular. The sunrays leaked through her half-closed curtains, and any warmth that came with it had dispersed into the room. She got off her bed, the covers pulled up in haste in an attempt to look neat. On the usual Sunday morning, Marielle would sleep in until she couldn't stand the heat under the covers. She didn't have time to waste today though. Earlier in the week, her father had mentioned that someone important would be arriving later today, something about a young man who needed a helping hand. To be frank, she was looking forward to meeting him, the prospects of romance at every corner never really left her mind. She didn't expect much, as love seemed to evade her, but it was fun to imagine the possibilities. Maybe he'll be a dark and brooding man with sorrow deep inside, or a charming, bright-eyed boy with a timid side, or oh my god maybe the kind of man she reads about in those inappr—

'ok, maybe it's time to stop'. She got up and stretched. Although she woke up hours ago, she spent the past few zoning out on her bed, mentally preparing for the rest of the day.

The house was quiet today as she left her bedroom. It usually was, with her father being the only other inhabitant, aside from a housekeeper who popped in and out throughout the day. It was around 11 in the morning, lunch wouldn't be ready for another 30 minutes. She walked through the hall towards her father's office, her hand dragging on the deep red wallpaper. She peeked out any window she came across, she always had time to admire the greenery. Her father's office door was to the right, mahogany doors with intricate designs on them. Marielle remembered when they installed it years ago, and now it looked right at home with its wear and tear. She knocked.

"it's me, can I come in?"

she heard a lazy yes in response.

"good morning!" she said as she creaked open the door. There her father was at his desk, a million papers riddled about detailing plans about who knows what. Sometimes she worried for his sanity.

His gray hair seemed grayer than yesterday, and his face worse for wear, but other than that he seemed healthy enough. she made her way to the dark blue lounge chairs that sat in the middle of the room, and sat down, a coffee table full of even more papers in front of her. She flipped through them for a bit, noting the unreadable scribbles that belonged to her father. She looked over at him, he was busy rummaging through the drawers of his desk.

"When is your guest coming?"

He stopped what he was doing, and thought for a second

"around 3 pm if I'm correct, make sure you're not busy so you can say hello," he said and continued messing with the papers.

"what's his name? How old is he? Why is he coming here anyways?" Her father looked up

"stop asking so many questions" he laughed. "ah but, I'll tell you why he's staying with us because I don't want you asking him that question" he added.

She raised her eyebrow in confusion,

"Okay, is he on the run or someth—"

"his parents passed away."

oh.

"they were good friends of mine, I knew his father from back in college. Unfortunately, his business went under because of some legal issues with the royal family. There's no coming back from that."

She rolled her eyes,

Leave it to royalty to ruin people's lives.

"I tried reaching out but he refused any help. That was a while ago though, I guess the pressure from legal battles and a failing business was too much. I don't know if to feel relieved that they didn't take their son with them, or mad that they would leave him alone like that" he sighed.

Her heart hurt after hearing that, glancing at her father who she adored.

"Don't worry too much, he's a strong kid. We'll do our best to support him and make him feel at home" he sighed.

'as we should'

The clock read 11:45 now, figuring now was the best time to get started with the day, she got up.

"I'm going to get lunch, see you later" 

he nodded in response, and she opened the door and left the room, shutting the door silently behind her.

The rest of the afternoon went by as per usual. She reluctantly studied a bit of economics in the living room. She avoided going back to her room, fearing the sight of her bed would make her want to sleep for the rest of the day. The sunlight was on her face now, but instead of getting up and closing the curtain, she decided now was a good time to stop and gave up studying after 10 minutes. It was a nice day out, yet there wasn't any reason to go outside. Marielle preferred being alone all day, but today the isolation made her restless. In an attempt to busy herself in any way she could, she roamed around the house, opening drawers and cabinets that were gathering dust. A few more papers in some, old mail in the other, it was just a boring scavenger hunt. She kept checking the clock. 

12:27

 'Maybe I'll write to some friends'

1:46

 'Ok, maybe I will take that nap, just for a little bit...'

2:25

Time seemed to go by excruciatingly slowly yet too fast at the same time. The sun was a bit lower in the sky now, and the wind had died down. She was in her room, splayed out on the hard yet very comfortable floor. This was her place to think, the bed was too risky. Another nap meant she wouldn't be able to sleep at night. Her mind wandered all over the place, what would she wear tomorrow? Should she go on a trip this summer? What was the boy going to be like?

What if he was a dick? She honestly wouldn't put him against it, considering everything about his situation.

He was probably worrying about what kind of people they were too though, so she put her thoughts about him to rest. It wasn't going to get her anywhere.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see 

she sighed.

She stood like a statue at the front door. Her father seemed equally as nervous though, his brows in a naturally furrowed state, and that calmed her a bit. It was half past 3, he could be arriving any minute now. She held her breath at every noise that could have been a carriage. She had quickly swept the front porch a few minutes earlier, her father deemed it to have too many dead leaves, and didn't fail to remind her about first impressions. 'Yes, father. The dead leaves on our front porch mean we live in a pigsty'. The clock was slowly ticking towards 4 pm, and her mind came up with a million reasons as to why he was almost an hour late.

"What if he never shows up? What if he got cold feet? Does he even know the way here?" she nervously rambled.

 she didn't bother to reason that he was late, simply because he was late.

"Hush already. I think I hear the carriage" he responded.

She looked beyond the gates of their house, and indeed the sound of hooves against stone could be heard. The pair stood for what felt like forever as the carriage took its sweet time approaching the front of the gate. She looked on. A beautiful gray horse took the lead, the coachman expertly guiding it at a slow pace. The carriage became larger as it approached their front gate, about 20 feet away. It came to a stop, and she held her breath.

The carriage door opened,

And out he came.