Frozen(48)

Was that a serious question?

"Yes, I do. You punched Alan Pine in the face for calling me his girlfriend and you kicked me out of your house and told me you didn't want to be me friend anymore. I remember everything about that day, Darcy."

Darcy blinked down at me. "You remember that day?"

I nodded my head. "It was the first time someone had ever broke my heart, of course I remember it."

Darcy widened his eyes as he stared at me, and I mirrored his expression because I did not mean to say that out loud.

"I broke your heart?" Darcy asked.

I shrugged my shoulders, but didn't respond.

Darcy's fingers touched my chin as he turned my face in his direction.

"I broke your heart?" he repeated.

I swallowed, and slowly nodded my head.

He blinked his big brown eyes and opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it.

After a few moments of silence I smiled. "It's okay, it was a long time ago."

Darcy frowned at me. "It's not okay. I should have never said what I did to you. I never meant to hurt you. I mean, I did, but not to this extent. I just wanted you to feel sad like I did when I heard Alan call you his girlfriend."

I stared at Darcy with wide eyes.

He caught my expression and gave me a sad smile. "I loved you, Neala Girl. You were my best friend. No one else's. Mine. I didn't like anyone else calling you his or hers, even as a little kid I felt protective of you. I just did a shitty thing and took it out on you when I shouldn't have... Is it too late for me to apologise?"

What. The. Hell?

What was happening right now?

Darcy was apologising to me?

This was too much to take in.

"You look like you're about to freak out," Darcy mused.

"I am," I replied.

Darcy chuckled and hugged me to his warm body. "It appears to be honesty hour. We may never get another chance like this so I want everything between us to be out in the open. Okay?"

I nodded my head.

"Does my honesty scare you?" Darcy asked.

Scare me?

No.

Thrill me?

Yes.

"No, I'm just a little... shocked? I don't really know. I never expected you to say anything like this to me, Darcy."

He nodded his head. "Trust me, I never planned on it, but it just feels right. I don't know why, but it does."

I gnawed on my inner cheek then said, "Maybe you have cabin fever and the isolation it starting to drive you mad."

Darcy looked at me and burst out laughing.

The tension that built up in the room fled within that moment, and I was very grateful for it.

"Be serious," he chuckled and nudged me.

I cleared my throat. "Deadly serious?"

Darcy nodded.

"Okay, it does feel right. I think because it's just us here together and we don't have our families around us trying to force us to be nice. We're being nice on our own terms, which is sort of a miracle in itself. I mean, did you ever imagine us ever being even remotely friendly to one another?"

Darcy grinned. "No, but I hope today is the first day of many we're friendly?"

I turned in Darcy's arm and raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you suggesting an indefinite truce between us?"

"Would that be so terrible?" Darcy asked.

I thought about it and could only come up with one answer.

I smiled. "No."

"Then yes." Darcy beamed. "That is what I'm suggesting."

"Say it," I chuckled.

He playfully sighed, "Neala Clarke, can we live out the remainder of our lives in peace?"

I pretended to think about it and Darcy shoved me making me laugh.

"Yeah," I giggled. "We can be friends."

"Friends." Darcy nodded.

Wow.

Talk about a strange turn of events, Father Christmas himself couldn't have predicted this.

"So we're friends... What do we do now?" I asked.

Darcy slumped down a little and said, "I've no idea."

I looked at him at the same time he looked at me and we both laughed.

"I'm sorry, too," I said and watched him smile at me.

I wanted to burst with excitement, but I somehow kept my cool.

"Our ma's are going to be so happy," I said, amused.

Darcy snorted. "I'd bet money they'll cry."

I nodded my head in agreement. "That's an easy win, they'll sob for weeks."

Darcy snickered, "Our brother's will be delighted, they won't have to break up our fights anymore."

I grinned. "They were getting too old for it anyway."

Darcy shook his head, smiling. "And our da's? I don't even think they'll notice."

I gnawed on my lip. "They'll at least high five, it means they don't have to listen to our ma's go on about us anymore."

Darcy mouth curved in a grin. "I think the entire village will rejoice. Birds will sing, Mothers will weep, cripples will walk-"