A silver bouquet with dahlias in his hand and a present behind him, His ever-charming smile adorned his face as he waltzed in, armed with a teasing remark.
“Insecte!” Lady Dahlia teased, using the nickname she had given to him, after he had given her the nickname of aquila. Harrison rolled his eyes at the nickname, “You persist with that nickname, Aquila? I do rue the day I brought you flowers.” T" He grumbled, their banter a dance between them. “How is insecte a fair nickname trade for Aquila?” He mused out loud. After all, he had named her after a celestial wonder – the constellation Aquila, a group of stars forming imaginary shapes in the equatorial sky, three of which shone brighter than magnitude 3.00. A name fitting for Dahlia, whose radiance seemed to surpass everything Harrison had known since their friendship began.
Despite his mock protest, a pout on his lips, and the flowers still clutched in his hand, she reached for them, only to be met with a slight retraction and an unnamed expression on his face in response to the playful moniker. However, her next words turned his frown into a smile. “You brought yourself and gifts? That’s a combo I wouldn’t trade for the stars,” she remarked as she accepted the bouquet from his hands. Harrison couldn’t help but tease, his tone dripping with cockiness, “It shall be quite a challenge to part with the captivating allure of my devilishly handsome face, wouldn’t it? That shall be like trading the sun for the stars and indeed that is quite a challenge.” He ran a hand through his curls as he continued, “I did not know that you held me through such a high standards, but I guess even a constellation cannot resist the sun, resisting such a charm like mine is a task even i find formidable.” His eyes twinkled with playfulness, the corner of his mouth quirked up as he spoke.
As she delicately brought the bouquet to her nose, inhaling the fragrance, Lady Dahlia became a celestial masterpiece. The way she immersed herself in the scent, a momentary trance, made Harrison momentarily forget about the present that trailed behind him. It was as if the very essence of a constellation had taken form in her, a breathtaking display of ethereal beauty. Indeed he had done well in giving her the title of Aquila, one of the 15 most beautiful constellations the earth had ever seen. Her hair too-close to being dark as the ravens reminded him of the night.
He watched, captivated, as she looked nothing short of a living constellation, the play of light casting an otherworldly glow upon her features. Her presence in that moment, immersed in the fragrance of dahlias, transcended the ordinary and ventured into the extraordinary.
He blinked, shaking off the enchantment, Harrison swiftly remembered the other gift—a box he had brought with him. In a hurried yet graceful motion, he placed the dark wrapped box on the table, The contrast between the dark, enigmatic packaging and the vibrant lavender flowers was not lost on him, and he found himself chuckling at her perplexed expression.
As she tentatively approached the box, her curiosity evident, Harrison placed a finger under his lips, his eyes glistening with amusement. The dance of mystery and playful anticipation continued as he encouraged her to take a guess. His eyes twinkled with mischief, wondering just what imaginative thoughts were running through her mind, and thus he turned around, asking her to guess. Wanting to know just what imaginations she could muster about the mysterious box that would surely not be correct. She turned around, facing him, and questioning if this was one of his man acts of jest against her and she threatened to kick him out if that was the case.
There were no pranks in the dark box but Harrison could not help himself but to joke around and pretend that indeed inside the box lay some of his pranks, “Is that so now? And I prepared your favorite insects, the spiders in one place just for this special occasion.” He teased as he slapped the box, “Now what shall I do with the box of spiders inside here,” He placed a hand under his chin as if he was in deep thoughts, looking around with a hum. With the side of his eye he saw her unamused expression and Harrison raised his hands in surrender, “I jest, I jest or do I?” he could not help himself at the end as he leaned closer to Dahlia, towering over her with his 6’3 frame and her 5’5 figure. He leaned away as his eyes raked her face, and he shook his head in amusement, “I promise, I pull no tricks,” He told her.
She extended her hands towards the box, asking seriously this time what was inside the box, still quite skeptical. “Where is the fun of just opening it like that? Guess” he told her, “I want to see what runs in your mind, a penny for your thoughts?” He questioned with an amused tone. Truthfully, he did not think that she could truly guess what was inside the box- after all Harrison prided himself in the fact that as much of an open book he might look like, he was a man of enigma, he held a cloak of secrets and tricks that not even the ones who have known him seen the time of his birth could guess. “It is not a painting,” He told her, “That is one clue,” Harrison could not do the same thing twice after all, too predictable for a gift and Harrison did not like to give predicable gifts because there was no fun in the act of predictability. That was what made life fun- the fact that life cannot be predicted or love for the unknown as Harrison called it, when many feared the unknown, Harrison was delighted in the unknown, in exploring different seas far from the seas he was used too. But he wondered, shall he always find comfort in the unknown? Would one day the unknown prove to be his enemy?
No, not in this lifetime he hoped. "
"The riddle goes as I hold treasures of journeys vast,
Memories kept, a time bomb cast.
A silent keeper of cherished lore,
What am I, holding stories galore?
He riddles, with each step coming closer to her. The slight curve of his lips never leaving his face, and his eyes raked the darkness of her eyes, of her hair and the plump redness of her lips. He placed his hands inside his pocket, leaning once more to come face-to face with her, and the next of his words made the curve of his lips turned into a full grin, his perfect row of teeth showcasing. “That is clue 2 and the last of clues,” He continued, “So my lady, what possibly do you think could be inside the mysterious box?”
As they ventured outside the conversation of the perplexing box, they dived into the conversation of romance or more specifically Harrison’s romantic life. As she asked her question her tone was light and filled with jest. “If i was to tell you the later would you believe me?” He questioned his dear friend with a playful remark, “But the truth is, my dear aquila,” With jest, he clutched a hand to his chest, dramatically turning the other way, “I fear that I shall make you jealous with the truth because I know how much you enjoy my attention for yourself, then again who would not? But moreover, I fear that jealousy shall cloud your hearts if i told you of the many hearts that I have stolen.” He continued, "A thief of hearts I am called, the most irresistible bachelor, maybe one of these days… I shall steal yours," He teased as he flickered her forehead gently, “Congratulations on your debut, I had forgotten to tell you.” He continued, “Angelina wishes you well too,” he says referring to his younger sister, Dahlia’s friend.
@Megan -Dahlia