Sohalia
Sohalia was not, shall we say, aware of the fact that, from an outsider's perspective, she and Jude probably did look like a couple, what with their constant hand-holding, arms around each other, whispered inside jokes, and general mutual adoration. Dating anyone had never really been in the forefront of her mind, and although she longed for a fairy tale romance like in the books she'd read, she'd never really related such beautiful stories with her own life. So it was that when the jeweler mistook them as a couple (did he, really, or was Soh just slow on the uptake?) that Jude managed to beat her to a response.
And his response was decidedly not what she was expecting.
She glanced at him in surprise, not because she was upset, but because she had anticipated a swift correction, perhaps a bit of an adorably bumbling denial. She quickly returned her gaze to the counter, though, because Jude was studiously ignoring her gaze and because her cheeks were suddenly flaming. For perhaps the first time, she realized how much she adored his dark curls, his warm brown eyes, the way he always made her smile and the ease with which they interacted.
She knew she loved him. She'd just never thought about how.
Realizing that she'd been frozen in place for a heartbeat too long, she swallowed, her throat dry, and released Jude's hand to fumble in her bag for her journal. She flipped to the right page and presented it to the jeweler, who looked it over, a faint smile on his face that could have been a result of her clear, concise drawing - or it could have been that he realized the mild panic he'd induced and was amused by the result.
"Right, that's simple enough," said the jeweler, eyes crinkling with mirth. "Wait here. I'll get the settings."
And even though Soh wasn't sure what it meant, she didn't want Jude to think she was upset with him, so she leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder as they waited.
And his response was decidedly not what she was expecting.
She glanced at him in surprise, not because she was upset, but because she had anticipated a swift correction, perhaps a bit of an adorably bumbling denial. She quickly returned her gaze to the counter, though, because Jude was studiously ignoring her gaze and because her cheeks were suddenly flaming. For perhaps the first time, she realized how much she adored his dark curls, his warm brown eyes, the way he always made her smile and the ease with which they interacted.
She knew she loved him. She'd just never thought about how.
Realizing that she'd been frozen in place for a heartbeat too long, she swallowed, her throat dry, and released Jude's hand to fumble in her bag for her journal. She flipped to the right page and presented it to the jeweler, who looked it over, a faint smile on his face that could have been a result of her clear, concise drawing - or it could have been that he realized the mild panic he'd induced and was amused by the result.
"Right, that's simple enough," said the jeweler, eyes crinkling with mirth. "Wait here. I'll get the settings."
And even though Soh wasn't sure what it meant, she didn't want Jude to think she was upset with him, so she leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder as they waited.
