Dreams

He boosted her up so she could stand on her own and she can't help but feel uncomfortable over her mouth's stupid spill moments ago.

"Pleased to meet you miss. And you might be?" he said extending his hand to shake.

Now that she was facing him, she could see that he is oddly tall, about 6-foot 7-inches maybe? He was wearing loose clothes under a scruffy jacket and had an apron on which had a stain she could only surmise as soil dirt. His dreamy emerald eyes and clean-cut jet-black hair was unusually striking with a hint of mystery.

She grabbed his hand and shook it quickly, mindful not to linger too much on how his calluses felt in her small hand. Warm and tingly. Goodness gracious. What is she starting to think?

"Umm... Hi. I'm Red." He stared at her other hand clutching the flowers.

"Just Red?" he asked as he shifted his weight unto his right leg and crossed his arms, as if trying to assess if she was only an innocuous klutz or just your regular flower thief who got caught in the act.

Shit. For the nth time, this is truly embarrassing.

"How much are these?" she asked him as she evaded his question on her name.

She might be the one looking like a felonious person here but she definitely isn't going to share her real name with this Archer. Yes, he IS attractive and kind of charming, but no she still won't.

Period.

He chuckled and made his way towards the kiosk. On his way, he gently took the flowers she held and grabbed some plastic, a thin golden wrapper, and a jute-string. He rolled them together to make a pretty stunning bouquet, made a tiny ribbon with the string and presented his finished product towards Red.

"On the house Miss Red. You have good taste in flowers like your grandmama." Wait, he knew grandmama? All of a sudden, the ancient entrance door creaked open and a group of elderly ladies went out. One particular person was different from the rest as she had the longest braided silver hair that went down to her knees. A bit on the short and plump side, Grandmama Dorothy Cane saw Red with Archer.

"Ruby Rose Springfield! You little rascal what are you doing here in the middle of the day?!" she heard her grandmama call out as she was exiting from the building's lobby. "Oh! I see you've met young Archie here."

"Grandmama! I was about to visit you upstairs." Red beamed, glad to have seen her. But back-up a little, 'Archie'?

"Good day Granny Cane." Archer greeted with a smile. "You're grand-daughter inherited your excellent taste in flowers."

Why is grandmama chummy with this guy? "Red sweetie, I told you SO many times to call me ahead if you'd drop by!"

"Sorry Grandmama, it was a spur of the moment decision hehe."

"That's always your line when you come here." The old lady chided. "Archie dear, thank you. We'll be having lunch upstairs. You can join us if you want."

"NO!" "It's a pleasure Granny Cane." Both said in unison.

"But maybe some other time." He continued. "Have a nice day."

He then went on to arranging and filling in the spot that was left by the flowers he gave Red.

Why was she very uneasy with the guy?

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"You know hon, Archie is a really good fellow. Help outs a lot especially the elderly occupants." The old lady said. "He lives alone at the topmost level."

"But isn't that place haunted?" The topmost level of the building had an abandoned greenhouse which tenants would sometimes swear made unearthly noises. The single room that was in it had been vacant for years even with the building's owners having offered the cheapest rent for it.

"Poor kid. You should be kinder sweetie. He is a fine young lad."

Grandmama rarely minds other people aside from Red, an orphan at the young age of 4. Maybe she should reconsider her attitude towards this 'Archie'.

After they had lunch, Red decided to skip work and called in sick. Noelle wasn't very much happy she couldn't eat grandmama's cookies but was considerate enough and told her to rest well.

"Meow" Red looked down to see grandmama's cat looking straight at her as if admonishing.

"Sir Arthur! I know it's bad to lie. Let me off just this once 'k? Here, have some cookies." she said.

In the spare bedroom, Red had arranged the flowers in a long-necked glass bottle with water to keep them fresh. Without really thinking, she took a sniff off the flowers he gave her. Such sweet fragrance, it's as if the mere smell of it transports her to a time where she had been the happiest. She opened the only window in the room and soft winds blew against the flowers making the whole room smell like the first day of spring.

Red laid on the bed and quickly fell into deep sleep.

And in her sleep, she dreamt.

Vast fields filled with flowers; tiny white stars dancing in the wind. A picturesque golden hour, seconds before twilight, gave the flowers an eerily brilliant look as if they were ablaze.

She started to walk slowly. The grass beneath her bare feet felt like freshly harvested cotton. From afar, she could see a glass castle looming.

Gravitating towards where she is.

It came closer and closer and closer until she was facing her own reflection.

She had worn a long linen dress with ribbons tied across her bodice. Her eyes were stark and she jumped at how ghastly she looked. All of a sudden, the glass castle disappeared and she was left naked inside an empty white room void of life.

Nothing. There was nothing here.

And then a voice called out.

'Your kingdom awaits my queen.'

'All you need is to wake up.'

Wake up.

She needs to wake up.

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This is a contracted original novel by author yu_chan_desu under the WEBNOVEL platform. If you are reading this on other websites, it is probably pirated. Please support the author by downloading the WEBNOVEL app and reading the book there. All rights are reserved to the author. Say no to piracy!

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