As soon as I caught sight of her friend, the universe stopped. Not a sound was heard, not a muscle moved. Right then and there, I was frozen, trying to understand what’s happening.

Not having a clue of what’s going on, Mallory began introducing us with a smile, “Robert, I would like for you to meet Laura. Laura, this is Robert, the man I was telling you about.”

Laura’s eyes were wide open, I couldn’t tell what she’s feeling right now. Is she in shock? Is her blood boiling out of rage? Is she as confused as me right now? What are the odds that Mallory’s friend is the same person that I’ve been very careful not to hurt?

“Robert?” Mallory’s faint voice became clearer as she continued to call out to me. “Robert?”

I blinked twice as I returned to reality. From the corner of my eyes, Laura took a deep breath in and started avoiding my stare, looking around the stable.

“Are you okay?” Mallory continued to ask, putting her hand on my right chest.

I cleared my throat. “Um, yes.” I then looked at Laura, trying to keep in my thoughts and the urge to tell Mallory that I know her. “Forgive me for staring… madam,” I spoke, my heart shattered into pieces as I acted that I don’t know her.

Laura cleared her throat as she replied, “There’s no need to worry, good sir. You didn’t do anything… wrong.” She continued to avoid my stare.

“Robert, Laura over here is a baker,” Mallory entered the conversation, “She made those cookies that I gave you before.”

“Well, the cookies are truly exquisite,” I forced a smile, trying to have a conversation with Laura. My face, however, doesn’t want to cooperate. Every time I tried to talk to her, my cheeks began to shake, out of panic and worry.

“My apologies, Mallory, but I need to return to the bakery,” Laura turned to Mallory, a forced smile trying to hide other emotions from coming out of her face.

“Oh, so quickly?” Mallory asked, letting go of me as she walked towards her.

“Yes, I have so much to do and I need some… time alone,” Laura replied. “For me to rest, I mean,” she added.

“Shall I accompany you back to your realm?” Mallory asked.

“There won’t be any need for that,” she shook her head, still forcing herself to smile. “I wouldn’t want to disturb you and Sir Robert here,” she finally turned to me and glared.

“Um, why don’t you stay for a little longer? I have something to give you,” Mallory answered as she headed to the entrance of the kitchen.

“You can give me that some other time. I just really need to go home,” Laura quickly protested.

“Don’t worry, Laura, it will only take a few seconds--”

“Just let her go, Mallory,” I intervened, my eyes closed out of frustration. My reply made everyone quiet. I don’t want this to go any further and I’m sure Laura feels the same.

“What?” Mallory asked from behind me.

I turned my gaze to Laura and she reciprocated, looking back at me. “Let her go,” I repeated, softly this time.

As she looked at me, she almost let her guard down. Her eyes were wide open as she held back her tears at the very sight of me. Her mind must be a deep ocean of questions by now. Her inner strength to hold back the tears can only go for so long. Her breathing sharpened when it was previously calm. Or at least, trying to be.

“But--”

“Mallory,” I stopped Mallory again. “If she wants to go, let her.”

For a few more seconds, Laura and I shared glances once more, painful glances. We just stood there, staring at each other. But in her eyes, the pain is undeniably there.

I could feel the pain.

“Robert? Laura? Are you all right?” Mallory asked as she walked towards us.

Laura, please say something. I implore you to say something. Tell her the truth. Let’s stop pretending that we’re strangers.

“Of course, we are,” Laura stuttered, shaking her head as she returned to reality.

“Are you sure?” Mallory asked. “Ever since you saw each other, both of you look stunned.”

“This is the first time we met. Don’t put any meaning behind our shared silence” I entered the conversation, my annoyance towards Mallory has started to show.

My response became an open door for the silence to come and join us again. This is one of the worst days of my life, second from the day I was informed of my marriage.

“Well, I’ll take this as my moment to leave,” Laura spoke, letting out a quick chuckle. A forced chuckle is painful to hear. She’s giving her absolute best to act as if there’s nothing wrong.

“Are you sure you can’t stay for a little longer?” Mallory attempted to convince Laura to stay again.

Laura gave her a gentle smile before engulfing Mallory into a tight embrace. “Maybe some other time,” she answered, pulling away after.

Mallory smiled at her. “I will see you some other time.”

Laura nodded, her smile in a tight line. “It was… a pleasure…” she struggled with her sentence as she slightly turned to me. “A big honor… to finally meet you, Robert.”

I held my breath as I bowed to her. “The pleasure is all mine,” I responded, keeping my voice low to prevent it from shaking. As I heard footsteps leave, I slowly stood upright, letting a shaky breath.

“That’s odd,” Mallory stepped closer to me, the two of us looking at the entrance. “She was excited to meet you. For some reason, she started acting strange upon seeing you,” she continued.

My heart continued to break as I stared blankly at the entrance, regretting every decision that I’ve made that led me into this situation.

“Robert,” Mallory held onto the cloth of my sleeve, giving it a bit of a shake. “Why did you let her go so easily?”