#bellesdiary

[bellelovesyou]

  I lie on my back alone,          counting stars

       and I’m thinking,          yes, I’m yours

@seongminloverrr 🫶🫶

[nogoodnessimproveme-archive]

Need

Happy Holidays to @bellesdiaries ! I was your @batbholidaygiftexchange secret santa. I hope you enjoy this small, introspective drabble of everyone’s two favorite characters based on your meta. :)

He had never been needed before. Desired, yes. Used, often. But truly needed? In a way that did not hinge on his looks or his position? It was… foreign. Granted, perhaps rescuing her from the wolves was not necessarily her needing him. After all, he had been the one to land her in that situation in the first place, with his hot temper and rash actions. Even showing her the library did not establish that she needed him.

 But it gave him purpose. To trail her around the library, carrying the stacks of books and watching as she scaled the ladder, often one foot remaining on the step as the other used a shelf to balance for a book just out of reach. It was more than simply slinking around the castle, hiding in the dark shadows, counting the days as each petal fell.

And then as they began to chat, as they would flip through the books and he would make recommendations of those available in French. He would, to her obvious initial horror, supply that small amount of dry humor, the one that he had often used to make fun of other aristocrats behind their back.

The fact alone that he could offer her companionship gave him the feeling of being needed. That was what convinced The Beast to pull on clothing each and every day, to present himself as a human. She motivated him, made him feel safe, made him feel like a man.

It was why he had let her go. Because he had taken her time long enough. Perhaps she didn’t, in fact, need him, not as he needed her. But her father… she needed him, and he most definitely needed her. The Beast had been cheated of a parent that he needed sorely, and it had only caused pain. No, he could not do that to another, not one that he felt something so deep, something so integral to his being for.

She had been needed often. Papa was always getting himself into some mess or another, and even in the village, despite their whispers of her character, they often turned to her for one thing or another. But this… this need was different. Perhaps it was because she was choosing to help because she wasn’t tied down by that familial love, or a desire to fit in.

It had partially been guilt-guilt that her actions had led to the whole series of events with the wolves. Curiosity had always been a fault of hers, she often was unable to control her impulses when new information presented itself. It was one of the things she had often heard the villagers disparage her for in their whispers. And seeing that rose, that seemingly enchanted rose—it was too much to resist.

Yes, she had been afraid. The roars of anger and the trace of fear in them as he exploded at her would terrify anyone. That was why she had grabbed Phillipe and backed out of her promise. Why her word no longer mattered.

But then he had come. He had saved her. He had put himself in harm’s way and almost risked his life. How could she still leave? Yes, he looked like some ungodly creature, but the look he gave her as he let out those wounded noises in the snow—it was the look of a man in pain.

And then, as he lay there in a fever, and his staff worried over him, she realized that somewhere, deep beneath the fur and claws and the gruff attitude, there was a man. A man who, as his fevered talk revealed, was perhaps as broken as one of Papa’s dropped music boxes.

She had no desire to fix him. No desire to assure him of his humanity. But she did feel compassion, her heart aching for the situation of this man lying in the bed before her.

And then he woke up.

And he made conversation. And jokes of all things! And the library. Oh, the library! And he managed to help her in the library, despite her insistence otherwise.  For once, she didn’t feel needed. She was being waited upon, by both the staff and the cursed man.

Then, somewhere along the way, between the nights finished in front of the fire together, and the days spent wandering the snow-dusted gardens, they became comfortable with one another. And she was needed again.

He became comfortable enough to eat in front of her; she needed to help him find a way that bordered on polite.

He began to explore new reading material, the kind he had scoffed at; she needed to be patient and only goad him somewhat (not as much as she might have liked). 

There were so many new developments and it was refreshing to be needed again. But in a different way. She was not obligated to him. She did not seek anything from him.

She simply wanted to.

And then, when she realized how sorely her Papa needed her, the life he had been living without her, she realized she had been selfish. Yes, she had enjoyed her time here with her new companion, and she enjoyed this newfound concept of need that came with it. But, as she looked in the mirror at her Papa, and the way that the village people were treating him, she felt that old sense of need come rushing to the forefront.

Thus, she left the man who needed her, perhaps more than she even realized as the petals fell. Not only that, but she left the first person who was not Papa that she herself had unwittingly relied upon.  

[bennydemarco]

Period Drama Meme

I am modifying @bellesdiaries‘s meme, to fit my preferences. I will start doing this in the new year, we will see if I ever finish it.

[10] series/miniseries

[9] movies

[8] costumes

[7] relationships

[6] locations

[5] eras

[4] male characters

[3] female characters

[2] families

[1] color

[rebelarkey]

My bookcase at home. Yes it’s doubled stacked. No these aren’t all of them i have more. 

Tagged by @bleuaceofsparrows

Tagging @eleveri @thylovelylionheart @cogentranting @bellesdiaries @queenophelia @captainmorningstar @enchanted-keys @jump-on-winds-back

[elizascarlet]

Rules: Spell out your URL using song titles. Then, tag as many people as there are letters in your URL.

I was tagged by @delphinelacroix thank you so much darling!!

alright let’s see how many tswift songs we can put in here

W- Wonderland-  Taylor Swift(1989)

I- I Think He Knows - Taylor Swift (Lover)

T-  Treacherous - Taylor Swift (Red)

H- Holy Ground - Taylor Swift (Red)

L- Love Story - Taylor Swift (Fearless)

O- Only the Young - Taylor Swift ( Miss Americana)

V- Vincent - Don McLean

E-  Everything has Changed - Taylor Swift (Red)

G- Gorgeous -Taylor Swift (Reputation)

I- If This Was a Movie -Taylor Swift (Speak Now Deluxe)

L- Long Live - Taylor Swift (Speak Now)

B- Begin Again - Taylor Swift (Red)

E-  Evermore from Beauty and the Beast (2017) --BOTH VERSIONS

R- Red -Taylor Swift (Red)

T- Try Everything - Shakira

Alright  12/15 not bad

@enchanted-keys @marble-halls @queenophelia @eleveri @js589 @royalcordelia @roadtoavonlea @gilbertlovesanne @gilbvrtblythe @gilbert-blythe-ruined-my-life @la-vi-enrose @lexfangirls @bellesdiaries @andim-pirate  @captainmorningstar

[stellahellaviola]

@bellesdiaries replied to your post “Hey guys, for this gifset is it okay how it is or would it be better...”:

I like it the way it is!

THANK YOU SHELLEY!!! You have no idea how much this helps!!😭🤗

@eloquence-of-felicities replied to your post “Hey guys, for this gifset is it okay how it is or would it be better...”:

I like the way it is in the gifset! :)

Thank you for replying it means a lot (I WAS LITERALLY GONNA RIP MY HAIR OUT NBD)

[bellesdiaries]

bellesdiaries’ 2018 book appreciation

Happy new year! This past year I tried to read 50 books, and I made it to 48. I decided to conduct a poll to see which books were my favorites, and here are the results.

number of books read: 48

number of authors: 27

most read authors: denise hunter & jody hedlund (6 books each)

most read genre: christian historical fiction

favorite new book: the esther paradigm (by sarah monzon)

books read each month / my rating

January 

After a Fashion  /  ★★

The Esther Paradigm  /  ★★★★★

Head in the Clouds  /  ★★★★

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry  /  ★★★★

The Selection  /  ★★★

The Elite  /  ★★★

The One  /  ★★★

February

Austenland  /  ★★★

The Mountain Between Us  /  ★★★★

The Rosie Project  /  ★★★

Treasured Grace  /  ★★★

Beloved Hope  /  ★★★★

Cherished Mercy  /  ★★★★

March

Harvest of Rubies  /  ★★★★

Harvest of Gold  /  ★★★

A Noble Groom  /  ★★★★★

Sundays at Tiffany’s  /  ★★★

Wings of the Wind  /  ★★★

With You Always  /  ★★★

April

Attachments  /  ★★★

Dear Mr. Knightley  /  ★★★★

Deeply Devoted  /  ★★

Perfectly Matched  /  ★★

Persuasion (re-read)  /  ★★★★★

The Reluctant Duchess  /  ★★★

May

The Ingredients of Love  /  ★★★

June

July

Barefoot Summer  /  ★★★★★

Divergent (re-read)  /  ★★★

The Goodbye Bride  /  ★★

True to You  /  ★★★★

August

Dancing with Fireflies  /  ★★★★

Falling for You  /  ★★★

For Love and Honor  /  ★★★

Love Unexpected  /  ★★★★

Resurrection  /  ★★

Sons of Blackbird Mountain  /  ★★★★

September

In the Field of Grace  /  ★★★★★

The Merchant’s Daughter  /  ★★★

My Sister’s Intended  /  ★★

A Noble Masquerade  /  ★★★

Pearl in the Sand  /  ★★★★

The Wishing Season  /  ★★★

October

Honeysuckle Dreams  /  ★★★

The Preacher’s Bride  /  ★★★

A Worthy Pursuit  /  ★★★

November

Deadly Pursuit  /  ★★★★

On Magnolia Lane  /  ★★★

December

Luther and Katharina  /  ★★★

You can follow along with my 2019 book adventures on my bookshelf page.

[withgraceandlight99]

I was just scrolling through my timeline this morning, after feeling a little down about a number of things, and I realized how amazing it was. There were no swear words, no moaning and groaning about fandoms. 

It was Jesus stuff. Happiness over a ship. Puppies. It’s a happy place filled with praising God, clean posts about TV show couples, and lots of fun, happy stories. 

So, thank you to everyone I follow for creating such a great place to be! If anyone wants to become friends with some awesome, Christian people, I highly recommend all of these: 

@cogentranting @misscrazyfangirl321 @smoakmonster @austencello @epj27 @restlesswander-r @hurtbyintensejourneys @theblacksiren @crossbowsandroses @bellesdiaries

[naturepointstheway]

Beloved BatB Fandom. Welcome to 2018.

Hello there from the future and the first country to see 2018 (ergo NZ)! Tagging all the BatB people I can think of (if you’re not on here, I likely just forgot or something, or I’m possibly not following you but it’s definitely not because I’m deliberately ignoring you!)

@tinydooms @sweetfayetanner @morgaine2005 @bellestrashprince @batbobsession @greensearcher @prince-adams-japris @forr-everrmorre @funnygirltthatbelle @ohmygad-icantevans @fadedelegance @lumiereswig @im-too-obssesed @bellesdiaries @insectoid5 @enchantedxrose @vlleneuve

May you be BRAVE AND SMART like BELLE

May you LEARN AND GROW FOR THE BETTER like PRINCE ADAM

May you always CHERISH THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE like MAURICE

May you be FULL OF OPTIMISM AND HOPE like LUMIERE

May you be BEAUTIFUL INSIDE AND OUT like PLUMETTE

May you TAKE PRIDE IN WHAT YOU VALUE TO BE IMPORTANT like Cogsworth

May you be AMAZING AND FLAWLESS like GARDEROBE

May you be ENTHRALLED BY THE MUSIC OF THE WORLD like CADENZA

May you be KIND AND COMPASSIONATE like MRS POTTS

May you have PASSION FOR THE THINGS YOU LOVE (while also being a badass) like CUISINIER 

And may you be GENTLE BUT SECRETLY A BADASS like CHAPEAU

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE, MAY 2018 BE AWESOME. 

[beautiful-ugliness]

Okay.....HOLD THE PHONE!!! How am I ONLY JUST NOW hearing this!? Am I really that out of touch? I have the Movie Soundtrack playing on auto repeat constantly and I NEVER HEARD ABOUT THIS SONG!?

-deep breath - I knew this song was in the Broadway musical but I never heard that Josh Groban actually sang it for the new live action movie AND WHY ISN’T IT ON THE SOUNDTRACK?!

Someone please tell me I’m not loosing my mind....

And DEAR GAWD what if DAN Stevens had sung this!?

PS - if I tagged you it’s because I follow your BatB Tumblrs and/or fan fictions and respect the hell out of you. Ya’ll are awesome. 

@hathor-frozen, @tinydooms, @batbedits, @bellestrashprince, @bellesdiaries, @tonal-gleeson, @until-the-last-petal-falls, @enchantedrcse, @nursemz87, @everythingbeautyandthebeast, @sweetfayetanner

[bellelovesyou]

200+ FOLLOWERS APPRECIATION

imagine the rainy night by nct 127 is playing rn

Exactly a month ago was the day that I reached 150 followers! Thank you so so much for all of the growth! I am so happy so many people like my mbs enough to follow me <3 I promise I'll keep making mbs for you guys!! Please stay healthy in the new year and eat lots of yummy food <3 - belle

blogs that i love/inspire me/moots

@bunchofroses07 @miryofshampoo @eun-luv @sakkurify @mxlly143 @woowhae @i-kiioras @hrtnyu @mewmyu @ayatxt @i4mnari @egorls @gyustarzzi2 @silvrrz @111krna @wonysela @zonjawonja @jaes1lvr @yeossemble @yeritos @p-oisn @raeceah @yeeunswrld @y-vna @hy4k @karinasvsp @joyuvv @szw-planetr @lil-liaa @neobins @cooelita @ojiito @baesol @tookio @iluvrei @i8sei @jenfaery @nwtzy @i-kyujin @i04rei @dollienini @y-ves

+ many MANY more

[prince-adams-japris]

GUYS LOOK

here’s the link:

http://www.playbuzz.com/shealamcwilliams10/which-disney-prince-is-your-soulmate#eightieth

Everyone tell me who you get!

@ourlovewilloutlasthestars @greensearcher @bellestrashprince @bellesdiaries @vlleneuve @enchantedxrose @wiser-but-unsure  @theatlanticaprincess @daysinthesuns

And anyone else who wants to take it! I’d love to hear from everyone

[austencello]

I was tagged by @simplybookdrunk

1: colour(s): Purple. I also love dark green and blue.   2: last band t-shirt I bought: hahaha.  Never.  I’ve bought sheet music at concerts instead... 3: last band I saw live: 90% of the music I see is Classical music. I saw the Kontras Quartet with the Kruger Brothers (a bluegrass band) last month. 4: last song I listened to: “Return of the King” soundtrack 5: lipstick or chapstick: Lipstick on special occasions/performances 6: last movie i watched: “Pride and Prejudice” the 1995 mini-series.  “Unrest” is the last official movie. 7: last 3 TV shows I’ve watched: Does the Olympics count? Otherwise, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, and Victoria 8: 3 characters I identify with: Jane Bennet, Beth March, Emma Malloy (Julie Lessman novel) 9: book i’m currently reading: Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell.  I’ve never read it before but I’m very curious to see how it turns out. 

For those who might be interested in doing this as well:

@bellesdiaries @lovejesusarrowavengersblog @herskirtsarentthatshort @pulpklatura @mel-loves-all @academyofshipping

[rebelarkey]

•Name: Um... I go by Shale on here.

•Nickname: Shale

•Zodiac sign: Aquarius

•Height: Almost 5′3″

•Languages spoken: English with a little bit of ASL and French

•Nationality: American

•Favorite season: Fall

•Favorite flower: Roses

•Favorite scent: Cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, roses, berries, 

•Favorite color: Dk Green, Blue, Purple, Red, Brown

•Favorite animal: Horses, Dogs, Wolves

•Favorite fictional character: Meredith Hayes Archer, Hermione Granger, Oliver Queen, ... all of them? I love fictional characters.

•Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate?: Hot Cocoa please

•Average Sleep Schedule: I worked at a bakery for a year so I went to bed around 8pm and got up at 4:30am.  Now with a new job and corona virus, i go to sleep before 11pm and get up at 7-7:30am

•Dog or Cat person?: Dog. Cats hate me (trust me, he glares at me and runs away when I come near) Plus my dog is the best bed warmer.

•Number of blankets you sleep with?:Is this summer or winter? Summer- sheet. Winter- sheet, comforter, blanket, dog. 

•Dream Trip: As a hodophile and wanderluster my dream destination changes about every month. Currently I’m planning a trip to PEI. Would love to backpack Europe (British Isles, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Czech Republich, Germany) 

•Blog Established: WHICH ONE?!?! My original one was in 2012. This one was this year 2020, January. 

•Followers: 26 :’(

•Random Fact:I am anti-hype. If something is popular and ‘all the rage’ in media, unless i’ve already watched it, i tend to be anti. Take for example this craze with Tiger King... yeah all the hype just makes me NOT want to watch it. Haven’t watched Stranger Things for this exact reason. 

@writewithurheart @bellesdiaries @la-vi-enrose @lakadyn @eleveri @bleuaceofsparrows  @cogentranting and ANYONE WHO WANTS TO DO IT. Say that I tagged you I want to see it!

[redpensandgreenarrows]

bellesdiaries replied to your post “Just got back from seeing Beauty and the Beast… *sigh* It was so...”

AHHH I'M GLAD YOU ENJOYED IT. I NEED TO GO SEE IT AGAIN. I HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO EVERMORE INCESSANTLY. DAN STEVENS DID SUCH A GOOD JOB. OKAY I'LL STOP YELLING AT YOU NOW :D

DON’T STOP YELLING BECAUSE I NEED SOMEONE TO YELL WITH, @bellesdiaries!!! 

Evermore is AMAZING. I reminded me so much of the song the Beast sings from the broadway show, which is just as amazing. But I loved Evermore and how it fit in this version. And yes, Dan did SO well. 

I already want to go again. I need to see it a second time! I’ve been watching the Cinderella l.a. version multiple times until I could see this and they both have been giving me all the feels!

Ok, so I also have a part I was to squee about for just a second, but I’m going to put it under “keep reading” since it has spoilers

So, that moment during the end scene, where Belle comments about Adam growing a beard, and then he growls at her!? OMG!!! I may have giggled hard core at that. I kind of love they added that. *SQUEE!*

[bellesdiaries]

Of Books and Blue Bloods: A Modern BATB Tale

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Hannah (@funnygirltthatbelle)! I hope that this season has been a lovely time for you. I know how much you enjoy modern BATB AUs, and so I’ve crafted a short modern story for your holiday gift. I hope you like it! [Somehow this turned kinda angsty at the end??] xo - Shelley (@bellesdiaries)

***

PRINCE PUMMELS POLICEMAN

During yesterday’s press meeting, Chief Palace Correspondent Monsieur Cogsworth revealed that Prince Adam, Duke of Villeneuve, will be serving community service during the holidays, in response to his brazen behavior towards a local Paris police officer earlier this week. 

This incident marks the fourth time the prince has acted in public in an “unseemly manner,” according to Cogsworth.

The Tribune has confirmed that the prince’s sanction has been issued for a one-month duration. The nature of the community service, however, remains a mystery.

When asked whether this newest attempt to tame the wild prince was thanks to a judiciary bribery, Cogsworth was unable to comment. 

***

The clipped sound of heels against old wood floors jolts him from his stupor; the incessant pounding aggravates the dull throbbing behind his eyes, thanks to his lingering hangover. He lets out a low growl.

The heels come to a halt behind him, briefly scuffing against the newly polished floor. His lips twitch. Mrs. Potts is going to have a field day about that. 

A throat clears. 

He turns away from his desk slowly, taking his time to study her, from that pair of small, black, closed-toed scuffing culprits that once upon a time might have been fashionable, up to the second-hand blazer that hugs her thin waist unpretentiously. He ends his steady perusal at her pretty face, a face that appears warm and inviting, with deep, brown eyes that seem to draw him in, even as they dispel anger from across the room. 

He sees the fire behind her eyes. He recognizes that inner turmoil at once. No one’s ever looked at him so openly before. It both terrifies and intrigues him. 

He feels himself sobering as he drinks her in. 

“You’re not my new bodyguard, are you?” he asks with a tease in his voice.

She frowns, tipping her head a little, as though he’s just presented her a mathematical quandary. He likes the delicate way her eyebrows pull together. 

A throat clears again, and for the first time Adam notices Lumiere standing beside her, having escorted her into the room. To be honest, he hadn’t even realized his butler/friend/mentor was there until now. She commands all his attention so effortlessly. Even in the silence, she exudes confidence and seems to fill the space. Her presence is both threatening and intoxicating. 

He can’t help the treacherous way he lingers on that little pinched valley that remains between her eyes, wanting to know how it got there, wanting to find a way to unravel her. 

“May I present his royal highness, Prince Adam,” Lumiere supplies.

She doesn’t courtesy.

She doesn’t waver.

His lips twitch at her boldness, as he spots the judgement in her eyes. She’s already made up her mind about him, and at least preemptive disappointment is something he’s familiar with. 

“You must be my father’s newest project for me.” He raises an eyebrow, challenging her to deny it.

That seems to agitate her a little. Finally, she says, “Your highness, I am here because my students and I had the privilege of being selected for your little...community service venture.”

Something about her need to defend herself amuses him. 

“And just what will this venture include?” he asks, knowing the answer from his early briefing with Cogsworth but wanting to hear it from her anyway.

Lumiere is about to jump in to her rescue, but she lifts her chin and proudly continues, “Tutoring. Classic Literature.” 

He rolls his eyes. Of course.

“And who are you exactly?” he asks, sauntering just a little closer, invading her personal space the way she’s invading his lifestyle. He knows the answer to this, too, but he likes making he squirm.

She swallows but doesn’t retreat. He’s beginning to like her more and more by the moment. “My name is Belle Dupont.”

Cogsworth’s words echo in his mind.

She was ranked highest in her class at university and has a second degree in mechanical engineering. She could be tutoring you, sire. 

Interesting that she doesn’t feel the need to list her qualifications. Yet she holds herself in high enough caliber not to quiver in front of royalty. 

“Is it short for something?” he demands.

“No.” 

“Pity. Belle is so…plain,” he lies smoothly, enjoying the taste of her name on his lips more than he would ever care to admit. Under normal circumstances, the name is plain. But for her...the name holds an uncanny sort of power. 

Her eyes flare for just a second, before she reigns in her reaction. He appreciates that he’s already irritating to her. Her reaction to him is predictable and entertaining and safe. The sooner he scares her off, the sooner this miserable endeavor will end for both of them.

***

During the first week Belle spends at the palace going over lesson plans and introducing him to a few of her students, Adam does everything he can to sabotage her efforts. 

Yet the more time he spends in her fierce yet somehow refreshing company--in watching how she patiently instructs both the meekest and loudest of teenagers, in half-heartedly trying to follow her example--Adam starts to feel a change inside him. 

He doesn’t know when it happens exactly. Somewhere between throwing out innuendos that make her blush and the first time he unintentionally, genuinely makes her laugh. Somewhere between dreading grading assignments over afternoon tea and looking forward to political debates over late-night glasses of wine.

Turns out, Belle is even smarter than her resume boasts. 

She knows three languages and is well-versed in music and art and history and political science. In some ways, she’s more equipped for royal life than he is. He’s never met someone so much his equal...and yet so incredibly not his equal. She’s definitely of a higher caliber, not him.

So what is a sweet girl from a small-town French village, who rose to success only through hardwork and merciful scholarships--something his privilege will never understand--doing wasting her talents as a secondary educator? What is she doing wasting her time with him? he wonders. She got a degree in mechanical engineering, and yet here she is teaching Shakespeare? It doesn’t make any sense. Nothing about her makes sense. 

His answer comes the day he finds her sobbing in the atrium. 

At first, she tries to run away from him, to bury her tears, to pretend to be stronger than she feels. And he knows exactly what that’s like. 

He doesn’t let her run, though, pulling her into the safety of his arms from behind; and finally, after an eternity, she spins and lets herself sink into his embrace. He holds her for a long time as she unleashes all her pent up sorrow onto his chest. His heart breaks a little with hers that day, in the best way. The fact that she finally, tentatively, almost trusts him enough to be vulnerable like this fills him with a strange, wonderful warmth. Like maybe there is hope for him after all. Like maybe there is hope for them.

When she finally manages to calm herself down, she mumbles through a croaked voice against his soaked sweater, “My father...h-he has dementia. He doesn’t always remember me. Today was...” She sniffles. “Today was one of those days.”

So that’s it. She is here under duress, only it’s not for the blackmail or extortion reasons he suspected. She’s really here to help her father. Medicine couldn’t save his mother, but it can save her father. Or at least, give him small comforts during his final days. 

She must miss him terribly. How much is she sacrificing just to make his penance a little bit easier? 

Selfishly, he swallows down the lump of guilt in his throat. He likes having her here too much to let her go so soon.  

***

By week two, Adam and Belle have fallen into such an easy routine, it’s almost hard to believe there was a ever a time she wasn’t here at the palace, with him. He’s helped her prepare her students for winter exams, and she’s given him something positive to focus on, something constructive. 

Although, if she knew the full extent of his thoughts regarding her, she might not consider their time together so constructive. 

He can’t help the way he gets distracted by that sweet, memorizing valley between in her eyebrows, by the way she nibbles at her bottom lip, by the bangs she’s trying to grow out that keep falling into her eyes. 

“Which author do you want to start with for the senior’s exam?” he asks, glancing up from his stack of papers.

“Is it too predictable if I say Shakespeare?”

“That is too predictable. But it also shows taste. So do you have a favorite? And don't say--”

“Romeo and Juliet,” she answers brightly.

He groans. “That is very predictable. And one I think we must remedy.”

She tilts her head at him, playfully this time, her high ponytail bouncing behind her shoulders. She’s already so much more carefree with him that she was during their first encounter. So much has changed between them in such a short time. “What would you suggest, your highness?”

Oh, now he knows she’s teasing him. She never addresses him by his official title unless she’s trying to goad something out of him. “Mmmm.” He leans back in his chair, pretending to give it serious consideration. “Macbeth.”

She makes a face, disgusted. “Didn't care for it.”

“What about Hamlet?”

She rolls her eyes. “Of course, a prince enjoying another prince’s tale of woe is me. That's not predictable at all.”

“Twelfth Night.”

That gives her pause. “I've actually never read that one.”

That surprises him. He springs out of his seat, slipping his hands into his pockets, and moves closer to her, softly, carefully, as though she’s a doe he doesn’t want to frighten away. “Oh, I think you'll enjoy it,” he says gently. “It's about a strong, independent woman who's not afraid to speak her mind and who wins the heart of a nobleman simply by spending time with him, even as she pretends to be someone else.”

Belle finally looks up at him, and he notices the way her eyes linger on his lips. “What are you saying?” she whispers. 

“Oh, I'm simply summarizing the play. What did you think I was referring to?” he teases, earning a playful swat from her in return.  He likes spending time with her. He likes how passionate she gets when she recounts a story. He likes making her coffee using his “hipster vase,” as she calls it, and showing her his favorite spot in the whole palace, the small rose garden tucked away from public view, his own little sanctuary that he now shares with her. 

They talk so much more than Shakespeare, conversations effortlessly bleeding into their hopes and dreams and fears and failures. He's never felt more exposed. He's never felt more free. By week three, she’s not looking at him the way other people do, like they're expecting him to be more than he is. She treats him like a real person, and it's through their time together he slowly starts to realize exactly what kind of person he is at all. He's only himself when he's with her.

He learns that she wants to travel, and he delights in enlightening her about all the corners of the world he's been to, in seeing the world through her innocent eyes. He likes the way her eyes spark as she listens to him with rapt attention, kneeling in the grass, resting her chin against her open palm, uncaring about the state of her dress or grass stains or anything superficial. He likes being the one to fuel the fire of her spirit. 

***

The prince is nothing like the media makes him out to be. He’s gentle and kind and...so much more sensitive than anyone she’s ever met. She’s seen him, the real him, the man he keeps locked away from prying paparazzi eyes, the man even his father doesn’t know exists. But she knows. She’s watched the way he interacts with her shy teenage students and pulls smiles out of solemn faces, the same way he pulls smiles out of members of his staff. The same way he’s pulled her out of her own insecurities. When had she let that happen? When did she let her guard down long enough to let his goodness scale the walls of her heart and take her by surprise? 

On her second-to-last night at the palace, they take a trip to the top terrace. And for the first time, Belle can understand why being a royal may not be so bad after all, not when you get to go to sleep to a view like this, soaking in a sea of city lights.

Belle swallows as she studies his profile, memorizing the shape of his rugged jaw, watching as those perfectly blue eyes flicker against the few stars they can see. 

And when he takes her by the hand, she doesn’t try to stop him, doesn’t pull away, even though she knows she should. It would be better for both of them if she just left now. But she doesn’t want to leave him yet. Leaving him tomorrow is going to hurt too much as it is.

“I wish I didn’t have to be a prince,” he breathes, voicing her own trembling thoughts. His voice sounds rough, deeper than usual. Is he dreading saying goodbye too, or is it merely the cold weather? Or has she only been imaging their growing feelings for one another this whole time? 

“I wish I could be just...me.” 

She squeezes his hand. “You are you. You are you to me.”

He huffs. “That’s true. I don’t know how to be me without you.”

When he looks at her again, her heart freezes. For the first time, he truly lets her see...everything, all of his worries, all of his uncertainty about the future. Like a whirlpool, those eyes suck her in and send her spinning. 

At the last second, a twinge of self-doubt sneaks back through the cracks of her heart. He probably looks at all the girls that way. 

But then he’s leaning his head down towards her, so slowly, at first she doesn’t even notice. He stops just a breath away from her lips, letting the final step be her choice, letting her take the plunge if she so dares. And for better or worse, she does.

He kisses her gently at first, but soon their lips grow desperate, and she digs her fingers into his jacket, pulling him close. His lips are full and soft, while his beard roughly scraps against her skin, jarring her, startling her like electricity. She likes the feel of him, all of him.

When they finally break apart for air, he rests his forehead against hers, his rough breath hitting her in the face.

“Is it wrong that I’m tempted to throw another punch at a police officer, just to get you to stay?”

She laughs once, but it fades quickly. 

“I don’t want to let you go.”

She shuts her eyes, willing the tears back. “Even though I’m technically a commoner?” 

He runs his thumb in slow strokes over her cheek, then down her arm and over the back of her hand. “You’re anything but common to me. The palace staff loves you. I love you. France will love you, too. This isn’t the 18th century, Belle.”

She shakes her head. Everything he’s saying...it’s wonderful. But it’s not enough. “Adam, I...I can’t give up being a teacher just to be your girlfriend. I have a life. I have plans and dreams and...”

“Well, it’s not like I’m in line to a throne or something. Maybe I could...step down for a while. Be your boyfriend. Besides, the world is changing. My father, my family...we must change with it.”

She starts. “I can’t ask you to give up everything just to be with me.” It’s too much. It’s far too much. 

“You’re not asking. I’m offering,” he answers, like it’s as simple as that.

“Would you even survive without a hundred people at your beck and call?”

His eyes narrow a bit, reading her question for what it really is. An easy cop out. A way for him to break her heart without breaking her in the process. He reads her so well. He smiles, undeterred and tender. “Try me.” He tucks her into his side, and she goes willingly, clinging to his warmth. “What do you say we run away?” he breathes against her hair. 

His words are somber, and they strike her straight in the heart.

Right now it’s impossible, of course. But it’s nice to pretend, just for one night. Maybe one day, things could be different. Maybe when her father doesn’t need her. Maybe when she pays off all her student loans. Maybe when he’s not constantly in the public eye.

“Maybe,” is all she can say in reply; it’s all they can promise one another. 

He sighs, and she can feel the weight of his disappointment. Still, he presses on, her brave prince. “Happy New Year, Belle.”

He kisses her again just as the fireworks begin, though the colors in the sky are nothing compared to the fire he stirs inside her. He kisses her through her tears. She doesn’t hide her tears from him anymore. 

Thankfully, it’s not goodbye. It’s a beginning.