Stand By Me Darling
Chapter 259: Honesty Is The Best Policy

Chapter 259: Honesty Is The Best Policy

Talia has received many confessions and most of them would be asking for a dinner date or asking her for a concert and that kind of things. Most tried to just ask her out.

There aren’t many who had confessed love to her with as much sincerity as Walter. Those who confessed to her sincerely, she had dated them. Yeah... Her three ex- boyfriends. Who turned out to be lying cheaters!

And none of them said they had crush on her for five years! Five frigging years! That’s a long time to have a crush on someone. How did he even keep it a secret?

Talia didn’t doubt Walter. He stood in front of her, with his back straight and she could see his fingers trembling out of nervousness, as his lips tried to smile. He tried to hide it by fixing his cuffs and tie, but he seemed clumsy as he tried to act cool.

He is honest! What do I do?

Talia felt her heart beat racing. Not because she was touched by his words and she developed feelings towards him, but because she didn’t know how to properly reject such a sincere confession.

And this is the guy Celine likes! She cannot hurt him. If in the future Celine and him ends up together, Talia didn’t want him and her to have any hard feelings between them. Celine is one of her friends after all. If she doesn’t have a good relationship with Celine’s partner, it will definitely affect their friendship. And if she doesn’t handle this delicate subject properly, she might lost Celine’s friendship too.

It takes a lot of courage to confess, Talia knew. She had tried to confess to Fred in her high school days and failed, and so in the end decided not to, cooking up a hundred reasons to not confess. And it is one of the reasons she always tried to be polite rejecting the guys who confessed to her.

And just like confessing needs a lot of courage, to reject an honest confession requires a lot of strength too. Just politeness is not enough and she struggled to find the right words to say to him.

Walter looked down at Talia, biting her lips and it was obvious she was stressed as he saw her fiddling with her fingers. Her eyes weren’t on him and she was nervous.

Her face didn’t have any happiness of receiving a confession; nor a look of awe. But she looked like she was in deep struggle.

He knew she’s most probably going to reject him and being the graceful person she is, she is finding the right words for it.

Or do I have a chance?

He couldn’t give up his hope too.

He had a very strong conviction in his heart that she is in love with Arthur Sinclair and that’s why he tried to put a lid on his feelings for her and kept away from her, hoping that lack of oxygen would dout the little flicker of flame in his heart.

But who knew his feelings for her, was great like a wild fire? The more he tried to douse it, the more it burnt.

Who knew? When a local psychic blocked him one day seven years back and said a girl descending from heaven will change his lonely life and bring happiness and fruitfulness, voiding all the suffering he had endured till then, he laughed and left. But when he saw her that day, in a Remembrance service; that day his father said to his face that he isn’t his while Judith giggled, everything changed. He saw her walking elegantly with the Dowager with a poignant smile in her face, and he felt refreshed, like she really is someone who descended from the heavens.

Talia - Dew from Heaven! She really is!

Then he heard she started dating a photographer and he couldn’t find the courage to confess to her for two years even after he knew she broke up with him. And he always had a doubt that she has someone in her heart. She had a forlorn look whenever she looked at her left hand and sometimes would have a smile that hid a lot of pain. He guessed it should be Arthur Sinclair.

But now he is not in the game. He is engaged to be married with another woman.

And so here he is confessing to this girl who had descended from the heavens for him, when his father asked him to apologise to her, for his useless half-brother.

And he has other reason too. Only the Princess who is of the highest rank, can handle his step-mother Judith, and put a check on her, and in turn his father and half-brother too. Otherwise, whomever he marries will be put to intense torture by his step-mother as Judith doesn’t like him being the heir to the Dukedom.

"You can take your time... Talia MaryAnn..." he said and his voice shook when he called her name.

He always wanted to call her by her name although he knew he won’t have a chance given her rank. She has a very pretty name.

Talia subconsciously shook her head as she rubbed her forehead.

Please don’t make this tough!

"While you never looked at me once, I have followed you with my eyes and carried you in my heart for five years. I can wait a little longer till you reach a decision," he turned to leave.

"Wait... Walter!" Talia ran behind him and stood before him. She didn’t want him to misunderstand her hesitation as she is considering his confession. He never has a chance with her, nor do any other man. Her heart belongs to Fred only.

"I am honoured and surprised even to realise someone like you-"

"Talia..." he interjected her. He could now understand he doesn’t have a single chance with her. He could see it in her eyes. The eyes he admired. The eyes that held immense strength along with some deep sorrow she hid. As someone who hides immense sorrow in his heart, he could easily recognise it in her eyes.

But her strength overcomes her sorrow always. Just like him. She’s too much like him and so he thought she’d be a perfect fit for him.

But she differs in her opinion.

He didn’t want to hear her embellished words, he just wanted to hear her plain rejection. Maybe he can get over the heartbreak that would follow this and his chest will hurt less whenever he thinks about her after her open rejection.

Honestly he didn’t know if this heartbreak would hurt less or more than the agony of unrequited love he held in his heart till then.

"I’m sorry, Walter. I’m happy you confessed to me, but I cannot return your love. I’m sorry, I don’t want to hurt you or dismiss you, I just want to be honest." Seeing his eyes redden, Talia felt like there was a big lump in her throat making her breathing hard.

She’s never felt this bad when rejecting someone.

" It’s Arthur isn’t it? " Walter asked, wetting his lips that had gone dry, with his tongue. He looked at her with a very complicated emotion and Talia could see disappointment, humiliation, rage and extreme despair in his eyes.

"... Yes! " Talia thought for a moment and decided not to lie to him in the end.

It is the truth though and it will come out one day or another. She didn’t care what Walter will do with this truth. He might feel soothed by her honesty or he might feel jealous and try to hurt her or Arthur. Either way, she didn’t mind. She didn’t want to hide her feelings towards Arthur to others anymore.

She just hoped he, in his rage, doesn’t put banners around saying that ’Talia loves Arthur’. That would be very embarrassing.

"You said you were looking at me for five years, Walter. I’m looking at Arthur for more than twelve years... He’s... I love him... A lot happened, and we are in a very complicated place now with him engaged with another woman... But still... I’m in love with him and I can’t love another man till the day I die," she said with her hand on her heart as if she was making a solemn promise with the spring breeze and the sweet scent it brought with it as her witness. She wished the breeze carries her feelings to Fred along with her love.

Walter said nothing and stared at her for an entire minute and Talia didn’t mind. It seemed like he was processing the information. He waited five years of his life for this confession and she can spare five minutes for him.

"That’s... " he fisted his hands over his mouth and coughed as his throat had become dry. "Excuse me," he coughed some more and Talia could see his eyes getting filled with tears. She didn’t know if it is because of her answer or because of his dry throat. "You really can’t imagine a life with me?" he asked.

As he asked, Talia’s mind immediately imagined a long rectangular table with Walter at one end and she at the other, and both of them eating with the only noise in the big room being the sound of the cutleries.

What a scary thought!

" No, I’m sorry I can’t," she responded immediately.

Walter let out a deep sigh, his eyes fixed on Talia. His eyes had cleared up as if he had reached a decision.

If she is this honest with him, what else can he do other than to back off? He wanted to faint by how much his heart hurt, but he held himself together. He can reach home and in his room he can bawl his eyes out.

Hold on till then, my little heart!

"Can you kiss me once, at least?" he asked and his lips had a slight curve and Talia didn’t understand why he was patting his chest.

"No!" Talia said with a smile. Although he was imposing, she didn’t feel any danger from him and she guessed he must be just teasing her.

"Well... That’s a shame! I tried though! " he let out a low chuckle. "I should thank you for sincerely answering me," his smile vanished and he said in a sombre way.

"I just mirrored your sincerity, Lord Rodenberg," Talia said politely. There is no need for speaking in an intimate way using their first names anymore.

"Thanks anyway, Your Highness," Walter understood her and reciprocated her feelings. He fulfilled his wish of calling her by her name and he would cherish it in his memory.

"It’s getting late," he said looking at his watch, "I’ll take my leave, Your Highness. I’m glad you listened to me," he turned and walked towards the gazebo her Grandpa was at. Of course he won’t leave without asking leave from him.

Such a cultured man! No wonder Celine fell for him!

Talia approved of him for her friend.

" Lord Rodenberg! " she called him and he paused at the flower arch and looked at her.

"While your eyes were fixed on me, you might have missed a pair of eyes that were fixed on you!" her voice wasn’t too loud, but enough for him to hear.

"You know something?" he asked back and Talia just shrugged with a chuckle.

"Maybe...but I wish you end up with her!"

"Too soon, Your Highness! It’s too soon for this" he made a tipping hat gesture. "By the way, my offer for you to visit my brewery still stands. I do have a lot to talk with you," he looked at her.

"I’ll seriously consider your offer, Lord Rodenberg!" Talia said back and she couldn’t hide her relief.

He really understood. That’s good!