The two of them stood side by side near the railings with rings. Both of them did not talk anymore. One looked at the men manning the fishing boats resting by the dock, and the other stared at the cars speeding on the road. A gust of wind blew gently on their faces. His eyes looked unreadable. Eric knew that Molly wanted to console herself after she was hurt by Brian. She had been together with him before, doing all of those and putting up all those acts on purpose just to let Brian see. However, Brian's reaction only served to hurt and disappoint her.
A few more minutes passed as the two of them stood there quietly. The night wore on and soon enough, the lights on the fishing boats went out and the cars on the road became less and less.
Molly's voice suddenly interrupted the silence,"Eric."
"Yes?" the man beside her asked softly. "Why is it always you every time?" she said as if her voice was from far away. He then turned his body around to look at Molly. Her hair fanned out gently and flowed like water in the breeze, delicately framing her pretty face. She looked really charming under the moonlight. She was so beautiful that Eric's eyes couldn't help but gaze at her longingly.
On her side, Molly seemed to stare at the moat but it was actually like she saw nothing with her distracted eyes. She spoke again in an even lower voice,"Why is it you every time when I need someone? Why is it you again this time?"
Eric's eyes then turned to look at the distance and he tried to smile. "Maybe I am doomed to be the knight, not the prince," he said. The words slowly tumbled out of his lips in a sad voice. He was hurt but at the same time, he was still glad to do something for her.
The breeze blew a little stronger and slightly messed up Molly's hair, but she did not seem to notice it. Sometimes she thought that she was really not good enough to deserve it--the three men loved her so much.
Spark had said to her,"Everything will be fine if you are safe and happy."
Eric had said to her,"I want to give you a gift every year."
Brian had said to her,"You can never get out of my love if I don't let you go."
All three men were gentle, attractive and strong, respectively. It seemed like these three men were giving her three choices in life.
"Molly," Eric sighed and asked gently. "Why was it not me?"
However, Molly's eyes looked puzzled as she did not understand what he said.
His eyes saw her confusion and added,"Why am I not the one you fell in love with?" As he asked the sad question, Eric's face under the yellow lights seemed to be calm, but his handsome features could not hide the deep sadness in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Eric," Molly responded in an apologetic voice. Her eyes were downcast and her lips were pressed together slightly. She continued,"I met Brian earlier than I met you."
Now, Eric only laughed bitterly this time. All the remaining dredges of hope he had on his mind were completely crushed when he heard 'I met Brian earlier.' He was willing to do everything to get her love, but he had already lost before he could do those because of time. There was really nothing he could do to change that.
In the quiet darkness of the night, two souls tried to heal themselves from the endless pain and hurt they felt, like two people stuck in a tunnel and couldn't find the light.
Molly had lost track of time and she didn't know how late it was. Maybe she was tired or she had got the peace she wanted. But after a while, she inhaled deeply and turned to Eric. She said,"Let's go back, It seems late."
"Okay," Eric replied in a gentle voice. Just as he said that, Eric took Molly's hand in his own. When Molly tried to pull it back, he had already dropped it and walked to his car.
In front of her, Eric's head was dropped down as he thought sadly to himself, 'Molly, you are the most brilliant rainbow always, becoming extremely beautiful after the rain and then disappearing forever.'
Molly soon followed after him and when they both got in the car. Eric silently started the engine and drove away. The rest of the trip went by quietly. When they arrived at the hotel, it was nearly midnight. The hotel was designed with lots of foliage that made it look like a huge garden. The area was quiet and only the sound of leaves rustled by the gentle breeze was heard. The fresh scent of lilies wafted in every corner.
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