Never tell a complete stranger your secrets.

April 19, 2012
A Park In London, England


I struggled to keep the bottom of my dress from blowing up because of the wind, and the male attention I was getting because of it made me tremble. I didn’t like it, and it was taking me off ease.

When the sign of the park came into sight, I blew off some stress and cleared my mind. You’ve replaced me already? I froze in my tracks and put my hand over my chest, taking a deep breath. How is it that when I clear my mind, he lingers to it?

“Anastasia!” I snapped my head towards the direction that my name was being called and saw Marsden. “Hey,” he ran up to me and I smiled.

“Hello.” I nodded my head at him and he put his hands in his pockets.

“Um, shall we walk?” he held out his arm and I nodded my head again, looping my arm in his, “You look wonderful today.”

“Your accent is thick today,” I joked and he let out a chuckle.

“I’m not sure if I should be insulted or thankful.” He looked down at me and I smiled again.

“Trust me, it was a compliment.” I laughed.

“So, if you don’t mind me asking,” he cleared his throat and I looked forward, “Why did you leave so quickly last night?”

“Um, I didn’t feel too well.” I shook my head and he cleared his throat again.

“Is it bad that I don’t believe you?” I looked at him and he shrugged.

“I just needed to leave. I was beginning to feel a little homesick. And I didn’t want to ruin our week in London by getting sick and having to leave early.” I was getting aggravated.

“Woah. Don’t get so defensive,” he said and I pulled my arm from his.

“Well I’m sorry. But you kind of offended me and you were practically calling me a liar. When I’m not even the liar.” Tears filled my eyes and he stepped in front of me.

“Anastasia,” I scowled at myself and looked at him, “Who lied to you so badly?”

“I don’t know who he is anymore.” I shook my head as I chewed on my lip.

“Well. If anything, today should get your mind off of things. Please, join me again?” he held his arm back out, and I obliged, “I’m sorry for offending you."

“I’m sorry for yelling at you. I just.. Don’t like being called a liar.” I shook my head and looked to the little adorable kids running around.

“Well, alright then. Note received.” He chuckled and I smiled.

We walked around a few times and stopped to see the ducks in the pond. When we fed them the bread, I immediately thought back to the time Harry and I were alone on the lake. “Where do you want to go to lunch today?” Marsden asked me as I threw a couple more bites of bread in the water.

“I don’t know. You’ve been here longer than me. I was hoping that you had suggestions.” I smiled and stood up, looking at him.

“Well… Maybe we could go for some coffee, and some nice homemade doughnuts?” he offered and I laughed.

“I haven’t had a doughnut since I was ten.” I laughed again and looked back to the memory.

My dad had just landed a new deal and he now owned all of the doughnut shops in Missouri and Kansas. So he decided to take me to one of them. I got to stand behind the doughnut maker and watch the dough being kneaded and set in an oven to be cooked. I remember he gave me a lemon filled doughnut with chocolate icing and he got a jelly filled doughnut with glaze.

“What are you thinking about?” Marsden knocked me out of my thoughts and I smiled.

“I was just remembering the last time I had a doughnut. That’s all.” I looked down and he sighed.

“So, no doughnuts?” he asked and I looked back up.

“Oh that’s not what I meant. Doughnuts would be great.” I stood up and he grabbed my hand in his, leading me out of the park. I would sometimes feel his hand tremble against mine, and it made me smile to think that I made a boy scared. But the way he held my hand… I didn’t feel anything. Not like the night when Harry tried to hold my hand under that oak tree…

“Here we are.” Marsden smiled once we stood in front of a cafe and I smiled back, “I’m buying.”

“Oh no, no Penelope. I am buying today.” I handled my clutch and he took it from me, sticking it in the pocket of his vest, “Ugh. Give it back.” I giggled and he shook his head.

“Nope. I’m buying.” We then walked into the cafe and I looked at the menu as we took our seats. The menu was written on a small chalkboard on the wall, and it was in cursive so it was hard to see. But I saw the doughnuts; they were all lined up in a case, in order by color and by flavor.

“What kind of coffee would you like?” Marsden asked and I looked over to see that there was a waitress standing at our table.

“Um. Caramel Vanilla please,” I smiled and looked back to the doughnuts, “And can I have a lemon filled doughnut with chocolate icing?”

“Certainly,” she answered before taking Marsden’s order and walking away.

“What’s so special about your doughnut choice?” he asked and I smirked.

“What do you mean?” the waitress came back with our coffee and I took a small sip of it, the hotness of it burning my tongue.

“Every time I come here, I have a certain reason why I order a certain doughnut. For instance, I order the strawberry doughnut with the chocolate glaze and sprinkles because that’s the kind my mother always made for me after I came home from school. What about you? What’s your reason?” he took a sip of his coffee and I sighed.

“Well. My father is the richest… erm, I mean the second richest man in the world. He bought a lot of doughnut shops in Missouri and Kansas, and when we went there, I ordered that kind of doughnut,” I explained and he smiled.

“Sounds like a good memory,” he chuckled and I laughed with him.

But when I looked outside to the window, I saw Penelope frantically roaming the streets and I tensed. When she stopped by the store, she put her forehead against the glass and looked around until she saw me. She then waved her hand hastily at me until I stood up.

“What’s wrong?” Marsden asked and I sighed, grabbing my wallet out of his vest.

“I need to leave,” I stated quietly and he stood up, “Look I’m really sorry. But I had a great time with you otherwise.” I kissed him softly on the cheek and he grinned at me.

“It was nice meeting you, Miss Anastasia.” He smiled again and I nodded my head.

“You too.” I then walked out of the cafe and to Penelope. “What is so important?” I asked and she ran her hands through her hair.

She pulled out her phone and showed me a picture of a crashed car. “Harry,” my heart dropped. “No, that’s not his car. That’s someone else’s car that he caused to look like that. Anastasia,” she took a deep breath and I wiped away my building tears, “Harry is in jail because he killed the man in this car.”

And then my heart completely broke, once again, because of him.

Notes

One more and we'll be at sixty I told you shit was gonna hit the fan hahahah.

Anyway.