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The Beast sat solemnly in one of the parlors, reading a book he hadn’t read in years. Come to think of it, he hadn’t even been in this room in years. Belle had been insisting upon opening the rooms up more, letting light in, “bringing them to life,” she said. Ironic, considering much of the castle was already “alive” in the way of talking furniture. She had laughed when he pointed that out. It made him smile. It was like she was bringing him to life, too.
She was very good at that, actually. His life, for so long, had felt so terribly stagnant that he did whatever it took to feel anything at all. The parties and the substance and the people, it was all he could do to carry himself from one moment to the next. He had forgotten what it felt like to truly live; to laugh and be happy and unburdened by misery. Belle reminded him that there was still beauty in the world; that joy was attainable, even after all hope was lost.
Belle filled the Beast’s mind from dawn ‘til dusk, and even his dreams had included her lately. She was the sunshine itself, a glorious light in his dark and dreary life. She amazed him, the way she could see the good in everything, the way her mind worked — always full of ideas. The way she laughed and could always make him laugh in return. He couldn’t help but be endeared by her, regardless of what they were doing.
“Could this be love?” The Beast wondered to himself. For so long he had given up on the demands of his accursed sentence. He never truly loved before all this, he often wondered if he was incapable of it. Well, that couldn’t be true. He knew he loved his mother. But that was childhood love. That was safety and shelter and protection from the foul creature they had known as his father. That was a mother loving her son more than life itself, and a son clinging to the only port in a treacherous storm. Nonetheless, that was love.
But since her death, the boy’s heart had been locked up. Losing her had torn him apart in an irreversible way. No matter how many attempts were made to stitch the prince back together, love would never find its way back in. At least, that is what he had hoped. If he didn’t allow anyone to love him, he couldn’t lose anyone he loved ever again.
So much had happened from then to now. The prince, the Beast, rather, had never known anyone quite like Belle. No one who was so equally as kind and caring while still challenging him in every possible way. She was sweet but relentless. Gentle but fierce. He had certainly met his match with Belle. Could this be love?
All of the Beast’s thoughts fell flat on the floor when Belle suddenly came into the room, lightly knocking on the open door to get his attention. He was startled, and she must have been able to see it on his face, for the first thing she said was, “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”
He recovered as quickly as he could, straightening up and clearing his throat. “No, um. Not to worry. Not much scares me, these days.”
That was a lie and they both knew it. The Beast’s apparent feelings for her had terrified him more than even the most well written horror. But that matter could be settled at another time.
Belle smiled pleasantly, testing the waters by coming further into the room. “Care for some company?”
His heart beat a little faster. There was that feeling again. He gestured to the space beside him on the sofa. “Please.”
She nodded and sat beside him, looking around the room. Silence hung between them in the air, but it wasn’t as awkward as it should’ve been. As the Beast hoped, anyway. If it was uncomfortable, he could deny things. Deny, deny, deny. It’s not love, because I don’t feel comfortable around her. It’s not love because I don’t care for her company. It’s not love because I don’t ever think about her or want to know what she’s thinking about or want to hear her opinion on everything or want to spend every waking moment with her because no one on this earth is more interesting than her.
You see, these would also be lies.
Thankfully, Belle breaks his spiral of thoughts again.
“I finished that novel by your beloved Montreux.”
The Beast smiled, eyes sparkling a bit more. “Ah, and did you like it?”
“Yeah!” she replied, almost like she was convincing herself of her own response.
He arched an eyebrow. “You hesitated.”
“No, I did like it!”
“And yet you say no…”
Belle laughed, hitting her lap. “Let me explain!!”
He grinned. He loved when that fire was sparked within her. He loved being the one to spark it. He loved how the sunlight caught her brown eyes when she was trying to prove a point. He loved how wrong her opinion was and how much she enjoyed hearing his side of the debate, even if she entirely disagreed. He loved the smile on her face as she elaborated and he loved the way her hands gestured for emphasis. He loved… He loved…
Oh.
He loved her.