The Golden Desires Read Free Page A

friendship, did he really
want to risk upsetting her and ruining it?
    He continued to hesitate but Isabella knew him
well so sat patiently, watching him in his struggle to find the right words he
needed for whatever he needed to say in that moment in time.
    "Isabella, have you … wondered … thought about … finding someone to …" He was stumbling, he knew, but kept going
regardless. "Finding someone to … pair with?"
    Isabella was stunned. He had never brought up this
topic - it was one thing that they had never covered in their conversations as
friends. As a result she found herself as tongue tied as he had just been, but she
could see that he was eager and waiting for an answer.
    "No."
    "Just like that? You answer so easily…"
    "Adrian, you asked if I had thought about it,
and I have not. How were you hoping I would answer?"
    "I wished you would answer yes, and that you
would consider me … you and I … to be suitable for it."
    She should have been surprised but she wasn't.
Nothing physical had ever happened between her and Adrian but hearing such a
declaration … such a question … somehow did not surprise her. And now
she realized she was in a position where she could really hurt her close friend
if she did not find the right answer to give him.
    "I esteem you greatly, Adrian - you know
that. And if I were thinking about that yet, I do believe that you would be someone I would be considering. But I'm not thinking about that
yet."
    "But Isabella, we are 21 years of age! Do you
not think it is time?"
    "Yes. And I do know that my mother and father
wish for me to pair soon, and provide them with another generation of our
family."
    "Well then!"
    "But it is still not something I yet feel
that I am ready for. I'm sorry, Adrian. I can see that you wanted me to
say yes, and perhaps you wanted me to choose you … and perhaps when the time is
right - if you are still free to pair then…"
    He looked at her sharply.
    " I'm not going anywhere! I want to set
up a life with you . I'm not going to pair with anyone else!"
    "But how do you know?" she asked and he
looked confused by the question. "How do you know that I am who you want
to pair with? We are such good friends…"
    "Yes! We are good long term friends. We know
so much about each other. We know what each other likes and what each other
dislikes. What could be a better grounding for a pairing than that, if we are
to share the rest of our lives as partners?"
    She listened to his justification and could not
find any fault with it. There really was not any real reason that she could see
why the two of them could not go through the pairing and share their lives so
closely entwined. And yet, knowing that justification did not instil in her a
desire to do it. But she found she was greatly concerned regarding how she
could talk to him about this, without hurting him or making him feel neglected
or rejected in some way.
    Suddenly he was shaking his head and standing up.                              
    "Don't answer. Your lack of … enthusiasm …
shows me how you feel. You don't need to say anything more, Isabella."
    She stood up and faced him, before doing something
she had not done before. She moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around
him, desperate to not let him be upset by her words. And when she was holding
him close, she found that it was not at all an uncomfortable thing to do.
    Adrian was surprised … shocked … stunned … but
welcomed her arms around him, and in return wrapped his around her. With their
heads resting on each other's shoulders, he closed his eyes and breathed in the
scent of her, and wished desperately that she could look at him the same way
that he looked at her.
    Suddenly he felt his body slightly twitch in
reaction and it confused him but not enough for him to know that he had to pull
away from her.
    Withdrawing backwards, he watched her face as she
focused on his.
    "We should get back to our families. I