Eutony | Todd Anderson

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔

𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚒 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚜𝚔 𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢, 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢- 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚗𝚢𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚜

•

𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐥𝐲, the birds singing in excitement as the orange and yellow leaves billowed through the air of the grounds, the smell of autumn encompassing all who strolled by. Both Ophelia and Todd were filled with excitement and hope for what this day could hold. Todd had decided to meet Ophelia at her room for a change, taking a stand and showing that she meant something to him, that he was willing to open up to her. Ophelia opened her door, shocked to find Todd with his hand raised to knock. "Hi," she greeted with a beaming smile. "Hello. You ready to go?" Todd asked, allowing his eyes to take her in. Her slightly curled locks fell around her shoulders, cream dress shirt delicately resting on her shoulders, top two buttons undone and her clavicles on display. Tan slacks gave her waist definition and her feet sat in brogues. She looked stunning, portraying beauty and grace, the glint in her eye providing a sense of mischief and excitement. Ophelia Williams was a breath of fresh air, one that his lungs burned for. "Todd?" she asked, pulling him out of his daze. "Uh, yea let's go," he said while offering her his arm, which she gladly took and they made their way out of the school. They sat in one of the cars that the school provided to transport them in a peaceful silence, admiring the scenery and basking in the freedom that was to come.

After arriving in town, they walked through the cobbled streets, both still in silence, feeling slightly nervous about being in each other's presence alone. The cool wind picked up around them, dancing  around Ophelia's neck as a shiver ran up her spine. Todd, having noticed her change in demeanour, unwrapped his tartan scarf from around his neck, stepped in front of her and tied it snugly around her own. Her eyebrow quirked as a teasing gleam entered her eyes as she asked, "I thought we agreed to break the mould?"
"Not a mould, just making sure my gorgeous date doesn't freeze to death." They carried on down the street and passed a small bookshop, Ophelia eagerly moving towards the entrance, grabbing Todd's hand to drag him along with her. The calming scent of new books filled her senses, a content sigh leaving her as she darted to find her next read. She came across the complete collection of Emily Dickinson's poems and 'A Room of Ones Own' by Virginia Woolf. Todd watched as her eyes lit up at the books filled with words which brought her comfort. Smiling fondly at her, he took the books from her hands once she came to show him what she found and payed for them. "You didn't have to do that, you know," she said, eyeing the paper bag which held her books, held securely in Todd's right hand, her own hand held in his left. "I know, but I wanted to get you something that made you happy," he said softly, finding himself slipping into her calm clutches a lot quicker than he thought he would. "Thank you again, Todd," she said with a smile, him returning it gently. Spotting a small coffee shop not too far away, they nipped in, basking in the warmth it held and ordered themselves something to drink. "Tell me about your life, Todd. All the good and bad," she urged gently, sipping on her drink, eager to warm up. "There isn't much to tell, really," he said while looking down at his coffee. "What about your family then?" she asked, wanting to know more about him. He scoffed and replied, "Yea what about them. Jeffrey has always been their golden child, perfect grades, excelled in every sport, everyone's friend and a lady's man. He's everything they could have wished for. Me on the other hand doesn't compare to him." He quickly looked down and stuttered out an apology, quite shocked that he had let loose like that without a thought. She placed her hand on his, intertwining their fingers together, causing him to meet her eyes. "I think you're incredible Todd. I wouldn't be sitting here with you if I thought any different." His blue gaze met her honey one, seeing nothing but admiration and sincerity. "What's your plan for the future?" he questioned, causing her to retract her hand, lean back into the booth and let out a heavy sigh. "My mother will have me marry the person of her choosing if I do not have a fiancé by the end of this school year, then my life will be tied to a man who doesn't want me to be anything but a housewife, looking after his children, pleasing him when he wants it and doing everything expected of a perfect wife. I will cook, clean, starve my body in order to look good for him and his business partners or friends. Our children will be raised by me alone, him only paying attention to them when he wants the attention and praise of others for being a good father. I will lose my voice and comply to his every word and command. My years of education will go down the drain, as he would never allow me to further my studies. Not only him but society in general. That is the sad reality of my future, Todd." He looked at her in disbelief, shocked that such things are ahead of her due to her controlling parents. "That's your parent's plan for your future. I asked for yours," he said gently, causing her to look up at him through her luscious lashes. "Well, I want to study English. I've always loved it, books and plays and tragedies, they spoke to me more than frilly dresses and dinner parties ever would. I want to marry the man I love, someone who will bring me pure joy every day."  She let out a snort and carried on, "Neil made a deal with me that if I haven't met someone by the Christmas holidays, we'll get engaged because my family loves him and his loves me. He's becoming a doctor after all, my parent's dream would come to life." He rose an eyebrow and asked, "Would you marry him?" She shook her head, looking out the window once again, "I couldn't do that to him. He's a man. He has the ability to marry someone who he loves, not be forced into a marriage." "Well what do you want in a man?" he asked, voice coming out a bit louder than he intended. "I want someone who loves me for me, not because of how I look or act. Someone who will respect me and allow me freedom to think for myself. I do not want to be ordered around, rather his equal. The only problem with that is that the only men I have met with those beliefs are my best friends, who I would never marry," she answered, voice laced with longing and lost hope. "There are more men who are like that, trust me," he said, looking deeply into her eyes to try to communicate his point. She nodded and responded, "I see that now." They carried gazing at one another till Todd asked, "So, what about your parents?" She immediately stiffened in her seat, mouth becoming dry as she looked away alarmed. "You don't need to tell me if you don't want to," he said quickly, not wishing to cause her any discomfort. She bit her lip, looking up at him with furrowed eyebrows. "I'm not ready to tell you, but I will soon. I promise," she said softly, hoping he wouldn't be upset with her. He smiled at her, grabbing both her hands his and dragged her out of the shop, paying for their drinks and pulling her into the chilly air.

Deciding to head back earlier, they walked down the road toward the school in silence, fingers still intertwined. "How am I so comfortable with you?" He asked, looking at her with a smile. "I'm not sure. It feels as though I've always known you for years," she answered, watching as the birds flew up around them. Todd admired her as her face lit up, eyes creasing as her lips widened, slight dimples denting her cheeks. In the weeks he had known her, he found himself wanting to spend more time with her, to know every little thing she did, all her likes and dislikes, to protect her when she couldn't protect herself. He respected her, found her outlook on life fascinating, the way she thought plagued his mind and he craved to hear her speak. The warmth that filled his chest caused Todd to notice something very important, something which would change his life forever. Todd was falling in love with her.

They arrived back at school, fingers still intertwined and smiles on their faces. They walked up the stairs which were relatively empty, as most of the boys were outside or in the town. They stopped outside her room, looking into each other's eyes as Ophelia said, "I had a really nice time. Thank you for today, Todd. Especially the books." He smiled at her, gathering all his courage and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Well, well. Look who we have here," they heard a voice boom behind them. Turning around, they were met with a smirking Charlie Dalton and a beaming Knox Overstreet and Neil Perry. "Had a nice time, did you?" he asked, eyes drifting between their intertwined fingers and rosy cheeks. "We did, actually," Ophelia answered with a small smile, failing at her attempts to stay serious. "Off to your room, missy. You have chemistry homework I need to copy later," Charlie said with a smirk. She rolled her eyes, squeezed Todd's hand then moved towards her room. His cheeks flared, looking nervously at his two friends as she walked through her door. "You know that's our girl, right, Todd?" Charlie asked, walking closer to Todd with his hands on his pockets. "Now, you see, if anyone hurts her, we don't take it lightly." Knox nodded in agreement saying, "I'm sure you won't do anything that brings our little darling heartbreak."
"She means the world to us," Neil continued. Todd was quick to shake his head, looking between his friends quickly, "No of course not! I would never hurt her. I care too much for her to do that." Charlie and Knox gave a firm nod, Neil's face lit up in glee, happy with the sincerity in his voice, before throwing their arms around him while exclaiming, "Welcome to the family!" Todd walked to his room, completely unaware that while he lay on his bed, looking up at the ceiling while words of honey spun around his head, the boys were giving Ophelia exactly the same talk, because what Todd didn't see, was he was just as important to them as Ophelia was.

Monday morning was exactly what Ophelia expected it to be. Charlie had oh so graciously informed the entire group of the kiss Todd gave her, as well as how close they looked. Teasing came from left and right, the boys making little comments during breakfast, bursting into fits of laughter as their cheeks flared in shades of crimson. She couldn't begin to imagine the teasing they would receive if the boys noticed their intertwined pinkies under the table. Ophelia headed to the library after biding farewell to her friends. It was practically empty apart from the students who were finishing homework which had been forgotten over the weekend. Her feet guided her to the classics section, eyes scanning the shelves for Shakespeare. "Looking for this?" an amused voice asked her. Mr. Keating stood proudly behind her, book in question in his left hand. "Yes, actually. Thank you captain," she said with a smile, taking it gratefully when he extended it to her. "I've noticed you have quite a passion for English, Miss. Williams," he said with a smile, looking down at the girl with admiration as her face lit up. "Oh yes, captain! I adore it. I always have," she answered honestly. "Have you thought about studying it after school?" he asked, frowning as her smile dropped slightly. "I'm afraid that will depend on my husband, captain." He patted her shoulder while saying, "If everything between you and Mr. Anderson goes well, I'm sure you will be. Come see me in my office some time. I have a few more books I'm sure you'll be interested in. I will also enjoy hearing your thoughts on the poems over a cup of tea." With a wink, he walked away, leaving the girl stunned, mind swirling with the question of how the teacher who was making a significant impact on their lives knew about her love interest. He was something of an enigma, Mr. Keating, one she hoped would remain in her life for a long time.