Hesitance | Short Story

Hesitance

”Why did this have to happen to me?” Irene questioned to herself as she finished laundry. It had all happened so quickly. She had a secret admirer. A lowly maid as herself had a secret admirer. It truly didn’t seem right. Maybe she had mistaken her with someone else? Why would Quinn like her? It was completely ludicrous. Irene wallowed in her doubt for quite awhile. Finally she managed to fold the last towel. The maid put all of the fresh and clean laundry away before taking a moment just to breathe. She would be lying if she claimed she wasn’t nervous. She hadn’t known Quinn for long. Only enough time to be flirted with and told to meet her somewhere else. ‘I can’t let this stop me. I still need to go see her and put aside my hesitance.’ She told herself mentally. After that, the woman was off. She went up to the rooftop balcony and soon spotted Quinn. The same nervousness and fear from before flocked her mind. That was until she observed closer and saw Quinn was gazing up at the sky. It was slightly surprising. She hadn’t expected her to seem so…distracted. The next thing she noticed was the table with chairs and radio. The music coming from the small machine most certainly wasn’t terrible. “My, how flattering all of this is.” She spoke. Quinn jumped slightly before turning around to face Irene. The servant had came as she wanted. “Anything for a woman like you.” She claimed with a slight chuckle. A small blush formed on Quinn’s face as did on Irene’s. The maid’s hand was quickly taken by her crush. She put her hand over her waist and slowly began to dance. The beautiful picture of the two dancing at a royal ball came into Quinn’s mind. The moonlight shone behind them brightly as they went on and on throughout the night. Quinn could see her future all right in front of her as the music in the background became softer. “Do you know how to dance? You are doing quite well.” She asked Irene. The maid looked up at her with a soft smile. “I have but once in a blue moon.” She responded. Quinn nodded in understanding before bringing a halt to their dance. It dawned on her exactly what was about to happen. She would be leaving Irene soon. She caressed her cheek with a heavy sigh. “How can I go back home without you? I have been lovestruck. I can’t lose this opportunity.” Quinn questioned slightly panicking. Irene was unsure quite how to respond. She didn’t want to get in trouble nor risk Quinn’s honor. “Don’t we have time to think about this?” She questioned in a rather quiet voice. Quinn shook her head in ‘no’. “I'm only staying for a week with only six days left. I'm not sure how Mariana would feel about this, about us.” She mumbled. Irene could tell the whole situation was bothering her. She laid her head on the royal’s shoulder. Her eyes shut for a moment. “Just hold me while you can. We will be able to figure something out.” She finally spoke. Quinn could practically fill her heart about to leap from her chest. She gently pushed Irene over of her before standing up and clearing her throat. “Let's rest and drink some tea before it gets too cold.” She suggested. Irene quickly agreed as the two went over to the table and chairs and spent the rest of their evening talking.