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“She was sketching something on a paper, so I helped her. She asked me if I was a Prince Charming and I pinched her cheek.”
“What did you say to her?”
“I told her that I was and she scoffed at me, told me that I don’t look like one.” Corner of my lips quirked thinking about her, how no one had ever dared to talk against me, yet a seven-year-old child had told me that I didn’t look like a Prince.
Valeria smiled, caressing my arm, waiting for me to continue.
“I couldn’t get her name, but she told me her age was seven. We drew a little house together with a baby giraffe in the garden because that was—”
“Her favorite animal and she wanted it as her pet,” she finished my sentence.
I stared at her. “What… how did you?”
My brain scrambled with memories as Valeria pulled back her arm.
“Khalid… the girl that you met? It might have been me,” she said in a soft voice, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.
That same red hair.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “You were wearing a yellow tee shirt and had this big—”
“Carrot hair clip on my head to keep my hair from falling on my face,” Valeria chuckled, covering her mouth. I held her wrist and pulled it down, wanting to stare at her grin.
It washer.
I leaned closer, pressing my forehead against her. “You don’t know how much I looked for you, you silly girl. I begged my mom for months to remember the name of the foster we visited together but she had forgotten.”
“Why?”
I stroked her cheek. “Because I liked you when I first saw you. It was pure amusement and adoration to see a small girl like you tell me that I am not a Prince. Telling me that you could color better than me when I colored out of the lines to banter with you.”
She nodded, biting her lip. “I didn’t like boys who could color out of the lines.”
I let out a soft laugh, kissing her neck, and looked at her. Really looked at her. She had the same nose, same freckles and even the same I-want-to-pinch-your-cheeks-every-time-you-smile cheeks. She had her sight back then. I remembered everything.
I was a fool not to notice it before.
“You were my muse forLimerence. I couldn’t get the color of your red hair out of my head. It looked so vibrant in the sunlight that I had to pour it out.” I raked my hand through her hair. I couldn’t believe I was holding it. She was real. In my arms.
“You are my muse forLimerence, my sweet one,” I whispered.
Valeria leaned up and pressed a soft kiss on my lips. “I want to share a secret with you, Khalid.”
I hummed.
“After you colored with me, I had decided that I wanted to marry you,” she giggled, looking away. “Then your mother found us and she hugged me. She smelt so wonderful that I asked her what perfume she was wearing. Your mother was the one who inspired me to be a perfumer, Khalid.”
“You wanted to marry me? After coloring with me?” I grinned, shaking my head.
“I knew you were a prince, and you took time to talk with me…”
“In my defense, I was bored with social gatherings and was looking for a place to sit in silence. But I found you.” I kissed her, just to make sure she was real. I pulled away, “If my mother was alive, she would have loved to meet you.”
“You really think so?”
“Mhmm. She would get shy that her signature fragrance inspired you.”
Her fingers threaded over my hair, massaging my scalp. “You must miss her so much.”