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More than anything, I can’t help but notice how sad she looks.
In the handful of days that I knew her in the US, Chloe always had this glimmer of joy on her face. Now, looking at her, it’s like that spark has been extinguished. “Let’s go for a walk.” I say. “After lunch. Let me show you the palace grounds.”
“Okay,” she agrees more quickly than I expected. “That sounds nice, actually. It’d be good to get out of the house. Have you got a lot of land here?”
I shrug. “We have a big garden here in the summer palace, but we have a bigger one in the spring palace. But this one’s nice because we have our own beach that you can go to.”
“I haven’t brought any beach clothes,” Chloe says, her face falling again.
I wave my hand. “Don’t worry about that. If you want to go to the beach, we can get you anything you need.”
“I don’t want you to buy me a new wardrobe!” she snaps, and I recoil like an elastic band has smacked me in the face. I’m not used to people declining my generosity.
“Okay… well, maybe we can go to the beach another day,” I say, backpedaling. “Let’s just walk today.”
“Okay,” she says quietly, not looking at me, as if she feels bad for her outburst. I want to reach out for her hand to tell her that it’s okay. She has nothing to apologize for.
I want to tell her how much she has changed my world. How much she means to me. But as I look at her, she looks away from me.
My tongue seizes up in my mouth, and I can’t form any words at all.
We eat the rest of our lunch in silence, and when we’re done, we both stand at the same time.
“Meet me back here in twenty minutes?” I say. “Wear whatever you like. I’ll show you everything you need to see.”
She smiles thinly and leaves without another word.
The second she’s gone, I slam my hand down on the table.
Am I really getting this all so wrong?
Are my brothers actually right?
Maybe I shouldn’t do this. Maybe I’m not cut out for having a wife. Maybe I’m not even cut out for having friends.
Caring only about myself was so much easier than this. But Chloe has done something irreversible to my brain. Because of her, I can barely think straight. Every single day since we’ve met, she has been making me dizzy.
And the worst part is, I don’t want the dizziness to end. I want her to keep making me feel butterflies in my stomach. I want her to keep making me feel like I’m becoming a better man.
I’ve never felt that before.
It’s a change I don’t think I’m doing a great job of.
I’m almost surprised when, twenty minutes later exactly, Chloe appears again in the dining room. “Ready to go?” she asks.
I jump to my feet. “Yeah. Follow me.”
We head through the house together, weaving through the corridors until we reach the back door. I hold it open for her, then follow her out into the bright sunlight.
The gardeners are out in force, filling the air with a background hum of grass-cutting. They’ve been out for the last few days, working with the landscapers to prepare for the public opening of the land. All the trees are neatly trimmed, and the flowerbeds are weed-free and color-coordinated.
Chloe blinks as she steps out, taking it all in. She smiles. I guess all this is so normal to me that I barely think about it. But she’ll be noticing the perfectly clear waters of the fountain, the mountains in the distance, the cobbled paths that were built with stones designed to complement the grass and flowers perfectly.
“This is gorgeous,” she says, eyes wide.
“It’s pretty good, isn’t it?” I agree. “This house is actually one of the newer ones that my family owns. It was built in 1873, shortly after a period of economic downturn. As the economy started to get better, my family built this place as a way of giving something back to the people. I know what you’re thinking — how on earth does building a new house do anything for the people? — but for most of the year, we open it up for the public to come and walk in the grounds. It’s a free park for everyone to come into and roam around.”
“That’s a nice idea,” Chloe says, still looking around in awe. “I would like walking here.”