Amantes Paralelos Chapter 3 Rough Draft

    The dazzling sight of the woman who stood before him disoriented Ferdinand as he realized they were holding hands. Marianne, on the other hand, was not impressed by the sight she witnessed, and used his dazed state to quickly grab the coins that lay in their hands. The exchange of the two simply staring at each other went on for quite some time; Ferdinand was dumbstruck by Marianne, and Marianne herself was too confused for vocalization, so neither were eagerly making any move to start a conversation. Eventually, Ferdinand came to his sentences and acted on his spontaneous feelings;
“H-hello there, beautiful woman. I am Ferdinand. How… how are you today?”
Marianne quickly snapped back into reality and prepared to seize her moment. “So you find me pretty? Perhaps that’s why you’ve been so eager to take in the sight of me. I am also aware that your name is Ferdinand; we met earlier at the library, and at the fruit stand. I’m glad I finally got to meet someone like you; it’s not every day you get to meet a Garcia in person.”
Ferdinand insisted, “Please, do not focus just on my name. I’m just a man, and one who would like to spend time with you at the moment. Also, I just happened to notice you’re holding a book. which one is it?”
“A new one I’ve never read any time before,” Marianne hastily responded. “The book seemed interesting, and I recall the librarian mentioning it several times before, so I chose to read it. I believe it’s called Don Quixote, but I-”
The face Ferdinand wore instantly switched from his absentminded ear-to-ear smile to a complexion of pure shock. “What? You’ve never read Don Quixote?” Eager not to ruin his chance at a potential date, he hastily made his move. “It’s nothing bad, of course, I’m just surprised a work so famous and influential could go unnoticed by someone of your clear intelligence. If it wouldn’t be much trouble, would you like to read it together?”
Marianne’s confusion at the situation, with her desire to play along standing from a knowledge of the Garcia’s importance and all the reasons to avoid upsetting them, could not be detected by looking at her understated grin. “I’d simply love to , Ferdinand. My name is Marianne, by the way. I am Marianne Adelaide Lucille. You already introduced yourself, so it would be appropriate to do the same, I suppose.”
Ferdinand suddenly connected the dots of why her appearance and accent so unique compared to the others nearby. “I am surprised by that name. That’s the name of a Frenchman, and, thinking about it, you look and sound French as well. Tell me, what brings you here…” Realizing his potential rudeness, he quickly backpedaled; “If I’m not prying too much, that is. It’s a beautiful name either way.”
Marianne grew weary of the conversation instantly; any reminders of the life she once knew did a fine job souring her mood, and this was no exception. “You’ve no need to apologize. As for your answer, my family moved here from Vichy long ago, before…” she nearly broke down in tears internally, but quickly repelled such cognitions and derailed their current discussion, illusory grin still plastered on her face; “In any case, my history isn’t important, but this apparently splendid book is. Let’s say we read it together, if we can find a good location?”
“It would be my pleasure,” the lovestruck boy muttered out in a daze.
    After the extremely disorienting exchange that had just passed, the atmosphere surrounding the two became more relaxed in almost an instant. The duo became much more eager to interact directly rather than just stare at each other with blank perplexion, which both of them saw as a step towards their goals.
    The glowing light of the sun had been shining down on them for most of the day, given the exceptional weather they had been receiving recently. Despite this, both of them had neglected to notice due to having spent most of the day inside so far. However, sitting on a bench together on this bright midsummer day made them finally take note of their surroundings. This extended beyond how bright it was; it was also rather warm compared to previous days of the month, the hedges in the town square seemed to have been trimmed very recently, and most of the chatter in the square itself had disappeared as people progressed to wherever they needed to go. All of these made for the perfect afternoon reading location, as well as the scenery setting a somewhat romantic tone, which Ferdinand was quick to realize.
    As they flipped their pages in perfect synchronization, Marianne finally garnered the courage to say her first words after their initial interaction; “The opening of this book is rather silly. How does one believe in such silly romance stories, much less dedicate their life to emulating them?”
    “Of course it’s silly; this is supposed to be a comedy,” Ferdinand energetically retorted. “Also, I think it was mentioned that the man was deprived of sleep, and he was also an old man. Sleep-deprived old men aren’t the best judges of what is sensible.”
    “You seemed quite a bit more energetic when discussing the book. The librarian also seemed quite familiar with you. I take it you are one who enjoys reading?”
    “Quite the observant one, are we, mademoiselle? Indeed, I have quite the fascination with fine literature, and would consider myself a knowledgeable authority on the subject. Why, I’d wager that I’m perhaps the most studious and knowledgeable gentleman in this entire town in regards to the subject such as literary history! I could go about rambling about the subject for quite a while, if we’re being honest, and I most certainly-“
    “It was just as expected. You truly are quite the bookworm, aren’t you?” Marianne let out a quiet giggle upon fully processing the information she had gleaned.
    “I would be mad at you for laughing at me, but your beautiful face, and that adorable laugh… it all just makes it too hard to stay mad at you.”
    Marianne instantly recalled her mission in this moment, and came to the conclusion that her objective for today had finally been completed. She had found a vulnerability she could exploit within one of the wealthiest men in Spain. It was all just too good to be true; a few dropped coins now held the potential to completely change her life and realize her ambitions. She quickly slipped a jovial ear-to-ear grin over her face and an elated, high-pitched tone in her voice, half genuine and half a facade to please her unwitting savior. “I truly did have a lovely time with you today, but I’m afraid I must leave now. It grows dark, and I have some additional assignments for Miguel I must complete. When shall we meet again? I don’t want to rely on chance encounters.”
    “I will meet with you whenever you desire. How would you feel if we met here, tomorrow, at 6 o’clock in the afternoon?”
    “That sounds exquisite. Adieu!”
    Both parties left the square that day immensely satisfied in themselves for completing their goal. Ferdinand wandered around the town for a bit, eventually returning home to find Jojo confused about his lengthy disappearance. Meanwhile, Marianne performed her typical evening ritual, wandering into Miguel’s tavern and settling in for another drink. Today, however, she entered jovially with surprising news;
    “God has smiled upon me today, Miguel. I have wonderful news.”