Duncan felt nervous as he flooed to the Arbons. Something had...changed between him and Araceli during his last year at Sonora and while that was now two years ago, he still wondered what it was as they never seemed to have gotten it back. She had seemed different to him somehow and to this day, Duncan still wondered what he’d done wrong. The only other notable event of his last year of school was getting Head Boy and while that seemed like a good and impressive thing, he wondered if maybe because of it, he had not spent enough time with Araceli.
But he kept trying, he wrote to her all the time, long tales of things he was up to, while at the same time trying to keep with what she was doing and always making sure to tell her how much he missed her.
Still, he worried that she wasn’t interested any more and that he was only kept around because either her father wanted to marry her off to a Brockert-he wasn’t being arrogant about his last name, it was just that he knew the power it carried-or because there were no other prospects. And what if there was someone else Araceli liked instead? Duncan couldn’t figure out who that could possibly be though. He couldn’t think of anyone at Sonora that was a possibility though. He didn’t think there was anyone in her class that would be considered appropriate and he couldn’t imagine an Arbon being interested in someone who wasn’t.
But Duncan didn’t want to be wanted for Araceli by Mr. Arbon for being a Brockert, he wanted it to be Araceli who wanted him for who he was. Like before.
What had gone wrong?
“Good afternoon, Miss Arbon.” He bowed, accepting the brush from Delphine. “Thank you.” Duncan brushed himself off.
His eyes fell on Araceli. She was so beautiful and sweet, even with the change he’d noticed. Ever since then, she’d seemed shyer, more like his sister was and that elicited the same protective instincts in him that Juniper did, though Duncan certainly didn't have brotherly feelings towards Araceli. Like she needed him more, even though she didn’t seem to want him as much.
Maybe something else had happened to her and he wasn’t the problem? Oh, he hoped he wasn’t the problem! Yet, he didn’t want anything else bad to have happened to her either. The thought made him a little ill.
“Hello, Araceli.” Duncan greeted her with a bow too.