Chapter 98: Nice (2)
Soon the awkward silence that Annalise hated when Rafael was around came back, and she was left to look out the window and occasionally hold the basket to stop fruits and vegetables from decorating the floor.
Rafael had not looked her way since she told him about not helping her, and she was strangely not certain if she preferred it to be this way with him since he had become more silent than usual. The talking helped her feel like she could breathe around him.
Annalise felt relieved to see the familiar market finally in view. Now they could get out of the carriage, which seemed to have become smaller and smaller the further they got away from his parent’s home.
The carriage stopped in the middle of the road, where all the other carriages letting off their passengers stopped so they could go park in a nearby area.
Rafael turned his attention to Annalise, who made no attempt to move when the carriage stopped. He tapped his fingers on the door to give her an idea of what he was waiting for. It was she who wanted him to stop opening the door, so why was she sitting still?
"In the short time it has taken for us to get here, have you forgotten that you have asked me not to treat you nicely? I agreed to it, and I thought it was understood that you would not be opening the door for me," Rafael said.
Oh, right," Annalise answered, scooting down her seat to be near him. "My apologies. I will be better at it next time," she said, pushing open the door and getting out to hold it for him.
It felt better this way, and as she expected, those walking by slowed down when they saw Rafael getting out of the carriage. The whispering and looks of excitement started.
Annalise understood that being a well-known knight would make him popular, but for him to stir up a crowd like this was weird. Annalise proceeded to close the carriage door, inspecting Rafael from head to toe as she did so. Looks and money was important here, but shouldn’t that be boring by now?