“Jessalyn! Wait!” His gravelly voice sounded over the market place, making the stylish customers as well as the traders turn their heads.

Jessalyn, dressed in her best gown, rushed through the stands. These colorful compositions filled with gleaming fruits and exotic-smelling herbs usually never left her in the cold. But as Rahim was still shouting her name, Jessalyn wanted nothing more than to disappear into thin air.

Careful not to trip over the hem of her dress, she grasped onto the long cotton skirt, lifting it slightly. As Rahim made his way through the crowd, trying to catch up to her, Jessalyn rushed into a small alley. The grey cobblestones slowed her down, while the narrowness made her uncomfortable.

“Jessa! Please, I can explain,” Rahim’s voice almost trembled, if it’s from exertion or pain, Jessalyn would never know. She came to a halt, turned around and stifled a groan. His otherworldly beauty made it way too difficult for her to say what needed to be said, hence, she hesitated for a moment, scanning his body. His dark curls sat perfect as always while his dark eyes emitted sorrow.

”You. You hurt me, Rahim. You’ve caused me so much pain, yet the love I feel for you blinds me of it!”

Rahim’s jaw dropped, the seconds ticked by. Jessalyn felt her blood creep up her face, embarrassed by the words she had expressed. “Jessa…” Rahim gritted his teeth, afraid of what ridiculous admission might slip out of his mouth. Yes, he loved her and being away from her killed him every time, but he still had his pride. He was the prince, not some fool who was blinded by love. He and Jessalyn, they could never have a future together, as much as he wished it was different.

“Jessa…,” he mumbled quietly, “I…”

Jessalyn huffed in disbelief, turned around and started to walk away. A strong hand grabbed her wrist. “Jessalyn. I am terribly sorry for everything I have done to you, but…” Rahim did not know what to say, how to express his love and his pain. Jessalyn turned to face Rahim, tears welling up in her eyes. Rahim’s heart skipped a beat, only to palpitate even faster after a second. This woman, this stunning person, she meant so much to him. Too much, even. In that moment, seeing Jessalyn like this… he lost the ability to think rationally. In one flowing motion, he pulled her tight and pressed his lips on hers. This kiss, just like all the other stolen ones, shook his world. He was utterly hers and nothing else mattered. After a split second, Jessalyn pulled away.

“I am not just some strumpet you can kiss whenever you want, Rahim. I have feelings,” she chided, crushing Rahim’s euphoria to smithereens.

Jessa grabbed her skirt and continued her escape. Her heart ached with every step she took, but succumbing to his charm again was no option.

A prince and his maid, this match was never made in heaven.

[Note: I am not a native speaker and in this story I tried to use some advanced expressions, I hope I used them correctly ^^

My goal is to write advanced stories but there is still a long way to go haha

Also, I kind of got confused with the tenses, I hope I didn’t make any mistakes.

Thanks for feedback

~Lee]