#akali: damn you shouldnt be doing th--

[kalijhomentethi]

the books are heavier than evelynn expects, but that doesn't cease her efforts in carrying them all by herself along the dirt path. in truth, she's only made it a meager fifty or so feet from the library, but she wasn't going to dwell too much on that.

with an indigent huff, she shifts her weight ( and books ) in her arms and continues on her way, not quite seeing beyond the pile of literature that occupies her arms. least if nothing else, whoever she walks into, isn't full on barged into ; rather an admittedly pathetic bump and startled " oh! " in her native tongue as she realizes what exactly has happened.

stumbling back, she leans forward slightly to peer over the pile of books at the poor person she's walked into. at once her cheeks flush upon sight of the handsome farmer she's been eyeing day and night for when passing by with her papa for weeks on end now. " pardon me -- i haven't cause any injury, have i? "

the farmer carefully carries the crate of milk bottles, weaving through other deliverypeople and shopkeepers restocking for the day. she's the designated errand person of her family business. perhaps if she were younger, she'd think it's because she does a better job that anyone else, but she knows better now. she's made a good number of deliveries already, so there's not many bottles left to send, even when she's slowed down her pace on purpose to delay her return to the farm. the glasses clink against each other with each step.

"morning—" akali is in the middle of a greeting, head tilting towards her neighbor, when she gets bumped into from the side, letting out a soft startled sound in response. were the bump a little harder, she might've been concerned for the products she's carrying.

a turn of her head, eyebrows raising at the sight of the tower of books. "you should carry those 'round with a bag instead," akali begins talking before she sees who exactly it was that bumped into her. that familiar pretty pair of blues staring right at her, blond hair cascading down her shoulders and framing her akin to an angel as the sun shines down on her… it’s her. of all the people to encounter like this, it had to be the foreigner who’s had her eye for who knows how long now, the one who can make her walk right into an unattended rake, the one that can make her family's calls of attention enter one ear and leave the other.

akali turns as red as the woman, suddenly wishing to cover herself up with the crate in her hands. oh. oh dear. she did not expect this. she stands there, cheeks and ears alight, trying to fight off the shy smile that seems to be making its way on to her face. this woman looks so endearing when she's flustered.

(anyone would be flustered when bumping into someone, she supposes. but she remembers the longing stares they've shared. nary a word out of each other's mouths before this, neither name on their tongues, and yet...)

the sound of the woman's voice has akali's whole body tingling, butterflies erupting in her gut, and she feels much too conscious of herself now that the pretty lady is right in front of her. she wasn't even the one that caused the bump, yet she feels as if she should be the one apologizing instead.

"no, no." a quick shake of her head, nervousness settling in her bones once she manages to get past the initial wave of awe and adoration that overtook her. how is she supposed to act around the person that she's been dreaming to meet, past the fence, past their responsibilities that force the distance between them? it's all too easy to simply let herself fall into her gaze now that she can see much clearly just how beautiful she is. she feels her breath seem to escape her as she stares, heartbeat too loud in her ears.

"no need to 'pologize, miss. no harm done. just a little surprised, is all." a gulp, nodding towards the books. then, a glance back to her face to take in every little detail. having the pretty stranger look at her head on is making her knees feel weak. the grip on the crate tightens, something to ground herself. god, she's just so much more gorgeous up close. "seems a lot to be carrying all at once. need some help with that?"