The Romantic

He didn’t realize it then—when he roamed silently among the meadows of his desire—that he understood something about her and about their fate that would divulge itself in the years to come. Celeste became his unquenchable passion, and there no longer existed another girl who could satisfy it.

She was a girl when he first met her, the youngest of thirteen daughters, inexperienced in matters of love. But Hadriel immediately recognized the potential of the woman she would someday become.

At first they maintained a careful distance from each other, but their shared interests drew them closer. They cultivated a friendship during a slow year of conversations about their eclectic musical and reading tastes. Her melodic voice and creative inclinations assisted with the development of Hadriel’s music, and they won each other’s confidence by collaborating on the composition of new music.

The ballads revealed the depth of her emotions and the innocence of her heart, which had a charm of restorative romance that had been lost to Hadriel in the absence of Sophia.

He had been inclined to discuss his past with Celeste, but he felt it more prudent to not re-open old wounds. In lieu of pursuing love with the ghost of his dreams, Hadriel allowed himself to be lured away along the path of passion that led to another who possessed a personal instinct for love.