Complications of love

"You can't just sit there all night."

The ceilidh music blared in the background of the small, crowded hall bouncing off the walls like it was a rubber ball,

"I've done it before. Never underestimate my ability to idle."

"Will you please just get up and dance with me?" He was trying anything now, even bringing out the puppy eyes. 

"I told you," she said, shifting in her seat so that she was facing him, "all I'm going to end up doing is stepping on your toes, remember what happened last time?"

He did, she broke his toe, which made him unable to walk for nearly six weeks.

"Please?" He glanced at her face to see she was smiling at him.

"Fine." She got up and grabbed his hand. "But only one dance."

They moved to the centre of the floor just as the host was announcing the next dance.

"Next, we have the dashing white sergeant, please find a set of 6."

Two other sets joined up with the young couple as they took their place on the dance floor just as the music started up.

The boy found himself getting lost in the flow of the dance, the only thing he could concentrate on was the sight of the beautiful girl twirling in front of him, she was dazzling, her blonde hair whipped by her face and her cheeks turned a charming shade of pink. He found her mesmerizing, if only she felt the same.

"See! I told you you could do it!" 

"I was pretty good," She said to him with an air of haughtiness, "at least I didn't break your toe again." 

He was thankful for that fact, he was thankful for everything about her; the way her smile lighted up the room, the way she laughed like no one was watching her, the way her forehead wrinkled by her eyebrows when she was concentrating. He loved her, but she wouldn't feel the same. That s what he had never told her how he felt, he was scared (although he'd never admit it) he didn't want to lose her. He couldn't lose her.

"BOO!" 

"Seriously?" He said trying to act like he didn't get frightened.

"Daydreaming?" She asked dumping the pile of sweets she'd grabbed from the stall onto the table.

"Something like that, Do you really need all of those sweets?"

"Do you really need to ask?" She laughed off the question and started filling her mouth full of them.

"Feel free to breathe."

"Whatever," she mumbled through the wall of sweets in her mouth.

The rain outside was getting loud now, he heard it battering of the roof, it sounded like snare drums.

"Hey," he was shouting, trying to be heard above the music that had just started back, "come outside with me."

"What, like in the rain?" she gave him a sceptical look while deciding, "Fine but if my dress gets ruined you're buying me a new one."

"Deal."

"Nice weather," he said, trying to make conversation.

"Not really. But then, I prefer the rain. Too much sun hurts my eyes."

They were standing outside in the pouring rain looking out onto the rolling hills in front of them, the horizon seemed to stretch out for miles in front of them.

"Scotland is very beautiful," She whispered.

"So are you," He whispered back.

Her head whipped around to face him,

"What was that?"

"Oh nothing," He sounded nervous.

"I swear to God tell me again or I will break your finger-"

"I like you." He glanced at her face. "I like you a lot, I've liked you for ages and I just can't keep it to myself anymore."

She was silent, her eyes were firmly on the ground as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. I seemed like ages until she spoke again.

"Why?" She managed to croak out, "I'm not cute, or funny, why?"

"Because when I look at you, it's like you're the only one in the room because when you laugh, it makes me laugh because when you're not there, it is like I'm not whole, I need you. You might think you're not funny or cute, but I think you're hilarious and beautiful and you are like the centre of my universe. I've loved you ever since we met. You're my best friend, my human diary, and my other half. You mean the world to me and I love you." He sighed a deeply and lent against the wall. He was soaked through to the skin and was starting to shiver, but he didn't care.

"Please don't," she whispered, "please don't do this."

"Do what?" He took a step towards her and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

She took a step back.

"I can't," she said continuing to step back.

He went to grab her hand but she pulled it back up to her chest.

"I'm sorry, I can't love you."

And with that, she turned and went back to the dance.

He stood there for a while, listening to the rain hit off the tree leaves and the roof, listening to the muffled sound of the lively music from the hall accompanied with the faint laughter in the distance. She didn't love him. He felt empty, of all the people his heart could have chosen, it decided on a girl who didn't have the room in her heart to love him back. A single tear rolled down his face as he cast his gaze to the night sky. The sky was a blue-black colour tonight and the stars were scattered around it like freckles on a face. He wishes she knew how much his heart, knowing that all they would ever be were friends if even friends now after that had happened, but he knew that he would still go to bed every knight dreaming of her, dreaming of holding her hand as they fall asleep under the stars. He wiped the now dry tear stain from his cheek and left the hall. The streets were desolate and dark, just then he noticed that it had stopped raining. Now all he was met by was a deafening silence as he walked home and was left to dream by himself for another day.

You see, cupid sometimes runs out of arrows and only has enough to shoot one person instead of two.