Rosamere was sitting in her favorite garden, reading the quick letter that Fabian had sent before he was off to Lorendale. These last two weeks had been a bit of a whirlwind of emotions from all over the spectrum. She'd been getting to know Fabian better, had started to care for him a bit, only for another situation to crop up out of nowhere to sweep that out from underneath he once again. The letter was sweet and so was the enclosed ring, but the circumstances around it made it all the more bittersweet.

Her head shot up as she heard someone enter the garden and she curled the ring into her hand, surprised that anyone was coming to this garden. When she saw who it was, she was confused until he told her why he was here. Her eyes were prickling and misty but she hadn't actually cried. "I... don't know."

At the look on her face and her reply Fred closed the distance between them, concern in his eyes. “I’m sure he’s going to be fine.” He hoped he wasn’t. He hoped he died so that Fred could marry Rosa instead.

…. That was a terrible thing to think. He was ashamed to have thought it.

“I brought you some things to help you feel better,” he said, showing her his arm full of things, most in a basket. There were her favorite pastries from a nearby bakery, more flowers in bright and happy colors, several potion ingredients- ones that he knew she used the most often, three new scarves in various colors, and a very soft blanket.

Frederick's smile was eager and earnest. "Oh I know. It wasn't about the need to do anything, I just wanted to, Rosamere." Because I'd do anything for you. I would lay down in the snow in the path of a carriage just so you could walk across the road without your adorable little toes being frozen. "Because we're friends, right?" Just friends? Yes, it had to be just friends. Unless...? No, no. She said they had to be just friends. But look at her pretty pink lips. He had wanted to kiss those lips for years. Now he'd never get the chance. What a fool he'd been to have been too afraid to tell her how he felt earlier. Idiot. Idiot.

"Not as wonderful as you, but I try," he said with a humble shrug. Fred looked to the bench and sat down with a grin, looking up at her like a precious little puppy, a strand of his curly hair had fallen from the knot he had pulled it into and it brushed against his cheek. He patted the spot next to him.

"You can tell me how you're feeling, you know," he said, just happy to listen to her voice.

Fred was very aware of how close they ware as she sat beside him. He had never had a problem being the gentleman with her, never trying to take advantage of her in any way. Though in the past she was unaware of his feelings for her. While she had told him that they couldn't be together it had not changed his feelings in the slightest. He couldn't help how much he loved her. His heart skipped a beat as she reached for him, having not expected the action, and he stared into her beautiful face as she brushed back his hair.

Out of instinct his hand moved to capture hers as she moved to pull it back. The expression in his eyes for a moment was intense and adoring. Would he ever find someone even half as perfect for him as she was? He didn't think so. His gaze shifted as he smiled and squeezed her hand softly before releasing her. He gave a little shrug. "It's no big deal. Just hair, right?" But oh how he loved even that small touch.

Of course he saw the way her gazed dropped to his lips. It was quick but he was looking right at her and even more aware of her every move in this moment. It made him want to lean in to kiss her, his heart leaping in his chest. He really wanted to but he also loved her too much to do that to her. He didn't want to complicate her life or her marriage. He didn't want to do anything that she might feel she had to tell her betrothed about. Still...it was just a kiss and they weren't married yet.

He carefully reached out his hand, his fingers dragging along a beautiful dark tendril of her hair. He leaned a little bit closer to her, his heart racing. He wanted to ask her for a kiss, just one, just a memory that he could hold onto when she was a married woman and officially out of his grasp. But he couldn't do it. Damn him for being such a good person. Ben would have done it. But Fred's love for Rosamere was too strong to do that too her.

So he stayed where he was, his fingers playing with her hair, but not moving any closer. "See? Just hair," though he felt the tension in the air between them. It was likely one sided but he was okay with that. He could love her enough for the both of them.

Her question had heat rushing into his cheeks, the tips of his ears turning a little red. His heart raced. So maybe the tension wasn't one sided after all. He leaned a little closer to her, his eyes moving from her down to her lips. He moved very slowly, slow enough that she could stop him at any moment. If she hadn't stopped him yet then when he got close enough he would brush his lips very softly against hers, not a kiss but a feather like touch.

He was pretty sure his heart had stopped beating for a moment. If she still hadn't stopped him he would press his lips to hers in a kiss, his hand moving from her hair to softly rest against her cheek.