((It's fine))

Ezekiel took his arm away from her and wrapped it around her, resting his hand on her shoulder. He could feel some tenseness leave him as he looked out at the serene beauty that the sun seemed to cast over the land.

The different shades of color perplexed him and at the same time reminded him of his mother and the beauty in Verona's smile. He glanced down at her for a moment and then looked back at the sun.

"The sun is bright," he said after a moment. "I don't think we'll be working in the garden again today since we already worked in it yesterday. What do you want to do today?"

Wrapping her arms around Ezekiel's waist, Verona closed her eyes; a gentle breeze drifting over the two of them. Resting her head against his side, Verona felt incredibly calm. The type of calm that she got with him. Like being herself was enough for him.

"We can do whatever you want," she said. "As for my suggestion.. I could work on a tan back down by the river. I could use one of those."

Pulling back a slight, she smiled up at Ezekiel. "And wouldn't you just love to see me in a bikini?"
She giggled. "And I think I look lovely with a tan. And you could lay out with me."

Ezekiel hated the idea but since he couldn't think of anything better to do he just nodded slightly. He would sit in the shade for the most part and read if he could but he would want to talk to Verona, if she didn't mind.

"I think we can arrange that," he said with a coy smile. "If you let me see you in a swimsuit."

He was teasing her slightly on the last bit and his grin made it even more obvious. He laughed after a moment before letting go of Verona slightly.

Verona only blushed a bit with a laugh, nudging Ezekiel slightly.
And today would be nice. She would get to lay out in the sun, and maybe swim a little bit, read, whatever.
Also, it was time to spend with Ezekiel, and that was always a plus, always.

"Then it's set." She told him while nodding. "We can go around lunch time maybe. I can read, catch the sun, and swim all at once. And then, I'll bug you."

Ezekiel by this time had reasoned with himself. He'd also convinced himself that this rest would be good since he was behind in sleep.

"Well then I'll try to sleep some if I can," he said with a grin. "That is if you don't mind?"

He'd only sleep if she was capable of preoccupying herself. Other than that he'd spend every second with her if he could.

"I don't mind." She told him. "I can keep busy, and stuff. I can always find something to do.""

Staring off into the distance, Verona sighed.
Things seemed just so perfect. But when would things go wrong? She knew they would eventually, that something would happen.. She could just, feel it in a way.
And it bothered her a bit.

Ezekiel wrapped his arms around her so that she was in front of him. He could almost smell her air but he was a bit to tall, or she was a bit too short.

"When I was a little kid," Ezekiel began. "I always thought that sunsets were the best thing but now that I think about sunrises are better."

He seemed to paused slightly in what he was saying to better formulate his thoughts. He did this occasionally to make sure that the words came out right.

"It's like a symbol of a new day and a new chance to set everything right. I'm sorry for how I treated you when you came to visit me when I had my hangover."

After a second, Verona nodded a bit, and smiled.
"I will not hold that against you. I already told you that you've been forgiven.. And now, I understand things a bit more.. There is no reason to be sorry."

Staring back towards the sun, that already seemed mostly risen, Verona wrapped her arms around Ezekiel's.

"Please don't apologize for nothing.. You have no right to be sorry."

He merely nodded, letting the words she'd spoken seep through his thoughts. If he thought about it more he would feel worse than he already did. It was the best way to guilt trip him.

"I will try," he said smoothly, words almost like silk. "But there comes a point in one's life where a realization comes along that there is always something you cannot fix, something that you will always regret doing, and something you want to do to just make everything right."

He felt as though he did not deserve to be with Verona. She was beautiful and he was a beast, beauty and the beast? Irony to him in the most reasonable fashion due to the fact that he was in no way shape or form truly a beast. His entire persona floated around a happy nature, and a general desire to be good natured and caring, though his curse had diminished this possibility.

((Woohoo inspiration!))

(Yay for inspiration!)

Nodding, Verona watched the sun at its place in the sky.
And after a moment, she lifted her had, placing it on the back of Ezekiel's neck.
She really didn't know what to say to him. But she would try her best now..
"Ezekiel, there is nothing that you need to regret doing. I was probably being a bit nosy anyway.."

Why did he always act like he was so terrible. Yes, people make mistakes and such, but he acted as though he deserved to die for the things he had done, no matter how simple they were.
There were so many things that were so much worse, but he always acted like apologies were never enough..

"Ezekiel, I know you have been the best person in the world, but neither have I.. You really should not be so hard on yourself.."

Ezekiel had continued to watch the sky. There seemed to be more animals out than there had been at first and he could see a hawk gliding on the upper air currents, searching for its breakfast.

When Verona spoke though he looked back down at her so he could absorb every word she said. In a sense she was completely clear but on the other hand there were things that one must regret doing so that they do not make the mistake of doing it again.

"I'll try," he said gently. "But you weren't being nosy. You were being a kind and caring neighbor to make sure that I was feeling all right in the morning. No one had ever done that for me before..."

He would have added that little bit of information that would have completed the idea but he edited it out, mostly for her sake but also for his own. He'd had a few girls 'spend the night' when he'd been drunk because he had apparently complained of his fear of being alone.

Nodding, Verona understood that sometimes, things were difficult for people, and that things could be complicated. And she knew that for Ezekiel, things probably were that way.
But still, to her, he had done nothing but act like any sane person would have. She didn't even know him at the time anyway..

"Well if it helps at all, I still forgive you."

Looking up to him suddenly, she smiled, and popped him a quick kiss on his cheek.
Oh how she loved to kiss that boy.

Ezekiel had a slightly coy grin on his face at the moment though it would vanish soon since he wanted to do something while they waited till lunch. He was beginning to feel restless almost due to the waiting but he would survive as always.

"I remember when you tasted the long island ice tea," he said with a fiendish grin. "The look on your face was timeless."

He kissed her on the cheek gently so that she wouldn't be too angry at him for teasing her about that. It was pure liquor though so she most likely did not have the resistance to the biter taste it sometimes held.

Verona wrinkled her nose at the thought of that dreadful drink. It was much more than bitter, and she hated it..

"You laughed at me." She reminded as she glanced back up at him.
"And then you proceeded to call me Victoria, or Maria, or... I don't remember."

Laughing a little bit, she leaned up against him for support.
Today would be a good day, and she could feel it.

"Victoria's my cousin," Ezekiel explained. "And she is usually the one that 'watches' me when I go on those little drinking sprees."

He had turned bright red from embarrassment at that point because he could barely remember what had happened. He could just remember her trying it and then it was all fuzzy.

"That note wasn't a very good apology?" he said in a question form though it was more rhetorical. "At that point I wasn't used to do anything that was confrontational in fear of actually having my apology accepted, which would have pleased me beyond no ends and caused the ultimate and undesired change."

"But if it was one thing I am sure of, I know that I wouldn't have judged you for changing or anything.. If I had hugged you or something, and you freaked out, that is.."

Smiling, looked down on her bare toes. They were pink, as usual.
Only this time, more faded, from lack of polishing.

"I probably would have only hugged you more, to br honest."

"I think the curse is broken," he admitted. "To bad I can't change on my own free will. I'm more comfortable in that form, I don't say stupid things so much."

He relaxed again and watched her, waiting for a reaction. She'd have a hard time understanding the ability to be something that you're not (and that you detest), and then later discovering it's easier.
"Do you like my other form?" he asked finally, truly wanting to know her opinion since he always thought it a bit bothersome to never know what he looked like in his alternate or cursed form.

Staring off into the distance, Verona nodded.
"You mean, you as an animal..?"

Pondering out to put things for a moment, she smiled upon finding her exact words..
And how she was wanting to put them, like she would try to make it more effective.

"You were beautiful.." She said. "There were no words to describe it when I saw you.. You were just, I can't say it well enough. There are no words."

She remembered that day quite well. She had cried a lot then too, and that helped to cement it into her brain.

Ezekiel was a bit shocked when she'd spoken. He was in a sense speachless since he'd always considered that form undesirable and hideous.

"Thank you," he said. "For protecting me from my father. No one's done that for me, mostly because it's nearly impossible when he's in the form of a grizzly bear, but what you did was... there's no words to really describe it."

He smiled now, as if in a state of bliss and rested his chin on the top of her head. He felt happy now and if he could he would make this moment last forever.

And that part too, was crystal clear to her.
She remembered how she just threw herself into danger, all for Ezekiel..

"I couldn't let him hurt you." She stated with pride. "I probably would have died trying to protect you there, just like that!"

And if his father had taken a swing at her, she wouldn't have cared.. She would have gone down, fighting for something she cared about.

"It's a very good thing my father liked you," Ezekiel admitted. "He had told me earlier that day that you were a good match for me."

He seemed to cherish the words he spoke as he continued to rest his head. He moved suddenly when Sebastian came out. He'd almost completely forgotten about Sebastian.

"I'll be working on the garden a bit," Sebastian said before walking back to it."

Laughing at Ezekiel's jumpy behavior, Verona turned slightly, and smiled at Sebastian, waving a bit.
It didn't take her long though, to turn back to Ezekiel.
"Well, your father was right." She said. "You do make quite a good match for me, huh?"

Smiling up at him, she brushed a few stray hairs from her face.
"And I promise, I'll make things worth your while soon enough."

And she would, but only if he would let her, which she had a feeling he wouldn't..

Ezekiel ignored her laugh without realizing it partially due to the fact that Veronica had always laughed at him. It was something you got used to when you were in his family.

"Worth my while?" Ezekiel asked with a slight arched eyebrow. "You're very strange at times."

He had a slight clue as to what she could me but other than that he was a bit lost on it. He shifted slightly so that he could have his arm around her so he would know she was there.

Sighing, Verona failed.

"You're so silly." She told him. "Either that, or clueless.."

She merely wrapped her arms around his waist, as usual, and smiled up at him.
He must have really been slow today or something. Because it was indeed quite obvious what she'd meant.

"Do you really not know..?" She asked him. "I mean, really really?"

Ezekiel didn't respond immediately. If she was thinking of the same thing he was then he would absolutely not agree to it. The few women that he had laid with had left him and it had always turned out to be quite a nasty situation.

"If you're thinking of the same thing I am," he said a bit sternly, though he was attempting to be gentle. "I will not allow it."

He watched her a bit more closely now to see if she would have a reaction to this.