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the intertwining of the souls of Neil and Audre began on a blissfully warm April day in 1950.

days of sunshine were few and far between in that curious transitional period between spring and winter and young Neil was determined to spend it outside, feeling the sun rays envelop his body like a crown. much to his chagrin however his parents had a rather different idea for the day.

they intended to visit an old family friend. Neil after hearing this news felt practically sick with dread. He could feel his dreams of climbing the old oak tree of his garden, bathing his feet in the babbling stream and playing cowboys and Indians slip through his fingers. rather than enjoying himself in the gorgeous weather, he was instead going to be stuck in a large manor house.

he could almost feel strangled by the building despite never having been there before. he would be surprised to find that he was not the only person envisioning the meeting with an all-consuming feeling of despondence.

he would be even more surprised if he were to know that the girl he should meet there would be the girl he would one day wed. that her hand would one day take him and all the world would feel like that marvellous ray of sun that shined down on him throughout that day.

the girl in question was of course Audre Blessing. a ten-year-old Audre was taking refuge in the library of the manor's house when she was told the news. she had been wrapped up in the warming comfort of pride and prejudice, a book which was seemingly far too complex for a girl of her age. hastily she blinked back tears at the thought of leaving the friends she had found in the Bennett sisters in favour of a dreadful dinner party.

unfortunately, it was not her decision to make and she was rushed upstairs to her room. when up there the maids were sent up after her to help her get ready. she was changed out of her mother's wedding dress with the shorn hem that when left to her own devices she always chose despite the yellowing in colour and fraying of hems. instead, she was instructed to change into a fashionable green frock. the frock had a large petticoat underneath that spun when she twirled. a fact that Audre decided was somewhat of a redeeming quality. it still wasn't the lace wedding dress though. a fact which faced no opportunity of solving. Her hair was then brushed thoroughly, and her unruly waves were pulled off her face with a green ribbon in the very same shade as the offending dress.

when Audre was finally deemed appropriate enough to be seen by the outside world she was sent downstairs to her mother who subsequently inspected her before offering a quick nod of her head. those sharp nods meant the world to Audre due to them being the only sort of affection her mother offered her. Audre smiled brightly and then sat down on the rattan material of a chair. her eyes followed the ever-present swinging of the old grandfather clock as she tried to decide what the visiting family would look like. pleasantly she did not have to wonder for long.

Neil leaned his head on the cool wood of his father's Bentley and his eyes followed the sun-dappled forests they raced past. watching it all he felt a hollow sort of sadness which only heightened as he saw various animals hiding within the forests. from a doe with her fawns to squirrels running across the branches of the large oak trees.

his eyes grew heavy as he imagined shrinking down to their size and taking part in all the daily tasks of the fauna of the forest. he then thought to himself that if he was that small his parents would probably place him in a glass jam jar. he felt like he was in that jam jar already. he was certain he would never leave the jam jar.

eventually, he heard the car brake and he lazily opened an eye. his mother was looking at him anxiously her weary eyes watching him. he offered a small smile to his mother and got out of the car. his unenthusiasm weighing him down like an anchor of a warrior ship. stepping out of the car he drank in the grand house.

despite Neil's preconceived ideas about the meeting he had to admit that the house was breathtaking. it held an outdated yet glorious sort of appeal that captured his heart regardless of whether he liked what was held inside. unfortunately, he didn't have long to take in the beauty of the house only because his family rushed to the door.

Audre jumped up after hearing the knock on the door. she quickly patted down any creases that had appeared on her dress and painted a polite smile on her face. one of the maids opened the door and when she saw the family waiting outside Audre allowed herself a long sigh of relief.

standing there was a middle-aged couple and their son. if she were to guess she would assume that he was her age, maybe a bit older. he was tall though and more on the lanky side. with dark brown hair and warm brown eyes, he was undeniably cute. he smiled softly at her causing her cheeks to faintly heat up. mentally she scolded herself for allowing herself to get flustered, she quickly regained some semblance of composure.

she noticed that the adults were all shaking hands and kissing each other's cheeks. walking over to the boy she held out her hand for him to shake. the boy awkwardly stared at her hand unsure what to do. Audre whispered to him "you just shake it." the boy nodded and then whispered back "I was only unsure about whether I was supposed to shake your hand or kiss you on the cheek" he spoke slightly with a slightly raspy voice because he was whispering. he looked slightly embarrassed at not knowing what to do and he nervously scratched the back of his neck.

Audre tried to smile in an understanding manner. she supposed that his family must be new money because she had known her whole life how to act in situations like this her whole life. sometimes she wondered where the facade began and the real her finished. but that was beside the point now. instead, she glanced around and when the two sets of parents had drifted to another room. she grabbed his hand.

"come with me" she spoke softly her voice barely above a whisper.

he nodded before asking. "where are we going?"

"to my kingdom" she responded and with that, she took his hand once more and the two of them ran through the empty passages of the house leading them to a garden.

Neil couldn't contain the smile that spilled onto his face. he had spent his whole day so far dreaming of exploring a space covered with greenery and now it was happening. he looked at the smaller girl and she mirrored his expression. inexplicable joy danced between their eyes. a wonderfully warm sense of understanding and validation drifted unspoken between them and their interlocked hands.

they played various games together both ignoring the fact that to most people they were far too old for stories like that anymore. they imagined that they were peter pan and wendy or cinderella and the prince. as these games grew so did the bond that formed between them like a flower slowly unfurling its petals. as they explored the vast forest of Audre's garden they came to a curious little stream that ran through the middle. Neil was quick to take his shoes and socks off and roll up his trousers however Audre stood on the edge trying to work out how to not dirty her dress. she sounded almost sheepish before saying

"I usually just take my dress off, you know. because I have my petticoat and underdress beneath it. but mother said never to undress in front of a man"

Neil said in response "I can turn away if it would make you feel any better"

Audre nodded and Neil turned. when she finally gave him the ok to turn around, Neil felt his jaw slack. the white of the underdress complimented her perfectly and the lace looked so terribly pretty on her.

"you look like an angel," Neil said his voice suddenly feeling awfully hoarse.

Audre smiled at him widely and Neil knew even then that he would do anything to make her smile at him like that again. that he would spend his whole life trying to make her smile.

he took her hand in his as they crossed the river. and at that moment Audre knew that's how it must always be, Audre and Neil just as another Audrey had once sung "two drifters off to see the world."

though they didn't know it at that moment their souls, hearts and lives became intertwined forevermore. though if they had known I'm certain they would have been happy to hear that.

so that was the first chapter of new age nepotism!!! i hope you liked it because i worked very hard on it!!! in case you couldn't tell i'm a sucker for childhood friends to lovers + innocent adoration for each other. also let me know if you noticed the obscure 2000s movie reference because if so i love you. well i love anyone who's reading this and yes that includes you!!! i love you all!!!

from yours truly,

flo <3333