Author's note: I want to both dedicate and thank my best friend Christopher for helping to inspire this particular story. Without his imagination and encouragement, this particular story would still be floating around in my head as simply an idea.
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Juliana Mackay and her friends seemed to drift through the mingling crowds of the fairgrounds, their gossip and chatting intermingled with soft laughter and giggles drifting to those just around them. With as much noise from the Highland games, music, laughter, and boisterous conversations that surrounded them, there was no way any one would be able to decipher the topic of their conversation unless they were amid their small, tight-knit group. But whatever it was, it was apparent that the girls were enjoying their time at the fairs and their opportunity to mingle with people that they didn't see on a regular basis.
The small group of young women would stop every now and then by another group of girls that they had made acquaintances with but the giggles and laughter seemed to come faster and harder every time they passed a group of young men that were littered throughout the fairgrounds. However, Juliana didn't seem to find much joy or fun in the giddiness of her friends, especially when it came to the young men. She had, in her own opinion at least, more important things on her mind than the prospect of catching a young man's eye. Unfortunately for her though, she had been blessed with the looks that girls envied and men desired ... long waves of fiery locks and emerald-green eyes, all atop a body that she tried desperately to dress in clothes that didn't accentuate her ripe curves and long legs.
Colin Mackenzie stood rather desolate amongst a gathering of young men playing a game of ball. They were laughing and having a grand old time. However, Colin stood out amongst the gathering as the only one not smiling. He didn't seem to be enjoying the festivities much until one of his friends jabbed him roughly in the stomach. Grunting, he glared momentarily at him before laughing. It was apparent they were all determined to make Colin enjoy himself regardless if he wanted to or not.
The ball was thrown at him and he caught it in his left hand, tossing it back to the thrower. At least a smile had been drawn for a while as he had finally gotten involved with the game. It was a ball game commonly played amongst the young men of the clans. Colin ran straight into the back of one of his friends and they both tumbled. The friend had stopped to eye a gaggle of girls that were passing.
Juliana was in the middle of her group ... she always seemed to be even though most of the time her thoughts were elsewhere. For some reason, the girls seemed to be more giggly than usual and she glanced around to find the source of why they had slowed to a bare crawl.
"What? I swear by all that is holy, what's going on now?" she quipped, somewhat irritated and somewhat good-naturedly.
She heard one of the girls murmur softly, "Oooo, he's got to be the best one out of the bunch" and with that Juliana's eyebrows furrowed, turning her face completely to see who they were ogling now.
Colin cursed and got up, dusting himself off. "Damn you Cedric. Can't you keep your focus for even five minutes?" Then he looked in the direction Cedric had been fixated, flushing as the girls started giggling and talking amongst themselves. Shyly he rubbed the back of his neck and stepped back from Cedric. He had never done well with the female sort. They had a tendency to stare at him what with his rugged good looks.
He had long dark hair that was generally tied back in a tight braid or at least a ponytail and always wore loose tunics in attempt to keep females from groping him with their eyes. Though today his mother had pestered over him and insisted he wear a low-cut neckline of a tunic without any undershirt. It felt odd to him but he had no choice. The tunic was cinched at the waist by a black belt and his black pants were all dirty from the game, tucked into knee-high boots.
It was obvious as to which young man the girls were ogling and as Juliana saw him nervously step back and avert his gaze along with the tell-tale hand that he used to brush along his neck; she couldn't help but feel his pain. Even as she gazed at him with this sort-of empathetic look on her face, she could feel the stares of the other men in his group. It was their comments that snapped her back from the moment that she gazed at the other boy with him that brought the fire back in her jaded green gaze. All of them were alike ... ogling and commenting over her body, angering her further that she had dressed "as a lady" on this day of celebration. She would have given anything to rid herself of the corset that pushed her ample bosom up even more as if to encourage the stares of the young men in the group.
Turning her nose up at them, Juliana hurried her steps along even if the other girls moaned their disapproval at having to move on so quickly but like little chickens in a group, they quickly gathered round her again and began their chattering and giggling as usual.
Cedric approached his somewhat shy friend and slapped him on the back with a laugh. "That red head was sure staring at you, Colin."
Colin shrugged and stepped back again, looking at his friend. He knew the girl Cedric was speaking of. He'd caught her gaze for only a fraction of a second. She'd seemed like him... not really wanting to be here.
"Ooooo Juliana! Wasn't he gorgeous?" Lucinda sidled up beside her friend, giggling almost insanely. She was flushed. The day was hot and the constant twittering hadn't helped any.
Juliana sighed as their group stopped off by a stand for refreshments. This dress was getting the best of her and she tugged at the lacy bodice that kept itching at her chest and shot her friend Lucinda a look that would have withered most girls if she had even been paying attention but she kept glancing back at the group of young men that they had left just a few yards behind.
"I don't know ... which one?" she asked, pulling the hand fan out and snapping it out to get the still air around her moving. What she wouldn't give for a nice refreshing swim in the lake nearby. She followed her friend's stare for a moment to see that the boys were still standing around, much like their own group, instead of resuming the game they had stumbled across.
"That tall one. There." Lucinda brazenly pointed toward Colin and giggled. "The one with the blonde. He looked at you, Julie ... didn't you notice?" She looked back at Juliana in shock, furrowing her brows and looked all sorts of flustered. "Really, Juliana ... you're of marrying age now. Looking is invited, you know. Even encouraged!"
Juliana glanced at Colin again even as her hand reached up and snatched Lucinda's arm down. "Heavens, don't point! What are you trying to do? Make us look like a bunch of sniveling, giggling idiots?!"
At times like these, Juliana wanted to just be alone out on the rolling Highlands on horseback instead of stuffed inside a dress that put her on display. But her gaze lingered on the young man that her friend had pointed out for a fraction of a second too long and Lucinda caught her look. "You DID notice! I knew it!" and that threw the whole group of girls into giggling fits again as they all looked and began twittering around Juliana who didn't know whether to blush or to grow angry.
