Breeze moved gently through the garden as a long silence followed
"I thought that if I asked ....Jude finally broke the silence
Then he took a brief pause, stopping himself while Scarlett waited for him to continue
"I thought that if I asked, you might reconsider", he finally continued
"I actually reconsidered", she replied
Jude's eyes lit up immediately
"I spent the whole night thinking about it a lot", she continued
His face let out a faint smile of hope
"And after thinking about it carefully...….I still reached the same answer", she added quietly
The words hurt Jude more than the initial answer because she had given him a glimpse of hope only to cut it short
Scarlett stepped closer to him until only a small distance separated them
"Jude.....", she said softly
Then looked at him directly into his eyes
"I want you to know that important decisions can't be based on emotions alone", she continued
Her breathing slowed slightly
