Darkness had settled in for the night. Dinner had been served and the dishes rinsed. Tristan could vaguely hear the whir of the dishwasher as he sat up in his room and tried to read the next scene from Romeo and Juliet. The soft glow from his computer, plus the amber lamplight, illuminated his desk. He hunched over the tattered book, his thumb playing with the bent corner of the page he was on.

“O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright,” Tristan mumbled. “It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night. Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear; Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!” Dropping the book with a sigh, he scrubbed his face. “What the hell does that even mean?”

Scanning the rest of Romeo’s little paragraph, Tristan tried to decipher what he could but was distracted by a bleep from his laptop. Moving the cursor to his mailbox, he clicked on the icon.

His stomach twitched, a smile cresting over his lips.

PrincessHelena - he’d been right.

Pointing the cursor on Helena’s email address, he double-clicked and leaned towards the screen.

What does the A stand for?

~ H

That was all the message said. No greeting, no farewell, aside from a letter. It was a very random start to what would no doubt be a very entertaining conversation. It took Tristan a moment to work out what she was asking and it wasn’t until he spotted his email address that he realized what she meant. With a little snicker, he rested his fingers on the keyboard and typed:

Alex. Tristan Alex Parker.

~ T

He pressed Send and waited, tapping his finger over Romeo’s lines.

An eternity passed—Tristan was sure of it—before his inbox dinged again.

You’ll be pleased to know that Alex means defender of men…a fine name and one that will fit you well. But I have better news yet…Tristan means a knight! So, my faint-hearted adventurer, I am pleased to inform you that your name officially means a knight and defender of men. How absolutely perfect! The wheels were set in motion the day your parents named you. All you need to do now is start living up to such a magnificent title.

~ H

Tristan’s eyes danced with wonder, his heart blooming in his chest as he replied.

You have a way with words that enchants me. I’ve never thought the meanings of names had any significance until I met you. You are a shining light and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you, because my world is dark when you’re not near.

~ T

He cringed, the cursor hovering over the Send button as he reread his babble. Squeezing his eyes shut, he pressed the mouse and bit the inside of his cheek.

Well, well, I’m turning you into a poet. This is indeed a hanging crane moment.

~ H

He snickered, rubbing his hands together and leaning over his keyboard.

I doubt you could ever make a poet out of me. I’m trying to read Romeo and Juliet right now and it’s painful! Why couldn’t Shakespeare just talk like a normal person? His writing is so hard to understand. I’m drowning in ’doths’ and ‘thous,’ and random words tacked on to the end of sentences that don’t make any sense!

~ T

Shakespeare was a genius! And Romeo and Juliet…my heart doth swoon!

I love that play! Yes, it is hard to decipher, but don’t rush through it. There is beauty in those words. A beauty that has been lost throughout the years, replaced with words like ‘forshizzle’ and ‘true dat.’ Don’t get me wrong, those words can still make me smile, but they’ve not been kissed by magic.

~ H

Sitting back in his chair with a bewildered smile, Tristan snorted a puff of air out his nose and shook his head.

She was seriously like no one he had ever met in his life. An old-fashioned fairytale, trapped in a world that would never understand her.

Skimming his fingers over the play, his eyes landed on Romeo’s final two lines.

“Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight,” he murmured, “For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.”

A smile grew on his lips, broad and unfamiliar.

Are you still there? I was hoping you could tell me about your week.

~ H

Tristan made a face, his lip curling as he bent over his keyboard and started tapping.

My week. You don’t want to hear about my week. It’s been awful.

~ T

Well, now I’m intrigued and you must share it with me—every miserable detail.

~ H

Sitting up a little straighter, Tristan gave a pensive frown, then poised his fingers over the keys and went to work, describing everything he could, but mostly focusing on his particularly heinous day. He tried to pepper it with sarcastic humor, but she read right through it.

It was a good thing you came to see me, then. I’m sorry I was not there to hug you and tell you that ‘tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it.’ I got that one from Anne of Green Gables, in case you’re wondering, although I’d love to claim it as my own. Such an inspiring line, don’t you think?

Each day, a brand-new start. A chance to do things better. To make things right.

Promise you’ll come to see me straight after school. It is imperative I hug you.

~ H

The idea of wrapping his arms around the slender girl turned his muscles to melted marshmallow. A grin skittered over his lips as he nervously typed back.

Why?

~ T

Oh, Tristan. Don’t you know?

Hugs are one of the most underrated acts of kindness on this earth. They make everything better, if only for a moment.

~ H

A smile tugged at his lips, pulling the right side of his face north.

Then I will most definitely be climbing through your window tomorrow afternoon.

Until then, sleep well, sweet Helena.

~ T

Sweet Helena—how can I not have the world’s most charming dreams after being called that by a handsome knight?

~ H

He couldn’t reply. Instead he ran his fingers over her words, his heart thumping a loud tune that he’d never heard before.