February 15th, 2011

Wow, sorry it's been such a long time since I've updated my page! So much has happened since I wrote last.

Of course, I'm sure all of you are wondering how things are going with Robby. I don't have all that much to tell you. I have discovered he's nice but very quiet. It takes him a long time to think about how he wants to say things, and he's a little shy around new people. But I guess you already knew that from my earlier post. :)

About a week after we'd been standing next to each other, visiting awkwardly when no one was in the room, something must have prodded him to speak up.

"Look," he said, "I know this is weird for both of us. I hate having all this expectation hanging around us. I don't the pressure of feeling like I have to wow you with everything that comes out of my mouth. And I know..." he paused before continuing in an embarrassed manner. "I know I'm not the 'Prince Charming' you were expecting."

"Wrong movie," I inserted jokingly.

"What?" he asked in confusion, derailed from his train of thought.

"Nothing," I said, trying to put a serious expression on my face.

He shook his head quickly, then blurted out, "I guess what I'm trying to say is...I'd just like to be friends for a while. No expectations, no romantic pressure...I think we should just get to know each other and see what happens."

I smiled with relief. "I think that's a great idea. And I'm relieved to know that you can actually say more than 3 words at a time!"

He shot me an inquisitive look, then flashed a dimpled smile when he realized I was teasing him.

Wow, he has a great smile! I found myself thinking.

It's funny. After that talk, all the tension between us seemed to disappear. We started relaxing around each other and not treating every conversation like it was the beginning of a life-long love story. Within the last few weeks, we've really gotten to know each other. I don't know if I'll ever think of Robby romantically, but if nothing else, I've made a great friend.

Another interesting turn in this story happened about two weeks ago. Beast'sbelle brought home another Prince doll from "Beauty and the Beast". He was as different from Robby as the sun is from the moon.

Ben, as he's called, is ruggedly handsome, but rather aloof. It may just be nerves, but when you first meet him, he's very cold. How do I know this? Because Beast'sbelle had this ridiculous idea to take a bunch of posed pictures with me and Robby and me and Ben. No doubt she's trying to decide which of us makes a better couple. I've never been so humiliated in all my life...especially since she made me hold hands with them.

Ben was very gentlemanly, but stand-offish at the same time. I felt that he was holding me at an arm's length mentally. I hate to even admit this, but despite his coldness, I found myself attracted to him. He was so handsome, so regal looking, like a proud stallion on a cliff or an eagle soaring through the sky. There seemed something wild and untamed about him just beneath the surface. Sure, outwardly he was calm and composed, but there was a fire in his eyes that made me think he was not a person (or doll) to be crossed. The firm set of his jaw spoke of determination and strength. I felt a little lightheaded when I had to hold hands with him.

Robby and I just started giggling when we took our pictures. We laughed about the lofty romantic dreams Beast'sbelle was no doubt cooking up for us. At this point, Robby and I had become buddies, and the thought of seeing him in a romantic light was pretty hilarious.

The first night Ben was here, Beast'sbelle kept him on the dresser with Robby, Eugene, Rapunzel and I. What a night that was! In the past few weeks, the four of us have really connected, and we've become quite comfortable together. But adding a prickly doll that didn't seem to want to have anything to do with us definitely put a damper on things. Each of us tried drawing him into the group, but it was a hopeless cause. Ben refused to be welcomed. He even went to the other side of the dresser so he wouldn't have to be with us.

I was getting annoyed. There was nothing that bothered me more than rudeness. Here we were, trying to include him and make him feel at home, and he didn't even have the courtesy to be polite. When Eugene and Rapunzel took their nightly walk, I said as much to Robby, but his reaction surprised me. His face became very serious.

"Give him the benefit of the doubt, Belle. He may just not know how to relate to others, or he may be shy." He hesitated, but I could tell he wanted to say more.

"What is it?" I asked him.

He looked at his feet. "You may not realize it Belle, but you're...you're very beautiful."

I laughed out loud. I couldn't help it. Me...beautiful? I was just me, your run-of-the mill Disney Store Belle doll. Nothing special. My laughter died in my throat when I saw Robby's face, though. He wasn't laughing.

"You're serious?" I asked him incredulously.

"Why do you think I had such a hard time talking when I first came?" He chuckled. "I know what I am...good looks are not my strong point. How do you think I felt being introduced to this dazzling beauty? What could I possibly say to you that would be worth any value?"

"You really felt that way?" I asked him, unable to believe it.

He nodded. "So, maybe...maybe Ben is suffering from the same problem."

I snorted. "Yeah, right. I think your imagination has run away with you a little bit on that one. He's probably just a cranky guy that doesn't like socializing."

Robby shrugged. "Believe what you want. I've to to go." With that, he started climbing down the side of the dresser. He was going to meet up with some of the Ken dolls that belonged to Beast'sbelle's daughters for some shelf climbing. Just before he left, he poked his head back up over the dresser. "You know, maybe he just needs a friend."

And just like that, I was alone. Well, not completely alone. (Have you seen how many dolls are in Beast'sbelle's room?) I casually peeked over to the other side of the dresser. Ben sat quietly by himself, staring off into the room at nothing in particular. Robby's words echoed in my head, Maybe he just needs a friend. I sighed. Why me?

Reluctantly, I made my way over to where Ben was sitting. As I approached, he caught sight of me. Was it my imagination, or did I see panic in his eyes before they became blank and harsh again?

"So, you having fun over here by yourself?" I asked him, with, I'll admit it, just a teensy bit of sarcasm.

He clenched his jaw. "Don't you have something better to do than torment innocent bystanders?"

I bristled. "Well, excuse me for trying to be friendly!" What century was he from, anyway? Who said "torment innocent bystanders" these days?

He gave a short, bitter laugh. "That's what you call friendship? If so, I can do without it."

I wanted to kick his shin, but I took a deep breath. "Look, I'm sorry if I offended you, okay? We're all stuck here together whether we like it or not. Don't you think it makes sense to try to get along?"

Ben looked at me with a piercing gaze. I sucked in my breath. My goodness, he was beautiful. If I'd had a heart, it would have been pounding in my chest at that moment.

"Please just leave me alone!" he gritted. Without another word, he slipped down from his seat on Beast'sbelle's jewelry box and disappeared over the edge of the dresser. I watched him walk out of the room, towards the living room. Good riddance, I thought angrily. See if I ever try to be friendly to you again!

None of us have succeeded at drawing Ben in these past couple of weeks. He's as prickly as ever. And yet, I can't understand it, but I find myself interested in him. Why is he so crabby? Did he have some sort of tragic past? Is he just really shy, or is he trying to hide something? Why does he have to be so amazingly handsome? Aaargghh!! Why do I even care?

So that pretty much brings you up to speed, except for last night's news. When Eugene and Rapunzel returned from their nightly walk last night, Rapunzel was absolutely glowing. It didn't take long to find out why.

Rapunzel came up to me, hugged me tightly, and whispered, "Eugene asked me to marry him, and I said yes!!"

I hugged her back, laughing. "Rapunzel, that's wonderful! Congratulations! May I see the bracelet?" [Side note for my human readers, here. We dolls can't really exchange rings as a token of our engagement, since our fingers are usually molded together. So we exchange bracelets instead. The girl gets her bracelet when her guy proposes, and the guy gets his bracelet at the wedding. Just in case you were confused. Another side note: this is at least the custom for fashion dolls. I don't know about Beast'sbelle's 18" dolls' customs.]

She nodded and held out her left wrist. It was a red and white beaded one. Not exactly what I would have chosen, but Rapunzel seemed happy enough. I looked over at Eugene, where he was talking with Robby. He glanced over us, and I grinned at him. "Congratulations!" I called.

He grinned back. "Thanks. I hope you approve of my choice," he said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Definitely!" I agreed. "Although, Rapunzel could have done better..."

"Har har," he said dryly.

"I still can't believe it," Rapunzel confided. "I knew he was planning something romantic for Valentine's Day, but I had no idea it would be this!"

I smiled, but inner doubts troubled me. I looked at her seriously. "I don't want to spoil any part of your happiness, but...are you sure you guys are ready to take this step? Marriage is a serious commitment, and you've only known each other a few months."

Rapunzel nodded confidently. "I know it's fast, but I'm sure. We're dolls, Belle. We have no guarantees of time together. Who knows how long it will be before a yard sale or a dumpster forces us apart?" She gazed over at Eugene with love in her eyes. "I want to spend every possible minute I can as his wife."

My smile returned. It seemed they had thought this through. "So, when is the wedding?"

"Next Monday, the 21st."

"Yikes! That doesn't give us much time to plan," I exclaimed.

"What exactly do we have to plan?" Rapunzel pointed out. "We want a simple wedding...not too frilly. We're not going to send out invitations or serve food or anything."

"Do you have a dress yet?"

Rapunzel shook her head. "I figured I'd just wear this one."

"You can't wear that one!" I protested. "You have to have a white dress for your wedding. And I have the perfect one in mind. Mine!!"

"Yours?" Rapunzel asked, a confused expression on her face.

I laughed. "Beast'sbelle got a whole wardrobe set for me at the Disney Store, and there was a wedding dress included. I'd love it if you'd wear it for your wedding...especially since I don't see any wedding bells in my immediate future."

"Are...are you sure? I'd hate to impose...and you should be the first one to wear it!" Rapunzel hedged. I could see she loved the idea, though, as much as she tried to hide it.

"Of course I'm sure!" I answered. "It's silly to have that beautiful dress sitting there waiting for my wedding day when your wedding is just around the corner! I may never get married anyway, so why have it go to waste?"

Rapunzel smiled coyly at me. "You sure your wedding is that far off? Especially now that you have two guys to choose from?"

I ducked my head. "There will be no wedding for me any time soon, no matter what Beast'sbelle is hoping," I said firmly. "Especially since one of my choices is about as friendly as a porcupine and the other is too much of my pal to be anything more."

"I was just teasing you," Rapunzel said gently. "Don't feel like you have to rush into anything. You have plenty of time."

"You just said we never know how much time we have together as dolls," I teased back. "And now I have plenty of time? Make up your mind!"

Rapunzel started to explain herself, but I held up a hand. "I know what you meant. I'm just being a tease. Now, come on!" I continued, grabbing her by the hand. "Let's go look at your dress!"

More to come, dear followers! :) I have a feeling the next few weeks will be pretty interesting!