12. Maisy
“Smile!”
Maisy plastered on a pretty smile and lifted her paddle out of the water. There was a flash, then Safa gave her a thumbs-up.
“Good, both of you. I’ll take a few more candid shots, but that should be enough posed ones for now.”
“Thanks!” Maisy twisted to look at Xander, who was sitting behind her in the two-person kayak Safa had rented for this morning’s paddle through the island’s mangroves. “Shall we explore a little? I’ve heard there are flamingos and turtles around here.”
“Sure. Lead the way.” Xander gestured with his paddle, and Maisy turned around to face front.
“Let’s head left. I see a little passageway up there. Paddle on three. One, two, three!”
After a few minutes at the beginning of the day going in a circle and hitting their paddles against each other because they couldn’t figure out how to work in tandem, Maisy and Xander had come up with a system for dipping their paddles at the same time to move forward. It was, Maisy thought, a rather apt metaphor for the way they’d learned to work together during this honeymoon. From the anger of the first day to the surprisingly tender moment they’d shared on the mountain yesterday during their ATV ride, things really had changed between them.
If only they hadn’t. Maisy had been enjoying the honeymoon with Xander a little too much. He made her laugh, made her try new things, and made her feel better about herself than she had in a long time. He made her feel like she was enough, just as she was — sometimes nervous, a little shy, but always open for an adventure.
Things had really come to a head yesterday on the ATV ride, when Maisy had reached for Xander’s hand on top of the mountain. She had meant to comfort him, but the feeling of Xander’s hand in hers had been so nice that she’d struggled to let go. It was good that he had pulled away first and resumed his usual carefree, teasing attitude.
The evening after their moment on the mountain had been a little off. They’d both been cautious around each other as they’d finished the ATV ride and stopped in town on the way home to pick up some Kanalean takeout. As they’d eaten the traditional coconut rice with blackened fish and wild greens back at home, they’d chatted, but it had been very superficial, as their past conversations had been. After dinner, Maisy had faked a yawn and retreated to the bedroom early, claiming tiredness after an afternoon in the sun.
Luckily, things felt more normal today, and they both seemed to be enjoying the kayak session, despite the photoshoot that had taken up most of their time so far.
“Maisy, hold on!”
Maisy lifted her paddle out of the water and set it across her knees. “What?”
“Look at that big root ahead. Are those turtles?”
Maisy squinted at the root, then her eyes widened. Sure enough, three small turtles were sunning themselves atop a large mangrove root that rose out of the water.
“Wow, you’re right! Let’s try to get closer, but slowly, so we don’t scare them. Paddle on three. One, two, three.”
They glided closer across the water. As they approached, one of the turtles slid from the root into the water and swam away, but the other two stayed put. One lifted his head and looked at Maisy with what she felt was a suspicious expression.
“They’re beautiful,” Maisy said, her voice low. “I think this is close enough.” She rested her paddle across her knees again and they glided a little closer before coming to a stop.
“They look really different out of the water,” Xander noted. Maisy nodded. She wished she could see him, but her position in the front of the kayak made that practically impossible. Instead, she focused on the turtles.
“They do.” She bit her lip. “This is no ATV ride, but it is pretty cool.”
“It really is. And look left — through the trees; I think I can see something pink. Maybe a flamingo?”
Maisy looked for the source of the pink and chuckled. “Xander, I’m pretty sure that’s another kayak. But good catch anyway.”
“Maybe my eyesight leaves something to be desired.” Xander chuckled. “I was thinking — what would you like to do this afternoon? Safa said we don’t have any activities scheduled. I was thinking it could be a chance for another swim. But we’d have to go together.”
“That’s fine. Like I said yesterday, I’ve forgiven you. I can stand to be around you now.” Maisy grinned in anticipation of the response, even though she knew Xander couldn’t see.
“Oh, the praise. I feel so special. You can stand to be around me. Those are the exact words I’ve always dreamed of hearing from a woman.”
“I know. That’s why I said them. Shall we keep going?”
“Sure.”
“Three, two, one, paddle!”
As they made their way through a watery passage between two towering mangroves that must have been older than Maisy by at least a few decades, Maisy couldn’t help imagining what she might have liked to say. It wasn’t just that she didn’t mind being around Xander — she actually liked spending time with him. Some part of her even wondered if the twin swap might not have been a mistake. She was certainly enjoying this honeymoon more with the wrong twin than she would have with the right one.
But Maisy was still going to return to Aenicea to marry Niko sooner or later, so there was no way she could say any of that. In the end, she’d be married to the right brother, and Xander would be nothing more than her brother-in-law.
Clack! Maisy was startled out of her reverie by the sound of their paddles smacking together.
“Sorry!” She lifted her paddle onto her knees. “I got out of rhythm.”
“It could have been me, too. And I have to admit, sitting in this little plastic seat is starting to get uncomfortable. What do you say we pull over on that little island and take a break?”
“Sure.” On Maisy’s count, they paddled to the island Xander had mentioned. The tip of the kayak scraped onto the sandy base of the island, and Maisy hopped off and pulled the boat further onto land. Her feet were ankle-deep in the salty water, but she didn’t mind. She had sandals on for just this kind of thing.
Xander hopped out of the kayak as well, with a rather scary wobble, and waded in to shore. He’d gotten out in a deeper part of the water, so he was soaked up to his knees. Luckily, he was also in shorts and sandals.
“So, kayaking isn’t your thing?” Maisy asked as she crossed the sandy part of the island to sit on a large root.
“It’s fine. The view is beautiful and it’s fun to try something new. The plastic seat and sitting with my legs tucked up, on the other hand, is definitely not my thing.” Xander took a seat beside Maisy on the giant root.
“You should do yoga.”
“Do you?”
“Yes, when I have time. Which means not every day. But whenever I make time to do it, I feel way better. And yoga is why I can still touch my toes and balance on one foot.”
“I feel the same way about the gym.” Xander leaned back against another root. “I try to go every day but, like you, I don’t always make it. Something about working out helps settle my mind, though. It makes me feel ready for the day ahead.”
“I guess you haven’t been able to hit the gym since we got to Kanalea.”
“No, but all the hiking and kayaking and swimming has certainly helped. And I’ve been doing a few push-ups and squats when I have a couple of minutes. Have you been doing yoga?”
“A little.” Maisy wobbled her hand from side to side. “I try to do some in my room before breakfast. You might have seen through the giant hole in my door.”
“No way.” Xander shook his head. “I would never look into your room. That would be such an invasion of your privacy.”
“Thanks.” Maisy smiled. “I feel bad for taking the only bedroom, you know. Is the couch comfortable?”
“It’s not bad.” Xander hesitated. “It’s a little bad. But I don’t mind. You should have the room.”
“Thanks. If you’re sure. But hey, maybe we can make both our lives easier in another way. Maybe in the mornings we can do our exercises together in the living room. There’s a bit more space, and that way we can take all the time we need.”
“I’d like that. As long as you don’t expect me to touch my toes or balance on one foot.”
“Scout’s honor, there will be no toe-touching or one-foot-balancing. As long as you don’t make me do push-ups.”
“Scout’s honor,” Xander repeated. “What does that mean, anyway? Were you a Scout?”
“I was. I was a Girl Scout for about… three years?”
“Really?” Xander looked delighted. “Did you have one of those little vests with all the patches? Did you sell cookies? Did you help old people cross the road?”
Maisy giggled and held up her hands. “That’s a lot of questions.”
“Sorry.” Xander grinned. “I’ve only seen Girl Scouts in movies, so it’s fun to meet a real one. It’s like seeing a celebrity.”
“I wouldn’t go that far. But let’s see. Yes, I had a little vest with patches. Two, actually. Yes, I sold cookies, though mostly in my parents’ company, which in retrospect was probably cheating. And yes, I did help old people cross the road, but that’s because I’m a considerate person, not because I was a Girl Scout.”
“It’s just like I imagined.” Xander grinned again. “I can totally see you as a kid in a little vest with a giant box of cookies.”
“I was adorable, of course. Lily was also a Girl Scout, but we didn’t have much overlap since I’m so much older.”
“What was that like? I can’t imagine growing up with a sibling half a decade younger than you.”
“I don’t know.” Maisy shrugged. “It was normal for me. Sometimes I felt like a big sister and sometimes I felt more like a babysitter. But I always loved Lily, and I always knew she loved me. We have a very special relationship. What’s it like having a sibling who’s exactly the same age?”
“We’re not the exact same age,” Xander pointed out. “Niko is a highly consequential two minutes older than I am. But I see your point.” He considered. “When we were young, we were best friends and companions in everything. We got into trouble together, and lied our way out of the trouble together. But as we became preteens, we started experiencing rivalry. It seemed like everything one of us could do, the other could do better — and it was mostly Niko who did better. Suddenly we were competing in school and extracurriculars and everything.”
“That sounds hard.”
“It was. After a few years, I realized that it was time for me to step back. There was no way I could compete with Niko in our royal training, since it was his birthright. I needed to find my own things. That’s when I started strength training and running instead of playing soccer. That’s when I became adventurous and started trying new things instead of focusing on lessons and school. I think it made us closer, in the end, when we each did our own thing, but it made it harder to understand each other, too. It’s hard for me to understand why Niko always has to do the right thing and why he always has his royal personality on. And I think it’s hard for him to understand why I don’t get involved in politics and why I spend so much of my time away from the palace.”
Maisy bit her lip. She’d heard a little about the relationship between the twins, but she hadn’t realized that it was so difficult for both of them. It made her glad of the close relationship she had with Lily.
“Lily and I never really had rivalry — or at least, I never felt it. I think, because I’m so much older, we were more friends than competitors. And we’re such different people — she’s outgoing and a people person, and I’m more withdrawn and dreamier. But the age difference creates problems, too. She was still worrying about first crushes and lip gloss when I was moving out to go to college.”
“I suppose siblings can always be difficult, no matter how close or far apart you are in age,” Xander said. He leaned back. “Do you ever wish you had more siblings?”
The question took Maisy slightly by surprise. “Not really, I guess. I never thought about it much.”
“I did. Sometimes I still do. I wish my parents had more children, because it would take some of the pressure off me and Niko.”
“That’s what it always comes back to, isn’t it?” Maisy swirled her finger through the air. “The pressure. Our families. Our duty.”
“Sorry.” Xander made a face. “This is supposed to be a vacation from all that. Come on! Let’s see if we can spot more turtles. Or maybe a real flamingo this time. I promise, no talk about duty or the future.” He pushed himself to his feet, then held out a hand for Maisy. She let him pull her up and twirl her around.
“Very elegant,” he said as she came to a stop.
“I did have many years of dance classes.”
“As did I.” Xander held his hand out. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Maisy held up both hands. “No way. I’m going to trip over a root or a turtle or something and fall in the mud. And then Safa is going to be annoyed because I’ll look weird in the pictures.”
“You won’t fall. I’ve got you.” Xander gave a winning smile, and Maisy felt her heart turn to mush. It was just a simple comment, meant to encourage her to seize the moment, but Maisy felt warmth spread through her limbs. Xander had her. She believed that. As long as he was there, he would never let her fall. Not if he could do anything about it.
“Okay. Fine.” Maisy took Xander’s hand and placed her other hand on his shoulder. He reached for her waist and began to lead them in a simple box step. “This is easy.”
“Let’s step it up.” Xander twirled her into a spin and caught her in a tango position. Maisy’s heart skipped a beat. He was so close to her. His dark brown eyes were glowing with intensity, and he was close enough that she could make out the five o’clock shadow on his cheeks. His hands were warm and firm on her hand and waist. His lips were full and so very close to hers. Their dancing slowed, then stopped. For a long moment, they just looked at each other. Maisy felt a rush of something, warmth and attraction, that she hadn’t felt this strongly before. But with it came fear. Xander was handsome, intelligent, kind, unbelievably sexy. When Maisy saw him, her heart beat faster. She cared about him — and not just as a brother-in-law.
But there was no way she could act on her feelings. Never. She was supposed to be married to Xander’s twin. Despite the attraction building between them, despite the lure of Xander’s lips so close to hers, Maisy couldn’t do this.
She quickly stepped back and smoothed her shorts. Her hands felt shaky.
“We should get back on the water.”
“Definitely.” Xander looked a little flustered, too. He quickly led the way to the kayak and held it steady while Maisy climbed in. She was thankful to be facing away from him as they paddled back towards Safa and familiarity, but Maisy could still feel Xander’s eyes on her. She might have been imagining things, but Maisy felt that her attraction to Xander was mutual.
That only made things more dangerous. A little crush was one thing. But feelings that Xander might have, too… well, that could only lead to disaster.