12. Princess?
Chapter twelve
Princess?
I t was dark and we were naked; our bodies wrapped up in each other, sandwiched between two blankets as we laid in the field.
“So, do stars usually fall in love with humans?” Gabe kissed the top of my shoulder.
“Who says I’m in love with you?” I giggled at the sensation.
“You did. Over and over again if I recall. Not too long ago. I think it was, ‘Deeper. Like that. I love you. Right there!’ Or something like that.” He sounded ridiculous when he mimicked me, but I couldn’t help but laugh as I tried to hide my face.
I was mortified and I sank further into the blankets as I pulled one over my head.
“I do not sound like that!” I couldn’t manage a better defense; my ears and cheeks were hot with embarrassment.
“Don’t be so bashful. I loved it. And I love you, Adhara,” he said earnestly, then playfully yanked the blanket away, exposing my head and breasts to the chilly night air. “I could stare at you all day.” He erased the distance between us to kiss me.
“Technically, it’s night.” I covered myself from the breeze.
“What?” Gabe scrunched his face up.
“You said you could stare at me all day . But it’s night.” I shook my head mockingly, which only made him chuckle.
“Day. Night. It’s all a blur when I’m with you.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls.” I was reaching for a bottle of water when I noticed he wasn’t smiling anymore.
Gabe’s face was serious, the sincerity burning in his eyes made me gasp.
“No. It’s just you. Always you. Forever.”
“Too bad you won’t remember.” The joyous moment between us had been tarnished by the truth of our situation.
I was a star and he was a human. I was breaking a thousand rules by being with him, and a thousand more by telling him the truth. I was risking banishment, and I was doing all of this with the knowledge that he wouldn’t remember any of it. But I would.
“How does it feel to be so remarkable and yet, forgettable?” His question hung heavily in the space between us.
I was struggling to find something to say when I saw them. “Gabriel, your eyes!”
In quick succession, I watched them flash blue, then back to brown, then to blue again. Eventually, one eye remained brown and the other, blue. It looked like his eyes were twinkling with stardust.
“What?! What’s wrong with my eyes?” He sounded as panicked as I felt. “Leeahla?!”
“It’s blue! One of your eyes just turned blue!”
I didn’t know what was happening but I knew it was my fault. “I think I should—” I wasn’t able to finish the thought as I twisted to my left and threw up onto the grass.
I wake up to a still, pitch-black room with Gabe missing.
I push the dream as far down as I can, hoping that will alleviate the anxiety accompanying it.
It’s silly to entertain them as anything but my imagination.
I’ve never been here. I get up and go to shower.
Teeth and hair brushed, I set out to track down some clothes.
Eventually, I find a T-shirt and some biker shorts.
The light from the living room nearly blinds me and it takes a minute for my eyes to adjust. Gabe is sitting on the couch, phone pressed to his ear, so I walk past him quietly and make my way to the kitchen.
The counter was covered in a full breakfast spread, each section of food having little name flags stuck in the middle.
“Work call. I’ll be with you in a second,” he quickly explains. “No, still here. Go on.”
I hop up on the counter next to the food, pick up some blueberries and blackberries and pop them into my mouth.
I eat some cheese before I’m halfway through a slice of toast—it’s covered with a number of different toppings: burrata cheese, grilled peaches, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, basil and hot honey.
It’s arguably one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.
I am so consumed by it I don’t notice Gabe standing in front of me.
“I’ve never wanted to be a piece of bread before.” He walks forward, nestling himself between my legs. “Ready to go?”
“If I say no, can we stay here forever?”
Gabe laughs, sliding his hand partially up my thigh. “I want to say yes, because I’d rather be doing a lot of other things with you, starting in this kitchen. But I have to get back for a meeting.” He sighs and puts some space between us. “Can you be ready in fifteen?” I nod.
In exactly fifteen minutes, we are climbing into a car and heading back to the hotel.
The ride is relatively uneventful—Gabe is on work calls for most of it, and I spend the time trying to figure out exactly what he does for work.
The driver doesn’t stop in the driveway of the hotel.
Instead, he drives around the side and lets us out by an unmarked door with a scanner.
Gabe ends another call and sees the confusion on my face. “This will pop us out by the private elevator.”
He scans a badge and we quickly make our way inside. It only takes us a few minutes to get from the car to our floor, where we kiss and separate .
“Thank you for the amazing date,” I yell towards him as I open my door.
I am greeted by an entire room of pink, peach and cream roses.
The bouquets are accented with Baby’s breath and sitting in clear, crystal vases.
There is a note pinned to one of them: My name sounds spectacular when you moan it .
Thanks for an incredible time. I cradle the card to my chest after a symphony of sneezes.
Then I take a bath as I make plans to call Nyari.
I want to explore more of Earth and find something fun she and I can do together.
But after the bath, I climb into my bed and snuggle in for an afternoon nap instead.
By the time I wake up, the sun is already setting.
It feels like I haven’t gotten a wink of sleep and I am hungry.
After fumbling around the kitchen, I settle on a few snacks and a bottle of sparkling water.
I take them back to bed with me. A small pain is forming behind my left eye and echoing painfully through my head.
The thought of Earth sickness flashes in my mind but I haven’t been down here long enough to trigger it.
I make a mental note to myself to ask Nyari about it the next time I see her.
Until then, I plan to finish my snacks, drink my water and watch some television.
I find a show about a teenage girl and two vampires living in a small town.
One is her boyfriend and the other is his brother who loves her too.
Midway through an episode, my eyes start getting heavy; the last thing I remember seeing is two groups—one made up of vampires and the other of werewolves—fighting each other in an attempt to break some curse.
Someone knocking at the front door pulls me from my slumber. My “ailment” appears to be exhaustion, because now that I’ve slept, I’m feeling a lot better.
“Gimme a minute!” I holler towards the door, with no real rush to answer.
I wrap up my hair in a messy bun as I’m walking, and wonder if the person has left or if they are still waiting. When I finally open the door, I’m surprised to see Eliam standing across the hallway, propped against the wall.
“Hey, Princess.” His smile tugs at my heart, and the sensuality of the way he says my title is never wasted. But I’m mad at him.
“It’s been days. I’m surprised you remember where my door is.” I turn around, leaving the door open so he can follow me inside.
“I promise I have a really good explana…” His words trail off. “ Holy shit. You’ve been busy.”
“Not really.” I plunk down on the couch and smile sweetly at him. “You were saying something about an explanation?”
“Right. Someone fucking reported me!” He mirrors my actions, settling down beside me.
I scrunch my face up at the information. “What?”
“Well, us. But I’m the only person in trouble since you’re, you .” He’s subtly shaking his head.
“I’m… me ? You mean because I’m a royal?” I’m quickly losing my right to be as agitated as I am and I don’t like it.
“Exactly. I’m still in deep shit. Luckily, my brothers are the only celestials I report to, so they cut me a lot of slack.” His laughter is mirthless. “It’s been officially written up as an inappropriate relationship with a betrothed royal.”
I’m silent as he vents his frustrations. To be honest, I keep quiet since the description isn’t technically incorrect.
“Wait, did they inform the other royal families?! ” I unintentionally scream the last bit.
“Is that what you’re worried about? Your fiancé finding out that you’ve been shacking up with the help?” His question blindsides me as much as it pisses me off.
“ What is happening right now? Of course that’s what I’m worried about! Was I supposed to be worried about you ?” He flinches at the question. “Wait, Eliam, that’s not what I meant!”
“Oh no, go on. Don’t let my feelings stop you.” The sarcasm gives me whiplash .
“Seriously? Seriously! You know I’m engaged!” I am a decibel away from a supernova explosion.
“And that didn’t stop you.” The statement is icy compared to the anger I am starting to feel. My skin feels like it’s on fire.
“It didn’t stop you either! So yes, I care about whether there’s now a royal discussion that could put an end to a complex contract because of the one time I—" I take in a shuddering breath to calm myself down and fail miserably. “A discussion I’m currently not a part of, by the way!”
I switch positions so I’m sitting up straight; it feels like I can’t breathe. Both of us sit in suspended silence; my throat’s raw.
“Wait, Leeahla—” A knock at the door stops him mid-sentence.
I push myself off the chair. The person on the other side is between knocks when I jerk the door open.
“Are you alright? I could hear you from out here.”
“ I’m great! Could you —” a giant sigh forces its way out and I use it to adjust my volume. “—come by a bit later?” I feel like I’m going to throw up.
Gabe is about to leave, but I wobble and he reaches forward to stabilize me. “I don’t know what’s going on but you’re not okay.” He guides me inside and closes the door behind him.
When he turns us towards the living room, Eliam is standing right there.