At Dan's home, Cynthia changed back into plain clothes. While she had felt beautiful at first, she had felt overdressed once getting back to her reality. She wasn't a princess. She wasn't her stepsisters. She was just little Cynthia, Dan's best friend.
She walked back into the kitchen, and found Dan waiting for her. He was still dressed in what he had worn to the ball. While it wasn't as nice as her dress, it made him look dashing. She could see the strong muscles of his shoulders filling out the shirt.
She shook her head. She shouldn't be noticing things like that.
"How did you enjoy yourself?" Dan asked.
"It was nice. But I think I prefer the village gatherings. The ones where I know everyone, my stepsisters don't try to come, and I don't run into princes."
Dan's jaw dropped. "You met the prince?"
"Yes." Cynthia said. "I danced with him in the garden. And he was headed out to find me, that's why I only have one slipper left."
She had put on more practical shoes once arriving at Dan's house. She had brought them over because she hadn't wanted to ruin her slippers, and because she had planned on staying over for as long as possible. But it was to her advantage to have extra shoes, since she didn't want to hobble around with only one shoe.
"Only you would run away from a prince," Dan said. He shook his head. "You do realize that he's going to start looking for you."
"Why would he?" Cynthia was fairly certain that there were girls who were more exciting than her. And prettier. And more comfortable around the prince than she was. "I'm just some country nobody."
"You're not a nobody," Dan insisted. "You're Cindy."
He took her hand in his and squeezed it softly. She looked up at him, a little confused at the look on his face.
He was looking at her with such intensity that she wanted to look away, but she willed herself not to. Instead she squeezed his hand back.
"Only you call me that," she told her friend.
"And even though you don't like it, you still let me get away with it," he teased.
She looked around for something to do, but Dan's mother and sisters were very good about keeping the house in perfect shape. She didn't exactly have much to do.
"I guess you're special," she teased Dan back. She still searched for something to do, wanting to keep her hands busy. It was a side effect of her life with her stepmother and sisters.
"Not as special as you." Dan let Cynthia's hand go. "I know that we're friends, best friends even, but I…" he trailed off.
Cynthia looked at Dan. She had always dreamed of escaping her home. And she had thought that maybe the ball would be the way to do that. Get swept away in a whirlwind romance with someone of high society. Someone her stepmother couldn't complain about.
But once there, she had realized that there was a flaw in her plan. While she had been beautiful enough to draw attention, she was uncomfortable with it. She didn't know how to relate to nobles. And she certainly found that she didn't want a life where balls and fancy gowns were her everyday reality.
Looking at Dan, she found she had another option. An option that she hadn't ever considered before.
Dan had invited her over time and time again because he cared for her. He wanted her to be safe and happy. And he knew that if she left her stepfamily she would be happier. So he had offered to let her live there.
She had always thought that he did it because they were best friends. They had been friends forever. And if the situation had been reversed, it was exactly the sort of thing that Cynthia would have done.
But as she looked at him, she was starting to realize that he had offered his home to her out of more than just friendship. The way he looked at her was reminiscent of the way that the girls at the ball had been looking at the prince. But there was a purity to his gaze that they didn't have.
While the girls at the ball had liked the idea of the prince, they hadn't really known him. What they wanted was the power, prestige, and affluence that was associated with the prince. They hadn't cared for the person behind the crown at all.
Dan knew Cynthia. He had known her for over ten years. And it seemed as though friendship had deepened to something more, at least for him.
"Dan," she said hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"Is the offer to stay here on a more permanent basis still available?"
Dan looked confused. "Why wouldn't it be? I'll have to talk to my mother to sort everything out, but it will be fine. She loves you."
Cynthia smiled. It was true that Dan's mother did like her. It made asking to stay in their home so much easier.
"I just don't want to go back home. I'm scared that someone will have recognized me. Or that the prince will come looking for me, like you said."
At the thought that the prince would ride through the country side looking for her she shivered. She had told him her name. She would be beaten at home if someone asked for her by name. And she couldn't handle that. Not again.
"If you want, I can even go get your stuff for you," Dan offered.
"I doubt that my stepmother would let you take anything," Cynthia said. "She's fairly stingy and me not going home isn't going to go over well with her."
"We'll think of something." Dan sounded sure of himself. "After all, it can't be that hard."
It couldn't be that hard Cynthia admitted to herself. She'd done the hard part herself by agreeing to live in Dan's house. It couldn't be that hard to get the few things she held precious to her out.
