The welcome dinner was almost identical to the messages on Mia's memos. They were full of pleasant inquiries about the honeymoon as well as subtle and not so subtle inquiries about when an heir might be making an appearance.
As is typical for royalty, their schedule was full to the brim. This left them little time to talk. Each day Mia drifted incrementally further from Andrew until he no longer saw any glimpses of the Mia he had met at the cabins. At first he was patient. He knew royal life was a busy one and did not begrudge her. By end of the first week, he suspected she was filling her schedule on purpose. By the end of the second week, he knew she was. It was so disconcerting to him they slept in the same bed but she was a complete stranger to him. Andrew had no illusions of a close relationship, they had only known each other for a short time but he thought they were at least beginning a friendship. His patience was wearing thin and he was tired of the cold shoulder.
Finally, there was a holiday. Parliament was shut down. There was only one event in the morning. The only problem was that after the Pear Harvest Celebration Brunch, Mia effectively vanished. Andrew checked their quarters, the library, and even a broom closet but she was as good as a ghost. Fortunately, just as he was about to lose his temper, he ran in to Brigitte who directed him to a small conservatory. He found Mia in the back of the conservatory half hidden by blossoms. She was lost in thought and did not notice his approach. He took a moment to admire her. In this moment, she was truly herself. Mentally, he kicked himself for not having his camera. This would have made a wonderful shot.
As he sat next to her she attempted to rise quickly but lost her footing and sat down hard again. He grabbed her hands just in case.
"Mia." he said softly, "I know this situation is not ideal but we said that we could try to make this work."
"It's working fine." She avoided his gaze.
"That's rubbish." He couldn't help the irritation in his voice, "You have given me the cold shoulder since our trip. I need to know. What happened?"
She refused to look at him.
"Did I push you too far Mia?"'
She tried to stand but he held onto her wrist, "Just tell me Mia. I can't stand this silent treatment."
Mia sighed, the urge to run away still strong in her, "I wasn't the one who started it."
"What are you talking about?" He sputtered, "I've done nothing but try to talk to you and all you do is avoid me or brush me off."
"I woke up alone. I didn't think my first time would be romantic but I would have at least expected you to be there in the morning instead of hiding downstairs like I was something shameful."
Andrew was completely gobsmacked, "Ashamed? I….no….we don't….we were just getting to know each other when we….got carried away. I thought you'd want your space. I didn't want to presume anything." His thoughts caught up to him, "Wait, your first? As in first ever?" he groaned at her nod, "I am the most insensitive sod imaginable. I never thought… If I had known I would have," he sighed, "I don't know. I'm sorry Amelia."
Her skin tingled at the use of her full name. She wasn't thrilled with the thought of spilling it all now but he had been so candid that she felt ashamed to answer with anything but the truth.
"Yes, you were my first." She sighed, "Right after I found out I was a Princess there was a guy I had a crush on who had never noticed me before. He asked me to a beach party and reporters weaseled their way in. Long story short he grabbed me and kissed me in front of all the cameras so he could get his name in a headline. The backlash from that showed us all that we needed to tighten my security detail and showed me that it was not a good idea to get too close to anyone. That's why it didn't work out with Michael. So I just didn't want to be a headline again and the best way to avoid that was to abstain entirely." She took a shaky breath.
"I'm sorry it wasn't better for you." Andrew put his arm around her shoulder and she didn't brush it off, "If I had known, I would have given you a bit more romance."
Mia flushed, "It was lovely. Really, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. There's no need for romance. I don't expect that from you."
"Amelia, I know you don't love me, and I don't love you, but getting to know you that week made me think that someday we could at least become good friends if we can just get to know each other. As your friend and partner I'd like to give you what pleases you." He cracked a smile, "It isn't as if we can go to anyone else now."
That got her to laugh, "I suppose so." She looked at him and smiled, "I'm sorry Andrew. Could we start over?"
He leaned over and kissed her forehead, "I'd be delighted."
