Chapter 23 – Jesse Flynn

Jesse was surprised at himself that he didn't want to get up. Like, this was his dream job and something he had worked towards all his life. So why didn't he want to get up, grab a camera or an interview sheet, and just talk to the girls or film them? This had never happened to him before.

He rubbed his face with his hands, hard, and shook the feeling away. Because he still had a job to do, and the biggest event had happened just the night before and he knew everyone should know about it – on the blog, on Instagram, and definitely on the next Report: Silas had his first kiss of the Selection, and from what he understood, the first kiss of his entire life.

Jesse laughed and pushed the covers away, finally getting up. What on earth had gone wrong with him just a moment ago, he had no idea. But now he was ready to go. He went to the bathroom and stripped down to take a shower.

"How can a guy – and a Prince no less – live 26 years without ever kissing anyone or being kissed by anyone?" he mused, chuckling with himself, as he washed his hair. It was simply inconceivable to him: he had had his first kiss in middle school, with a cute girl he couldn't even remember the name of. And then many more as he grew up.

He frowned, stopped washing his hair. "When was my last kiss?" he wondered out loud. Ever since he had started his job as the Royal Report Host, three years ago, he hadn't had one minute for dating. Sure, he flirted here and there during events or parties, but it never got any further than that, besides the occasional one-night-stand – he was not at Nathan's level, thank you very much – or dinner date. One thing he was sure of, was that he knew who his next kiss was going to be: definitely Nevaeh. It had to be her, or he would spend the rest of his life alone and die alone. Maybe with a cat or two.

He took a deep breath and realized he had become quite… hard… at the thought of the beautiful blonde Duchess who kept him at a safe distance. The last time they had really talked – if one could consider that 'talking' – was when she woke him up from a nap and he was drooling on the pillow.

Jesse facepalmed. "What an idiot," he mumbled to himself. He quickly finished showering and then dried off before donning a black suit with a modern white grid-like pattern on it. He decided against a tie or a bowtie for once in his life and just slipped on some shiny, polished shoes. His beard was growing out as well, but he didn't want to shave it just yet, even though it was hot and humid outside. He would suffer through it just to look fabulous.

He was Jesse Flynn, for crying out loud. Not Jasper Finley. And he had an image to keep up with.

He rolled his shoulders and headed to the breakfast buffet in the dining room, ready to talk to whoever would be there, just because he could – yes, even if it turned out to be the Queen herself, he would go chat with her. He could do that, right? It wasn't out of protocol or anything, right…?

Thank God the only people that were there so far were a handful of Selected, Silas and Valerian, and her. Not the Queen, but the Duchess. And she was currently at the buffet, filling a plate of breakfast food.

"Good morning, Milady," he said coming up next to her and filling a plate for himself. "I believe we can celebrate a big milestone of the Selection today, right?"

Nevaeh looked at him with her ever-present judging face – though it was just her normal resting face, and Jesse loved it so much. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"The Crown Prince's first kiss!" he said, not too loudly. He was so excited about the whole damn thing that he wanted to dance and scream and shake Silas to congratulate him.

"Ah, that." She scooped some fruit salad and put it in a small bowl. "And what do you intend to do about it?"

Jesse wanted to bang his hand against a wall. Did she not see? This was the first biggest tea of the Selection, and he had it all on camera. Not only did he film their kiss with the drone, but he also had Nathan's film about the conversation that took place on the beach. And he was definitely going to use that and make the most beautiful edit of the whole thing. "I'm gonna tell the whole nation about it!"

"Jesse," Nevaeh said, looking pointedly at him. "Be very careful what you do. This might be Silas' first kiss of the Selection–"

"Of his whole life, actually."

"Silas' first kiss," she said again, "but there are still other ladies in the competition on his list. Don't crush everyone's dreams just so you can get the 'tea' out there." She air-quoted tea.

"Of course. Who do you think I am?" he said, feigning offense. "Do I make a whole deal out of every girl that sleeps with Nathan? No."

"It's not the same thing," Nevaeh said, wrinkling her nose. "That's 'normal' Nathan."

"…true." He filled his plate with three thick and spongy pancakes. "But I'm still going to make a whole deal out of this first kiss, trust me. I'm on board the Xilas ship and–"

"Xilas?"

"Ximena and Silas. It's their ship name," he explained.

Nevaeh rolled her eyes. "Oh, my God, Jesse. They are not fictional characters from a book or a TV show you can just ship together! They are real-life people and I will not let you do that."

"Uhm, everything okay?"

Jesse and Nevaeh turned around as one, only to see the object of their conversation standing right there, an empty plate in her hands.

"Ximena!" Jesse said with a bright grin on his face. "Congratulations on that kiss, last night!"

A dark pink filled her cheeks, but she simply smiled. "Thanks. Did you get all the footage you needed?" she asked a bit sarcastically.

Nevaeh let out a very undignified snort.

"I did, yes, thank you very much for your cooperation, by the way."

"Wait." Nevaeh looked at them in turn. "This was a setup?"

"No!" Ximena was horrified at the thought. "Of course not." She blushed brighter. "We just saw the drone and thought it would be funny to give them something to… I don't know… talk about?" She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, nervous.

"Hey, it's perfectly fine," Jesse said, putting a hand on her arm. "It means you're not afraid of cameras and that's a really good queenly… uh, thing."

Nevaeh shot him a very deadly look. "Don't you start, Jesse," she hissed. Jesse just shrugged and smiled at the selected.

"She's right," Ximena said. "As much I want to believe you, there are still many other girls here…" She stepped towards the table and chose some food for her breakfast. "I wouldn't count myself victorious, just yet…" That said, she focused on the food and filled her plate in silence, but Jesse didn't miss the proud smile that crept on her lips even though she tried to keep a straight face. From what Jesse had seen over the past weeks, Ximena was really bad at hiding her emotions, and that right there was proof.

-o-0-o-

Right before dinner, Jesse found Nathan coming up the stairs to the second floor with an orange rose.

"Ooh, who's that for, if I may ask?"

"You may ask, Jesse," Nathan replied. "Or better even, you can come with me." He wiggled his eyebrows and Jesse didn't have to be asked twice. He took out his phone – too bad he wasn't carrying his good camera with him – and followed Nathan down the hall, filming. The Prince stopped in front of one of the rooms and knocked. He leaned on the doorpost, waiting, making the rose twirl in his hands.

The door opened. "Oh, Natha- I mean, Your Highness," Emelda said. She bobbed into a quick curtsy.

"Good evening Emelda," he said with a smirk. As much as he was sometimes hard to understand, one thing was sure, he was a huge flirt.

Emelda blushed slightly. "What can I do for you? I'd almost think you had forgotten me…"

"Never," he said, handing her the rose. "I always keep the best for the end." He winked at her and offered her the most devilish smile he could muster, which made her blush even more. He ran his eyes over her whole body. She was dressed in an off-the-shoulder fitted black velvet dress with a slit up one leg, her hair in nice vintage-y curls and bright blood-red lipstick. She bit her lip, nervous. "You look amazing," he said. "Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

Emelda's face brightened like a lamp going on in a dark room. "I'd love to!"

"Excellent." Nathan offered her his arm and she took it.

Jesse followed them, still filming with his phone as they headed towards an empty boudoir-turned-private-dining-room on the first floor. Sydney and Otis were on their way to the main dining room with cameras but Sydney quickly joined Jesse with a real camera.

"I got it," she said, standing next to Jesse and filming, too.

"Thanks." Jesse stopped filming with his phone and snapped some pictures of the couple sitting down at the table – Nathan had pulled the chair for Emelda and was now sitting on his own seat.

"I'm terribly sorry," Nathan was saying. "I've been meaning to have a date with you one-on-one, but I had so many things going on at the same time, but we're finally doing it." he flashed her a smile as he unfolded his napkin. "I hope you haven't been too bored?"

Emelda laughed and she seemed really comfortable at the moment. "Oh no, don't worry about me. As long as there are people around to talk to, I can never be bored." They both waited for the footman to fill their glasses with sweet wine. "Besides, Neveah has us writing research papers these past couple of weeks on various subjects so if we're really bored, we can just do that."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Ugh. Bo-ring." He sipped some wine. "Leave it to my cousin to make you do boring stuff. I'm going to have a word with her soon." Emelda shook her head and giggled. "What else have you been doing?"

"Practicing."

He raised an eyebrow. "Practicing what?"

"My sport, of course!"

"Oh, right!" He nodded. "What is it again?"

"Seriously, Nathan?" She put her glass down. "I'm a Gymnast. Why does everyone keep forgetting this?"

"Olympic Games!" Nathan said. "You've won a medal, right?"

Emelda laughed. "Several, actually." She stood straighter.

"Now, see? I distinctly remember you telling me that, in the Goldfinger Club, last year. I just didn't remember what sport." He started eating the food the footmen had just brought in. "I've always had trouble memorizing details," he mumbled.

"Oh…" Emelda started eating, too. "You had trouble learning in school."

"I hated school," he admitted, shrugging. "I wasn't good at anything."

"You are good at things," she said. "I mean, how long since you started being on the cover of fashion magazines?"

Nathan chuckled. "I honestly don't know. I was probably in high school or something."

"See? You had– you still have a great fashion sense. People look up to you in that matter." She paused, looked up at Nathan, and smirked. "And you're good at other things, too…"

Jesse suddenly felt like an annoying third wheel. He motioned to Sydney and they quickly snapped a few more pictures before retreating and leaving them alone. Considering where their conversation was going, Jesse knew it would end up only one way: in either one's bedroom…

"Finally, they're gone," Emelda said, sitting back on her chair. "I was wondering if they'd be staying all evening."

"Don't worry, I would've kicked them out at some point." He chuckled. "But let's come back to our conversation, shall we?" He smirked at the brunette young woman with soft brown eyes. "You said I was good at other things… what did you have in mind?"

"Oh, well, you know," she said, trying to play it cool. "You're a great model, you're a nice person–"

"Ha. Not many people would agree with you, but thanks." He forked some food into his mouth. "Please go on." The smile on his face betrayed him.

"When I'm done, it's your turn, though."

"My turn to what?" he asked, confused.

"Compliment me!" Emelda giggled and continued on with her list. "You have the most charming smile – please stop doing that – and you're funny."

Nathan sat back against his backrest and crossed his arms over his chest. He eyed his date with a smirk. "Those are compliments, not things I'm good at." He paused. "Things I could be good at would be music? No. Writing? Hell no. Learning stuff? Ha. No. Walk the catwalk? Yes." He shook his head. This conversation was not going the way he wanted. "The things I'm good at are useless." He placed his hand on his fork, rubbing his finger on the cold metal.

"Hey," Emelda said softly, putting her hand on his. "From what I know about you, you're a really kind guy, you take care of the people around you even if you don't want to admit it." She paused as he looked up at her, surprised. "You may be a little rough around the edges, but I know you're just the kindest, sweetest guy here."

"Pfft. No one is kinder than Val." But Nathan felt a warmth in his chest that he hadn't felt in a long time. Everyone was always regarding him as the heartless playboy who slept around and always only thought about himself. And he had always believed it.

But Emelda saw something else in him. Could that be true?

Ha. As if. Valerian had all the kindness and softness distributed in the family, and Silas had the brains, the responsibility, and the music. Him? Well, he only got the looks. And the good sex.

"Let's talk a bit about you," Nathan suddenly said, changing the subject. "When did you start training?"

Emelda let go of Nate's hand and sighed. He would change the subject? Fine. "Ten years old, actually. And I got a spot on the Illéan Olympic Gymnast team when I was seventeen."

"Oh wow, so you must have been really good! Only seven years later." He nodded appreciatively. "That's really amazing. And how many medals did you win?"

The brunette brightened: she loved talking about her victories. "At my first Olympic Games, I won only bronze medals, but then four years later I won several of each, though mainly silvers, and a few golds."

"Wow…" he looked at her with renewed interest. "You must be really good…"

"I am, actually," she said, sipping on her wine. Dessert had just arrived and they both ate it rather quickly, after which Nathan suggested they watch a movie in her room. Emelda accepted, and they debated on their way there on what they wanted to watch. Of course, Nathan wanted to go with a Star Wars movie – how surprising – but Emelda was more into a romantic comedy. After some persuasion, Nathan accepted.

They put the movie on a computer and watched it from her large bed. It didn't take long for both of them to stop being interested in the movie and start making out, just like the two protagonists. Both knew the movie was just an excuse – like any 'Netflix and Chill' evening – and they ended up going through their one-night-stand again.

Only it was better because they weren't outright drunk, and they both enjoyed the moment. They even lay down next to each other, talking in the dark – the movie long ago finished – and giggling together.

Emelda fell asleep with Nathan being the big spoon behind her, and they slept until morning. This was the first time in a long time that Nathan didn't wake up in the middle of the night to leave the room after a one-night-stand. He woke up with Emelda still in his arms.

"Good morning," she said with a tired smile. She curled herself against him and sighed, content.

"Good morning," he replied. He placed a small kiss on her hair. Needless to say, Emelda's maid was very surprised to see the prince in her bed: never before had that happened…

-o-0-o-

On Tuesday evening, after dinner and when the sky was dark, Valerian went down to the Women's Room with a pink rose. It was a good thing Jesse was just there somehow because otherwise, he would have missed this date…

The silver-haired prince knocked on the doorpost since the door was open, and all the heads turned his way.

"Uh, hi," he said. "I'm looking for Evangeline?"

Eve looked up from the heavy book she was reading. "Right here!"

"Hey!" Valerian smiled at her. "I was wondering if you would come with me, this evening?"

The girls around the Women's Room giggled.

"Uh, no it's not what you think," he defended himself. "I'm not Nathan." A pink blush bloomed on his cheeks and Jesse wanted to hug the poor baby prince: what were these girls thinking?

"Sure!" Eve said, closing her book and coming over. The couple quickly walked out of the room. "I'm sorry about that," she said. "The girls were just talking about Nate and they were trying to figure out how many girls he'd already slept with…"

Valerian snorted. "Of course. And how many did you guys figure out?"

"Out of the remaining girls? I think three."

"What? Only three?" Valerian was surprised, and so was Jesse. He could have sworn it was more. Oh well.

"Hey, uhm, Valerian?" Jesse said, catching up with them. The couple stopped and looked at him, expectant. "If you don't mind my asking, what are you planning for tonight? I mean, I need to take some pictures or at least have some drone photos…"

"Right!" Val said. "Uhm, Eve, I checked on the Internet, and I found out that tonight is the beginning of the meteor shower. And since it's a clear night with no moon at all, I thought it would be nice to go stargazing." He paused. "What do you say?"

Eve grinned. "I say it's an amazing idea, and a perfect night for it."

"Great!" Val looked at Jesse. "I guess you could come along, but I was planning on taking my car and spending a big part of the night away…"

"Oh, uhm, I can follow you with mine and leave you alone when I have some footage or some pictures. As much as I'd like to see what happens," he wiggled his eyebrows, "I mean, you know my love for the tea, I don't want to be the third wheel the whole night. I'll leave you two to it once I have the material I need."

"Sounds good," Val said. Then, turning to Eve, he added: "Maybe you want to go get a jacket or something? I have a couple of blankets and some snacks ready…"

"Yeah!" she said. "It'll take just a few minutes. I'll be right back." She flashed him a sweet smile and then dashed off to the second floor to get her things.

"So," Jesse said. "This is already your second date with her, right?"

"Wait. Really?" Val scratched the top of his head. "Huh. Yeah, you're right. She came along to the Escape Room date!" Valerian laughed. "But you see, I've promised her this stargazing date during the Meteor Shower since the speed meetings. She knows more about the stars and the sky than anyone I know, and I think it's going to be pretty interesting…"

"You bet!" Jesse said. "I was just asking. How many more do you have on the first round after Eve?"

"Just one…"

"Oh, wow. Already?" Jesse looked at the time on his watch.

"Yeah, I think all three of us are finishing our first round more or less at the same time." Val paused. "After that, I think we can start eliminating one girl on each list every week."

"But that means they're not going home right away," Jesse said. "They go home once they're off the last list."

"Yeah," Val said. "At least that's how I understand it."

"Okay, I'm ready," Eve said, coming down. She had changed her outfit. From a nice evening dress, she was now wearing a pair of warm jeans, sneakers, and a hoodie. She also had a backpack on one shoulder.

"Awesome!"

The trio walked out, heading to the Garage where all the royal vehicles were stored. Amid limos, black unmarked cars, and other armored cars and trucks, was a small mint green Fiat 500. The headlights blinked twice when Valerian pressed on the keys.

"That's your car?" Evangeline asked, surprised.

"Yup."

"Oh my God, it's so cute!" She bounced up and down and walked over the car, walking around it. "That plant sticker is so cute!" she said, pointing at a sicker at the back of the car.

"Yeah, that's the logo from my Environmental Management Master's Class." He opened the driver's door and slipped inside while Eve went to the other side.

"Hey, Jesse!" Val called. "You want to follow me?"

"Sure. Where were you planning to go?"

"Just outside of town," he replied. "I think there's a place where we can go to look at the sky."

"Okay, right behind you."

Valerian rolled up his window. "Oh, uhm, do you prefer the A/C or the windows down?"

"Whatever you prefer," she replied while buckling her seatbelt. Valerian put the air conditioning on. Eve tied her hair in a bun on the top of her head. "Are you the only one of the three brothers who can drive?"

"Yeah." Valerian drove out of the garage and made sure Jesse was on his tail. "I always wanted to learn how to drive. I'm independent with it, and you know, being the youngest, my parents let me do more things than the two others." He chuckled. "Mom never let Silas get a driver's license because she said it was too dangerous." He put his turn signal to get out of the Palace ground. "And Nate?" he chuckled and shook his head. "He always preferred to have a driver. He said it the ladies liked it better, and that he could do… other things in the back seat."

Eve burst out laughing. "Why does that not surprise me?" She looked around the car. "You go to college with this?"

"Yup. And everyone on campus knows the car." He quickly looked at her with a side grin before looking back at the road. "You should have seen everyone's faces the first day I came to school with it. People didn't believe it was me, you know?" He turned on the left turn signal, going onto a new road. "No one thought a prince would come in his own car."

Eve chuckled. "Well, I guess we all have our expectations of royalty. Like… don't you even have a bodyguard or something? You just go around like that?"

Valerian chuckled softly. "Mom wanted me to have one. I refused." He paused. "I didn't want someone following me all the time, and she accepted." He kept his eyes on the road as they passed another car. "But I'm pretty sure she still has one or two people following me around campus without my knowing."

That made Eve laugh. "Imagine two ninjas following you around, sticking to the shadows or hiding under tables while you're taking a test."

The prince laughed, and they bantered on like that for the rest of the fifteen-minute drive. "There we are," Valerian said, parking the car next to a big field. "I think we're far enough from LA to avoid light pollution. We should be able to see the stars better than if we'd stayed at the palace."

Evangeline looked at the darkening sky above them and smiled. "Yeah, it's a good place."

Val went around the car, to the trunk, and took out two blankets and a backpack. He didn't wait for Jesse who parked next to him and snapped pictures of them as they walked to the middle of the field. They were higher than Los Angeles and far enough to not bothered by the city's lights hidden behind the trees. Of course, the city was still illuminating the sky, but they'd have to go in the middle of the Pacific Ocean to avoid all the light pollution around Los Angeles.

He laid out one blanket on the floor and left the other folded on the side, for later. He took out snacks and two Thermos flasks with hot tea for later. None of them were hungry for now, having just finished dinner. Both wrapped in a sweater and long pants, they lay down on the ground and looked at the sky. Jesse snapped a few pictures of them and stayed around for a bit before leaving them alone.

"So, did you do your homework?" Eve asked.

"My homework?"

"You know, the map of the sky I gave you after our speed-meeting."

"Oh, that!" He fished out the crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and looked at it with the flashlight of his phone. "I tried to look for some of the constellations from my bedroom window, but I could only ever see the Ursa Major." He paused. "There was always too much light to see anything else, really."

Eve smirked. "At least you tried, and I'm proud of you." She stared at the sky in silence for a moment, and Valerian followed her lead. "Do you see the really bright star over there?" Valerian nodded. "That's the Polaris Star and it's on one end of the Ursa Minor. Now, extend your arm and put the top of your thumb on the Polaris Star. Got it?" She showed him how to do it and Val copied her.

"Yeah."

"Now around the bottom of your thumb, there should be the second 'saucepan', also known as the Ursa Major." She paused. "Do you see it?"

"Yes! Ha! This is amazing!"

"In between these two constellations, there's another one called The Dragon. It's another smaller 'saucepan' with a super long tail–" she took Val's paper. "See? It goes like this."

Val tried to look at the paper, then the sky. "Oh, yeah! I see it!"

She continued showing him and naming the constellations above them, always starting from the ones he knew, and going farther and farther. Eve was happy that Val was so enthusiastic about all this; she hadn't met many people who were, to be honest."

"You know, I'm pretty sure I could name most of the stars in the sky, at least in the northern hemisphere." She paused. "Okay, I'm definitely a space nerd and I had lots of free time when I was younger!"

"How come?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"I didn't have many friends, and I moved around quite a lot…"

"Oh…"

"Yeah, happens when you grow up in foster care."

Val propped himself up on his elbow, forgetting the sky above them for a moment and focusing on his date. "I didn't know you were in foster care," he said softly. "What happened?" he cleared his throat. "I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to…"

"No, it's fine," she said. "I can tell you… I mean, what's the use of being in the Selection if I'm going to keep everything secret, right?"

Valerian offered her an encouraging smile before laying back down on the blanket: he would give her some privacy if she wanted to talk, and he wasn't going to stare at her, even in the dark of the moonless night.

"So yeah," she started. "I was in foster care since I was thirteen, when my mom, uhm… she died of cancer…" She trailed off, staring at the stars above them, the comfort she usually had found when she felt alone. They had yet to see a shooting star, but it was still early in the night. Valerian didn't say anything, but she knew he was listening. "My dad was, uhm, unable to take care of me and I called social services. I was constantly moving around for a year." She paused.

"And then what happened?" he prompted her gently, not wanting to pressure her or anything.

"I ended up with this super sweet family and they adopted me. I still live with them. Well, not right now, but I did before the Selection."

Valerian smiled. "They must be amazing parents, then."

"They are. And I also have an adoptive sister, she's twelve years old and she's really sweet." She smiled and tucked her hands behind her head."

"What happened to your biological father?" Valerian asked.

Eve didn't answer right away. "He was put in prison for five years. He was violent," she explained. "But now he's been out for three years."

"Oh. And do you have any contact with him?"

Eve shook her head, but remembering he couldn't see her in the dark, she said: "No. And I'm pretty sure he forgot about me." She paused. "At least until the Selection."

"How's that?" Val asked, frowning.

"I got a letter from him the other day." She shook her head. "Eight years without contact and then just as I was beginning to get my life together with my aerospace engineering studies, a job, and now the Selection, he comes back storming in as if he owned the place." She stopped talking right there and took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "I'm sorry. It just –" She sighed again, trying to calm down a little. "It just makes me so angry, you know?"

Valerian nodded. "Yeah, I understand."

"I doubt you truly do, but thanks anyway." She stared at the sky and Valerian did the same. Both were lost in their own thoughts after Eve's story.

"Look," Val said, pointing at the sky. "A shooting star!"

"Satellite," she said with a small smile in her voice. "Shooting stars go way faster." They continued to stare at the sky above them. Some lights were blinking in and out, probably airplanes; others were much brighter and static, real stars.

"Look!" Eve cried out, making Valerian jump. "It's starting!"

From east to west above them, a long shooting star crossed the sky before disappearing. "Should we make a wish?" Val asked.

"Definitely!" Silently, they both made a wish. After that, many more shooting stars followed, and they drank the tea to stay warm and ate the chocolate chip cookies Valerian had taken along.

They counted all the shooting stars, ate all the cookies, and drank all the tea before Eve yawned and snuggled against Val without even thinking. She fell asleep pretty quickly with his arm around her. Valerian didn't sleep. He kept his eyes on the vastness of the sky above them and he felt so tiny in the middle of the universe. Her story made him think a lot about his own position in life and what he could do to give people a better life.

Around three in the morning, Eve woke up because she was cold and they went back to the Palace, tiptoeing back to their rooms. Just before Eve went into her room, Valerian held her hand. "Thank you for an amazing star-gazing night," he whispered. "And for telling me your story."

Eve offered him a smile and squeezed his hand in reply. Before going to his own room, though, Val placed a soft kiss on her cheek, surprising both of them.

-o-0-o-

Jesse hadn't seen Silas go on a date all week and it was already Thursday. Sure, he might have gone for some more Ximena time behind everyone's back… But knowing the guy, it was doubtful. Silas probably had 'lots of work to do' and 'too little time to give to the Selection' as he liked to put it. But Jesse was not giving up. Even if there wasn't an official date going on with the Crown Prince, he would get his tea, whatever it was… Another kiss with the voluptuous Ximena? A glass of wine with the smart Leigh? A walk on the beach with the sweet Malia? A playdate with Doug and the creative Roni?

Jesse was walking around the palace with his phone, texting Sydney and Otis to let him know right away if they had visuals on the Crown Prince. He was just about to hit the SEND button when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He looked up and saw none other than the Crown Prince himself, coming down with a red rose! And with Doug on his heels Yessss…

"Well, hello there, Your Highness!" Jesse said with a huge grin, joining Silas.

"Good afternoon, Jesse." Silas didn't break his momentum and just continued on.

Jesse practically had to run to be able to match his strides. Oh well, at least he'd get the tea. "Who's that rose for, if I may ask?"

"You may ask," Silas replied. "But I don't have to answer."

"…No, you don't. Is it for Ximena? Please tell me you've had another date with her. Did you kiss her again? Did she–"

"Jesse," Silas said, stopping and staring at him – Jesse didn't even know Silas could hold someone's gaze with such an intense stare! "Drop it."

"But–"

"No 'buts'. Just stop asking questions and observe." Silas sighed and continued on his way.

Jesse had never been reprimanded like this by Silas. The Queen, yes. Nevaeh, definitely. But Silas? Never. It was an odd feeling. Was he overdoing it too much? Surely the Report Host had the right to all the tea he wanted, right?

"Okay fine," Jesse said. "But can I at least come with you and your date?" He pointed at Doug. "Clearly you're going to walk Doug."

"That's right," Silas said. "Which means it's not going to be interesting. You can take a couple of pictures of us, but that's it." He paused and stopped before heading outside where most of the girls were. He sighed. "Look. This is my last 'first date'," he air-quoted. "And that's more dates I've been on in the last month and a half than in my entire life." He paused, searching for the right words. "I just do not want it to be awkward because you're around like a hound after blood."

"Wow," Jesse said, taking a step back. "That actually… kinda hurt." He snorted once. "I'm not a bloodhound."

"You are, kind of," Silas said. "Look, I'm sorry if this hurts you, but you know I hate being followed around by the media. Nathan and Valerian don't mind, but I do." He paused. "And I also know this a Selection and people want to know what is going on with me and my 'love life', whatever that is." He pushed up his glasses and Doug came to rub his head on his thigh. "You'll know soon enough when I have something to say or to show." He made to leave but then came back. "As I said, you can take a few pictures, even follow us with the drone for a bit, but it's just going to be a walk in the garden with Doug. No big deal." He nodded once and was out, leaving Jesse completely dumbfounded after such a speech. Had he been practicing it during these past three days? Surely not…

After coming out of his daze, Jesse walked outside and saw Silas crouching next to Malia who was lounging on a chaise longue – and not, for once, with her mermaid tail in the swimming pool. He snapped a few pictures, because seeing the prince crouching in the grass in his grey suit was very endearing, and despite being chastised by him, he was happy he was slowly coming out of his comfort zone.

"Good afternoon, Malia," Silas said, crouching next to the black-haired young woman. She looked up from under her big hat and her cheeks quickly became a hot pink.

"Aloha– I mean, h-hello," she said, her voice shaking a little. Yes, because as much as she loved being around Valerian or had slowly learned to appreciate Nathan, she was still completely swooning when Silas was close to her. And now he was actually talking to her? Thank goodness she was on a lounging chair and not standing up or she would have fallen in a pile of blushing awkwardness.

"I hope I'm not coming at a bad time," he said, "but I was wondering if you'd like to come to walk Doug with me…" he trailed off. "Oh, and I have this rose for you."

Malia took the rose from him and their fingers brushed, sending sparks of electricity all along her arm. She wanted to grin and scream and jump, but she contained herself to a simple "I'd love to!" She swung her legs on one side of the chair. "Can you just give me a few minutes to go put something… uhm… decent on?" she asked, tucking a long strand of dark hair behind her shoulder."

"Of course," Silas replied after realizing that she was not… completely decent. She wasn't naked per se, just wearing a white bikini with a floral print, making her sun-kissed skin stand out beautifully. Silas watched her walk back inside the Palace.

"Who's the good doggy?" someone said at his feet. He looked down and saw the red-head girl – Veronica – was already all over Doug, rubbing him behind the ears and hugging him. "Yes! Who's the good boy? You are! You're the good boy!"

The prince smiled as some other girls joined Roni in worshiping his dog and giving him treats as he waited for his date.

"If you're looking for a mom for Doug," Leigh said, standing next to the prince, "then you can choose Roni, I guess."

Silas chuckled. "That's not my first criterion."

"But it's one of them, right?"

He looked at the half New-Asian woman next to him, the other selected that filled his thoughts. "Yes. Just not the first one."

"What's the first one, then?" she asked, challenging him.

He noticed some of the girls playing with Doug – among them were Eve, Jen, Morrigan, Odessa, and Ximena – listening more closely to his conversation with Leigh. He decided it was good that at least the ones on his list should know what he was looking for, right? Was he even looking for something specific? "I don't even know if I can put Love at the first spot on the list, being the future king and all–"

"And why not?" Leigh cut him. "Aren't you entitled to love like anyone else?"

"Am I, really?" he asked, looking at her and searching her gaze. "Can I have the luxury of love in my world?"

"What does that even mean?" Ximena asked, standing up and abandoning Doug for the moment. "You live in the same world as all of us…" She and Leigh exchanged a look, and Silas didn't really know what it meant.

"I'm ready!" Malia said, arriving at last and saving him from an awkward conversation. How would the Selected understand his world of politics and shark tank when all they wanted was a fairy tale?

"We'll finish this conversation later," Leigh said, not wanting to let this go. "Until then, have a nice date." She offered him and Malia an encouraging smile and looped her arm into Ximena's, walking away with her friend. Silas would have wanted to listen to their own conversation, and he now understood what Jesse meant when he said he wanted the tea.

"Excellent," he said to Malia who had changed into a nice long burgundy floral printed dress with a naked back. She had also quickly braided her hair in a long fishtail braid that went all the way down to her bottom and had added a large hat and sunglasses to her look. "Doug, come along, boy!" he said, tapping his thigh.

The yellow dog didn't have to be asked twice and rolled away from the belly rubs he was getting. He offered the girls a thankful Woof before following Silas and Malia down the gravel path.

"You, uhm, you like nice," he said, trying to start a conversation. He just hoped she wouldn't faint on him because of it. Nevaeh did tell him once that Malia was super swoon-ish around him. Whatever that meant.

"Th-thank you," she said. "So do you– I mean–" she chuckled nervously. Damnit, he was just wearing a suit without the jacket. But he looked hot…

Silas raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly. "Thank you. Uhm, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What made you want to start being, uh, a mermaid?" He picked up the stick Doug had just dropped in front of his feet and threw it ahead of them – only hesitating 1 second to throw it on the drone following them.

"Oh, uhm, it's a long story…" she replied, absentmindedly tucking a strand of hair that had fallen from her braid behind her ear.

"It's okay," he said quickly. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to…"

"No, it's fine. It's just–" She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I was in a relationship and it ended pretty badly," she started. "After that, it was hard for me to trust people and I just focused on myself and on my swimming."

"Professionally?"

"Kind of. It was something I could do alone, not like my dancing competitions where there were always people, you know?" She paused. "Then I saw this girl on the beach putting on a silicon tail and just transforming into a mermaid and I was so fascinated by it that I thought 'why not?'" She chuckled. "So, I went on the internet and tried to find out more about real-life mermaids. I bought a fabric tail and just started practicing."

"Just like that?" Silas asked. "You wanted something and you did it…"

"Yeah. Just like that." She paused. "It did take lots of practice and eventually people around town started noticing I was doing this, and I started booking shows at birthdays or in aquariums. And then I got a call from the Make a Wish foundation and voilà… I'm a professional real-life mermaid, now." She flashed him a smile and this time it was her turn to pick up Doug's stick and to throw it.

"That's a very impressive story," he said. "I never realized until now – the Selection, I mean – that people had epic life stories and they just did the things they wanted to do."

"Not everyone can afford to do it. But don't you?" Malia asked, genuinely concerned and curious at the same time. "You have all the money in the world. Couldn't you just jump on a jet and go wherever you want and do whatever you want?"

Silas pushed up his glasses. "I wish it were that simple." He paused. "Nathan and Valerian can do that if they want. Not me. And," he added, "we don't have all the money in the world…"

"Huh," Malia said. "I could have sworn you were the richest people in Illéa."

"There are other billionaires in Illéa. Our coffers are not meant for our entertainment, but for the good of Illéa. Yes, we have to keep up the Royal image and yes, we live very easily. But our primary concern is the people."

Malia thought for a moment. "You mean your primary concern, being the crown prince and all." Surprisingly, she was feeling more and more confident and comfortable around him. "But can't you just pick up something you really love to do? Like I did with the mermaid tail?"

Silas didn't answer right away, needing to find the right words to explain. "I was born to do one thing and one thing only," he explained. "My life, every aspect of it, has already been laid out for me. I never was given the choice of anything."

"Don't you miss it, then?" she asked.

"I can't miss something I don't know, can I?" he asked gently. "At least until now…" He trailed off. "You're not the first person to ask me what I love to do and what I'd do differently if I could." Silas sighed. "The thing is, I've never really thought about it. There was never the need. Or the option."

They were both silent for a moment, throwing Doug's stick every time he brought it back to them, and laughing at the dog's shenanigans.

"What's something you've always wanted to do but never did?" she suddenly asked.

"I don't know," Silas said. "I've never really thought about it…" he trailed off, thinking. "Oh, I know." He smiled. "I've always wanted to go into town on my own, without anyone recognizing me and just walking around." He paused. "Alas, that is not possible…"

Malia laughed at that. "I'm sure if you put a blond wig, a baseball cap, sunglasses, and wore something else than a suit, no one would recognize you."

Silas looked at the petite woman next to him and suddenly saw someone new: she was kind, funny, and full of mischief. And he actually liked it. "You might be on to something," he said. "What about you?"

She tapped her chin with her finger, thinking. "We don't have many fast-food restaurants in Hawaii, the people there prefer to stick to our food. But I'd love to try a really greasy burger, you know?"

"Wait. You've never had a burger before?"

"Nope."

"Wow." He chuckled softly. "Well, I can't say I've had either. The chef here is… very adamant about what he cooks, and it always has to be fancy."

"I like fancy-schmancy," she said. "But I miss simpler cooking, sometimes…"

Silas and Malia continued talking for a bit until they finished walking three times around the Palace. After which it was time to get ready for dinner, which would undoubtedly be something 'fancy-schmancy', as she put it.

Hello!

I hope you had a nice two weeks ;) And I also hope you liked this chapter! what did you think of these three solo-dates? and of the small Jessaeh content :eyes:?

I can't wait to read your thoughts on this chapter! (the next one should be a bit shorter... I hope... lol)

also, fo those who have Instagram and Pinterest, I added a MEMES highlight on IG and a MEMES section on Pinterest ;) (thanks Logan for the memes!)

anyways, see you next week!