CHAPTER 17
Sunday, the 8th of December
Princess Carolynn Schreave
"If you don't mind me asking, where are you going?" Jenna asks shyly as she places down the folder with the most recent crime reports in front of me. I had to look through them before dinner. I might have not gone to the meetings in an effort to annoy my mother, but it wasn't like I was actually going to slack off on the work. Whether I like it or not, I have a job to do for Illéa, possibly one of my only jobs that I can't shirk out of, though I suppose that I could delegate it to someone else. But I'm not going to do that. There's no way some inexperienced intern from one of the palace's college programs would do as good a job as I would.
I can't let the fate of my country rest on someone who would do such a mediocre job at best. It wouldn't be fair to anyone. So, I would have to do it myself. That's the only way to make sure that it's done right.
"Ethel Dune's," I tell Jenna, boredly flipping through the folder. "It's a steakhouse, it's supposed to be good."
"Oh. Does Thaddeus like steak?" Jenna asks me, furrowing her brow. Right, Thaddeus. I forgot that his real name is something so weird. It's not like I'm in a place to judge, as I've met plenty of other royalty throughout my life, all with ridiculous names (Looking at you, the Greek royal family)
"I don't now.'' I respond airily, glancing over the report. This was looking pretty good. I could probably tell Mom to take away some of the funding for the public safety sector. It didn't seem like there was much crime in Likely anyway.
"Oh. Did you ask him, Your Highness?" Jenna presses.
"No." I say, closing the folder and looking her dead in the eye, "I didn't ask her as a matter of fact."
"I didn't know that." Jenna says quietly, "Do you have any other dates going on?"
"Today? Not one that I planned. Why?" I ask, regarding Jenna's curiosity as rather, well, odd. It wasn't that she never really asked about my life, she did, but it was always with a bit of a polite interest. It seemed like shere ally wanted information about my selection, which I found as rather weird all things considered.
Unless….
Oh!
Was it possible that Jenna had a crush? That's actually somewhat adorable. There's something sweet about watching other people fall in love almost like watching a kiddie movie. I never regarded Jenna as liking someone before, she has always just been there. I had actually never really considered what her personal life was like, she was just my maid. It wasn't like Jenna was unattractive. She was pretty, I guess. But in a more natural way. Not anything close to what I looked like, but she was far from ugly. I could see some man wanting to be with her. If one of my selected realized they couldn't be with me, I definitely could understand someone choosing to date my maid.
Well, maybe this little crush wouldn't be so bad after all. It's not like it would interfere with my selection. As long as it didn't mess with Jenna's work schedule or her priorities -hem, hem, me- I was fine with it. I didn't particularly care if some of my selected weren't loyal to me. It wasn't like I was being particularly loyal to them. And it wasn't like I was going to marry them. Jenna could have one of them, I guess.
"No reason. I just find this selection so fascinating." Jenna stammers.
"Jenna." I say, sitting up, "Do you have a crush?"
"A crush? No, of course not Your Highness. I would never. It would be unprofessional, I can't date one of your selected. I just think it's interesting how you manage to court so many men at one." Jenna says quickly, going pink in the cheeks as she talks.
How sweet.
"Oh come now Jenna. I'm not blind. You like one of them. Which one is it?" I ask, looking at her curiously.
"No. Not at all." Jenna promises.
"There must be at least one you like." I coax, "Come on. Who is it?"
Jenna buries her face in her hand, then looks up at me. "Well, there is one thats rather sweet. I don't know much about him, but I don't know. He's very handsome." Jenna stalls, peeking out at me. Oh, will she just tell me already? As amusing as this all is, I don't have time for it. What happened to people answering the crown princess directly? Isn't there some old law that you can't lie to royalty? Clearly Jenna had never heard of it.
"Yes, yes. They're all handsome and sweet. Now, out with the name." I demand, looking at Jenna.
Jenna bites her lip, not looking like she's going to answer for a second, "Nathaniel Wilson. The one from Clermont. I talked with him a few times after we met in the gardens. He's very polite," she finally says, her voice barely a whisper.
"Nathaniel Wilson." I repeat, looking at Jenna in surprise, "Him, of all people?" wouldn't of thought that he would be Jenna's type. Not that I gave much thought to what her type would be, but I would assume that it would be someone who didn't currently have a child.
Jenna pauses, looking at me for confirmation. "Yes..is there something wrong with him?" She asks, her voice becoming unsure.
"No. I guess not. I just didn't know you were ready to be a mother." I say loftily, watching Jenna's features crumple in a mixture of sadness and confusion. Maybe if Jenna had said that she would want to be with Nyson or George I could see it, but not Nathaniel. I barely knew anything about Jenna's personal life, but I was fairly sure that she didn't want to have a child at 24 years old. Wasn't the boy...Tyler I think his name was, already 3 years old? Besides, could Jenna really want to raise a child that wasn't her own?
I might not be in the mood to play matchmaker, but she could do much better than Nathaniel, even out of the pool of my selected. And that's not even mentioning the guards and foriegn dignitaries who come visit the palace. Jenna could have gotten plenty of people, and I have nothing against Nathaniel, he seems like a nice guy, but I don't want my maid to be unhappy all her life because she married a man and became a mother when she wasn't ready to.
I don't know where life is taking me, but I'm fairly sure that I'm not ready to be a mother in a few years. I know I'm not mature enough, but if Jenna thinks she is, then I guess she can go with it.
Who knows?
Maybe I missed some detail about her personality even after spending every day with her for the last 3 years of her employment.
"What do you mean?" Jenna asks, looming unsure.
"Oh Jenna, don't tell me that he hasn't told you yet. I thought it would have come up in all the conversations you had," I tell her.
"What would have come up, Your Highness?" She asks, still looking confused.
"He has a son you know. A 3 year old boy. Apparently he was adopted, but I don't know if I buy that story. If he suits you though, then go ahead. You have my full permission," I offer, though after my speech I get the feeling that Jenna isn't exactly still on board with her little crush.
"Never mind." Jenna says, shaking her head, "I obviously didn't think it through."
"No matter," I say waving my hand, "I'm sure you'll find a better man somewhere. I'll even help you look if I have time."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Jenna says, smiling tightly. I smile in response. It always feels nice to help the less fortunate, even if it is my maid.
It might be chilly out, well, as chilly as southern Angeles gets, which really isn't all that cold, but I still like to walk through the gardens. There are a few late-blooming roses, their petals still clinging to the buds, but everything else is just plain old dead. I know come spring that the gardeners will spend hours planting the flowers and cultivating the small seedlings, but I can't help but wish that the palace had flowers that bloomed year round, because honestly, it's a bit depressing to walk through rows of barren bushes and dead flowers.
Still, it's better than nothing. With my work for today finished and sent off to the governor of Lilely, I'm free until Tex's stupid birthday dinner that Mom is forcing me to go to. As if I don't have anything better to do.
Well, actually, I guess I don't have anything better to do. That's pretty sad. How did I go from gallivanting around Angeles to having to be happy that it's one of my selected's birthday so I can go out to a restaurant to eat? That's doesn't seem very fair.
I look over at the flowers again, feeling a momentary rush of pity for them. Then, I turn and go back into the palace. I'm just feeling sorry for myself and I don't need a bunch of dead daisies to remind me how much my life sucks.
With nowhere else to go, I swaddle near the entrance to the gardens, hoping someone else will come around soon. It is a palace for God's sake, there has to be something interesting going on.
I don't know if I'm relieved or not when George turns the corner, talking to Nyson and Bas. Ah well. Not exactly who I was hoping for, but better than nothing.
"Princess," Bas says, bowing to me. Nyson and George quickly follow suit.
"Where are you all going?" I ask, not so subtly inviting myself along with whatever it is that they're doing.
"The gardens," George says, gesturing to the doors that I just left from. "Do you want to come?"
I purse my lips, thinking for a second. I can either say no and be by myself for the rest of the day, or I can say yes and have to put up with the fawning of a few adolescent boys. I think my choice is obvious.
"Sure," I answer, infusing my voice with hopefully a satisfactory amount of cheer, "You know all the flowers are dead though, right?"
George shrugs, looking unfazed by my answer, "I don't particularly mind, but thank you for letting us know, Princess."
"My pleasure." I respond, leading them out the door. The guard stationed at it looks surprised to see me again, but knows well-enough not to say anything. That would be very embarrassing.
Bas chuckles lightly when he gets outside "This is December in Angeles? It's official, I'm moving here," he states as he removes the dark blue jacket he had thrown over his clothes.
"Right." I say nodding, "Waverly, wasn't it. That must get freezing."
Bas shrugs good-naturedly, "Eh. It's not too bad. At least, I don't mind that much, but compared to this it's practically a tundra."
"Columbia doesn't get that cold either." Nyson supplies, "Too close to the south to get cold enough."
"Doesn't Columbia still get snow?" I ask pointedly,
Nyson furrows his brow for a second, "Sometimes. I don't think I can remember the last time it snowed in Columbia. I must have been around 9 or 10. How about you, George?" He asks, since he clearly doesn't know the answer to my question.
George thinks for a second, "No," he finally decided, "Not in Carolina. Our weather is quite close to Angeles's, perhaps with a bit less sunshine."
Bas nods, "Yeah, I've been to Carolina a few times. I was visiting some family friends in Clermont and we stopped in Carolina."
"Hm." George says quietly. He's clearly not as good friends with the other 2 boys, so why did he even come with them if he didn't care that much? Maybe he just didn't want to be lonely, though I would have thought that George would have enjoyed other's company more than Bas and Nyson. They seem a bit to exuberant and positive for George. Though, I guess Bas' last name could have something to do with it. I hate to pin George as a clout chaser, but come on. It's the only option that really makes sense here.
It's not like he would want to hang out with these guys. I'm not an idiot.
"I've never been to Carolina," Nyson volunteers, "I hear the beaches there are great."
"They're alright." George finally agrees, looking less than enthused. "If you like beaches, that is."
"I like beaches." I say, my voice peppy. "My family owns a private beach on the shoreline that's great. I mean, it's a little small, but other than that, it's nice."
"You have a private beach?" Nyson echos, looking impressed.
I nod, "Yup." It belonged to the Schreaves for generations, though I suppose at some point it must have belonged to the Illéas. Eh. Long story short, it belongs to my family. I guess that would have been a good place to take the boys on a date, if it wasn't, you know, the middle of winter, So unfortunately that will have to go down as the date that never came to be. What a shame.
"That's so cool." Nyson says, looking equal parts shocked and mystified.
"Yeah, that's really neat." Bas agrees.
"That sounds nice," George says simply, "Where is it?"
I wrinkle my nose, "The address you mean?" I haven't had a briefing on it before, but I'm fairly sure that giving out the address of the royal family's private beach is a bit on a no-no. I might have told Divesh about the safe rooms, but that was harmless. Besides, anyone would have mentioned them to him. I'm not telling George where the beach is though. It's a completely different story.
"No. No. Just where on the coast?" George asks, "Don't worry, I'm not going to sell the information to a paper."
I look at him, "Sorry. That's classified." I state bluntly, in what probably is a lie. I'm not exactly sure if it's classified or not, but it could be. Besides, the expression that falls onto George's face is more than enough to push those thoughts out of my head.
"I didn't know that, my mistake." George apologizes quickly.
"It's fine, "I say, shrugging. What does it matter if George asks about where the beach is? They're all under strict contracts, it's not like he could tell anyone.
And, it's not like he got an answer. So either way it doesn't really matter.
"We should all go to the beach," Bas offers in an effort to diffuse the tension. "Actually nevermind, I forgot it's the middle of winter."
"Dude, how did you forbget that?" Nyson asks. My question exactly, "We're literally standing outside."
Bas rubs the back of his neck, his cheeks turning slightly pink, "Oh. Well, this is spring weather for me, so I guess I just didn't think it through. Usually in Waverly it would start getting warmer." Bas says in what might be the most unconvincing lie I ever heard. "Yeah, sorry, that's not true. I don't know why I said that." Bas apologizes quickly after seeing the incredulous looks on our faces.
"Oh." I comment, "Then what did you mean?"
Bas gives a nervous little chuckle, "I don't know. It just seemed like it was getting a bit tense and it was the first thing that popped into mind," he explains bashfully.
Awww, cute.
No! Not cute. What am I thinking?
"That's nice of you," I respond evenly, hoping that they'll equate my flushed cheeks to the slightly chilly air rather than a blush. That would be embarrassing. Although, I guess it wouldn't really matter. I'm in the middle of a selection, it wouldn't be rude for me to blush, and besides, it's not like Henri has made an effort to talk to me in the past few days.
"Thank you, I guess?" Bas says, looking confused.
"Oh!" I exclaim, the thought popping into my head, "It's Tex's birthday today, so if you see him just wish him a happy birthday or something like that."
Bas winces slightly, Nyson mirroring his expression. It's George who speaks in the end though, "Yes, he's made us all quite aware of that fact."
That doesn't sound too good. Eh. it's not like it's my problem to deal with. These are all adults, I'm sure they can work out their own petty conflicts without having to get me involved. I really don't want to be bothered with the woes of a few boys who won't matter to me in less then a few months. So I decide not to comment on the obvious distaste these buoys seem to share for Tex.
"Cool, then I guess I don't need to remind everyone." I tell them, "I had fun. See you all later then, I guess." I tell the group before making my way back to the palace. Even with my back turned I'm acutely aware of their eyes following me, and I give my hair a little flip so they'll be able to see it wave in the wind as I leave.
By a quarter to 7, I'm all dolled up for dinner. Jenna had added some sort of product to my curls so that they shone in the light, before braiding the front sections and clipping them with a dark blue barrette. The rest of my dress matched the barrette. It was a navy colored dress with ruffles along the neckline. I'm fairly sure it was one of the ones I rejected for my first meetings. I had a silver necklace with a sapphire set into the pendant around my neck, and a matching silver bracelet.
Normally I would have admired how beautiful I look in the mirror, but that's getting a bit tedious these days. I always look perfect for the selected, so it's not like tonight is any grand exception. I just look like a slightly hotter version of myself earlier in the day.
"Your father dropped off Thaddeus's preset earlier in the day, Your Highness." Jenna tells me, handing me a metallic silver gift bag.
"Oh," I say, looking away from my reflection, "What is it?"
"I didn't look," Jenna says quietly. Right, that would be improper. How could I forget Jenna's strict adherence to the rules and proper decorum?
"Hm. Let's find out, shall we?" I ask, moving around the tissue paper, "I don't even know what you get a boy. It's not like anything I would get one of my friends would work."
"I'm not sure, Your Highness." Jenna says, obediently coming to stand next to me, looking as I shift the paper to see what's in the bag. Turns out Dad went with a pair of headphones. A very familiar pair of headphones that is.
"Is this what I was going to give Garnet for his 14th birthday before he decided that he wanted that new gaming system?" I ask, showing the box to Jenna.
Jenna studies it for a second, "I believe so, Your Highness."
I hold back a laugh, "Huh. I guess Dad went with the search-and-wrap."
"It's probably better not to spend a large amount of money on a selected's present." Jenna notes, "Some of the others could get jealous."
"Probably." I say nonchalantly, "Not that I particularly care." I smooth the tissue paper back into place so it looks like I never touched it, then I turn to jenna, "Can you get me my silver wrap to wear over it?"
Jenna nods, retrieving my said wrap. I drape it over myself before bidding her goodbye and making my way down to the foyer of the palace, where Lindsay, a small camera crew, a few guards, and the birthday boy himself are all waiting for me.
"Your Highness," Tex greets, bowing. He cleaned up pretty well himself, wearing a dark blue suit with a white tie. He looks almost as nice as I do.
"Happy birthday," I exclaim, fully aware of the cameras filming my every move. "Here you go." I extend the bag to him which Tex takes curiously.
"You got me a present?" he asks, looking surprised. "That's so sweet of you."
I smile, "No problem." I really wasn't a problem since it wasn't like I was the one who had to hunt down a gift, find a bag for it, and make a card. I mean, to be fair, of course I signed the card. I'm not heartless, I wasn't about to have a press secretary forge my signature on a birthday card. I do have some morals.
Tex opens it quickly, pushing back the tissue paper and lifting it out of the box, "Oh cool. New headphones? That's awesome. I left my old ones at home."
"You're welcome," I tell him, only semi-meaning the words. Lindsay comes over, her stocky frame stuffed into a black cocktail dress. She examines the present quickly, before smiling broadly, showcasing her perfect -yet, extremely fake- teeth.
"Lovely," she says, "I just want to do an interview with Tex before we leave. It will be extremely short, only a few questions. Don't you worry."
Tex looks towards her, "Sure. Are we doing it now?"
Lindsay smiles broadly, "Yes, we are." She lays her hand on top of Tex's arm, guiding him towards the camera crew which had positioned themselves in the back corner of the foyer. "Come with me."
I walk behind her, standing to the side as Lindsay prepares to interview Tex. I can't help but be a bit offended. It's not like the interview process is something that I look forward to on a regular basis, but come on! I had to be more appealing to the people of Illéa, then Tex. First of all, I'm a princess. Second, well, just look at me.
"Are you ready?" Lindsay asks, handing Tex a microphone. She already had one taped to her cheek, which was caked with makeup, by the way. I know that it's a necessity for being on television, but I can't help but feel that it's a bit clownish up close.
"I am."
Lindsay looks to the main cameramen for her cue, and when he flashes her a thumbs up she begins to speak, "Well, happy birthday from all of us here in Illéa. How old are you turning?"
Tex grins, "It's my 21st birthday," he replies.
"Ooh, your 21st?" Lindsay asks. I can see her doing the math in her head to figure out the age difference between them. "I remember my 21st birthday. That was a wild time. So, now that you're officially of drinking age, are you going to be having any wine with your dinner?"
"I'm planning on it, yes. It's exciting to have my first drink with the princess herself."
"Yes, I can only imagine." Lindsay laughs at her own joke, "Now, speaking of the princess, what did she get you for your birthday?"
"She got me a really cool pair of headphones. I can't wait to test them out." Tex responds evenly.
Lindsay makes a slashing movement over her throat, indicating that the interview is done. Once the cameras cut off, she turns to Tex. "That was perfect, thank you very much. Now, let's get along to our dinner reservation, why don't we?"
I'm sorry, but did she say our reservation? Last I checked it was Tex and I's dinner reservation and Lindsay would be sitting at a separate table to interview Tex after the dinner while the report crew filmed the dinner. I was unaware of the fact that she thought she would be joining us at our little dinner party.
I turn to Tex, since Lindsay's opinion really doesn't matter here, "You ready to go?" I ask, leading him out of the palace.
"I'm ready if you are," Tex responds gamely. He looks excited for the night out of the palace. The night spent with me. I mean who wouldn't be?
The limousine is waiting for us outside of the palace, and a town car positioned behind. Tex, being the gentleman that he is, waits for me to enter the car before sitting next to me. "I haven't been out of the palace since the date to the roller skating rink." Tex says, watching the scenery change.
"You haven't?" I ask.
"No. To be honest, I was going a bit stir crazy in the palace. I mean, it's nice, but I can't just sit in the same place for weeks on end."
"I'll keep that in mind," I say, not too pleased with his complaining.
Tex must pick up on that, because his demeanor changed. "Well, if I'm finally leaving the palace, I'm happy that it's with you," he flirts.
I'm not the type of girl who would melt at those words, but I still feel my heart give a little thump as he says it. He is very attractive, perhaps I was too hard on him earlier. Maybe I was too upset over this whole date. It could be fun, and at least Tex is my company for the night. Say what you will about his personality, but he certainly is a bit of eye candy.
"That's nice of you to say," I try not to give away how much his words truly unsettled me.
"I'm just stating facts." Tex once again opens his gift bag, "How did you know that I wanted new headphones?"
I paste a well-practiced smile on his face. No reason to make him feel bad about him on his birthday of all days, "I looked on a few websites, and it said that one of the best gifts to give someone is new headphones, so, well, here you go." I lie, infusing my voice with a genuine amount of cheeriness. What type of crown princess would I be if I couldn't lie through my teeth on demand?
"Thanks for that." Tex says, looking happy that I went through all that work for him.
"What did your family send you?" I ask, wondering what the middle-class received for their birthdays. I knew Tex's parents were both in the medical field, but I doubt they had my level of wealth.
"My parents sent me a gift card, and my brother got me a miniature popcorn maker, which I really don't know what I'm going to do with."
"A miniature popcorn maker?" I repeat, "That actually sounds kinda cool."
"You wanna try it out later?" Tex offers, clearly looking to secure himself a second date. I'm not sure if I want to spend my entire evening with him, but I do want to see the popcorn maker so….
"Alright. Why not?"
"Great. It's a date." Tex says, winking. Now, he is being very forward tonight. What a change from the usual scared boys that try to talk to me, especially the ones in the selection. Is it possible that the majority of the boys I picked are all wimps? I usually don't mind, but it gets a bit annoying after a while.
We end up having a rather pleasant chat for the rest of the ride to downtown Los Angeles. The traffic is fairly bad, but instead of getting annoyed by it like I usually do, I find myself not minding so much, Tex being a somewhat decent distraction.
The hostess greets me and Tex with a curtsy and a polite smile. The palace had sent instructions to the restaurant earlier today instructing that we needed a large area cleared of tables for the report crew to film. They had complied, leaving one beautifully set table in a corner, the rest moved to who knows where. Probably storage underneath the restaurant or something like that.
"What are you getting?" I ask Tex, studying the menu.
Tex shrugs, "A steak. It's a steakhouse after all," he points out as if I didn't know that. After a pause, he looks at me, "What are you getting?"
I look at the menu again unsure of what to get. It's not that I don't like steak, I just don't really want to be seen on camera cutting into a huge piece of meat. It's not very dignified. "I think I'll have a salad." I decide, choosing not to go with the steak.
"Really, why?" Tex asks, sounding somewhat puzzled by my choice, "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of going to a restaurant known for its steak?"
I raise an eyebrow, looking at him, "Maybe. I don't really care though. I'm not hungry enough to have steak right now. It's a very heavy meal." I explain, not very happy with Tex's questions.
"Then what are you hungry for?" Tex asks.
I consider his words for a second, "I told you. I'm getting a salad. End of discussion."
"If that's what you want Princess, you should do it. After all, why would I try to change your mind when you're well, usually right." Tex says, his charisma making me flush a bit. I think this is one that I can't blame on the cold. What am I doing? Are these stupid boys really making me feel like this? It's not fair. I want to have them flatter me and flirt with me, try their best to impress me, but I don't want to actually enjoy them flirting with me.
This wasn't the plan.
And if there's one thing I love in the world it's a clear, well-thought out plan.
"Why thank you." I tell him, giving him a dazzling smile. "I was planning to do it with your approval or not, but thanks anyway."
Tex grins a little, "That's nice of you."
I look at him for a second, "Now you don't sound like you meant that?"
Unfortunately, Tex is extremely hard to rattle, even with all of my very best attempts. "I was just joking with you, Your Highness. Of course you don't need my approval to do anything. I respect your opinions, after all, you will be my ruler one day." Tex explains, his expression charming. Unlike mine, I don't think it's for the cameras. I think that he actually wants to impress me. That's sweet of him, though I have a feeling it's more because of my title then my actual personality.
Ah well. I don't mind.
"Okay then." I say dropping the matter. "You said you were studying chemistry right?" I ask.
"Yeah, I am." Tex confirms.
"So how are midterms working with you in the palace? Are you taking a test virtually or are you going to write and submit a paper?" I actually have genuine curiosity about this. I might not care much, but I'd gate for these boys to flunk out of school on my behalf.
"I got lucky." Tex admits, "My professors usually have us write essays for our midterms, so all I need to do is email it to them and I'll be done. I think that one of the guys, uh Divesh, I think, has to take a completely virtual test. That's gotta suck."
"I can only imagine." I say truthfully. I can only imagine it as I never went to college. Although taking a test online doesn't really seem that bad. You can always google the answers, though I suppose that is cheating. Eh. Grades come first, even if you don't earn them honestly. It's not like anyone will ever know.
Our conversation comes to a pause when the waiter comes to take our order, "What will it be, Sir, Your Highness?"
"I'll have the Saint Ambrose salad." I tell him, pointing to what I want on the menu. "And, I'll have a glass of pinot noir." I purse my lips for a second, "He'll have one to." I decide pointing to Tex. The waiter nods quickly.
"And you?" He asks Tex, "Other than the wine of course."
"I'll have the steak well done." Tex replies, handing his menu to the waiter. The waiter takes mine as well before assuring us that our food will be out shortly.
The food is tasty. The chef working in the kitchen is probably one of the best in Angeles, considering the rave reviews that this restaurant gets. I understand why. When Lindsay finished her interviews with Tex, we're finally allowed to leave the building.
The sun had set a while ago, and we're still stuck in the same traffic on the way home.
"I really had fun today," Tex tells me, smiling, "Probably my best birthday that I've ever had," he admits as he puts an arm around my shoulders.
Should I shrug it off? I probably should, but that would be awkward and it would ruin the fun time that I've had so far on this date. Besides, it's nice to have someone touch me like this. It's been a while. It's not like any of the other selected were so forward with me, and Henri's been avoiding me for the past few days. Despite what he might claim, I know that he's upset that my mother is forcing him to talk with Sable on a regular basis. I feel bad for him, I do, but I'm not going to wait around for him to get over his feelings.
"I did too." I respond, shifting myself so that I'm closer to him. I know he realizes what I'm suggesting, and I'm ready for it.
"We should do it again sometime," Tex says, turning so his head is closer to mine. He doesn't pause when he presses his lips to mine, his feeling soft and warm. It's the first person I kissed who wasn't Henri in a long time, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Tex is a good kisser, it's not that. I just feel guilty. I feel guilty that I'm sitting in the back of a very expensive limo making out with a guy who isn't my boyfriend. That's wrong, isn't it?
Tex doesn't seem to notice my wandering throughs, placing his hand on the back of my head and deepening our kiss. After a little while I pull away, out of breath, and honestly, somewhat disappointed in myself. Ugh, what is happening to me? I hate this selection. I don't want to feel like this, like I'm doing something wrong.
"That was a great way to end my birthday." Tex says quietly, still looking into my eyes.
I nod and give him my best smile, not meaning it in the slightest.
A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you are having a fabulous Friday! I got about a foot of snow earlier this week, so that'll be fun for the weekend. And the tea in this chapter :eyes: Looks like Carrie has a bit of a wandering mind, lol. Okay, also, I have the story completely planned out (Except for the epilogue but details) It's going to be 39 chapters + the epilogue so 40 in total. So, I guess that means that we're kinda getting close to being halfway done? Wow, that's kinda weird to think about. That's all I have to say in this author's note and I will see you all on Monday! Have a great weekend everybody.