Author's Note: Two more after this. Everything moves pretty quickly from here on.

We decided, since we knew we'd be together in the end, to wait until we got married to make love. We had tried so many other times and failed that we felt it was fate telling us to wait. We know that we'll be married eventually so sex could wait (but all the other fun stuff could still happen, hehe, I'm terrible!).

We have been through so much, nothing could go wrong for us. I can see it now, he'll be by my side when I have my coronation. We'll have little blonde children. Hopefully at least one girl. We'll have the perfect little family; the perfect life.

And as I guessed, life was perfect. Grandmere finally gave up and forgave him after a few more months. I think she took my threat to step down from the throne seriously. I really didn't care if that was the only reason she gave up though.

The rest of my junior year went by rather smoothly. Joshua had ended his study at the university in England and came to Genovia. Grandmere refused to allow him to live in the palace considering I was, you know, his girlfriend and everything. She didn't want illegitimate heirs walking around like no tomorrow. 'No more shame' is the motto these days around the palace.

But I did spend a lot of time at his apartment which wasn't all that far from the palace to begin with. I mean, it's practically on the palace property.

The tabloids LOVED us. We were always going around doing goofy things like karoke bars or shopping in random shops where we wouldn't actually buy things. I know, it doesn't sound goofy, but seeing it is kind of silly. Picture a princess wearing a big floppy hat with a hideous skirt and a peasant top. I looked like a total hippie.

But, Joshua managed to help me make Grandmere happy. A poll came out in June, six months after he and I officially started dating in the eyes of the Genovian people, that said that I was the most popular royal in the world. Well, me and William in England. The article said, and I quote

' Princess Amelia has the style and grace of another shy princess; Diana. Both women were terribly shy when they first became royal, but eased into the role as they were able to mature into young women. Both women are philanthropists (they both work with those less fortunate; Diana in Africa, and Amelia in South America), and use their position to lobby for change.

Fortunately for Amelia she seems to have a happier love life. She has been seeing Joshua Bloom, son of Lord Jonas Bloom, for the past six months. Rumors of their romance, however, have followed them through the past few years as many of you already know. They met four years ago while on a missionary trip in Guyana.

"I knew they were in love right from the beginning," a friend of their says, "But I guess it takes time for the real thing to develop. They are a great couple."

And a secretive one at that. A source tells us that they actually began dating LAST MAY after a wedding of a mutual friend. But this has no proof because neither will confirm or deny these reports.

The young princess has never had a relationship where wedding bells were heard so clearly, but many say that this may be it for the young woman. "She's absolutely enamoured by him. And he is with her. He told me that he thought he might love her before he even knew she was a princess," one of his friends tells us. "So I know that it's true. And I've never seen him happier. People say that it's hard for women like sic Mia to find a real guy because she can never know if he loves her or what she can get him. But I can promise you, he isn't into that. He's working in Genovia right now and has his own place. He's starting his own life there."

So wedding bells for the newly crowned favourite royal?

"I don't know about that yet," Lady Bloom, Joshua's mother, says with a smirk, "But it'd be a great match!"

I felt sick when I read about the wedding rumors circulating in the papers and on the internet. I mean, Joshua had enough pressure on him for dating a princess to begin with, now he was on wedding watch? Everyone was looking at my fingers for a ring.

Even weirder, though was his mom. She hated me. She thought I was far too shy. Plus, if Joshua married me then the family name might fall. His brother had decided that he'd rather travel the world as a doctor rather than be a 'Lord Bloom'. So that meant that JOshua would be the next Lord Bloom. But if he married me he would be the dowager prince of Genovia, Joshua Alexander Bloom Renaldo.

People had contests to see what my ring should look like. Joshua and I would sit around and look at the ugly designs people thought up. "Would you seriously want something like that?" he asked as we looked at a ring that was rather large. It's one of those rings that you see and think is gorgeous, but not necessarily for YOU. Like, you think you aren't good enough for it. Something like J. Lo's many engagement rings.

"I dunno. You planning on buying it?" I teased. We were hitting our one year mark the following week and the hysteria around Genovia was serious. I mean, they didn't realize it had been a year, they thought it was merely six months. I dated other guys just as long and no one cared. What was it about Joshua? Maybe it was because he looked like a prince for real. I dunno though.
There was an article out about Joshua and why he was the perfect prince consort for me. They even did one of those 'What if they mated?' things like they do on Conan O'Brien. Our kids would be fairly good looking actually.

"I mean, eventually I'm going to be buying a ring for you," he replied, "It'd be nice to see what kind you'd like."

I smiled shyly. We talked about getting married, and that's great an all...but it's weird. You know, like, I want to marry him in theory. Fine. But now I am going into my senior year. After this I am expected to carry more royal duties. Like producing an heir and stuff. That would involve getting married as well.

It was getting to become too much of a reality for me. Like, TALKING about getting married is one thing. But really doing it is another. Was I ready for that kind of step?

We didn't have to worry about that really though. We never talked about it too much anyways, and simply ignored all wedding questions. People were still convinced that we were getting married that summer.

I gave him a horse for his birthday that year so he could ride with me in the mornings, which became a tradition for us. We'd wake up early every morning and ride two or three miles.

"Senior year," I said before I left for my first class of my second to last semester of college. "Can you believe that I could have graduated this past spring? If I hadn't taken the year off?" I asked my father.

"My little girl....speaking of which, what are your little friends doing now? Lilly? Did she finish school and everything?"

"Yeah. She's working for some newspaper I think. On the very bottom rung. But she seems happy. She's with the same guys she's been with for awhile. She is kind of hoping he'll propose soon."

"Won't that be strange?" he said with a laugh. "That feminist marrying before you?"

I gave him a look. "I'm trying not to put any pressure on Joshua. I mean, imagine having to propose to a princess? It'll take awhile I'm sure."

"He hasn't said anything to me," my father replied. "And he seems like the type to ask permission first."

I shrugged. "Oh well. I'm still only twenty three. He and I have plenty of time to get married, right?"

"You kids are young," he agreed. "You both still need to sow your wild oats."

"Oh yes, because we both are sooo wild," I said with a roll of my eyes.

"Well, in his case he might want to consider some more volunteer work before he enters our world, assuming he does join us."

I laughed, "What are we? A family or a cult?"

"Sometimes it seems like we're both. The car is waiting. Get going girl."

And I did. I had never worked too hard at school because there was always something distracting me. But now there was nothing. I had a perfect boyfriend to snuggle with every night before I went to sleep. I had a solid group of friends...well, they were kind of solid. Not the type that I'd hang out with after graduation though.

And can I tell you how great it is to have a boyfriend that works for your dad? I mean, sure, he is gonna start travelling really soon with the team, but for now my dad only makes him do work from nine to five, like a regular guy. The team practices from nine in the morning until noon, then they break for lunch, then they practice some more from three thirty until five. This gives Joshua just enough time to do his paper work during the break, and be at the palace for dinner.

But what started to suck is that Grandmere started giving him prince lessons. I warned him about her though. He laughed because he already had all this training from back home. "Mia, I can speak French fluently, I did get a degree in the language. I can also sell a lady with white gloves a ketchup popsicle. I'm rather charming if I do say so myself."

I playfully smacked his arm. "I cannot believe you have to bring the team through Europe."

He shrugged. "I'll be back in time for Christmas. And think about it, you'll be back in New York for Thanksgiving so that will keep your mind off me, won't it?"

I offered a half smile. "I talked to Lilly about that. It's gonna be a blast."

"Getting yourselves into trouble I suppose?"

"Not at all. I'm supposed to go to her family for dinner actually. My mom and Mr. G. are taking Rocky to Iowa (AN: where are Helen's parents from? I totally forget!), but they'll be back on Friday night so I'll see them on Saturday."

"Wait, so you are staying with Lilly?"

"Well, she's actually living at home for now...with her parents I mean. The rent went up at her and Tony's place. I think she said they are trying to save up for a wedding and a ring and stuff so they couldn't afford it anymore-"

"And I'm guessing you'll be seeing that Michael guy?"

Wow. Here is a first: I hadn't thought of that. I mean, my mind has been on tunnel vision for the past year and a half. I have only thought about Joshua. Nothing about Michael. It's not that I was being disloyal about him...I was just kind of moving on. Accepting the fact that circumstances didn't allow us to be together.

"Um, I guess. I don't really know though. Lilly didn't mention him." She probably didn't on purpose. Probably thought I'd skip out on her if I knew he'd be there. I'd show her. "But it doesn't matter. I have a hot 'boy toy' here," I said picking up the latest news article about our relationship.

He laughed. "If they only knew what I looked like when you first met me."

"You were gorgeous."

"I was chubby," he argued.

"But not ugly. You were, and are, gorgeous."

He shrugged. "I dunno. I still think you are too good looking for me."

I rolled my eyes. "You clearly haven't seen the cast list for the movie about my life."

"What?"

"The TV movie...the new one," I replied. "It's going to be based on Lucie's book. So it won't be out for a long time...they have to have the book sell for awhile before they release the movie. Hopefully, it'll be better than the TV movie one they made before."

"There is a TV movie about you?" he asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Hardly. Sure, they tell a story about a young teenage girl discovering she's a princess, but then they got all into boys and who liked me for me and who liked me for being a princess. And for some reason they made me and Michael get together in the end. After I dated some jerk, well, I did kind of date a jerk for like, a day but-"

"In the end you are with Michael?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah. Kind of silly huh? He and I never even dated!"

He stared at the floor and jingled the change in his pockets. "You don't think that is like...I dunno, a sign? Like, that you are supposed to be with him?"

"Royalty does not jingle," I reminded him, grabbing his wrist. "And yeah right. The Hollywood people know my fate. Get real Joshua."

He stopped jingling. "I'm just being silly, I know. I know you love me. I don't like sounding like a jealous boyfriend. It's just...I waited so long to be with you so I don't want to lose you."

He looked so adorable when he pouted. "You won't ever lose me, I promise," I said kissing him softly. "Until the day I die," I said with a wink.

With other boyfriends I was never as forward as I was with Joshua. He was clearly my soulmate. I mean, I can burp in front of this guy. If that's not true love I don't know what is. Well, there's more to it than that but I meant that I was so comfortable with him that I could do something so personal with him around me.