A/N: For you cynical types (of whom I am one) who are about to read this, just know that although this story seems farfetched, anything is possible, and this is merely a better version of a semi-true story, as all great things are.
Chapter Three: Getting To Know YouWhen Rory stepped out of the bathroom somewhat more dry in the clean, new t-shirt, she found Tade, now wearing a white, Hanes wife-beater and white, linen pants, kneeling in front of his video shelved apparently searching for a movie. As he heard the bathroom door close behind her, he looked over to her with raised eyebrows and shining, white teeth in an expansive smile.
"Care to join me in the viewing of a film?" he asked in his most charming tone.
"That depends," she countered with a smile of her own. He looked at her expectantly. "What are we watching?
He just laughed a warm breeze of a laugh more to himself than to her as he stuck a video into the VCR.
"What's so funny?" Rory asked with a small, perplexed crease in her forehead.
"Just hunker down here and get ready for the feature presentation." He said patting the bed beside him.
With a shrug she complied, her gaze shifting between the man on her right and the television screen. Her eyes grew three sizes bigger when she saw the Disney logo appear on the screen and as the shooting star sparkled over the Disney castle she smiled broadly and looked back to Tade, who was now watching her excitedly.
"Do you approve?" he asked with hope.
"Very much." She responded settling back against the headboard waiting to see which Disney picture he had chosen.
When she suddenly identified the first few images as the beginning of Aladdin, she let out a giddy giggle. "I haven't seen this in years!
"That's the most awful thing I've ever heard. I watch this at least once every three weeks." He said, pulling away slightly so that he could see her enjoyment better.
After watching the screen in relative silence, (until the part where Aladdin gets trapped in the cavern), with Rory sneaking furtive glances every now and then and Tade blatantly watching her, he turned his entire body towards her.
"Tell me about yourself," he requested with a fascinated expression of glee.
"My name is Lorelai Gilmore and I hate mushrooms. Now you." She responded turning to look at his intrigued face. He had high cheekbones and his eyes crinkled with his smile. God he was beautiful.
"My name is Tade Ntekim and I too have an aversion to mushrooms. Eating a mushroom is what I image eating a nose would be like." He returned with twinkling eyes that were like black diamonds. He looked deeply into her aquatic eyes and his smile grew. God she was beautiful. "Where did you grow up?" he asked, still interested.
"In a little town in here in Connecticut called Stars Hollow.
"Oh a bumpkin, I see." He said with a slight elbow nudge.
"Hey, I'm no bumpkin, where'd you grow up?" she said giving him a playful swat.
"Well, I was born in a small country south of the Sahara Desert and I spent a lot of my childhood there, but I also lived in London, with my mom after my parents got divorced and in Paris with one of my brothers for a bit, and then I've spent large amounts of time in New York and LA as well." As he was listing these places off, his gaze had traveled to his fingers, but when he finished he looked up to see Rory's astounded face.
"Good lord, I am a bumpkin." She responded entirely amazed by his life.
"I was just joking. I'm sure your town is wonderful. Did you live there with your parents?" he asked. He didn't want to assume anything about her. He wanted to get to know this girl. She seemed so special. He felt like he had found a secret treasure in this small-town girl.
"My father lives in Boston. I grew up with just my mother. We're really close. She had me when she was sixteen and so she's also my best friend." She stopped then because she realized that she was rambling, not out of nervousness, but just because she wanted to tell this man about herself and she wanted to know about him too.
"Oh my mother had me when she was seventeen. I'm close with her, but I have a lot of other family too, so we never got to spend all out time together." He explained.
"Do you have other siblings, besides the brother in Paris?" she finally got to ask a question.
"Yeah, I have six older brothers and three older sisters." Once again she was gawking at him, but he just laughed. "Most of us have different mothers. My father is somewhat of a womanizer and has been married and divorced many times. He's a very independent man and he doesn't respond well to marriage, I just don't know why he won't learn his lesson." He too found himself to be rambling and so he just trailed off with a breathy laugh. They both just smiled at each other for a moment before letting their eyes drift back to the television screen.
"I always wanted to be a princess." Rory stated as she watched the film.
"It's not like it is in the movies." He replied calmly.
"What no song and dance numbers?" she joked.
"Oh don't worry, there are songs and dances just not so much drama." He answered seriously.
"And how did you get this top-secret information?" she teased.
"I'm a prince." He stated.
Rory laughed loudly until she realized that Tade wasn't laughing he just looked at her quizzically. "Wait. What?" she asked.
"I'm a prince." He said again.
"Seriously?" she seemed hesitant to believe him.
"Yes." Tade said.
"You're pulling my leg." She laughed.
"I pull not. I am tenth in line to be king of my father's country.
"You're actually a prince? Your father is a king?" She asked amazed.
"Yes. I have the choice position of being the prince without having to worry about ever being king. All my brothers and sisters are before me in line." He explained as though this was the most normal thing in the world.
"Holy crap dude!" she exclaimed. "Oh man, I just called a prince dude," she mumbled to herself.
"Don't worry. I don't need special treatment. I don't want special treatment. That's why I didn't want to go to college at home. It's amazing how much the American people don't care about my country. It's refreshing in fact." He said with a laugh.
"Really? You don't have body guards or anything?" she asked beginning to get very interested again.
"Nope, no body guards. Well, when I'm at home I have an escort, but that's different. And there's only serious security when all of my siblings and I are together at the same time, which is almost never. It's really not a big deal. Royalty schmoyalty." He replied with a wave of his hand.
"Yeah, that's what I always say." Rory joked. She felt comfortable around him again. Intrigued, yet comfortable.
They watched the movie in silence again for a little while until Rory asked a question.
"Do you have a crown?
"Technically, yes. But it's kept in a vault, it's more of a symbol than an accessory for everyday use Ôcause you know it's just so hard to find shoes that will work well with a crown." He answered with a grin.
There was silence again until Rory turned to him, "Do you have a palace?
"Yes, my father does. And I have houses around the world too." He replied.
"Cool." Rory cringed at how dumb that sounded.
"It is cool." He said with a laugh.
They laughed and smiled and chatted together some more and watched the movie. When it ended, Rory reluctantly got up form the bed.
"I should go back to my dorm. It's getting kind of late and I have work to do." She explained.
"Do you really have to go?" Tade asked with a pout.
"Yes, unfortunately." She quietly replied with a fleeting blush.
"I suppose you're right," he said getting up from the bed to join Rory by the door. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, white card. "This is my card. Can I get your number? Let's get coffee or a meal or something some time. Perhaps we won't have to get all soggy next time." He said giving her his card.
"That sounds nice." Rory conceded. "Do you have a pen?" she asked.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cheap, Bic pen. "I always have a pen." He said handing it to her.
"Good to know. Do you also happen to carry around paper?" she asked looking around the room for something to write her number on.
"I'm afraid I'm not completely prepared all the time. But why don't you just write your number on that box over there." He said pointing to an empty, cardboard box by the wall.
"Ok." She said with a shrug and she knelt down and wrote her number in a large, yet dainty scrawl across the box. When she was finished, Tade extended his hand to hers and pulled her back off the ground. They both stood staring at each other for a moment, holding hands before he broke the silence with a giggle (a deep, manly giggle).
"I guess I should go. I'll give your shirt back when we get that meal." Rory promised as she slipped her hand out of his.
"You can keep it." He said.
"Wow, a royal t-shirt." She teased.
"Yes. One that I bought at K-Mart. Enjoy." He said with a regal bow.
"Thank you your highness." She responded with a slight curtsy.
"My pleasure, my dear country bumpkin." he said as he trailed a long, elegant finger down her jaw then toped it off with a light kiss on her cheek.
She laughed at him and he laughed at her as they both parted and went their separate ways.
He watched as she walked away and was afraid that she was a dream. He had met many people in his life and none had ever been as enchanting as this startling individual. In his eyes, she was the true royalty.
As she walked away, she felt his eyes on her retreating back. She was afraid she had fallen into a fairy tale dream and that she could wake up at any moment. Seriously, how many times does a girl meet a dream boy who is also a prince? When she rounded a corner and knew she was out of his line of vision she took out her cell phone and pressed the number one key. When she got the voice mail she left a message.
"Mom, call me back. Just a preview of what's to come: I got a piggyback ride and a free t-shirt from a prince and there is a very great chance we will meet for a meal in the near future." With that she hung up and smiled her way back to her room.