"There's some in this world who you can just love and love and love, no matter what." - John Green
Amber
I didn't know what to do on my way to class or back to my apartment without talking to Shalom. It had been three weeks since Halloween and I hadn't seen or talked to my baby brother since. What was worse was that I hadn't seen Derrick since either. He knew my schedule well enough to know which ways to walk to class in order to avoid me and even when I decided to walk a different way he was still nowhere to be seen. Dad hadn't said anything about Derrick, thankfully, and Mom was even more insistent for me to get my life together. I didn't need her reminders though; I had sworn off drinking and drugs since they only seemed to bring me trouble.
Talking on the phone while walking places was a habit I had formed over the last few months because it kept me busy and helped keep the paparazzi at bay if it appeared that I was busy. It would have really paid off most recently due to the countless embarrassing stories Shay was sending the tabloids as vengeance for what I had done to him on Halloween. The reporters seemed to always have a ridiculous headline to ask me about when I was walking by myself unoccupied. Luck was on my side though when I was walking to my apartment and Dad called me. "I don't have much time to talk but I'm emailing you a list of guards being inducted this weekend," he informed me. "I want you to look it over so that you know them by name at the banquet."
"I can do that. Anything else you need?"
"Yeah, something to de-stress your mother. She's going to work herself dizzy with this induction."
I smiled at that. "Sounds familiar," I commented. That's how she had been my whole life but somehow she still managed to carve out time to take care of us. Somehow, despite having the most responsibility, Dad was always the calm one. He just theorized that Mom's anxiety prompted her to work harder to ensure that everything would be perfect.
"Have you talked to Shalom?"
"No, Dad," I sighed. He asked me that every time he talked to me.
"You really should. I know that he's mad at you. Believe me, he was pissed that night and pretty set on never talking to you again but he is your twin. No one knows you better than him and vice versa. I doubt either of you are doing well without the other."
I shook my head because Dad couldn't really understand what it was like to have your twin be mad at you. It was like I could feel his anger radiating toward me all the way from Kent and it felt like our differences were irreconcilable. "He doesn't want to talk to me. I've called, I've texted, I've even emailed him. He's not responding so clearly he's not missing me that much."
"If you keep bothering him I bet he'll answer in some way."
I fumbled for my keys and slid my lock in the front door, nodding at the guard who was stationed outside the building per Dad's orders. "Thanks Dad but I think I'll wait this one out. I know I messed up but I've done all I can do by apologizing. I just need him to forgive me."
"He will princess, I promise." Someone said something to him on the other end of the line and I knew his time was up. "Okay well I have to go. Don't forget to read over that document. Love you kiddo."
"Love you too Dad," I answered as he hung up, cutting me off halfway through. Once inside my apartment I got on my computer right away and printed the documents Dad had sent. I looked it over with a cup of tea nearby, lifting my mug to put it on the counter as I read through the names. When I got to the end and read one of the names the mug slipped from my hand.
A guard burst through the door at the sound of crashing ceramic, gun drawn. "Princess, what is it?" he demanded, scanning my apartment warily.
I couldn't comprehend at first why I was seeing his name on that list. Being a guard and his name didn't fit together but it certainly explained why I hadn't seen him at all in a few months. When I looked at the guard though, all I could say was "He enlisted."
When I walked into the palace I didn't even pause to greet my mother or siblings; I ran straight up to Dad's study and stopped in front of his desk. "You can't send him to New Asia," I told Dad, knowing full well that he knew what I was talking about.
"Amber I know that it's difficult for you to accept this but I can't show favor in some guards and not others," Dad said patiently, not even looking up from the book he was reading. He was ready for me to come here and beg this of him.
"That's bullshit. You're the king. There's nothing you can't do." I crossed my arms. "You had no problem threatening to send Uncle Aspen to New Asia all those years ago. He told me about that."
Dad finally sighed and held up a hand to stop me. "I didn't have authority to do it then, especially then. I was only prince at the time. If Derrick didn't qualify to be a palace guard, he didn't qualify. I can't risk our safety by placing someone who is unqualified in place to protect our safety, okay? Look, he's not going to New Asia just yet. After the induction he'll have a week or so at home and then he'll be sent to Clermont to work at a military base there."
"Why can't he be a palace guard?" I pressed, laying both hands on Dad's desk.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and then mussed up his hair. "Amber, he didn't pass all of the benchmarks he needed to in order to be a guard here. Besides, what would you do if he was a guard here? It's not like you spend that much time here anymore."
"It's not about spending time with him; it's a matter of his safety. If he's here he's guaranteed to not go to New Asia, right?" Dad didn't answer so I crossed my arms and went on. "I really care about this guy Dad."
"Well I'm sorry that I have a problem with making accommodations for a guy you claim to like but actually won't talk to. I mean, for Pete's sake Amber, you didn't even know until Thursday that he had dropped out to join the guard. Look, the reality is that he's really no safer here than, say, Angloterra. He's as safe as he'll ever be in Clermont."
I looked away from Dad, unable to look him in the eye. "Why did he even join?" I thought aloud.
Dad was about to say something when Mom knocked on the door. "Amber, it's time for dinner. Let your father get some work done."
As I walked out I turned and pointed my finger at Dad. "You will keep him safe. Not for his sake, but for mine."
Mom fairly grabbed me by the shoulder and pushed me into the hallway before I could make any other demands. "You shouldn't boss your father around like that," she said as we walked down to dinner.
"You do it all the time."
"It's different. When I do it, it's tough love. When you do it, it's manipulation." She collected her hair behind her and threw it down her back to get it out of her face. "He's under a lot of stress right now with the growing tensions in New Asia, okay? The least you could do is cut him some slack."
I gave her an exasperated look. "Mom, it's Derrick."
She smiled sadly and cupped my cheek in one of her hands. "I know honey. I know it's difficult. But maybe instead of fretting and bossing your father around, you should talk to Derrick. He's arriving late tonight and I could tell you which room he's staying in."
"No, I don't think I'm ready to talk to him," I refused, steering us back down the hallway. "I don't think he'd forgive me anyway."
"Well, if Shalom forgave you, surely Derrick will forgive you," she said conspiratorially.
I nodded. "I really like that logic except for the one minor detail that Shalom hasn't forgiven me."
"It's just a small technicality," she joked.
There was always something so sexy and appealing about a man in uniform but seeing Derrick in a military uniform brought that to a whole new level. His hair was buzzed but somehow he looked even more attractive. Without his hair the most prominent detail of his face were his eyes which seemed to be even brighter in the sun shining through the windows of the Great Room.
"He seems so different," I breathed out to Mom while I watched him interact with his fellow comrades through the crack in the doors.
She smiled as she straightened Dad's already-impeccable sash. "Just remember that today he'll be seeing you in a new light as well. I'm pretty sure you don't go to these every weekend in Whites, right?"
"Right," I said, closing the door all the way. It was nice to be doing these things with just Mom and Dad. With me and Shay being groomed for taking over the throne we were the only ones really obligated to go, meaning that my siblings had the day off. While I craved their freedom, it was cool to see Mom and Dad in a different environment.
"I think this would be the perfect time to talk to him," Dad commented as he read over his speech for the last time. He had just recently changed it from what was read every year at this ceremony so he was a bit more unnerved about having to recite a whole new speech.
"I agree," Mom echoed, checking her lipstick in a mirror.
I narrowed my eyes at them. "I think you two just like watching me squirm."
Dad shrugged and kissed my forehead. "We're your parents. Embarrassing you is our natural-born job."
"You mean, besides ruling a country?" I joked.
"Hey, quick tip for how to be a married monarch: don't think of ruling as a job, but as a hobby," Dad said.
"And where does the marriage part come in, exactly?" Mom asked crossing her arms to mimic my stance.
He shrugged and again. "Marriage is the job."
Mom rolled her eyes and hugged him. I looked away and made a fake gagging sound. "You two are gross," I said.
The crowd on the other side of the door quieted down suddenly meaning that it was time for us to get in place to make our entrance. I stood dutifully behind Mom and Dad and watched them link hands. For just a moment I could see the appeal in having someone by your side to rule with and to support you. Being a ruler was an isolating job and it must have been most beneficial to have someone to turn to at the end of the day.
"Ladies and gentlemen, His Majesty King Maxon, Her Majesty Queen America, and Her Royal Highness Princess Amber," Audius announced from inside.
The doors swung open and I followed behind Mom and Dad as we walked into the front of the Great Room. It was set up just as it always was for these things; twenty rows of twenty chairs split down the middle by a long aisle. The front five rows were dominated by guards and the rest were full of their families. Reflexively I looked to the back of the room, over the heads of the countless people in the room so that I wasn't overcome by the sense of fear from the hundreds of people looking at me. It was something I could just never get used to even though I had been doing these events for nearly two decades.
Mom and I took our seats in our thrones, mine slightly smaller than hers. Dad stood at the center of the makeshift platform at the front of the room as everyone took their seats. As he started speaking, I tuned him out and focused on the gold and red swirled walls on the other end of the wall. I knew exactly where Derrick was sitting without even having to look at him. I wondered briefly if his mother was there or any other family members but then remembered that his mother worked full time and probably couldn't afford to come. That made me sad enough to make me want to talk to him, if only to just offer him some sort of support in something that was so life altering.
Dad eventually took his seat between us and the band started to play through the alma mater for the guards. As the music drew to a close Dad stood back up again to read through every guard's name to personally induct him. After that the band played the Illéan national anthem and the end of that signaled the beginning of the reception in the gardens.
I took my time going outside, stopping and chatting with every last adviser I could even though I hated most of them. Times like these were when I wished I had my twin brother with me to keep me distracted or at least make all of the diplomatic obligations somewhat enjoyable.
"Keep frowning like that and you'll never be able to smile quite right again," Mom leaned in and said as we walked down the stone steps to the terrace.
"I can't avoid him all night, can I?" I asked her, starting to feel like an encounter with Derrick would be inevitable.
She shrugged and smiled at me. "Well, there are plenty of other guards that would love a chance to dance with the princess, I'm sure. And you know your father and Uncle Aspen are always up to the challenge."
"Yes, dancing with me is quite the challenge since I've seemed to inherited your genes," I joked. "Honestly Mom, where did Shay and Win even come from?"
"Who knows?" She laughed, holding her hands up in the air. "Look, there's Aspen now. Go dance with him." Mom practically shoved me in his direction.
He smiled with a mischievous glint in his eye and immediately swept me out on to the dance floor. I knew he was still mad at me from Halloween and likely would be for a long time after my putting him on full blast about his relationship with Mom. "I'm sorry about Halloween," I told him after going through half the dance in silence.
Uncle Aspen shrugged. "Your parents seemed to have forgiven you."
"They're my parents; they're supposed to love me unconditionally. If you have a lecture prepared you may as well go and use it. Or save it for the next time I fuck up."
He raised his eyebrows at the slur but didn't say anything to correct it. After all, most of my foul language came from spending time with him and Uncle Carter. "Your dad is a much better person than I am. I would have sent me to New Asia no matter what if I were in his position," he said, looking over my shoulder to where my parents were dancing, a little too close than necessary as per the usual for them.
"I don't believe that. After all, Mom would have never forgiven you."
"That's true," he laughed, actually smiling at the thought. "And her being angry is not something I really enjoy. You were not as privy to all of her mood swings when she was pregnant but boy, there were some days where I thought I'd have to check on Maxon regularly to make sure he hadn't been exiled from their study or even thrown in jail."
I shook my head as the dance drew to a close. Uncle Aspen bowed to me and applauded the orchestra that was playing. We parted ways on the dance floor. I sought solace in some peace and relative quiet so I wandered off to a darker part of the gardens and sat down on one of the benches near a fountain and rose trellis.
Part of me felt so betrayed that I didn't know about Derrick joining the guard but at the same time I knew it wasn't really my place to know. I gave up that right when I walked away from him on Halloween. That night was such a disaster. Had it not been for my ruining my relationship with Shalom it wouldn't have been nearly as bad but the truth was that Shay and I hadn't fought this bad in my whole life. We were never so angry that we stopped talking to the other. It was just too hard for us to live without our twin.
The sound of footsteps approaching me interrupted my thoughts and I turned to see Derrick behind me, walking on the path between hedges. "Hey," he greeted.
"Hi," I said back, not really knowing what else to say.
"I was determined to not talk to you. I wanted you to approach me but it was too hard. I just have to tell you something."
My heart stopped for a few seconds as I expected the worst. I couldn't handle another time of him telling me that he loves me. There wasn't enough strength left in my body to deny him anymore. "What is it?" I asked in a strangled voice.
He bowed his head and played with the brim of his hat. "Just that…you look beautiful and today, during that ceremony, I realized that you would make an incredible queen."
"Thank you." Again, I didn't know what to say to that.
"So, that's all I wanted to tell you. I guess I'll be going now," he said. He bowed quickly and retreated before I could wake myself up enough to call him back. The least I could have said was that he seemed like he would make an incredible guard. I watched his retreating back, suddenly feeling that the situation was even more hopeless now than it was five minutes ago.
After that encounter I was in no mood to party anymore so I took a back path up to the palace and to my room, collapsing on my bed when I arrived. Parrah was roaming through my bathroom, setting out my pajamas and toiletries for the night. I stumbled over on my sore feet and stopped in the door. "Parrah, could you start a bath for me?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Parrah said, instantly going to the massive Jacuzzi tub in the corner of my bathroom. I stripped out of my dress and heels and slowly sunk into the warm water, letting it sooth my sore legs and feet.
It wasn't long before I fell asleep. It seemed that I just blinked and suddenly I was mostly submerged in lukewarm bath water and most of the bubbles were gone. Parrah was nowhere to be found but my pajamas and plush robe were waiting for me on a nearby chaise.
My robe was nice and toasty like it had been sitting on a heater before Parrah left it for me. Come to think of it, she probably had. Derrick was still in my head as I brushed out my hair and wiped off the last bit of my makeup. Out of curiosity I walked out to my balcony and looked down on the gardens. The party had wrapped up. I could see my parents, Uncle Aspen and Aunt Lucy walking inside as servants worked to clean up the remnants of the party.
I suddenly remembered when I was thirteen or so and finally demanded to know what happened to my father's parents. Mom had always said that her father had died of a heart attack but Dad would just simply say that his were killed. I knew it was from a rebel attack and that Dad almost lost his life as well but they never really spoke of it. Even on the anniversaries of the attack they would just work all day as if there was no significance behind the day.
Finally I asked Dad to tell me what had happened. I was sick of everyone acting like I was too delicate to know when I knew that some of my cousins from Aunt Adele were younger than me and were actually present for the attack. So Mom and Dad sat down with me and Shalom after dinner one night and laid it all out for us, starting from the very beginning of the Selection and going all the way up to that fateful rebel attack.
If I had known that Dad had almost died in that attack and that their relationship was in shambles I wouldn't have pressed so much. It at least explained why Dad had a scar on his shoulder from a bullet wound – why Mom had one that was nearly identical still remained a mystery – but what struck me most was when they got to the part where Dad was dying and what he had told Mom.
Shay just shrugged it off but I sat there with wide eyes and asked, "What possessed you to say all of that? You were so mad at Mom…how did you forgive her?"
"There are moments in your life where you just know that it could be your last time ever seeing that person," Dad explained. "You want to make sure that person remembers that last moment with all their heart and that you don't have to live with any regrets later on." Mom and Dad then looked deeply in each other's eyes then and clasped their hands together, Dad fiddling with Mom's ring as Mom just stared at their joined hands.
Those were the words I remembered as I stood there on my balcony. As painful as it was to admit, this could very well be my last time seeing Derrick. Was I satisfied with how we were parting ways or was I going to regret it later on? I loved him. I loved Derrick and the thought of having such feelings terrified me but not as much as the thought of never seeing him again and never telling him that I loved him.
My feet started moving before my mind was even made up. It was quiet on the second floor where the guards were staying in the spacious rooms that once held the Selected and the Elite. Now they were just reserved for important guests. Mom had told me which room Derrick was staying in but I still doubted it as I raised my hand to knock.
Officer Avery passed by, nodding his head coyly to bow. I blushed and bobbed out a curtsy and pretended to not notice the knowing glint in his eyes as he caught me about to knock on a guard's door while still clad in my pajamas at an hour way past midnight.
The door swung open and I instantly looked into Derrick's gorgeous hazel eyes and temporarily forgot what I was going to say. "Why did you do it? Why did you have to join the guard?" He opened his mouth to answer but I shook my head to signal that I wasn't done yet. "I didn't give you permission to do this. You don't get to die on me yet because I haven't told you how I felt yet."
"Then tell me," he urged quietly, his voice slightly husky.
It was then that I noticed that he was only in his boxers and a sleep shirt and he didn't look quite awake. I could care less about waking him up though. He was here now and I couldn't turn back. "I love you. I've loved you from the moment I met you. I've told other guys the same thing but I've never been more terrified than I was to tell you and I know its because its never been more real. You don't just make me a better person but you make me want to be a better person. All I want in life is for you to be happy and if that's with me or without, I'm okay. Just never forget that you are more loved than you could ever imagine. And you are not allowed to go die without knowing how much I love you and how much I just want to hold on to you and never have to let you go."
He shifted on his feet and looked at the floor. It seemed like he had gotten even taller since the last time I had seen him, if that was even possible. Maybe I had just forgotten how tall he was. "Wow…" he breathed out.
"Say something."
"You love me?" he asked, staring me down seriously. I nodded, the warm gold gaze from his eyes making me melt and unable to speak. "Get in here." He grabbed me by the hips and pulled me inside, shutting the door before pressing his mouth against mine. We had never kissed like this before. Never with this much passion or desperation or desire. "If this is what love is, I'm willing to fight for it," he whispered to me, his quiet voice making my body shiver all over.
I pulled away from him and perched on the edge of his bed, stroking the comforter. "Join me?"
He groaned and sat down across from me, looking at me seriously. "What changed your mind?"
"Thinking about what I'd do if I never saw you again," I told him honestly. "Why'd you enlist to the guard?" Derrick sighed and looked away from me, clearly struggling with his answer. I reached up and cupped his cheek to force him to look at me. "Hey, you can tell me anything."
"My mom lost her job," he said, his voice breaking. "No job equals no scholarship. No scholarship equals no college. And all of that equals me needing to find a fast solution to our debts that was legal."
"I'm so sorry," I said. Part of me ached for him though because I knew that I could never be really sorry. I didn't know what it was like to have to fight for your family or to worry over your parents losing a job. I worried about whether we had enough petit fours at a party and whether or not my parents would get shot. "We can help her, you know. We can send her money…"
He started shaking his head. "Amber, I don't want any special perks from this relationship. I don't want your family to have to support my mother financially and I certainly don't want to be placed here at the palace when I'm not qualified for it." My eyes widened as I wondered how he could possibly know that. "Your father offered me a position as your little sister's personal guard. I said no."
"But now you have to go to New Asia and that war…" I could see the violence now, bullets tearing open rice paddies and bombs reshaping the coastline. Illéan soldiers falling dead for a war that they didn't even want to fight in.
"That doesn't mean that your father and I didn't work something else out," he informed me.
I frowned. "What does that mean?"
"I'll be working undercover in the east for a small pocket of rebel activity. His last insider died of an illness a few weeks ago and he's been searching for someone to take his place. Both your father and the rebels," Derrick explained.
"That sounds no safer than New Asia."
"Safer in different ways," he said, picking up my hand to inspect it and eventually place a kiss on the back. "But dangerous in different ways as well. Amber, being a guard is something I really have always dreamt of doing but I never had a justifiable reason for doing it. Not until now. I like it. Please respect that."
I nodded and kissed his cheek softly. "I do, really. But Derrick, I'm not ready to let you go. Not when I only just got you."
"Then how about this? You have me for tonight and tomorrow night. We can do whatever you want. Your choice. The sky is the limit."
"Careful, you may have just earned yourself a helicopter tour of Angeles with that comment," I warned, pressing my face close to his.
His arms wound around my lips again, pulling me onto his lap. "As long as I'm with you, my love."
The next morning I was woken up by someone pounding on the door. Opening one eye was enough to determine that it actually was still very early with the sun just barely cresting over the horizon. I rolled on to my back and my hand came into something hard, instantly reminding me that I wasn't in my own bed. Derrick and I couldn't have been asleep for more than two hours after we spent most of the night kissing and talking. We never went further than kissing, as tempting as it was. It was hard enough to convince Derrick to let me stay in his room for the night. I actually had to pretend to fall asleep so that he would allow me to stay.
"What time is it?" I groaned, searching the bedside table to Derrick's watch.
The pounding persisted and I heard Uncle Aspen's voice come through. "Amber, I know you're in there. Open the door!" he demanded.
"Fuck!" I exclaimed, detangling myself from the blankets to get to the door. Derrick sat up and put his shirt back on so that Aspen wouldn't get the wrong idea. I pulled the door open and saw Uncle Aspen's angry green eyes staring back at me. "Yes?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant. Like this was a normal morning and I wasn't answering the door of a room that was not my own.
"I can't keep your parents preoccupied forever, you know. As much as they love Derrick, I'm not sure they'd condone you spending all night and morning in his room."
I put a hand to my forehead and looked behind me to where Derrick was putting proper pants on over his boxers. "You're right, I'm sorry. Derrick, would you like to see my room?" He looked confused but didn't refuse.
"Amber…" Uncle Aspen said in a warning voice.
"What? You said I can't spend all night and morning in his room," I reminded him. I patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, I have plenty of those condoms you gave me in my bedside drawer. No unplanned pregnancies are going to happen this morning."
Derrick apologized to Aspen quietly as we slipped past him. We joined hands and he walked for the main staircase but I pulled him back. "We can't risk getting seen by my parents just yet," I explained, pulling him into a secret passage.
"How many of these are there?" he asked in awe, running his hand along the damp stone walls.
"Countless. It's a maze in here. Shalom and I once got lost in here when we were young. When Mom couldn't find us for dinner, Dad had to send out almost all of the guards to find us and bring us back," I recounted, stopping as I got to a fork in the passageways.
Derrick put his hand on my shoulder. "Hey, Shalom will forgive you eventually, you know."
"Did you see what he told the press about me? He sent them pictures of me high and drunk and…I didn't even know he had those pictures. He's trying to ruin my image before I even become queen." He looked like he was ready to say more but I turned and kept walking. "Let's just keep going." I wasn't in the mood to hash out my relationship with my brother again. He was my twin, it was my fault that we were arguing and I was going to be the one to fix it.
I pushed open the door to my room, peeking around the corner to make sure that Parrah wasn't inside. Once it was all clear, I waved Derrick in and shut the door softly. He put all of his clothes down on the chair and took a look around my room. "This room is larger than my mom's apartment," he observed. "Not to mention, with much better furnishings."
I smiled and tugged him back to my bed. "C'mon, maybe we can get another couple hours of sleep."
"Aren't you worried your parents will come in?" he asked even though he was already sliding his pants and socks off.
"Nah, they won't come actually come in here. Besides, I suspect that after having a busy day yesterday they're not going to be awake for a while yet." They were always admirable in trying to appear as the young, spritely rulers they once were but I knew that after twenty years, a couple terrorist attacks, and five children they sometimes had days where they required recuperation. Sometimes Dad would just need a mental break and would take me out for a ride. Other days we would just gather as a family in the movie theatre and watch movies all day.
He sat waiting for me on the edge of my bed and I promptly climbed into his lap, my legs on either side of his. I pressed my lips against his, gently at first and then more forcefully. "Why is it that I feel like I've known you my whole life?" I whispered, slightly breathless as his hands worked magic in my hair.
"My life didn't begin until I met you," he answered in a hushed voice.
"I'm sorry then that you've had such a difficult life."
He laughed, his stomach expanding against my own. "I think I knew what I was getting into when I fell for the daughter of the infamous America Singer."
My fingers crept to the hem of his shirt and pulled it up as he worked on the sash of my robe, untying it and thrusting it from my body. My chest was as close to his skin as it could get and I could feel how much he desired me from where I was sitting on his hips. His lips drew paths of fire down my throat and across my collarbone. "More," I pleaded, pushing his hand to my breasts.
He abruptly pulled back though, looking perplexed. "No, Amber, I can't do this." Seconds before I felt like I was about to combust. Now I felt like I was suffering from hypothermia. He tried to slide away from me but my legs were pinning him in place.
"What do you mean?" Shalom wasn't a virgin. How did he manage to beat me to having sex while I was the one getting cock-blocked by my own boyfriend? Not that I was trying to catch up to him but I felt ready to break down that final wall.
"I made a promise a long time ago that I wasn't going to have sex until I got married." That made me slide off of him. I pulled my knees to my chest in the middle of my bed, waiting for him to continue. "And I'm pretty resolute in that promise."
My parents never expressly told us that we had to wait until marriage but they discouraged the possibility of us having children out of wedlock. They waited for marriage but Mom always said that it was hard. She also said that having a short engagement helped. But then an idea came to me. "Why don't we get married?" I asked him.
"I'm sorry…what?"
"Let's get married," I repeated.
He laughed like I was insane and looked at me like I belonged in a straightjacket. "You know, I'm pretty sure that we can't just decide to get married. Don't you need to invite, like, a few thousand people and get a custom made dress and the whole nine yards?"
"Well, normally yes, but we…" I stopped, the suggestion sounding crazy. Especially since I hadn't professed my love for him until twelve hours ago. "We could elope," I finally finished.
"Elope?" he repeated, looking at me like I really had gone crazy. "Amber, you are the crown princess of Illéa; you can't just run away and get married without anyone knowing."
I sat up on my knees. "But I can. I'm supposed to be going back to Whites in a couple days, as are you…we could do it there. We could get married, Derrick."
"We haven't even been dating for more than six months!" he exclaimed.
"Derrick, babe, I know I want this. When I went to you last night, I was all in. I never would have told you I loved you if I wasn't planning on marrying you eventually. Sure, this is a lot earlier than I anticipated but it's really just us doing the inevitable." I held a pillow to my chest as I waited for his reaction nervously.
The corner of his mouth perked up in that half-smile that always melted my heart. "Aren't I supposed to be the one to ask you?" he joked.
I laughed, filled with relief. "Is that a yes?" He nodded and started laughing with me.
"We're getting married." He pressed his lips against mine, sealing our fate rather effectively with a heated kiss. "Just one thing."
"Anything."
"I don't want to wait to marry you either."
"Okay?" I didn't know where he was going with this. Wasn't that what I had been saying for the last few minutes?
"If we were to leave, I don't know, in an hour or so to fly to Whites, could your brother meet us there?"
Damber is getting married? What? I know this chapter was a bit off a whirlwind but Damber's relationship is just so crazy and accelerated. I mean, true love waits on no one, right? Who's excited for the Heir coming out in a month?! And who's even more excited about Kile officially being one of the Selected? I don't think he's going to win Eadlyn's selection but I do think he'll be one of the final two. I don't know, just a prediction. I'll have to fill out my bracket later when I have more time!
Someone the World Forgot: Damber is pretty great. I love them together so much! This chapter was pretty long though too!
LeftByTheGalaxy: yup, the Maxon POV is shaping up pretty well. I've been writing that simultaneously with this one which is pretty difficult because there are so many changes between this chapter and Maxon's chapter. The scary thing is that his chapter is only about five or six updates from now, if that. The whirlwind is only going to get worse!
Sci-FiGenius: no problem! you're welcome!
Guest: i'm sorry, i don't quite understand. care to elaborate? (but i did think Maxon would make the perfect Peeta!)
Prnamber3909: lol, now that i think about it, Aspen could've been Gale! They both are described to look similarly. I originally wanted America and Maxon to be Marie Antoinette and Count Ferson but I just liked the poetic symmetry of Amber and Derrick being dressed up as those two. Besides, wouldn't Maxon make the cutest Peeta? (Besides Josh Hutcherson, of course. No one is a cuter Peeta than him.)
Thank you for the lovely reviews! Hopefully the next update will be up in a week or so!