AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He tugged on his collar again. “And you chose your first time in ten years to be in a bar…why…?”
“Bucket list,” she said simply. “I was supposed to have a one-night stand and then ditch the guy after.”
Frowning, he eyed her. “Who gave you this bucket list?”
“Brian.” She traced the rim of her glass. “An old friend. A best friend.”
His face softened. “Is he…?”
“Yes. Cancer.” She twisted her lips and turned away, the familiar absence of Brian in her life hitting her in the heart. “A little under a year ago.”
Brian had been more than her best friend. He’d been her only friend. They’d roomed together in a tiny apartment during college, and he’d never let her down.
And she’d been there for him, too, all the way to the end.
If only he hadn’t had to go so soon.
He shifted and rested a hand on her knee, squeezing. It was a reassuring thing. A gesture of comfort. But even so, it set a fire ablaze within her that she didn’t want to feel, so she pulled away, her heart racing at the soft touch. His mouth tightened, but he leaned back in his seat again and took his confusing touch with him. “I’m sorry.”
She wasn’t sure if he apologized for resting his hand on her knee, or expressed sympathy for her loss, but either way there was nothing to be done for it. For Brian.
Sometimes, life sucked.
And sometimes, it sucked a lot.
At her continued silence, he cleared his throat. “What else is on this list of yours?”
“Lots of things, all meant to make me live and be adventurous, since I suck at that.” She took another sip of the god-awful scotch he’d given her. She preferred brandy, but since he’d stereotyped her, she had to prove him wrong. “Fall in love. Break a heart. Have my heart broken. Get sloppy drunk in public. Visit a foreign city.”
He nodded slowly. “Some of which you’ve done.”
“Two. Actually, one, I guess.”
He frowned. “How so?”
“I might have to cross off the one-night stand one.” She shrugged. “Because…” She gestured toward him. “Well, you know.”
He lifted his glass to his mouth, but didn’t drink it. His brows lowered. “Wait. What?”
“I didn’t ditch you. You’re here. And technically, you weren’t a stranger, and we’d already been together. I just didn’t know it at the time.”
His mouth tightened again, and he looked seconds from combusting.
Fighting back a smile, she added, “I guess I’ll have to find another—”
“It fucking counts,” he growled. “You ditched me quite effectively.”
A laugh escaped her. She couldn’t help it. “If you say so.”
“I do.” He yanked on his collar again. “Mind if I call dinner up, my lady?”
“If you wish, Sir Royal-pain-in-my-ass.”
He let out a half-snort, half-chuckle. “Maybe I should make that my new royal title. It has a certain ring to it, don’t you think?”
“I find it very fitting.”
Without another word, he walked to the door and opened it. He conversed with the guard outside. This one switched duties with two other men, and all they did was stand there. She almost pitied them. He spoke to the man with respect and authority, and from what she’d heard spoken of Leo, he was a well-loved prince.
