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Miles rolled his eyes with a smile. “Whatever.”
Amica, Miles and I came out to the lake about once or twice a month. It was like our safe space where we could let go of all our responsibilities and pretend to just be kids again. The various lake games we played stayed the same, while the only thing that really changed was the amount of clothing we wore. It was actually nice having Mendex join us. Having an even number in our group allowed us to play games that required teams, and I was having the most fun I’d had all week, my smile never faltering.
“I'll race you back to shore,” Miles taunted.
“You’re on.” I took off across the small black lake.
“Hey, you had a head start!” he shouted, but the sound of splashing water drowned out his voice.
My laughter was causing me to swim much slower than I typically could, allowing Miles to easily catch up to me. We raced to Mendex and Amica, who were having a hushed conversation by the dock.
“That sounds like fun. I would love to,” I overheard Amica say.
Miles beat me by a couple seconds, slapping the dock with his hand.
“I win,” Miles said with a smirk. “What sounds like fun?” he asked Amica, still out of breath from the race he ended up winning.
Barely.
Mendex responded proudly, “I’m taking Miss Amica on a date.”
He smiled boldly at her as I squealed, “A date!” Amica blushed, and I knew she was such a hopeless romantic she was probably doing the same on the inside. Miles didn’t look as excited as me, but he was probably just exhausted from the swim.
Amica laughed. “Yes, a date.” She gave me the look that said she would explain everything to me later. Trying to steer away from this topic, she added, “I think my whole body is turning into a prune. Is everyone ready to head back in?”
We all agreed as we got out of the lake, grabbing our stuff and dressing in the spare dry clothes we brought with us. We walked through the grounds, and I leaned into Amica and whispered, “Tell me everything tomorrow?”
“Absolutely.”
“I will see you all later,” I said to no one in particular as I broke away from the group. They waved goodbye as I made my way to the kitchen rather than my rooms. As much as I absolutely adored my friends, I also needed time to myself every now and then, where I could sit and appreciate the silence. So, after every lake night, I had my own tradition where I would visit the kitchen and make my favorite almond cocoa. It was similar to hot chocolate in the sense that it was rich and creamy, but it had more of a toasted nut flavor. The servants who worked in the kitchen were always gone by the time I went to make my favorite drink, leaving the whole place to myself.
When I arrived at the kitchen, I turned on one of the many stoves and went to gather all the ingredients: almond milk, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla. The kitchen itself was huge, probably the size of ten bedrooms, with every ingredient or spice anyone in the kingdom could ever need. The kitchen was on the first floor of the castle, and its many windows looked upon the shiny black lake. Multiple island counters took up space in the center of the kitchen while cabinets lined the walls. I placed a pot on the stove, pouring the milk in, then lifted myself up onto the adjacent counter to wait for it to boil.
I let my mind go silent and stared at the stars through the kitchen window.
“Enjoy your bath?” asked a voice from behind me.
I jumped, startled at the voice. I must have gotten lost in my thoughts as I didn’t even hear someone walk in.
I knew exactly who just joined me in the kitchen by the sound of his voice. My heart sank as I turned, seeing Bennett leaning against the counter I sat upon, his arms crossed and a devilish look in his eyes that made me very aware that we were alone together.
“Yes,” I said flatly. Suddenly, I felt oddly embarrassed, remembering that Bennett used to come with us to the lake when we were younger and was actually the one who started the tradition. That was how we learned the games that required teams.
Bennett was wearing his pajamas, which consisted of gray cotton pants and a simple black shirt. His curly hair was messy, and the darkness under his eyes showed his exhaustion.
“I'm assuming the usual two joined you in the lake?” he asked.
I nodded, a bit uncomfortable to be having a simple conversation with him. “And Mendex,” I said matter-of-factly.
Confusion struck his features. “Mendex went with you?”
“Well, yeah? He told us you gave him the night off.”
“He never asked me.”
Well, this is awkward. I chewed on the inside of my cheek and averted my gaze.
“Oh,” I responded, trying to think of something to say. “Then how did you know I was at the lake?”
