AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"You'll fall in love with me," I tell him stubbornly and perhaps insanely.
"It's possible," he says with a wry grin. "But friends are allowed to be in love with each other. I believe it's called 'unrequited love.' There's quite a few books about it."
The words hang between us. What happens if I fall in love with him back?
"I just want to make sure you get home safely," he says softly, holding up his hands in front of him as he approaches me slowly, like I'm a wounded animal that could run away with any sudden movement.
I let him lead me back into the limo. I give him my address, and we sit silently for the rest of the trip. We're both soaking wet and I'm grateful for the heater as I had begun shivering shortly after we got back into the car.
We pull up to the battered apartment complex I call my home. His face pulls into a frown as he looks at it. Luckily for this friendship he's proposing, he says nothing. I may not have much, but I work hard for what I do have.
"Do you work tomorrow?" he asks, as I put my hand on the door handle to leave.
"I'm off," I say after a pause.
"There's a party..." he starts. "Very casual," he continues quickly when I start to shake my head automatically. "Just a few friends. You could meet people."
"How do you know I don't already know people," I say snottily.
"You can meet more people," he amends, although the look on his face says he knows I'm completely full of shit. Bethany is the closest I could call a friend, and she's old enough to be my mother...if we're counting the age I look and not the age I actually am.
"Pick you up at seven?" he asks.
We stare at each other for a long moment before I finally open the limo door and step back into the rain.
"Okay," is all I say before I walk towards my apartment.
I feel his eyes following me all the way to my door.
James Kensington
England 1432
I was born in England in 1414 near Windsor. Mother had left us a few months after my fourth birthday. Father always said she would come back someday, but every day that passed made clear that she was gone for good.
Father did the best that he could, but his work as a merchant meant that he was gone for long stretches at a time. He hired nannies and housekeepers to watch over me while he was gone, but they couldn't replace my mother. My rebellious spirit, and my devastation at being left behind by her, led me into lots of trouble.
I was fourteen when my friend Thomas, the son of one of the maids at the estate, dared me to sneak onto the Windsor Castle grounds and steal one of the prized apples that the King had growing there. Of course, being the tomboy that I was, I wasn't going to turn down a dare from him, and immediately set off to do it.
"Pssst. I was just kidding," he whisper yelled at me as I started to climb one of the back stone walls where I was sure that there wouldn't be guards patrolling.
"I'll be right back," I threw over my shoulder as I neared the top of the wall.
I threw one leg over and had just pulled the other one over when a voice startled me.
"Are you really doing that?" it said.
I promptly fell the rest of the way off the wall.
"Umph," I groaned, feeling slightly dizzy from the fall. Luckily a quick inventory of my limbs assured me that I hadn't broken anything. I finally plucked up enough courage to stop delaying the inevitable and look up for the source of the voice that had startled me.
I immediately wanted to go back over the wall when I saw that the voice belonged to a haughty, very attractive, young man dressed in the finest of clothing. He appeared to only be a few years older than me. A young man who I knew to unfortunately be the Prince of Wales. Prince James Kensington to be exact.
I was suddenly more aware than ever of my gangly limbs, knobby knees, and large eyes that I hadn't quite grown into.
We stared at each other for a moment, and I was relieved to see that he had a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. Twinkles meant that I probably wouldn't be beheaded.
"Your Majesty, please forgive-"
