The Royal Contract

Waking up with a man beside her for two consecutive mornings was not was she would have thought would happen to her on this trip. If you told her last week that she would be in this situation, she would have laughed at such an incredulous idea, thinking it was unlikely to happen.

But today, she was staring at the sleeping man beside her, careful not to wake him up. She was glad that this time, she woke up on her side of the bed, thankfully, not entwined with him. The previous mornings were embarrassing enough, and doing it for the third time would be too much.

He looked so adorable, sleeping soundlessly, she thought. She found herself staring at his face, his closed eyes, his patriarchal nose, and his kissable lips. It was indeed such soft lips, recalling vividly in her mind their most recent kiss.

"Stop it." She mumbled to herself, chastising her mind for replaying her memories. She also had to stop studying him before he caught her ogling at him. She quickly moved to the bathroom to take a bath.

He had some of her clothes transferred to his room. She found them in one of the cabinets in his walk-in closet. She also noticed her other stuff when she walked into the bathroom the other night.

She appreciated his thoughtfulness as he took care of all her needs when she was sick. She never felt this way before, not even with her ex-fiancé. Nick never treated her like she was delicate porcelain that needed to be cared for with a gentle touch.

"Hey!" He was already standing on the door to the balcony when she came out of the bathroom. At least fully dress this time to go out.

"How long have you been up?" She wondered because she remembered leaving him in the bed still sleeping earlier. 

She suddenly regretted getting up early since it was the last time, they would be alone in his room. Tonight, they would be heading back to the other house, in their separate room. She would surely miss having him around and waking up with him at her side. 

"I woke up when I heard you entered the bathroom. I decided to use the bathroom in the other room to save us time." He explained why he was already waiting for her. "How are you feeling?" He asked, seeing that she had already prepared for the day outside.

He wondered if there would be another chance for him to be this close to her. He would surely miss taking care of her like these past couple of days. 

"I'm great." She declared, feeling that her energy was back to normal. She was also tired of lying around and pacing the room. Another minute inside this room, and she was about to go insane. The only thing that made it bearable was his presence and the way he entertained her, she admitted to herself but not to him.

"That's good to hear, but the doctor still reminded me that you should not overdo things today to be on the safe side. But I also agree that it is time you go out of this room." He offered, knowing that being coop up in the room all day must not have been fun at all for her. 

He did enjoy the moment they spent together, remembering how they tried to pass the time doing various activities such as playing chess, watching movies together, and competing with video games. He thought that Dani was impressive because she caught up with him despite her lack of knowledge of the game.

Just eating together was already a treat for him. Every moment he had spent with Dani was time he wanted to extend. So, he was not wasting this opportunity to do more things with her today and the rest of their remaining days together.

"It was nice to get enough rest, but I do miss the outside." She also missed jogging or doing some activities under the sun. Although she would also miss her stay in this room, especially the moments with him.

Last night, after sharing a few childhood memories on the balcony, comparing their good and horrible experiences growing up. She learned a few more things about him that they had in common. She felt more closer to him than she ever felt before. 

Then as the night progress, they found themselves kissing on the balcony, underneath the stars. Nobody knew who initiated it, but they were both carried away by the romantic setting brought about by the spell cast by the moon. 

"I'm sorry." They both apologized after realizing what they just did, but neither was sorry about it as they stepped away from each other. They both wanted it but were not ready to accept it.

After that, both excused themselves to prepare for bed, unsure how to handle the awkward situation. But both had a hard time falling asleep as both felt the impact of that kiss. Until both succumb to sleep, happily dreaming about each other.

"About last night." He began as if he had read her thoughts. "I hope you don't mind if we talk about it." He felt they needed to discuss it before they could proceed towards their day.

He moved closer to where she was standing and stopped just in front of her. He held both of her hands in his as he stared at her face. It suddenly made her looked up to him, curious about what he had to say.

"What about it?" She knew it had something to do with what happened last night and what was happening to them ever since they arrived at this place. She had always felt the attraction between them, but she had fought against it from the very start.

She could also see the indecision in his eyes as he stared at her. Whatever he was about to say might be a bit serious, she concluded. She suddenly felt nervous that he might have changed his mind and wanted to end their charade.

In all honesty, she was not ready to stop seeing him. On the other hand, she wanted to see him more. She wanted more to this relationship than she wanted to admit. But she could not deny what she was feeling anymore, not to herself.

After that kiss last night, she knew she wanted more of it. She wanted more of him.

"I think. No." He suddenly stopped, trying to recompose what he wanted to say. "I believe that you are special, and I want to get to know you more. I know there is something special between us, and I want to explore that." He paused, watching her reaction. 

He waited if she was about to object to what he was saying, but when she remained quiet, just listening to him, he continued. "What I'm saying is that I want you to be my girlfriend." He finally stated what he was thinking. "Before you say no, I am not proposing that we go through the marriage." He quickly added, not wanting to frighten her with his declaration.

"What are you saying?" She asked as her heart started beating loudly in her chest, suddenly excited about the possibility of what she just heard.

"I want us to make this work. I think we both felt the same way. Maybe we could take it slow. Give ourselves a chance to get to know each other more and let time dictate if there is more to this." He pointed to the two of them, pondering if fate had something more planned for them.

He was not sure if he was making any sense to her at all. Because all he heard from what he was saying was the loud thumping of his heart as his nerved went haywire. He wanted her to agree with him, but at the same time, he did not want to force her if she was not ready.

"Do you mean that we stop acting and make all of this real? Well, being a couple, I meant." She wanted to clarify what he was implying because she did not want to make the mistake of assuming anything.

"Yes, but you don't have to answer right now. I want you to think about it first." He told her as they continued to stare at each other, still inches away from each other. "But I hope you'll give me an answer soon."

He wanted to kiss her right then and there, but he had to wait until she had made her decision. He had to respect what she had to say to what he just suggested to her. But he hoped that she would have a positive answer to him.

"Ok." She replied to him, still in shock, unable to believe the turn of events. Although she already knew what she wanted to say since her answer was already ready in her mind. 

She believed Alex was right. She should think of it thoroughly since what he was asking would complicate their entire situation.

She was surprised that he was feeling the same way as she was. She thought that he was not ready to commit to anything serious, remembering his suggestion that they had an affair to expel their attraction for each other. 

But this time, if he was willing to try to see where their relationship would take them, maybe she could also do the same. 

"Well, first, I think we should eat breakfast and join the others." He extended his arm to her, offering to guide her out of the room. "Besides, I'm sure that everyone is already waiting for us to come out of this room."

Although being with the others was the last thing he wanted to do, he was sure that she needed to be with her family and friends. She needed a clear mind before she should decide on his offer.

"Yes, you are right." She answered automatically, but her mind was still buzzing with his new proposal.

"Then, maybe we could do something together later on." He suggested as they moved in the direction of the garden where the breakfast was taking place. After spending time with the rest, he thought maybe they could spend more time on their own.

"What do you have in mind?" She asked, suddenly excited to know what he was thinking. She was also looking forward to spending more time with him. She finally admitted to herself that she enjoyed his company and wanted to get to know him more. 

She also wanted a relationship with him, she finally concluded, and she could not wait to tell him. She was ready to be a committed girlfriend to him if that was what he wanted.