The Royal Contract

She arrived early at home, still debating whether it was wise to go on a date with Lance. She felt she deserved to be happy, and Lance seemed to be the guy who could make her feel that way.

However, she also believed that there was a big chance that she was setting herself with a big heartbreak. Even worse than what she had with Marcus. 

But was she willing to let the opportunity of love go to waste because she was afraid of being hurt again? Or was it better to have love and be hurt than to not love at all?

"What are you going to do?" She asked as she stared at herself in the mirror. She already had her dress on, and all she had to do left was to put on some light makeup, then she was good to go.

She could remember all those stories about an ordinary girl and a rich guy who entered a serious relationship. Most of them usually had the same conclusion. It just did not end well for the girl.

Could she expect that hers would be different? What was so special about her that she could believe she was the exception? Or was she only setting herself for the pain of going down the same fate? 

If she did not follow what her feelings dictated right now, technically, she already broke her heart in the process. So, would it make sense to take the risk instead and hoped that it would have a different outcome?

"If Dani is sitting right now in your place, you know what you are going to tell her. Go out and have fun and stop thinking of the future." She muttered to the reflection staring directly at her. 

Well, she knew she would say that to her friend. However, applying her words to her present situation was a different story. She could talk about it all night, but it would not change anything.

Lance was no ordinary guy. He was gorgeous, rich, and a prince. Lance belonged to a kingdom with a big palace and many servants. He was capable of having everything he wanted with a snap of his finger.

All the while, she was not her friend, Dani. She was not rich and not a princess. She only had this apartment that Dani was kind enough to share with her. And she had to work hard to get, barely, what she wanted.

"But you are just going out with him. It is only for a few bits of fun. It is not as if he plans to offer you more. Just enjoy the moment." She tried to convince herself.

He was perfect, and she had no business messing with him. But would it be a nice story to tell her future kids and grandkids that she once loved a prince? And it was the best feeling in the world.

That was it. It was an experience that not many women would ever get to experience. She was lucky, at least, to be able to tell the tale. She started fixing her makeup, just putting some light tinge on her face. She did not want to look like she was trying too hard to land the prince. She just desired to enjoy the night and maybe maintain their friendship.

"Wait." She shouted when she finally heard the signal that he was already at the door. 

She grabbed her bag and sprinted to the door. Then, once she reached it, she took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She did not need to appear too eager to their date.

She promised that once she opened that door, she would do her best to enjoy it and not think of anything else but the fun they would be having. The future would be the future no matter what happened tonight.

"Hi," Lance muttered, whistling at what he saw once she presented herself. 

Jacky was beautiful, but not the kind that you would see in the magazine. She was not perfect that she would stand out and command the crowd. But her beauty had been both inside and out.

Her physical beauty did attract him to her initially, but her personality had what hooked him in, line and sinker. He could not do anything about it but see where this would lead them.

"Shall we go?" She asked as she was about to close the door, but he stopped her by tapping her shoulder and pointing directly to her toes.

Yes, her toes, which to her embarrassment was exposed to Lance's view because she was not wearing any shoes. There went her calm and collected demeanor as she hastened back inside to wear them this time.

"Oh my! I'm so..." She was saying, returning to his side, but he placed a finger on her lips to silence her.

She felt so humiliated for making a big blunder like that. Who forgot to wear their shoes on a date? Only she, because she was overly obsessing about things that should not matter.

"It's ok. I find it adorable." He told her. "I think your toes are cute."

He was not lying, finding her feet and toes quite dainty. But everything about her, according to his taste, was adorable. He enjoyed looking at her and discovering new things about her, including her toes.

"Well, at least I made you smile. It is a good start." She finally admitted as she started laughing, and not long, he laughed with her. 

She already said that nothing was supposed to ruin this night. She would make all the bad things great because it was a memory she wished to keep.

"You certainly did. I hope you can keep up." He was already looking forward to a fun night with Jacky.

Somehow, he felt the change in her compared to their last time together. It felt like the girl he met back home was back, the carefree and happy girl who made everything he did more exciting.

"Well, count on it." She whispered near his ears as they stood side by side inside the lift. "But be warned. You might enjoy it too much. You might start missing me." She did not know where that came from, but it felt right to voice out her feelings.

This night was going down in history, at least, her life story.