Katy leaned over the granite kitchen island and finally took a bite of the dessert. It tasted even more delicious than she’d expected—apparently pity-baking did the job. As she savored the torte’s decadence, the final dregs of her worry seemed to melt away.
“So how’d you do on your pop quiz?” Cassie asked, changing the subject while tackling her torte with aplomb.
“He said he’d post the grades tonight, so I guess we’ll see,” Katy replied, impaling another sweet bite. “But somehow I read the wrong assignment and I literally didn’t know any of the answers. So it’s not looking good.” Not your best classroom performance!
“I feel you,” Cassie said. “It’s been hard to focus on classes after our visit home.”
Katy looked at her cousin inquisitively. “Why? Did something happen in Lorria?” Obviously a lot had happened in Lorria, but had Katy been so caught up in her own problems that she had missed some big change in Cassie’s life?
Cassie shook her head, clearing her plate. “No, nothing specific. I guess being back home just reminded me how much I miss Lorria.”
Katy looked down at her plate and chewed on her bottom lip. It had been Katy’s decision to come to Harvard in the first place; her cousin had just been good enough to come with her so that Katy wouldn’t be alone. But was Katy keeping Cassie from doing what she really wanted?
Was she keeping her from going home?
“Cassie,” Katy began, slowly. “You know I’d be okay if you wanted to go back.”
Cassie looked over at Katy quickly, her expression confused. “What? No, I could never leave you.”
Katy cracked a smile. “I’m a big girl, Cass. I think I could handle it. And I have David here.”
But Cassie was adamant. “I’m not going anywhere. Until you decide to leave or we graduate, I’m right here with you. I love Harvard. Just get a little homesick at times.”
Katy felt similarly. It wasn’t easy living under the king and queen’s archaic traditions, but she loved her country and her people. Katy missed Lorria, too.
But David wasn’t in Lorria. He was here, in Cambridge. Katy wanted to graduate, and she wanted to be with David. And after graduation . . . well, she’d figure that out when she got there.
“You can always tell me if you change your mind. But as long as you’re happy here, I’m happy that you’re here with me,” Katy replied. Setting her fork down, she leaned over and wrapped her arms around her cousin, holding her tight. Katy meant it. Cassie was her best friend—undoubtedly the best friend she would ever have. They might quarrel on occasion, like any close friends or family members would, but they would always be friends. Katy was sure of it.
* * *
“You look paler since you left Lorria, dear. And more bloated. You’re not drinking the tap water, are you?”
Katy would’ve rolled her eyes if this wasn’t a video call.
“I’m just pale and bloated sometimes, Mama,” she answered blankly instead. She was used to the queen’s underhanded remarks, having grown up with them all her life. But they could still sting.
“Perhaps it’s your menstrual cycle then, dear.”
Oh, geez. We are so not going to talk about that. “No, Mama, not that either.”
The queen’s eyes bulged. “You are still menstruating, correct? You’re not . . .”
Katy blushed, glad that her father was away on a hunting trip and therefore not on this call. “Mama. Of course I’m not pregnant. Can we just drop this? I don’t want to talk about bodily functions.” Katy struggled to think of something else her mother could go on and on about. “How is the garden coming along in the summer home?”
But the queen could have a one-track mind. “Katerina, I shouldn’t be worried, should I? Your father and I have seen the pictures of you and that boy. And while we’re certainly not thrilled about the match, we can be understanding. As long as you’re staying true to our values.”
“Okay,” Katy interjected. “I need to go study now.”
The queen held up a wagging finger. “Remember, Katerina. A white wedding is the expected standard. Your people look up to you. Don’t throw all that away for a meaningless tickle in your nether regions.”
“BYE, MAMA!” Katy slammed the laptop shut and squeezed her eyes closed, willing herself to forget her mother’s words. Yuck.
Still, Katy was glad that her relationship with her parents had been patched, if not fully restored, before she left Lorria. Winter vacation had gone so disastrously that Katy had really been worried that she’d lose her parents for good. And even with all their flaws and embarrassing traits, Katy couldn’t imagine life without them.
She opened her laptop again and went back to the student portal for Comparative Lit. It must’ve been the fifth or sixth time in an hour that she’d checked to see if the pop quiz grades were uploaded. But finally . . .
Success!
Katy clicked on the assignment from the grades tab and held her breath. She had been trying to psych herself up in preparation for her first failing grade. She hadn’t expected that quiz, and she’d prepared in the worst possible way, by accidentally reading the wrong chapter of the book. I just looked at the syllabus wrong. But one F isn’t going to ruin this whole semester!
When the page loaded, though, Katy was more surprised than relieved.
An A? When I didn’t know a single answer?
It didn’t make any sense. She’d tried to fake her way through it, but had she really been that convincing? Maybe Bissenhof was an easier grader than she’d thought.
“Hey, Katy,” a voice called out from the doorway.
Katy turned to see Laura standing there, in her glasses, her washed hair wrapped up in a towel.
“Hey, Laura. What’s up?”
“It’s your Prince Charming. He just got here for your date.” Laura winked.
Katy giggled. Her housemates—even Michelle, when you accounted for her normal lack of boundaries—had all been really cool and casual about Katy’s true identity. Other than a few jokes and questions, she had barely dealt with any blowback so far. And thank goodness for that; otherwise Katy would’ve had to find new living quarters. It meant a lot to her that everyone continued to treat her like just Katy.
“You can tell him to just come on up,” Katy replied. But she appreciated the warning. The last thing she wanted was for David to show up while the queen was asking about her period.
A minute later, David walked through the bedroom door in a deliciously snug long-sleeve shirt and jeans.
“Hey, you,” he said in greeting, the slow, tender smile growing on his face telling her so much more about how he felt than his plain words.
“Hey, yourself,” Katy replied. She grinned. It always felt a little naughty to be alone in her room with David, knowing how this kind of thing would look to the stuffy politicians and elites in Lorria.
David made his way over to Katy’s seat and leaned down, brushing his lips gently against hers. Wrapped in his arms, Katy breathed in the clean, crisp pine smell that was unique to David and felt her worries start to melt into warm relaxation.
“So,” David said, straightening back up. “Where to for our date tonight? Another movie? Dinner?”
Katy smirked. She had this part all planned out already. “Actually, I was thinking we’d stay in tonight.”
David cocked an eyebrow. “Oh? But what about Cassie?”
Katy shrugged. “Said she’d have a late night at the library and not to wait up.”
“Oh,” David replied, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
Katy felt a hot excitement bubbling up inside of her just at that small word. She hadn’t expected their night to be so electrically charged already. Maybe David is feeling as pent-up as I am.
“So, er . . . what is our plan for the evening then?” David asked.
“Well,” Katy replied slowly, her tone smoldering. “How about a movie . . . in bed?”
It started innocently enough. David sat down
beside Katy while she started a movie on her laptop. Katy propped the laptop up on her thighs and leaned back against her headboard, supported by pillows, before David took the laptop from her and sat it on himself instead. Ever the gentleman. As the opening credits rolled, Katy’s stomach swirled with nervous butterflies.
Surely we’re not actually about to watch this movie.
At first, she almost thought that was what was going to happen. Who’s going to make the first move? But, just when she thought her heart would beat out of her chest with tension as she tried to bring herself to try something, David took that responsibility off her hands. Gently, demurely, he rested his hand on Katy’s thigh.
He didn’t even look over or acknowledge the subtle move. But its purpose was clear. And a thrill passed through her whole body when it happened. Katy took the invitation and leaned her head against his shoulder. Then David sweetly kissed her forehead. Then Katy tilted her face upward to kiss him on the lips . . .
By the time the movie was halfway through, Katy realized that she hadn’t seen any of it. She and David were far too engrossed in each other. They had lain back in bed and were now completely entwined. David’s strong hands worked over Katy’s figure, warm and soft yet curious, his fingertips trailing down the side of her neck and grazing the skin above her waistline. Sometimes he gripped her tightly, on her hips or her thighs or her shoulders, holding her in place while he pressed his body against hers. Katy’s inexperienced hands were softer and slower in the chase, but soon she too found herself scratching her nails lightly into David’s back through his shirt.
Katy and David’s lips and tongues danced together, their breath hot and their lips swollen. But as David moved to inch up Katy’s shirt, she found herself pulling away slightly.
“I’m sorry,” David said breathlessly. “I didn’t mean to move too fast.”
His face was flushed, and his hair was tousled from Katy’s repeated finger-rakings. He looked breathtakingly handsome, and she could hardly believe that she’d caused all that. A part of her didn’t want to stop. But a bigger part of her knew that she was always going to be hesitant until she told him the truth.
Katy sat up in bed. It was time to get this out of the way.
“Everything okay?” David asked nervously. He sat up, adjusting his shirt to cover his navel.
“Yeah, of course,” Katy reassured him, trying to even her tone and slow her heartbeat. “Better than okay. But I need to tell you something.”
David looked at her, his blue eyes inquisitive. “Okay. What is it?”
Katy took a deep breath. She was second-guessing this decision already. But she had to tell David sooner or later, and this seemed like as good a time as ever.
“David, I’m . . .” Katy looked away. “Well, I’m . . .”
“A clairvoyant? A spy?” David smiled. “Whatever it is, it’s okay.”
“A virgin,” Katy muttered. It felt like the words were trying to crawl back down her throat; she felt her cheeks growing unbearably hot. Why was that so hard to say? David had probably already guessed it anyway. And it’s not like it was anything remotely shameful. In Lorria, at least in the royal family, she’d always been taught that it was virtuous, something to be proud of.
But things at Harvard weren’t so traditional. Here, in front of David, Katy felt like she was admitting that she was immature and naïve. She was embarrassed, even if she shouldn’t be. And she was also a bit worried. Isn’t this what made Alexei stray in the first place?
Katy couldn’t even bear to look up at David and see his reaction. She kept her gaze averted, watching the covers beneath her.
There was a pause; then David’s strong hands caressed her cheek, his fingers pulling Katy to face him. She blinked and looked up anxiously into his eyes, waiting for the disbelief, the guilt-inducing sigh, the look of self-sacrifice that Alexei had always worn when he’d pushed too far.
But David’s eyes were gentle. “Then we’ll just go at your pace,” he said, his gaze never leaving hers.
The corners of Katy’s lips pulled into an involuntary smile, and she let out a breath in relief.
“You have no idea how hard that was to say,” she admitted. “I didn’t know how you’d feel about it.”
“It wasn’t entirely a surprise.”
Katy blushed. “Yeah, you’ve probably seen the headlines. ‘Frigid Katerina. Ice Princess Katerina.’” How embarrassing.
David shook his head. “I don’t get my opinions from a third party. I prefer to form them myself.”
Katy scoffed playfully. “My inexperience is that obvious? I’ve still made you blush once or twice.”
David laughed. “That you have.” He leaned forward to kiss her, soft and lingering. When he finally pulled back, Katy had one final, gnawing question for him.
“You don’t feel like you’re . . . missing out on anything?” she pressed.
David shook his head incredulously. “Not at all. Besides, I’m not with you for that. I’m with you for you.”
She should’ve known that David would be gracious and understanding. Because David was not anything like Al. David was not like anyone she had ever met, actually.
“Let’s not go too slow,” she replied teasingly.
And with that thought, Katy pushed David back onto her bed and kissed him roughly. Her pace might’ve been a little slower than others’, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t still have some fun.
6
David
“You’re looking chipper this morning,” Professor Bell commented after class.
David smiled at him and nodded. No way am I about to tell you why that is.
Before he could leave the classroom with Zeke and the rest of the students, though, Professor Bell called him back. Zeke waved and walked on without David.
“I don’t know any details, but I heard that your application essay was well-received,” Bell said, once most of the rest of the students were out of earshot.
David, lingering between Bell’s desk and the doorway, stilled in his tracks. “Really?” His heart fluttered in his chest.
“The department always smiles upon students who get their applications in early. Couple that with the quality of your essay, and I’d say you have a fair chance.”
David grinned, unable to help himself. He wanted the market internship so badly—he’d put in the effort to finish the essay well ahead of the deadline. He wanted this for himself, of course—it would be a great springboard for his career, and, hopefully, the company he wanted to start someday—but also for all the people who cared about him. His parents would’ve been so proud. And Katy! Maybe, eventually, if this internship led to a good job, David could start buying her dinner for a change.
“Thanks, Professor,” David replied. “I’m excited to hear about the final decision.” He knew that there were no guarantees, but he was feeling pretty good about his prospects too.
Professor Bell nodded. “I also wanted to ask you a personal question.”
“Of course,” David allowed.
“Last semester, we spoke about your options for finding biological family,” Professor Bell went on, somewhat more gently. The classroom was empty now. “I was wondering if you had made any progress.”
“Oh! Quite a bit, actually,” David replied. “Thanks to your suggestions, I met two of my cousins and an aunt. And hopefully even more, in the near future.” He felt an overwhelming amount of gratitude to his economics professor for his kindness and helpfulness; more than he could possibly express. “Thank you, Professor.”
Professor Bell’s eyes twinkled happily behind his glasses. “I’m very glad to hear that. Do keep me updated, David. And best of luck with the internship. I don’t think it will take them long to decide.”
David nodded and walked out of the room, feeling lighter and happier than he had just minutes before. And that was no small feat. It had been hard to focus on Financial Theory while visions of Katy, her blonde hair splayed over her pillow
, her breathing heavy, her eyes mischievous and yet sweet, floated effervescently through his mind.
He thought back to her nervous confession the night before. David hadn’t really given her level of sexual experience much thought before, or even after Katy brought it up; it just wasn’t important to him. But it touched him that she’d felt the need to run it past him . . . and that she’d faced something that obviously embarrassed her and trusted him with it.
And, as much as he hated to admit it, it also secretly pleased him that the Russian jerk who had tried to manhandle David last semester had never known her in that way. Maybe that’s something he and I won’t have in common.
But David didn’t expect anything. Sure, it would’ve been nice to go further. He wanted to experience everything he could with Katy, to feel her and touch her and please her in ways that were profoundly intimate. But if Katy wasn’t comfortable then David wouldn’t enjoy himself either. Just the idea of putting pressure on her to do something she didn’t want to do made him feel queasy inside—he could never try to push her into something before she was ready. Just being close to Katy, being able to kiss her, not having to pretend they were “just friends,” was enough.
As David wound his way through the hallways toward the quickest route home, an unpleasantly familiar occurrence repeated itself. Whispers filled the hallway as he passed, growing quieter when he was near. Curious eyes were on him, flitting away whenever David looked in their direction. Over the first week of classes, David had heard his name—and Katy’s name—multiple times in hushed conversations going on around him. It was an uncomfortable, strange new reality for him.
And Katy has been living her whole life like this.
But, at the very least, David was pleased that only so much information about him was public knowledge. Yes, it was annoying to see his picture on dumb celebrity websites—with cartoon hearts superimposed over it, like he was some heartthrob—and yes, it was annoying that people whispered, or, in the case of the boldest, asked invasive questions about his personal life. But things could’ve been a lot worse. How bad was it to be known as the guy dating the most beautiful woman in the world?
A Love that Endures 2 Page 5
