A Love that Endures

by Forrest, Bella

  “Okay,” David said slowly. “Just let me know if you need more room.” He stepped back toward her, and this time Katy was more prepared to feel his form press against her. Still, it almost took her breath away all over again, like an electric shock coursing through her. She wondered if David felt it, too.

  Katy watched him in the mirror, standing so closely behind her. He looked quite awkward, holding the tiny squeeze bottle in one plastic-gloved hand, clad in only his robe. But, even frowning a bit nervously at the back of her head, he was so handsome, and so close, that Katy could barely think of anything else. As she watched, David reached down to begin parting her hair; a triangle of tan skin showed just beneath his neck where the top of his robe shifted as he moved. His fingertips against her scalp electrified her. He brought the bottle down and began to squeeze the dye.

  “I feel like we’re about to make an awful mess,” David confessed.

  Katy just smirked at him in return, swallowing, her mind wandering to less-than-innocent interpretations.

  David got into the swing of the dyeing surprisingly quickly. His hands worked tirelessly over her hair, occasionally resting on her shoulder while he checked his work. Katy reached back to help him at times by parting her hair or showing him how to spread the dye. It was a longer process when she wasn’t doing it herself, but she was enjoying every second of being so close to David. He could take as long as he wanted.

  Thank goodness Cassie went to the Wolf Club.

  When it was done, Katy wrapped her damp hair up into a tousled bun on the top of her head and secured it with a large clip.

  “I hope that turns out,” David said, putting the empty bottle down on the counter, stripping his gloves off, and washing his hands. Katy stepped out of the way to throw away her own gloves and refasten her robe.

  “Well, unless I accidentally bought green dye, I’d say it should be fine,” she replied.

  David chuckled, drying his hands on his robe and readjusting the belt. He must’ve felt just as awkward as she did, being clad so ridiculously. But it gave their time together a fun and flirty vibe that Katy didn’t mind. It was scintillating, being so underdressed in the company of an attractive man, especially given all that they had been through together at this point.

  But now it was over, and she really didn’t have any other excuse to keep David hanging around in just his robe. He walked out of the bathroom into Katy’s bedroom again and paused beside her bed. Katy’s heart sunk. She knew he was preparing to say goodbye.

  “Well,” David started, “I suppose I should go change.”

  Think, Katy, think. What could she say to keep him in her company for just a bit longer?

  “Have you been in contact with the Bests since you got back?” she blurted, pretending not to have heard his last statement.

  David seemed just as happy as she was that she’d found an excuse for him to dawdle. “A bit. They’ve already celebrated Hanukkah, and they don’t do Christmas. Joseph said I’m welcome to visit for winter vacation, but Cerise is staying in Ithaca. So I rather feel like I’d just take time away from Joseph’s busy work schedule.”

  Katy sensed her opening. “So do you have any plans for winter vacation, then?”

  David shook his head. “No, but I really don’t mind staying here. A lot of the guys go back home for a few weeks, so it’s not as hectic in the house.”

  “David,” Katy started slowly. The thought had already formed in her head—it had been forming for a few days already—but now it felt like it was begging to come out. “I’m going back to Lorria for winter vacation. And I was wondering . . . would you come with me?”

  David’s eyebrows rose involuntarily, almost imperceptibly. Katy felt it, too. What are you thinking? What will Mama and Papa think of this? Especially when you’ve told them how uninterested you are in pursuing another relationship.

  Then again, Katy and David were just friends. Right?

  Katy could see the conflict on his face. What she didn’t understand was: Why? She knew there were plenty of reasons for David to be hesitant. Cassie would be there, no doubt creating an awkward situation so soon after she had relinquished him. Katy would have to be herself in Lorria, which carried with it complications—paparazzi, propriety, and formality, to name a few—that David might not be comfortable with. Not to mention, Lorria was thousands of miles away and one of the most expensive tourist destinations in the world. Perhaps David didn’t feel comfortable accepting a gift of that magnitude. Because he must know that she intended to pay for his travels.

  But of all of those perfectly logical reasons, which one was currently holding him back? Or could there be something else, something she hadn’t thought of at all?

  As the seconds ticked by, the reasons behind his answer became irrelevant. The answer itself was obvious. Katy sighed, hoping David wouldn’t notice her disappointment. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “I know that’s a big undertaking.”

  “No,” David interjected. “No, not at all. I’d love to go. I just wasn’t sure how it’d work out with the . . . secret I’m keeping for you.”

  Ah, so that had been it. Katy felt her heart palpitate in gratitude for his considerate thoughts, then in excitement. “Well, I’d have to tell my parents and Cassie that you know. That I trust you, so I told you. They’ll understand.”

  “Will they be okay with that?” David asked nervously.

  “I don’t know,” Katy replied. “But I don’t care that much. It’s not their choice to make.”

  David nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I guess I’m not totally sure how modern royalty works.”

  “There are a lot of expectations of me,” Katy conceded. A lot. “But I get to make my own choices. And taking you to Lorria would be just that: my choice.”

  “I don’t really have the money for an international flight. And I know what you’re going to say, but I don’t want you to—”

  “Don’t worry about that.” Katy couldn’t even let him finish the sentence. “I know it makes you uncomfortable, but I won’t need to buy your flight anyway.”

  David cocked his head in confusion, and Katy waved a hand dismissively.

  “Just trust me on that, David,” she went on strongly. “It wouldn’t necessitate a plane ticket.”

  David slowly exhaled with a smile. “Then are you sure I wouldn’t be cramping your style? I’m not used to formal settings. To be honest, I can’t even remember which fork is for salads and which is for the entrée.”

  She had to crush that line of reasoning, too. Katy felt herself getting bolder by the moment. “I think your company will override your cutlery problems. Besides, the forks are lined up in the order that the courses will be served in. Just a little tip.”

  David furrowed his brow, appearing deep in thought. “That explains so much.”

  Katy giggled and waited for David to look back up and meet her gaze. When he did, she could see the excitement and anticipation sparking there in his blue eyes.

  “So will you come?” she asked.

  David paused and stared at her. Then, slowly, a grin curled the corners of his mouth, and he nodded. “Yes. I’ll come.”

  Katy beamed. She couldn’t even imagine having David back in Lorria with her, but she knew that, even with the complications that would certainly arise, it would be worth it. And she was thrilled that she wouldn’t have to leave him for three long weeks of winter vacation. I want to be with him that whole time, so we can see where things go. Now that Cassie has accepted that he isn’t interested in her . . .

  “But I really should get back to the books,” David said, interrupting Katy’s pleasant thoughts. “Since my first finals are tomorrow.”

  “Totally,” Katy replied a little too quickly, jarred back to reality. “Mine, too.” But I wish you didn’t have to go.

  “Text me tomorrow after your finals and let me know how it went. Maybe we can talk about the travel details as well,” he went on. “I really appreciate the invitati
on.”

  Katy smiled and nodded. “Of course. Good luck on your finals, David. And thank you for everything tonight.”

  David stepped toward Katy uncertainly. Perhaps he was considering a hug but didn’t know if it would be proper given the state of their clothing. Whatever the case was, Katy decided to make another choice for herself. She stepped forward to clear the distance between them and grabbed David in a hug first. David wrapped his arms around her in response, careful to mind her wet roots.

  Katy melted into him, closing her eyes. If she listened closely, she could hear his heartbeat drumming away in his chest, even through his robe. Suddenly her own heart was thundering away, roaring with a desire that made her blood run hot. I wish he could stay.

  But Cassie would be back soon, and it seemed cruel for David to linger until then. So Katy pulled away and watched David walk down the stairs in his robe, leaving her room so much emptier than before.

  * * *

  “Why would they get a keg the night before finals?” Cassie moaned the following morning, trying to nurse her green smoothie.

  “You didn’t have to drink it,” Katy retorted. She was sitting at the breakfast bar beside Cassie, eating a bowl of oatmeal with one hand. The other held an open textbook. Her first final was less than an hour away. “But as long as you finish that smoothie, you should be okay. When’s your final again?”

  “In two hours,” Cassie groaned.

  Katy looked over at her cousin and saw that she still looked a bit green herself, as if the smoothie was threatening to come right back up. “Maybe the smoothie and a nap will do the trick.”

  Cassie pushed the smoothie out of the way so she could lay her head on the granite top of the kitchen bar. “I don’t even care that much. At least last night was fun.”

  “How was Primal Scream? Did you do it?” Katy asked with genuine interest. Just because she hadn’t had the moxie didn’t mean she’d wanted her friend to miss out on the whole “integral Harvard experience.”

  Cassie turned her head to grin at Katy. “Of course. And it was crazy. So exhilarating.”

  “I’m sorry that I bailed on you,” Katy said, setting her spoon down. “I didn’t mean to abandon you. I don’t know what came over me.”

  “Don’t worry, hon,” Cassie said, raising her head from the bar and rubbing her temples. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to do it. But that’s okay.”

  Katy bristled at the comment. Knew I wouldn’t be able to? Do you think I’m a prude, too? But it didn’t seem worth getting upset over. After all, Cassie was right. She hadn’t been able to do it.

  “Just wish I hadn’t overdone it at the Wolf Club,” Cassie went on. Then, turning to face Katy head-on, she added, “I noticed that David didn’t get back for quite a while.”

  Katy turned back to her oatmeal, feeling her face heat, well aware that Cassie’s tone was dripping with insinuations. “He helped me with my dye. And nothing else.”

  Besides, if you think I’m too much of a prude for Primal Scream, then what makes you think I’d do that?

  Cassie giggled. “I’m not saying that anything happened! I just noticed and thought it was cute. Did you guys have a nice time?”

  Katy turned back to her cousin. She had just selflessly given up her crush for Katy, so Katy knew she deserved honesty.

  “We did,” Katy said. “And since we’ve gotten closer as friends, I decided to be honest with him.”

  Cassie, who had pulled her smoothie close again to suck on its straw as Katy spoke, jerked upright, spat out the straw, and faced Katy with bugged eyes. “Honest about what?”

  “About everything,” Katy replied. “Lorria, the crown, all of it.”

  Katy could feel herself second-guessing the decision as her cousin’s shocked eyes bored into her.

  “Are you sure that you can trust him?” Cassie asked after a long pause. “I mean, that’s the kind of story that you can sell to a tabloid for five figures. Six if he gets pictures of you in any compromising positions . . .”

  “David isn’t like that,” Katy said, wrinkling her nose. It was an awful thing to imagine: trusting someone completely only to be so utterly betrayed. But Katy couldn’t see David doing it. After all, he was a wonderful friend—and such a gentleman.

  “Well, if you trust him, then I do, too,” Cassie said. She pulled her smoothie close to her again. “But just be careful. I’ve been burned enough times to know that most guys are crap. And I’d hate to see you get hurt again.”

  Again. Hadn’t Katy just gone through the pain of a heartbreak only months ago? She definitely didn’t want to go through anything like that again either. But she trusted that David wouldn’t intentionally do anything to hurt her, and hopefully Cassie would come to that same conclusion.

  “I can’t wait for these finals to be done,” Cassie went on, changing the subject. “So we can get back to Lorria and away from Harvard. Just you and me and the ski trails. I’m so excited.” Her cousin smiled wistfully as she took another drink of liquid greens and frozen fruit.

  Katy quietly sighed, pushing her cinnamon-flavored oats away from her. She was going to have to tell her cousin about the invitation. And what better time than now, when she was probably already miserable with that hangover?

  “Speaking of,” Katy began, “David mentioned that he didn’t have any place to go for winter vacation, so . . . ” She swallowed. “I invited him to Lorria.”

  Cassie blinked, her face expressionless. “Oh,” she said softly.

  Katy felt her heart wrench. Perhaps her cousin wasn’t as okay with the idea of David and Katy as she’d let on the night before. Maybe it would be too painful for Cassie to have to watch Katy and David cavort around the palace, giggling and flirting, while she felt alone and rejected. Her stomach dropping, she couldn’t believe her own selfishness. Family was supposed to come first, and here she was ignoring her cousin’s feelings entirely.

  But before she could start in on explanations and apologies, Cassie continued.

  “Do your parents know?” she asked.

  Katy furrowed her brow. That was a strange question. “No, but I don’t think they’d mind. Why?”

  Cassie shook her head. “I was just wondering. I’m sure you’re right.” She suddenly polished off the rest of her smoothie in one long pull from the straw. “I think you’re right about that nap. I’m going to go try to lie down now.”

  Abruptly, still a bit shaky, her cousin pushed back from the bar and dropped off her stool. Katy swiveled in her stool to face her.

  “Okay,” she said, a bit concerned. Was Cassie leaving because of the hangover? Or because her feelings were hurt over David? It pained her to consider the latter option, but it was still possible. “Good luck on your final today.”

  Cassie smiled and walked toward the staircase, leaving Katy alone. “You too! But I’m sure you’ll do great. You always do.”

  And then Cassie disappeared up the steps, leaving Katy wondering if her final statement was more of an accusation than a compliment.

  34

  David

  David sat anxiously at his desk chair, waiting for the internet browser to load.

  “Of all the times for the Wi-Fi to be slow,” he growled under his breath. His professors had promised quick turnarounds for final grade postings. And David had to know how he’d fared.

  “You know you did well,” Zeke said from behind him. “But my therapist says that avoidance is an unhealthy coping mechanism, so I agree with what you’re doing here.”

  David turned from the screen for just a second to look at his friend. He’d come a long way for a guy who had been preparing to jump off a roof only a few weeks ago.

  “See?” Zeke said knowingly.

  David whipped back around to face his laptop so quickly that it took a moment for his eyes to refocus on the bright screen. When they did, a smile spread over his face.

  “All A’s,” Zeke read over his shoulder. “Just like I thought. Great job!” Zeke clap
ped his hand down on David’s shoulder. “I have realistic expectations for myself, so personally I’ll be happy with B’s. But good for you.”

  David exhaled deeply. He could finally relax after a long and trying semester. Well, almost.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come back home with me?” his roommate went on, stepping away from David’s desk. “I double-checked, and my mom was totally cool with it. And we have plenty of room.”

  “I really do appreciate the offer, Zeke. But don’t worry about me.”

  “Look, I know we’ve already gone over this. I just hate the thought of you sitting in this big house all by yourself on Christmas Day,” Zeke lamented.

  “Actually,” David said. You’re going to have to tell him sooner or later. “I think I’m going to go on holiday with Katy.”

  Zeke’s eyes widened. “Holiday? Like a vacation?”

  “She invited me to a resort,” David went on. And then, to cover his tracks, he added, “In France.” Zeke didn’t seem like the type to follow tabloid news, but it was possible he’d heard of the Missing Princess of Lorria at some point or another in passing. David didn’t want to accidentally cause any puzzle pieces to start coming together in his friend’s mind.

  “Wow,” Zeke said slowly, then chuckled in what appeared to be appreciation. “In that case, I don’t blame you at all. Sounds like a lot more fun than hanging out with my family.”

  David laughed a bit, too.

  “So, are you and Katy like . . . a thing now?” Zeke asked.

  “Um,” David said and then paused. “I don’t know.”

  It must be obvious to everyone that he liked her. No, that wasn’t quite strong enough. He liked her more than he’d ever liked anyone before—and it seemed like Katy liked him, too. But there were a lot of complications that Zeke wasn’t aware of. It wasn’t an easy answer, so it seemed best to leave it open-ended. David decided to change the subject entirely. “What about you and Nur? How are things going there?”