by Sara Hantz
“A small place called Lutgenstadt. It’s not near Greece.”
Not many people knew of it. It was one of the smallest principalities in Europe. Less than half a million people lived there. But though it was small, it was very wealthy. Wages were high and unemployment low, a fact of which his father was extremely proud.
“No. I haven’t.” She twisted the camera strap around her finger.
“It’s to the east of Scandinavia,” Nik explained.
His country was stuck in a time warp of formality, he’d already realized from being in America where everything seemed so casual and relaxed. He wondered how long it would take for him to become accustomed to the way things were here. And once he was, how hard would it be for him to go back to life as a prince. He dismissed the thought. There was no need to be thinking about that now. He had nearly a year ahead of him. It would end soon enough.
“Which explains your blond hair and blue eyes. I had a Norwegian friend once. She told me that everyone would stare at me if I lived there because of my coloring.” Amber lifted one of her tiny brown curls.
“Yes. You would stand out a little,” he acknowledged.
“Do they speak Norwegian in your country?”
“Some do. The main language is a hybrid of Danish and Swedish. Would you…”
“Amber, are you ready now?” Lauren called, as she walked back over to where they were standing.
“Sure. Let’s go. Bye, Nik.” She shot him a quick smile.
Nik’s mouth twisted in shock. He’d been talking. No one cut him off mid-sentence like that. Ever. When he spoke, people listened. Did they not teach any manners here in America?
“I hadn’t finished what I’d been saying. Stay.” He locked eyes with Amber.
“What?” She glared at him.
“I. Was. Talking.” He enunciated every word, slowly.
“You were. I’m sorry.” She held up her hand in what appeared like an admission of guilt. “But…”
“I accept your apology.”
“And now you’ve interrupted me. What I was about to say is, if you speak to people like you’ve just spoken to me, in that I’m better than you tone, then you might find your year here difficult.” She turned on her heel and walked away, with Lauren following close behind.
Well. She hated him.
No one hated him. He was a prince.
He’d never actually been hated for who he was—instead of his family name—before. He couldn’t help but feel a little bit intrigued…
Chapter Three
“Great match,” one of the seniors called out as she passed Amber and Lauren.
“Thanks.” Amber wiped the sweat from her forehead with the band on her wrist. Even though it had been six months since her treatment, her illness had left her feeling weak and out of shape, and it had taken sheer determination for her to build back up to the point of being able to put in such an awesome performance. They’d just pulverized Clarence House in a doubles badminton match and were feeling very happy with themselves. Inter-house rivalry was alive and well at their school.
“Go Wentworth,” another girl called over to them as she punched the air.
Amber and Lauren grinned. They linked arms and headed toward the girls’ locker room to shower and change before lunch. Badminton was the one sport they both excelled at, and they loved playing doubles. They’d developed their own style and could read each other’s play so accurately that they were extremely hard to beat. In fact, they’d won the school cup for badminton two years in a row. Not to mention winning the inter-school championship the year before last.
They would’ve done the same last year, except Amber had been sick when it had taken place. She’d spent the whole day moping around her home, wishing that she could’ve been there. Nothing cheered her up, however hard her mom had tried. One thing was for sure, they’d make up for it this year.
“So have you decided yet?” Lauren asked as they sauntered along the path.
Amber inwardly winced, her good mood quickly deflating. Apart from when they were on court, she’d thought of nothing else since Lauren first came up with the idea of Amber joining her and Josh when they went out later that day to the movies. Being with the two of them wasn’t the problem. The problem was that they planned for it to be four of them. Nik would be there, too.
Okay, maybe this was another case of her overreacting. Which seemed to be her M.O. when he was near her. It wasn’t like Lauren was trying to fix them up on a date. She’d been very careful to point out that it would be friends out together. Whatever.
But, even if she was interested in going as friends, she didn’t think he’d be happy about it because he didn’t even like her. She’d managed to steer clear of him since they’d first met just over a week ago. Not that she wanted him to think her rude and unwelcoming. After all, he was new to the country. But whenever she’d caught sight of him, despite the alarming fact that he sent her heartbeat into overdrive, she’d made a point of walking in the opposite direction. Some might call that overkill. She just called it self-preservation.
“What does Nik say about me making up a foursome?” Amber asked.
“U-um…” she stammered, becoming suddenly preoccupied with the handle of her racquet.
Amber came to an abrupt halt, causing the person behind to take a quick detour to avoid bumping into her. She unlinked her arm from Lauren’s. “He doesn’t know, does he?” she accused. She could just imagine what he’d think about that surprise.
“Well…” Lauren looked at the ground, letting her racquet drop down by her side.
“Well…” Amber mimicked, trying very hard to act annoyed, except suddenly, the funny side of it hit her. Lauren had always been hopeless at subterfuge. Instead, she burst into laughter, her shoulders shaking. Lauren immediately started, too, and after the pair of them made eye contact, they laughed even more.
“There was no point in Josh asking Nik if he wanted to come along if you didn’t want to,” Lauren explained, after a few moments when they’d calmed down a bit. “No one wants to be a third wheel. You’d have asked me first if it was the other way round.”
Amber felt her smile disappear. “You know what I think of him.”
“And you know what I’ve told you, that he’s a great guy. Nothing like you imagine him to be,” Lauren emphasized.
“So you say. No offense, but you always see the good in everyone.” Not that Amber looked for bad in people, because she didn’t. She tried to like everyone she met. But Nik. His very existence just rubbed her the wrong way.
“Why don’t you trust me on this? He really is a nice guy. You know I wouldn’t screw you over.”
Amber wanted to take Lauren’s word for it, but she couldn’t get her head around the thought of Nik being nice. It was totally different from her experience with him. Even if that experience had lasted precisely five minutes.
“I know that. It’s just that I find the thought very hard to believe. Arrogance like his doesn’t just come and go at will. It’s always there and something he’s no doubt practiced extensively over the years.”
She knew it seemed clichéd, but he reminded her of Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, her favorite book. The proud and arrogant Darcy, not the hidden good-guy Darcy from later in the book.
“Give the guy a break. He’s not from here. It’s just how they act in the country he comes from.”
“Rude and arrogant? Seriously, you think the whole country that he’s from acts like that? Well, remind me never to visit.”
Not that she intended to visit Lutgenstadt, despite looking on a world map to see if she could find it. She did after a while. He wasn’t wrong when he’d said it was very small.
“You do realize that we’re only talking movies here. The four of us going to the movies. Not a romantic date for you two. Not a flight to his country. Just the movies. You are welcome to sit between me and Josh if you want.” Lauren threw her hands up in the air.
“Thanks for the of
fer, but I don’t want to keep the pair of you apart. And yes, you’re right. It is only the movies.”
So what if she did go out with them and Nik was there? It wasn’t like she was going to be alone with him. Plus, they were going to be watching a film, so they didn’t have to engage in deep conversation.
“Is that a yes, then?” Lauren asked.
It hit her that if she made up a foursome this one time, and it didn’t work out, then Lauren would stop her nagging, and Amber wouldn’t be expected to go out with them again. So, really, the decision had been made.
“Okay. Count me in. Providing Nik wants to go, of course.”
…
“Hey, Nik. Do you want to catch a movie with me and the girls later?” Josh placed his cell down on the table, pulled out a chair, and sat.
Nik took a bite from the apple he’d just picked up from his tray. He’d planned on seeing Kurt sometime during the afternoon to catch up on what had been happening at home, but that could wait. His parents rarely had time to speak to him themselves, leaving it to their staff to keep him in touch with what was going on. And he could guess at the majority of it, since royal life was predictable to the nth degree. He found it strange that Josh contacted his mother and father so often. They’d only been back at school for less than two weeks, yet Josh’s parents had spoken to him at least three times.
“The girls?” he asked.
“Yes. Lauren’s just texted me to say that Amber is coming, so I thought we could all go.”
Nik’s heart sank. From their brief meeting the previous week, Amber had seemed like hard work—even though there was something strangely attractive about her, apart from her impoliteness. He accepted that he’d been staring at her, and maybe he shouldn’t have, but her reaction seemed a tad melodramatic. As far as he was concerned, he’d been extremely tolerant of her behavior.
“This girl Amber. She isn’t easy to be with. Not like Lauren.”
Now, Lauren was extremely agreeable. She and Josh made a good couple. He strummed his fingers on the table, debating whether it was a good idea to go out with them. If they were going to be at the movies, then Amber being there wouldn’t really make a difference. And it certainly would be good to get away from school for a while and experience something other than lessons and sports.
Not that he hadn’t enjoyed himself so far. He had. Though some aspects of American life truly were bizarre. Particularly the way they mostly ate with just a fork. His great-grandmother would turn in her grave if she’d witnessed it. Nik had been using knives and forks correctly for almost as long as he could walk.
“Amber’s a great girl. She’s fun to be with,” Josh insisted.
“Fun? I didn’t get that from our exchange on the day we arrived.” Unless they had a different definition of fun in America, it wasn’t a word he would have used to describe her.
“Are you sure it wasn’t you?” Josh questioned.
“What do you mean?” Nik frowned, having no idea what he could have done to make Amber behave the way she did. His mind flashed back to that meeting, and he was sure that he’d been exceptionally polite and respectful. Nothing about his behavior could have been interpreted in any other way.
“It’s that princely air you often give off. Especially when you first arrived. Maybe Amber backed off because she didn’t understand it. Or you.”
Panic welled in the pit of his stomach. What did Josh mean by that? Did people suspect something? He hoped not. That would be nothing short of catastrophic.
“You haven’t told her about me, have you?” he demanded. His tone was harsh, but he couldn’t help it. This was too important.
“Of course not. No one knows, apart from you, me, Kurt, and the principal. And that’s how it’s going to stay. It will remain a secret. Trust me.”
His racing heart slowed, and calmness followed. He wasn’t known for overreacting, but if his true identity was found out, it would ruin everything, and he’d kiss freedom and being treated like a normal, average guy good-bye.
“Good. So, how do I change this princely air of which you speak?”
“Exactly that. The formal way you talk. Being serious all the time. You need to lighten up and relax,” Josh said.
Lighten up and relax. Words that had no real meaning to anyone brought up in a royal household, where you had to be on guard all the time. His family’s version of relax involved sitting around the dinner table, discussing opera while being served by staff.
“I don’t know how.” Nik shrugged. “You could teach me.”
Josh sat back in his chair, his hands behind his head, and let out a low whistle. “Okay. You want a lesson in U.S.-speak.”
“Yes, please.” Nik gave a curt nod. He was tempted to take some notes, but something told him that Josh would ridicule him if he did. Not in a mean way. Josh wasn’t that sort of guy.
“Let’s start with something easy. Greetings. You don’t say good day to someone. When we meet the girls later, say hey or hi.”
That he could manage. Maybe it wasn’t going to be as hard as he imagined.
“Okay. Then what?” He leaned forward in his chair, resting his arms on the table.
“If you want to talk with Amber, pick your subject carefully. Nothing too personal.”
Personal? He wouldn’t dare ask her anything personal in case she acted out like the last time. “Should I ask her what she thinks about America’s economic policy in relation to corporate taxation?” Surely that wouldn’t upset her. It would be an interesting subject to discuss.
“You’re kidding me, right?”
Nik frowned. “That’s not a suitable topic? Surely you can’t get anything less personal than economics. Unless Amber asks me my view and gets offended if it isn’t the same as hers.”
“When I said nothing personal, I meant about previous guys she’s dated or anything too invasive. Definitely not politics or economics. She’s sixteen, not sixty.”
Nik groaned. It was like being in a state of perpetual bewilderment. He wasn’t going to give up, though. He would acclimatize. He had to if he wanted to survive the year. “Okay. I could ask her about music.”
He couldn’t imagine that music would be off limits.
“Yes. Perfect,” Josh acknowledged. “Ask her who her favorite band is. And talk about them. Easy.”
“I might not know who they are.” Nik knew hardly any bands from America. Most didn’t tour Lutgenstadt.
“Pretend to be interested. Ask questions. Listen to what she has to say about them.”
“Now you want me to lie.” He leaned farther forward and rested his head in his hands.
“Not lie exactly. Just agree with what Amber has to say about music. It’s not hard. Just wing it.”
Josh made it sound so simple. And it might well be, if Nik had any idea what he meant.
“Wing it?” Nik was now totally confused.
“Fly by the seat of your pants. Play it by ear.”
“You’re making absolutely no sense,” Nik moaned.
Josh looked at him for a moment in silence, as if trying to hide his frustration. “Just be yourself. Only don’t be, if you get my meaning.”
Nik didn’t. Josh wanted him to be himself and not be himself at the same time. It was madness. Utter madness. “It’s best if I don’t go with you. I’m bound to get it wrong, and I don’t want to ruin your evening.”
He amazed himself with the words coming out of his own mouth. Usually people made arrangements around him and his preferences, yet here he was accommodating others. Maybe he was getting the hang of not being a prince after all.
“You’ll be fine. I’ll be there. Say you’ll come,” Josh pushed.
Tempted though he was, something was holding him back. Perhaps he should leave it for another time. “No. I don’t think so. She’s so different from anyone I’ve ever met. Not that I have any intention of engaging in a romance with her. Anyway, she didn’t seem to like me, either. And I’ve never been attracted to girls
with hair so short.”
Even if it shows off her perfect, pretty neck.
“Dude, her hair’s like that because she had cancer. I forgot that you didn’t know. It was pretty bad, but she’s in the clear now. And besides, you said you wanted normal. Yet as soon as you meet someone who is just a little different from those upper-crust blondes you usually hang out with, you want to back out.”
Nik mentally slapped himself. How could he have been such a callous idiot? No wonder she acted the way she had toward him. “I’ve changed my mind. I will go.”
Chapter Four
Nik enjoyed the sound of Lauren’s joyful chatter as she and Josh walked in front of him and Amber. On the other hand, Amber seemed quite subdued, an unreadable expression on her face.
“Did you enjoy the movie?” he asked, as they walked along the sidewalk.
This was the first time that afternoon that they’d engaged in any conversation, since the four of them had met outside the theater minutes before the movie started and had to rush in. They didn’t even have time to buy popcorn, much to Lauren’s dismay.
“Yes, it was cool.” She reached up and smoothed down her hair. It seemed almost like a subconscious gesture. Guilt for his previous comment about how short it was coursed through him. Truthfully, he thought the style actually suited her—perhaps more than long hair would. It accentuated her eyes and brought out the smattering of freckles on her nose. In fact, the more he looked, the more attractive he found her.
But finding her attractive didn’t mean he was going to ask her out on a date. Nor that he was going to confide in her about who he really was. As far as Amber was concerned, he was Nik Gustafson, Ordinary Guy, whose time in America had an expiration date that coincided with the date on his plane ticket home.
“Me, too. What music do you like?” he added, remembering what Josh had suggested he should talk to her about.
