by Sara Hantz
“Sorry. It’s just that over here, so many people get divorced. It’s more common to be part of a blended family than anything else.” Maybe it wasn’t like that in his country. Though she thought that divorce was common the world over. “At least, it is over here.”
“Are your parents together?” he countered.
“Yes. And so are Lauren’s.” They shared a humorous glance, the mood between them suddenly much lighter. “So the three of us are the exceptions. Oh, and Josh.” She paused for a moment. “Seriously, not counting our families, a huge number of people get married more than once over here.”
She had this joke with Lauren that whenever they saw people of their parents’ age holding hands, they’d say in unison “second marriage.” And it happened a lot.
“Divorce is fairly common in Lutgenstadt, too,” he acknowledged.
At last they’d found a similarity between their two countries. She wished it could be something nicer, though.
“Do you have any brothers and sisters?” If she had to guess, she’d say he was definitely an eldest child, like her. He seemed like such a conformist. Birth order particularly fascinated her, ever since she’d watched a documentary on it. She was the epitome of an eldest child.
“I have an older brother and two younger sisters.”
Well, that proved her wrong. She didn’t mind. Two eldest children together wasn’t the best combination. They’d continually butt heads as each one wanted to be in charge. The same went for friendships. Lauren was the youngest in her family. A perfect balance against Amber being the eldest.
“And what does your dad do?” She hoped he didn’t mind her grilling him like this. She was curious. And it wasn’t as if she hadn’t just revealed everything about herself to him.
“He likes fishing. And he plays golf,” he replied after a few seconds silence.
Oops. Yet another misunderstanding. She should be used to that by now. Thank goodness for the unspoken language of making out. If they ever got to do that again. Which of course they wouldn’t because they were just friends.
“Sorry, I meant for a living. What job does he do?”
“He’s head of a large corporation.”
“What sort of corporation?”
“Finance. Too complicated to go into details. It’s very boring.” He shrugged, his eyes not quite meeting hers. “Tell me more about your family,” he asked.
She frowned, puzzled at his deflection of her questions. Why didn’t he want to talk about his family and their business? It wasn’t the first time that he’d done that. She couldn’t deflect the nagging thought at the back of her mind that he was holding out on her.
“I have a younger brother. My dad’s an orthopedic surgeon, and my mom’s an interior designer. That’s it.”
That wasn’t really it. What she wanted to say was that she had the best family in the world. That without them, she’d never have gotten through her illness. Of course they argued. They weren’t a Disney Channel family. But they looked out for each other. It was hard for her to put it into words without coming across as being really cheesy. And she suspected that his family life was very different. She didn’t want him to think that she thought badly about his family for not being the same as hers.
“Does your brother attend school here?” Nik asked.
“Yes. Not that I’ve seen him much since he’s in ninth grade. But Mom is happy that we’re here together. Except she misses us during term time. I expect your family is missing you being so far away?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why not?” she probed.
“I’ve been at boarding school since age seven. My parents are too busy to worry about me not being there. Even during vacation time, we don’t see them often. Just at dinner if they’re home.”
He acted like it was no big deal. But how could anyone live that sort of existence and not be upset by it? It seemed really cold. She couldn’t hack anything like that. She shuddered just thinking about it.
“Don’t you mind?” She had to know more; it was so weird.
“No. It’s how life is.” He lifted his hand loosely, indicating that he didn’t care.
“But there’s no fun in living like that,” she pushed, trying to get her head around it.
“Family isn’t there for fun. That’s why you have friends.”
“You think?” Amber couldn’t hide her incredulous tone.
“Yes. I do think. Do you have fun with your family?” He frowned, as if the conversation was totally beyond his comprehension.
“Yes. Lots. At the end of every term, we take a family vacation. Just the four of us. I love it. Fishing. Out to the movies. Barbeques. Swimming. It’s great.” She knew that a lot of people her age would think it weird that she loved to hang out with her family. But she didn’t care. No one looked out for you in the same way as your family. Not counting Lauren, of course. And she seemed more like a sister.
“I have been on vacation with my family in the past.” An anxious expression crossed his face. It was almost like he wanted to find something similar that they’d done.
“And did you enjoy it?” She hoped he had.
“Not exactly. It was combined with business, so it involved dinners and meeting dig—business associates of theirs.”
She frowned. This world of his was so far removed from hers that it wasn’t funny. Not that it mattered. What really counted was the two of them and they did get on well. Who cared about each other’s family anyway?
“Sounds like your parents are very important,” she murmured.
“Yes. In their field.” There was no mistaking the pride in his voice, in a distant sort of way.
“Your family seems very different from mine.”
“Yes. They also don’t believe in shows of affection.”
“That’s sad.” Her tone was wistful.
“Not at all. We trust each other implicitly and see it as our duty. It’s good to have a family like that. Even if we keep our emotions in check, it doesn’t mean we’re not there for each other.”
Duty. Trust. Emotionless. It didn’t sound like the sort of family she’d want to be part of. “Sure. It’s just different from mine. A cultural thing, I guess.” She laughed, but it sounded false to her ears.
She wished she could take him home to meet her parents, so he could see what a warm family was really like. Maybe she’d invite him during the next vacation. Hopefully, her parents would like him as much as she did.
Stop.
What the heck was she doing? She’d only known him a few weeks, and already she’d planned to invite him home. Hadn’t she learned anything from her relationship with Wade?
Nik isn’t Wade.
True. She knew he wouldn’t be that unkind. But she still couldn’t shake the feeling that he was hiding something. The times he stumbled on his words. His occasionally vague answers. The way he rapidly changed the subject when she asked too many questions about him or his background.
Plus, the photography internship was important to her, and she was already behind in her application, because she’d spent entirely too much time without her camera and with him.
As friends.
It had to stop.
Chapter Ten
Nik glanced at the message on his cell and frowned. Kurt wanted to meet him right away by the bleachers. Odd. He hadn’t requested a meeting before. They were in contact most days by text and occasionally, if they bumped into each other, they’d stop for a quick chat. Everything had been working well. No hiccups. So what was so important that he had to leave his lunch?
“Got to meet Kurt,” he whispered to Josh. “I’ll see you back at class later.”
He pocketed the unopened bag of chips that had been on his tray and reached under the chair and grabbed his bag, which he threw over his shoulder. Crossing the cafeteria to the doors at the far side, his heart skipped a beat as, in his peripheral vision, he glimpsed Amber in line with Lauren. He skirted to the left so as not
to be noticed. He didn’t have time to stop and make up an excuse about where he was going, and he didn’t want to upset her by seeming to ignore her.
Everything between them had been going so well, especially since she opened up to him about the ex-boyfriend and her illness. It was like they’d crossed a barrier, and something between them had intensified. The only issue for him was that he had to lie to her about his real life. His stomach knotted whenever he thought about that. He’d never deceived a girl before, and it didn’t sit right with him. Especially as it was Amber he was deceiving. But he had no choice.
Maybe one day he might confide in her, but not at the moment. He couldn’t risk it—if his identity became public, his parents might force him to come home, and that was something he didn’t want to do. And to tell the truth, he loved having her friendship because of who he was as a person, not because of his family.
Friendship?
Stop it.
Perhaps as his time at the school was nearing its end, he would tell her the truth. Then, whatever her reaction was, he wouldn’t have to live with it for very long.
He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind because he couldn’t bear the thought of having to leave school and go back to his suffocating royal lifestyle.
After weaving through the tables, which were full of students all chatting loudly, he finally got to the double doors that led outside. He pushed them open, the sudden quietness hitting him, and headed along the path beside the building in the direction of the bleachers near the outdoor track.
Kurt was already there, wrench in hand, tightening one of the bolts on the underside of the bleachers. As soon as he caught sight of Nik, he stopped working and stood upright.
“Hello.” Nik’s tone was clipped.
“Sir,” Kurt replied, inclining his head slightly, in the way he always did when they were at home.
“It’s Nik.” Having to correct Kurt was worrying, since he was clearly preoccupied. He hadn’t slipped at all before. Nor had he bowed his head in respect since they’d been in America. At least he hadn’t greeted Nik as “Your Royal Highness.” As a longtime employee, Kurt had been welcome for years to default to “sir” rather than the traditional greeting upon meeting a Lutgenstadt prince. “What’s wrong?”
“We have a problem,” Kurt replied.
Nik swallowed hard. This had to be serious. He hoped no one was sick at home. If that was the case, his parents would have contacted him direct and not gone through Kurt. They had his cell number, not that they’d used it yet. But that was to be expected considering their busy schedule. He didn’t mind.
“Tell me.” He couldn’t hide the urgency in his voice.
“I’ve heard from the king’s private secretary that they’re thinking of calling you back home.” He moved a bit to the side and started on another bolt.
Nik’s insides clenched. He certainly hadn’t expected Kurt to say that. He couldn’t let it happen. For once in his life, he was experiencing the kind of freedom that most people took for granted, and already after only a few weeks, it was in jeopardy.
“No. They can’t. Why?”
Short of sickness or death, which clearly it wasn’t either, then there could be no reason strong enough for him to leave school and fly back home. He would fight any attempt to make him. He’d spent his whole life doing exactly as was expected of him and toeing the royal line. But this…this…
“The royal family from Rolenkia is making an impromptu state visit, and your parents believe that you should be there,” Kurt said, cutting across his thoughts. “In the words of the royal secretary, they believe it would appear strange if you’re not there for the gala dinner.”
Nik’s eyes widened. They wanted him back home to attend a dinner? A dinner. That was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. If he didn’t know his parents better, he’d consider that it was just an excuse to cut short his fun. That they were thinking he was going to enjoy his year so much, he wouldn’t want to return. If they’d bothered to contact him more, they could’ve talked about how they all felt about it.
Where did that come from?
He couldn’t believe that his thoughts stretched to having a conversation about feelings with his parents. It wasn’t something they ever did. Duty first. Feelings…well, they didn’t really count. He could only put it down to listening to Amber talk so passionately about the relationship she had with her family. He hadn’t felt envy at the time, but it must have triggered something in his subconscious.
“That doesn’t make any sense. If I was at my old school, I couldn’t have attended.” He put his hands behind his back and stared at the ground.
“They would have flown you back home. Although not planned in advance, this is turning out to be a very important visit,” Kurt said. The next support was missing a bolt entirely, so Kurt pulled one out of his pocket, inserted it into the hole, and screwed a washer and nut on the underside.
“Why?” Nik demanded. They had state visits regularly, so he failed to understand why this particular one was more important than the rest. And never before had his parents felt it necessary to include him in any events if he was elsewhere.
“To cement relations between our two countries. For strategic as well as economic reasons.” Kurt sounded like he was reading from a set of notes prepared by the publicity office.
He didn’t buy it. Since when would him being there make such a difference to political negotiations? It didn’t ring true. Except… No… It couldn’t be that. He pushed the thought away. It was ridiculous, and he wasn’t going to entertain it.
“I understand that, but surely they can make my apologies,” he cajoled while trying to relax his tense body.
“You knew something like this could happen when they agreed for you to fly over here,” Kurt said, not unkindly. He turned and pocketed his wrench.
“I know. But I didn’t for one moment imagine it would actually happen. Brandt is first in line for the throne. It’s necessary for him to be at all these affairs. Not me.”
Unless I’m right about the motive.
The thought pushed its way through to the front of his mind again. What if the Rolenkians were bringing their daughter with them? The daughter that his parents had always wanted him to marry. The unwritten understanding that he’d chosen to ignore, in the hope that it would go away. Brandt had been promised to a princess from another country, or she could’ve married him. She was a nice girl. But she wasn’t his type. She was nothing like Amber.
And definitely wouldn’t see beyond the prince version of me.
“True. And he will be there, too,” Kurt said.
Nik’s breath caught in the back of his throat. He wasn’t going back. Not for any reason.
“You said they were only thinking about it. What can we do to stop them?” His insides were in turmoil, but he forced himself to sound calm and in control.
Kurt was silent for a few seconds. “Making the arrangements could be problematic. We don’t want to be noticed. I’ll contact the private secretary, and you contact your parents. Hopefully, between us, we can fix this.”
…
Amber scanned the cafeteria looking for Nik but couldn’t see him. Glancing at her watch, she realized that class started in less than ten minutes. An exasperated sigh escaped her lips. The drama teacher had called an extra rehearsal after school, so she needed to tell Nik she couldn’t meet him. She could text him. But she’d wanted to see him in person to get her daily Nik-fix, as Lauren always joked.
She caught sight of Josh sitting toward the back of the room. He’d know where to find Nik. She headed right over to him.
“Hey, Josh.” She glanced at everyone at the table to double check that she hadn’t missed Nik. Stupid, really, since she was hardly likely to miss him. Even if her eyes didn’t notice, she only had to be within ten yards of him for her heart to do a triple flip.
“Hey.” Josh glanced at either side of her. Looking for Lauren, she guessed.
&nb
sp; “I’m on my own. Lauren’s in the library. Have you seen Nik? I need to speak to him.”
“Sorry, no.” He shrugged.
She groaned. Just her luck. But then she plastered on a smile to hide her disappointment. “No problem. I’ll catch him later.”
She decided to take one last look down by the lockers, to see if by any chance he was there. Hurrying out of the cafeteria, she made her way down the corridor.
“Amber.”
She started at the sound of her name. Turning her head, she caught sight of Nik waving at her. Her nerve endings tingled like they did every time she saw him. Funny, she didn’t feel that way when hanging out with other friends.
He jogged over.
“Hello.” He grazed her arm with his fingers.
“Hello, yourself,” she said. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. To tell you that I can’t meet after school. I’ve got a drama rehearsal.”
Nik’s face fell. Was he disappointed? Excitement enveloped her at the thought.
Wow. She was like Charlie Brown with the football. Feeling giddy over Nik was not a good idea for so many reasons.
“I’ve been with Josh,” he said.
The hairs rose on the back of her neck. Something wasn’t right.
Ladies and gentleman, Exhibit A on why being into Nik is a bad idea.
“He didn’t say that when I spoke to him a few moments ago,” she hedged. She kept her eyes fixed on Nik, watching for any reaction. Guilt momentarily flickered across his face, and a knot formed in her stomach. Had Nik been somewhere he shouldn’t have? And if Josh knew, why didn’t he tell her?
“I left him in the cafeteria. I had to return a book to the library.”
Her heart pounded against her rib cage. She wanted to believe him. He’d never deceived her before—that she knew of. But the way he couldn’t meet her gaze surely meant that he was lying. Why? She knew it was pointless asking outright because if he’d lied once, then what was to stop him lying again? “Okay. I better go, or I’ll be late for class.” She tried to smile, but her lips seemed to have frozen. Turning, she hurried away, anxious to get away from there.
