Men Love Curves: BBW Romance

by Ruby Madden

  “From a fairy tale!” Angel jumped to her feet. “From something that isn’t real! You would be doing them a favor by showing them it was all a joke. We’re not the only ones who don’t believe in the curse, you know. My parents told me there are a lot of courtiers who think the King and Queen exaggerated when they banned spinning and caused so many people to lose their jobs. Oh, and my servant girl told me people are talking about it at the market, especially now that your birthday is so close. They all think the curse doesn’t exist.”

  Rose sighed. She had heard the rumors too. And, yes, it was true she didn’t believe in the curse either. On the other hand, she couldn’t be so sure of herself that she would be willing to risk everything to prove a point. She was never sure of herself. Not about this, not about anything.

  “No,” she whispered.

  Angel crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Rose for a short while before speaking again.

  “The seven fairies offered you gifts of beauty, grace, wit… Did they also tell your parents you would grow up to be a brave, confident ruler? Because I don’t see it…”

  There it was again… Angel’s unique talent of hurting her. Badly. Rose started walking back to the palace. She didn’t want to hear the rest of it, but her friend wouldn’t have that.

  “You know, Rose, you’re a Princess now, but you will become Queen one day. We will be your courtiers, so I apologize for wanting to serve a beautiful, brave Queen who knows the difference between reality and fairy tale.”

  Rose stopped in her tracks, took a deep breath, and turned around. It was beyond her how Angel could push her so hard, convince her to do things she didn’t want to do. But, maybe, she was right. Maybe she did have to prove she was worthy of becoming Queen. She had to gain her friends’ respect, didn’t she?

  “Okay, I’ll do it.”

  Angel gave Rose the brightest smile she had ever seen. “Wonderful! I’m so happy! You’ve made the right choice.”

  “Where will we find a spinning wheel?”

  Her friend reached out and took Rose’s hands into hers. “Leave that to me. No one knows, but my servant’s grandmother has one tucked away in her attic. Her house is not far from the palace. If we wake up early, we can make it there and back before your birthday party. It will be perfect, you’ll see.”

  Rose nodded, then said she was tired. The sun burned too brightly, and it was giving her a headache. As she crossed the gardens and entered the palace, she saw Tavian following her close behind. As usual, he was looking for the right moment to approach her. She had been avoiding him with such a passion that he had become rather shy around her. He caught up with her just as she was turning the corner to her room.

  “Princess…”

  She turned to him, but didn’t look into his green, mesmerizing eyes, lest she’d lose her resolve.

  “Tavian, I’m sorry. This isn’t a good moment. I’m… indisposed.”

  Tavian took a moment to admire her beautiful, shiny hair, her rosy cheeks, the milky skin of her neck and chest, and the way the embroidered corset pushed her breasts up in a sexy, inviting way.

  “Rose, don’t do it.”

  ***

  Tavian couldn’t remember when he had first realized he was in love with the Princess. They were childhood friends, and they had always been around each other, although they had drifted apart in the past two years, both aware of the mutual attraction blossoming between them. Tavian loved her with all his heart. Rose, on the other hand, kept her feelings in check. Denied them, if it was necessary. And Tavian understood why she did it: she had been promised to someone else. He came from a noble family, but he wasn’t wealthy and influential enough to even dare dream of asking for her hand in marriage. They had to do their best to stay only friends, because a different sort of relationship would doom them.

  Rose didn’t move. Tavian expected her to throw a tantrum and walk away. After all, who was he to tell her what to do? To his surprise, however, she stood before him, back straight, but shoulders slightly slouched in a position of defeat. He took the opportunity to speak his mind.

  “What Angel, Juliet, and Talia suggested is madness. Even more than that! If you ask me, it’s treason. The King and Queen did everything in their power to make sure you were safe despite the curse hanging above your head, and going against their will can’t end well, my Princess.”

  “I know…”

  Tavian was taken aback by her answer. Her voice was soft and low. It sounded so sweet to his ears. She wasn’t angry that he had eavesdropped on her and her friends in the garden, which told him she was too preoccupied by the real problem to care about the details.

  “I have to do it, though,” she continued. This time, she looked into his eyes. “I said I’d do it, so I must. Otherwise, what kind of Princess would I be? A Princess who lies, who can’t keep her word?”

  The sadness in her eyes broke his heart.

  “You would be a loyal, wise Princess who knows better than to put herself and the whole kingdom in danger. If Angel, Juliet, and Talia can’t see that, then they’re not your friends.”

  Rose smiled and shook her head.

  “They won’t see things the way you do. If I refuse to go with them tomorrow, they will never respect me. They will remind me what a coward I am for the rest of my life. They would be so… sad and disappointed that they won’t want to be my friends anymore.”

  Tavian couldn’t believe how innocent she was. After all these years, she couldn’t see that her three friends were the most evil, manipulative human beings on the face of the Earth. She still wanted to impress them, gain their respect, make them accept her. He wanted to tell her the truth, but then he realized he would only be hurting her feelings if he talked badly about her friends. What he could do, however, was to tell her how wonderful and special she was.

  “They don’t appreciate you for who you really are, Princess. All they want is to make you feel like you’re less than you actually are because they envy you. They know you’re better than them, and they know you’re going to be a great Queen one day.”

  Rose blushed and averted her gaze. She wasn’t used to receiving compliments, especially not from men she was attracted to, so she had no idea how to react.

  Tavian stepped closer to her. The flowery scent of her hair and skin invaded his nostrils, and he breathed it in deeply.

  “You, Rose, are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” He reached out and took her hands into his. He smiled to himself when she didn’t pull back, and lifted them to his lips. He kissed her knuckles, then looked into her eyes. “I’ve wanted to tell you this for a long, long time, but I was afraid it might ruin our friendship.”

  Rose felt her neck and cheeks burning with embarrassment. Or, was it something else? Butterflies were dancing in her stomach, and Tavian’s every word sent a shiver right through her bones. Her knees were weak and her heart was beating wildly. She was almost scared of what he was about to say.

  “I love you,” he whispered and pulled her closer to his chest.

  “Tavian…”

  She had never been this close to a man. He was still holding her hands, which was a good thing, because her fingers were itching to touch his strong chest. Before she knew it, he leaned in and captured her lips in a soft kiss. She sighed and closed her eyes. She couldn’t believe she was kissing her friend, the man she had fantasized about in the past few years, the man whom she couldn’t have. When she felt the tip of his tongue push against her lips, she opened her mouth and let him explore every crevice. Heat pooled in her stomach, only to spread down to her core. They kissed for a long minute, their tongues twirling against each other, their teeth biting playfully. When they broke the kiss, Rose was panting.

  “This… this was a mistake,” she said. She pulled her hands free and took a couple of steps back.

  “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself. I’ve tried to ignore these feelings, but I love you more every day.�
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  Rose shook her head. There was nothing she wanted more than to tell him she felt the same, but she knew that if she did, there was no turning back.

  “I understand if you don’t want to see me again…”

  “That’s not it,” she said quickly. She couldn’t imagine her life without Tavian at the court. Even if they didn’t speak to each other, it was comforting to see him around the palace every once in a while.

  “I don’t care what happens to us,” he continued. “I just want you to be safe and happy. Please don’t play with the curse. Even if you don’t believe in it, believe in your royal parents and their judgement.”

  Rose thought about it for a second. How easy it would be to wake up the next morning and wait in bed until the servants came to help her prepare for her birthday party. Unfortunately, she had promised something to her friends and she couldn’t break that promise.

  “I’m tired of living my life in fear, Tavian. The curse doesn’t exist, and I’m going to prove it tomorrow.”

  He wanted to beg her again, but she simply turned around and started walking towards her room.

  “Thank you for your concern, but I will be fine.”

  He realized then that there was nothing he could do to stop her or make her change her mind. It hurt that she had turned around so easily and left him there, standing awkwardly in the middle of the hall. It hurt even more that she had never told him she loved him too. Maybe she didn’t. Tavian allowed himself to be overwhelmed by pain for a minute longer, then he straightened his back and made his own decision. What Rose was about to do was dangerous. Personally, he believed in the curse. It was easy for him, given that he saw how Rose possessed all the wonderful gifts the seven fairies had gifted her with. If only she could see in the mirror what he saw when he looked at her, then she’d know too, and she wouldn’t play with fire. Not for the three evil witches who called themselves her friends. Unfortunately, Rose couldn’t see these things. Not yet.

  Tavian knew what he had to do. If Rose activated the curse the next day, then she would fall in a deep sleep, and the kingdom would fall asleep with her. He couldn’t he there when that happened. She would sleep for 100 years, until a true love’s kiss would wake her up. All he had to do was to put as much distance as possible between himself and the kingdom, then find a way to prolong his life so he would be there to wake Rose when the time came.

  “Easier said than done,” he whispered to himself while getting on a carriage which would take him home, where he would start packing. “There’s still magic in the world… All I have to do is find the witches or fairies who know how to do it.”

  ***

  Rose woke up right before dawn, got dressed quickly, and sneaked out of the palace. Angel, Juliet, and Talia were waiting for her at their secret spot in the gardens. From there, they walked to the village nearby, barely exchanging a couple of words. None of them was used to walking such a long distance, but the effort helped them warm up. It was uncomfortably chilly, and their long, expensive scarves didn’t do much to protect their sensitive skin.

  When they entered the village, the four young women did their best to cover their faces. The palace might have been asleep, but the village was brimming with life.

  “How much father?” asked Rose impatiently. This whole business felt incredibly wrong, and she couldn’t stand the tension anymore. There was no way she could back down now, although she really wanted to turn around and head back to the palace before it was too late. That wasn’t an option, unfortunately, which meant the only option was to go through with it as fast as possible so she could hide in a corner after that and work on forgetting it ever happened.

  “It’s right around the corner,” said Angel. She took Rose’s hand and pulled her towards an old cottage.

  Angel’s servant was waiting for them on the doorstep. She bowed respectfully, then motioned for them to enter her humble home.

  “My grandmother is asleep. What you’re looking for is in the attic. Right this way. We must be careful not to wake her up, because she’s one of the people who believe in the curse.”

  Rose’s eyes widened in surprise.

  “If she believes in it, then why has she kept a spinning wheel when my father, the King, ordered everyone to destroy them?”

  The servant kept her head low as she spoke.

  “Family heirloom… she couldn’t part with it.”

  They all climbed up in the attic, except for the young servant. Even though she didn’t believe in the curse, she didn’t want to be there. She had no idea why, but she didn’t feel comfortable around the Princess.

  The four friends stopped in the middle of the cramped room, holding the skirts of their dresses above their ankles so they wouldn’t sweep the thick dust off the floor. Everything was old and dusty there, and Angel, Juliet, and Talia couldn’t wait to get back down. Rose, however, was too absorbed by the spinning wheel resting against the back wall to care. She let go of her skirt, and the soft material fell to the floor, raising a cloud of dust. She took a couple of steps towards the strange object, then stopped again to study it carefully.

  “It’s the first time I see a spinning wheel.”

  Angel chuckled. “It’s my second time. I’ve been here before, just to make sure the servant girl wasn’t lying to me.”

  It was Juliet’s and Talia’s first time, too, and they were just as entranced as Rose was.

  “I wonder how it works,” said Talia.

  Rose stepped closer and ran her hand over the old wood of the spinning wheel. It felt so smooth and real under her fingertips that a shudder ran through her body. The spindle was waiting upright at the other end of the antique device. Rose didn’t want to reach for it just yet. She gave the wheel a tentative push, and the wood creaked when the wheel moved. It was a creepy, sinister sound. Rose didn’t like it one bit.

  “Come on! Let’s prove the curse is just a sad, uninspired joke once and for all,” said Angel. “We’re your witnesses.”

  Rose bit down hard on her lower lip. The slight pain helped clear her head. This was such a bad idea. She couldn’t believe she had let herself dragged into this. Tavian was right. These three girls weren’t her friends. All they had ever done was to torture her, make her feel insecure and inadequate.

  “Come on!” Juliet whispered.

  Rose promised herself this was the last time she was humoring them. She would touch the spindle, press her finger against the sharp tip, then get out of there and never look back. She would prove to them that she wasn’t scared, that she didn’t believe in magic and curses, and right when they would finally start to respect her, she would turn her back to them. Yes, that was the plan. She felt better thinking about it.

  “What if the curse is real?” asked Talia, reluctantly. She had been brave and daring until then, but the sight of the sharp spindle had sent an unpleasant chill up her spine.

  “Shut up!” said Angel. “That’s stupid, and you know it.”

  “Really, Talia?” said Juliet. “I didn’t know you were such a coward.”

  “I’m not…”

  Rose hated the way Angel and Juliet talked to Talia, but didn’t say anything. She decided to get it over with, so she reached out and touched the spindle. The wood was just as smooth and cold as the rest of the spinning wheel. She ran her hand up to the tip and pressed her finger down on it. A trickle of blood immediately made its way down the spindle. Rose grunted at the pain and stuck her bleeding finger into her mouth.

  “Hurts,” she murmured.

  Angel let go of her skirt and clapped her hands.

  “See? I told you the curse wasn’t real! Aren’t you glad we finally cleared the mystery?”

  Rose smiled. Her muscles relaxed, and her heartbeat went back to normal. She could breathe again. She opened her mouth to agree with Angel, but her vision went blurry and the attic started spinning. She tried to say something again, but her tongue wouldn’t move. She wanted to
tell her friends she wasn’t feeling well, let them know something bad was about to happen, but she never got the chance. Next thing she knew, she was lying on the dusty floor, her mind trapped in her own body. She could hear her friends screaming, calling for help, begging her to wake up, but she couldn’t do anything. She couldn’t let them know she was still there, behind the glassy eyes.

  Then, Talia fell down, and Angel and Juliet ran down the stairs. The curse was real. They would all fall asleep, some faster than others. The two girls knew that if they moved quickly, they could let the villagers know so someone would take Rose back to the palace. It wasn’t fit for a Princess to spend the next 100 years in an old, filthy attic.

  CHAPTER TWO

  100 YEARS LATER

  He was getting close, yet he was still lost. Time was running out, and if he wasn’t in the right place, at the right moment, he might lose his chance, he might fail. He couldn’t fail. All those years he had struggled with his gift, all the wealth he had accumulated, all those dreadful nights when he couldn’t sleep because the fear of losing her forever paralyzed him… They couldn’t be in vain. They couldn’t be for nothing. Tavian couldn’t afford to fail. Not now, not ever.

  The inn was at the edge of the forest, and it was the best in these parts. Tavian strolled in with confidence in his step. His broad shoulders, square jaw, and intense green eyes got everyone’s attention whenever he made his appearance in a place where he hadn’t been before. People stared at him, but averted their gaze and made way when he looked in their general direction. There was something about him that made them fear and respect him at the same time. Tavian knew what it was, but he never confided in anyone. The beast he was carrying underneath his skin had changed him. He wasn’t the noble gentleman he had used to be one hundred years ago. Not anymore. He had left that life behind, gave up his family’s name and fortune, and built a whole different world for himself. And for her. It was all for her.