69 Valentine's Day

James went to the bathroom to change, and when he came out, he was wearing a pair of black sweatpants, a white t-shirt, and a pair of glasses (not grid, but blue-light prevention). He spun around in a circle. "Well, what do you think?" he asked.

Roselle gaped her jaw. "You look so . . . casual." She snickered. "It's so weird to see you in that kind of clothing. You can dress a little fancier, you know. It's a dance after all."

"Yes, but my doctor said I should wear clothing that doesn't restrict my movement."

"Ah." She circled around him more. "I don't know how to describe it. You look so different, but somehow, I can still tell you're a king. You have this . . . vibe around you."

He smirked. "You can change the clothes, but you can't change the person. Would you like to see something?"

"What?"

James pointed at himself. "Pay attention closely." He cleared his throat. "Sup man, it's James, yo," he said in attempt of an American accent.

Roselle's nose was letting out air trying to hold in her laugh, but she couldn't contain it for long. She burst into an enormous roar that was so loud and uncontrollable that her sides hurt from laughing too hard. It went on for a good minute or so.

The king was laughing along too at this point. "How was it, peasant? Was it good or not?"

"That was," she laughed again. "That was terrible!" Ha ha ha ha ha!

"Oh really?" He rolled his eyes. "Faking an accent is difficult, you know. Try to do mine."

Roselle got a hold of herself and cleared her throat. "Would you like a spot of tea, good sir?"

James cringed. "Peasant, not only was that awful, but that was very stereotypical." He chuckled.

"I admit it. It's hard, okay?!" She bursted out into laughter again, but she calmed herself down after a while. "Okay, no more fake accents. You don't need a fake accent to be 'normal' anyway."

He nodded. "Agreed."

James's doctor came into the room, and he widened his eyes. "What's all this noise? James? Why are you dressed? And what are you doing out of bed?"

"I wish to go somewhere," the king said. "I won't be gone for long."

The doctor shook his head. "You should be resting. You're not well enough yet. I'm worried that you'll injure yourself."

James put his hands in his pockets and gave the man an intense stare. "I assure you that I'm feeling quite alright. I can afford to be out and about for a few hours."

He shrugged. "Sorry, James, but I'm just looking out for you. As a medical professional, I can't in good conscience let you go outside."

James glared at him for a little longer causing the man to sweat, but after a few seconds the king finally nodded. "Understandable, have a nice day," he said, going back to his bed.

The doctor did a double-take. "Wait, really?"

"Yes, of course." He made a waving gesture with his hand. "Run along now."

The man took a breath of relief and left the room.

Roselle flipped her head back at him. "So that's it? We're not going?"

"Of course we are. This scenario is similar to a common occurrence I see a lot in teenage movies: sneaking out." He gave her a wink.

* * *

When the coast was clear (given by the royal guards), Roselle and James speed-walked through the hospital halls. The staff seemed busy and James's 'casual' outfit was unexpected, so they were able to slip by unnoticed.

* * *

"That was so scary!" Roselle said, doing her breathing exercises when they finally got to the entrance. "My heart feels like it's going to explode!"

James smirked. "It was quite exhilarating, wasn't it? I feel an adrenaline rush as well. I've always wondered what that'd be like."

"The dance isn't that far from here. We can walk down the block."

He nodded. "Very well."

* * *

The two chatted for a while on their way to the address.

"So, Roselle, may I ask you what your first school dance was like?"

"Uhh . . ." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "Actually, I've never been to a dance before either. This is my first time too."

James raised a brow. "Is that so? If I were an American teenager I believe that this would be the part where I would say 'top ten anime plot twists of all time' or something like that."

Roselle felt a laugh coming on from hearing him say that, but she was able to hold it in this time.

"I'm curious, why haven't you attended a dance before? I thought it was something almost every 'normal' person had experienced."

"Yeah, I was supposed to go to the prom with my boyfriend when I was sixteen, but . . ." She played with the ends of her hair. "My dad found out about us and I had to break up with him."

"I see. Actually, I'm glad. It makes the experience even more special upon learning this information."

"Why? What do you mean?"

He smiled at her. "Well, if neither of us have been to a dance before, that means that this is something 'normal' that we can experience together for the first time."

She smiled back at him. "I guess it's kind of nice to think about it that way."

They gazed at each other for a moment, but Roselle looked away. Her heart thumped again in that way where she felt fuzzy and warm, but she wouldn't let that feeling get the better of her.

* * *

When they got to the address, there was a line at the front, but it was as though James was completely blind to it. He walked right in front.

"Wait!" Roselle called after him.

"I'd like admission," James told the woman that was letting people in.

Roselle caught up and tugged on his sleeve. "Uh, James?"

"I'm sorry . . ." the woman said, her voice small and meek. "There's . . . a line."

The people in the line groaned and complained.

"Normal people have to wait for their turn," Roselle whispered.

James sighed. "Do we really have to do this part too? It sounds dreadfully boring."

She gave him a stern look. "Dude! You're drawing attention to yourself. Do you want people to start figuring out who you are?"

"Very well." He rolled his eyes. "Guess if I'm going to play peasant for a day I need to have the full experience."

He followed Roselle to the back.

"Yeah, that's right buddy!" some guy shouted. "Back of the line!"

James stopped for a moment and faced him, giving an authoritative glare. The random guy backed off a bit and immediately turned away upon seeing James give that look. Even if the king was pretending to be normal, there was a clear subconscious commanding aura around him that couldn't be shoved away with all the 'peasant practice' in the world.

* * *

It was exhausting waiting to get to the front of the line. Sure, the wait time was only five minutes, but JAMES was making it exhausting.

"Honestly, what on earth is taking so long? Why is the efficiency speed so dreadfully slow?" James tapped his foot.

"Chill," Roselle said. "We haven't been here that long. You've never had to wait in line a day in your life, have you?"

"Of course not!" He crossed his arms. "This is agonizing. If they knew who I was they'd be fumbling over themselves to let me in."

"Yes, but remember why you're here, okay? The whole point of this is to know what it's like to be normal, remember?"

James groaned. "I will never take my status for granted ever again after this night."

The people in front of them entered the building, and it was Roselle and James's turn to be at the front of the line.

"Good lord, FINALLY!" James exclaimed.

The woman smiled awkwardly at them. "Admission is ten dollars per person, please."

James pulled out his wallet, opened it, and pulled out twenty British pounds. He handed it to her. "My apologies, but I don't seem to have any American money on me. I hope this will do."

Her face was red and she slowly handed it back to him. "Sorry . . . I don't think I can accept this."

"But it's worth even more than twenty dollars."

"Okay," Roselle said before the situation could escalate. She gave the woman twenty bucks from her purse. "Here."

"Are you paying on my behalf?" questioned James. "You mustn't do that, little rose. It's humiliating. Let's go to a bank so I can make an exchange."

"And have you complain about waiting in line again when we come back? I don't think so, buddy."

James was visibly confused and conflicted, but he grumbled in defeat. "Very well, but I'm paying you back as soon as we leave."

The woman stamped their hands with heart-shaped symbols. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

They walked into the building together, ready to experience a dance for the first time.