Another Royal Frog
River and Lily have been, or rather had been, friends for almost all their lives until a one nightstand ruined any semblance of a friendship between them. Lily would strongly like to blame the fact that she was foolish on that night and River, well, he doesn't look like he has a lot to say or think about the night in question. Now, four years down the line, after one isolating the other and another still being bitter hurt over the events that succeeded that particular night, Lily is called in for a royal favor. With River's coronation as king drawing near, she has to keep his rather, messy, to be lightly put, record on a clean squeaky plate. How to do that you ask? Well, obviously by avoiding him and being professional to a fault. But the ignorant blind fool doesn't get the memo. In fact, to her, it looks like River is doing anything other than being professional and distant. ☆¤☆¤☆¤☆ "I was going to ruin you!" he shouts in exasperation and I eye him for a moment, watching his chest rise and fall rapidly until he calms down. "I was already ruined. I fail to see any sort of damage that could have outdone what I've gone through." I shrug and pick up my folder from the bed. ☆¤☆¤☆¤☆ Lily has no much to think about during the summer but if there's something she's certain of, it's that she is not ready to be the reason River's crown topples off his head no matter how much he wants to be the problem in her course.
chapter seventeen
I am roused from sleep by a gentle pressure on my cheek. When I fully open my eyes, I find River smiling down at me with a gentle glint in his eyes.
"Sorry to wake you, I didn't mean to." He whispers before tucking a few strands of my messy bed hair behind my ear. "I have to run, see you later?"
"Okay." I whisper with my hand covering my mouth to avoid greeting him with my morning breathe.
"Take care, Barbie." I glare at him but he presses a soft kiss on my forehead and rushes out.
I check to see that it is around 4:53 am so I snuggle back into my covers and close my eyes, waiting for that annoying alarm to wake me at seven.
It feels like only a minute before the alarm starts ringing.
With a groan, I shut it down and grogilly sit up, rubbing my eyes to clear my vision.
Memories of last night come dancing in my head as I reach to place my hair in a messy bun and a smile slowly creeps it's way up on my face.
Was I really with River last night?
Deciding to use the giddy feeling of last night's memories to my advantage, I quickly go through my morning routine and choose a very elegant high-waisted black skirt that barely reaches past my mid thigh and a white checkered crop top to pair before rushing out with my phone and keys in hand.
My mom's blue door stares at me as I calm myself down enough to knock. With the knowledge that Max is still around and our interaction from yesterday, I'm not too sure how I feel hence the hesitancy to knock.
Gathering up enough courage to knock, I gently wrap my knuckles on the door for a brief second before dropping my hand.
It does not take long before the door opens to reveal my mom's smile.
"Darling!" she cries out and hugs me close to her as she closes the door behind us. "You look very cute," she compliments while steering us to the kitchen. "Max! Tell your sister she looks gorgeous." mom says once we enter the kitchen.
Leaving my side to walk to the other side of the counter, she continues with what I assume is her breakfast preparation with her back to us.
"Hi?" I whisper to Max and he gives me a gentle smile, sliding his glasses up his nose in the process.
"You look really good. Do you have a date?"
"A date?" my mom turns curiously to me before drawing her brows together.
"Not a date." I say with raised hands as if to calm her wild thoughts. "I'm headed for the office after breakfast."
"mm-mmh." Mom says but doesn't say anything else as she turns her back to us again.
"Aren't you allowed to go on dates?" Max frowns as he continues to probe and I'm about to answer when mom chimes in again.
"Not until she's forty!"
"Mooom!" I whine childishly but she ignores me. Max just seems amused by the exchange.
"I'd like to see any boy try to woo you away from me. Let them try, I know how to fight." My mom turns with both hands occupied by a pan and a spatula and a very fierce look on her face and I try not to laugh.
She's a mixed martial artist, trained in the military for five years and worked undercover for the government and the royals directly for about seven years. No doubt she could take down any guy that tries to 'woo' me away from her— but I'm not about to give her that satisfaction.
"I'm seriously not seeing anyone." I tell her, hoping my eyes hide the memories of River and I in my bed as well as kissing in my office yesterday.
"Well you better not be," she says with a small smile and returns to what she was doing previously before placing two plates on the counter for me and Max. "I think I salted the pancakes a little too much." she says and directly eats hers from the pan.
"Moom!" I cry out in both horror and embarrassment while Max laughs out loud and reaches for his plate and a cup of coffee. "No, no! You can't find this funny!" I forbid him grumpily as he continues to shake in laughter, the hand with his fork trying to cover and muffle the sound of his laughter. "This is so embarrassing." I say and watch as my mom deliberately brings the pan close to her face to take a good bite of her pancake.
"This is delicious," Max praises and I narrow my eyes at him which only makes him chuckle as he continues with his breakfast.
I take a bite out of my own pancakes and silently appreciate how tasty they are. I can feel both Max and my mom watching as I continue eating my pancakes but I say nothing until I'm done.
"Thanks for breakfast," I say as I pick my phone from the counter. "I'll see you guys at dinner tonight?"
"You didn't like them?" my mom points to the plate of pancakes I just wolfed down and raises her brow.
Max politely replies to my previous question with a quiet "sure" before going back to his food.
"I did," I tell my mom and walk to the kitchen entrance. "Love you mom! Bye Max!" I call out as I reach for the door and close it behind me.
The rush to my office isn't entirely because I'm late but because a cold draft decides to blow all over me making me regret my choice of outfit and the lack of a coat.
In my defence, when I dressed a few minutes early this morning, the sun was prominently shining and ever so promising of a warmer day than this cold mayhem that decided it was fun to torture me.
I hiss once I step into the building and shake my arms to warm them a little.
"You decided to become a human popsicle, I see." Richard laughs from the doorway, all bundled up in warm sweaters and a scarf.
"Is there a time you never insult me?" I ask with narrowed eyes and he laughs quietly.
I'm so used to him that I would get offended if he did not have some backhanded compliments or insults thrown my way everytime we met.
"Calling you a popsicle is insulting?" he mocks confusion and I just sigh, pretending to be even more offended. "Okay fine! You really look good," he finally compliments. "But I would still put on a coat or something."
"I regret not thinking of that after my five minute walk in the cold. Thanks for the reminder." I tell him before rushing to the elevator.
Despite the fact that the building is air conditioned, I'd still want to be in my office before the sneezes come.
"Finally!" River's voice welcomes me just as a sneeze racks through my body the moment I step into the office.