“Did you ever want to kiss her?” Raylon inquired, shifting his weight on the steps. His question yanked me back to reality, and I found myself looking into his eyes.
I chuckled lightly. “More than anything. Ever since that first day, she was all I dreamed about. I couldn’t concentrate on my duties, couldn’t think straight, and couldn’t sleep without picturing her face and wondering what it would feel like.”
Raylon laughed. “I know that feeling. How many times did she sneak out to see you before you were transferred to the palace?”
I exhaled thoughtfully. “Well, as you know, the battleship crew gets a recreational cycle every ten days. And every cycle, I found myself in that forest with her.”
“And why was Laylar so upset on the night of the supernova?”
I dropped my gaze to the ground. “She wanted to confess to the king about us. She wanted to tell him that we were in love and plead for my life, so we wouldn’t have to sneak around anymore. But I knew how the king would react. He didn’t know me, and he would never let me live after I—”
I clamped my mouth shut and shook my head.
“After you did what?” Raylon probed.
I looked into his eyes and he understood what I left unsaid.
“I see. So, you two had already made love by then.”
I nodded, wordless.
“In the forest?” Raylon asked, sounding surprised.
I laughed. “No. I took her to my father’s house. She slipped away from the scholars one morning and we took public transport to the farmlands. My father was out, and my sisters were at the market, so we were alone. And before I knew it…”
I was standing at the entrance to the public shuttle’s landing bay, waiting for Laylar to show up. My eyes darted over every hooded figure that moved in the crowded space.
People were looking at me curiously. Seeing a battleship crew member, in uniform, in the public shuttle bay was quite unusual.
I noticed a shadow moving toward me and recognized the fabric. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.
I knew my sisters would be out, which was for the best. They were Laylar’s biggest fans, and if they saw her in their home, they wouldn’t give her a moment of peace.
As the hooded figure approached, I tried to hide the smile that was spreading across my face. My nerves were on edge, and my senses were heightened. The princess being in a public place like this, without the royal guards, meant her life was solely in my hands.
I scanned the crowd one more time, observing each face, where everyone’s eyes were directed, and what they were holding in their hands. Then I felt her arms wrap around my waist.
I smiled and looked down to see her eyes peeking at me from under the dark hood.
“I’ve missed you,” she said, smiling.
I wrapped my arms around her and leaned down to kiss the top of her hood. “What have you done to me? I can’t think of anything else but you.”
With one last kiss on her head, I took her hand and we headed toward the transport. As the crowd surged to get on, I held onto her hand tightly and kept her close to me. Once we were inside the shuttle, I shouted, “Make space!” to the crowd that was shoving and pushing its way in.
I guided Laylar to the back of the shuttle and leaned against the wall. I pulled her into my arms and held her close as the doors closed and we lifted off into the air.
Her head rested on my chest and with the loud chatter of everyone talking filling the tightly packed space, I leaned down to her. “Are you okay?”
I felt her head nod against my chest. “Yes. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than right here,” she said, squeezing my waist.
After an hour of landing and taking off again to let other passengers off at various stops, we finally reached the stop that would lead us to my father’s house.
Once again, I pushed our way through the crowd and out of the station. As soon as the fresh farmland air hit my nose, I smiled.
I led Laylar down the country road that would take us to my childhood home.
“This is where you grew up?” she asked, looking around at the sprawling farms that stretched as far as the eye could see.
“Yes,” I said, pointing to one of the farms in front of us. “That farm there, that’s Lomar’s. We were best friends as kids.”
“You’re not friends anymore?”
“No. We’re brothers now.”
She looked at me, confused.
“He married my sister. They have a son together now, and they’re expecting a daughter in the winter.”
“That’s wonderful,” she said, her face lighting up with a smile. “You have a big family?”
“I used to,” I said, the thought of my other sisters forcing its way into my mind.
Her smile faded. “I’m sorry, Rein.”
“It’s okay. We’re not here to talk about sad memories. That,” I pointed to a run-down little house standing down the road, “is where I was born.”
“That’s your home?” she asked, looking at the small stone house with its old, weather-beaten roof and the cracked window facing the street.
“Yes. And all the land behind it, up to the trees on the horizon, that’s my father’s land.”
She let go of my hand as we got closer to the house and I could see her fidgeting with her coat, fussing over her hair, and her smile was gone.
“Laylar, what’s wrong?”
“I’m nervous to meet your father.”
“Because I love you, Rein, and I want your father to like me. Not just because of who I am.”
“He will love you, just like I do,” I said, giving her a soft kiss.
I turned to the entrance of the house and knocked on the door with my fist.
