SophiaIt took all my willpower to hold back my amazement at everything I saw at the palace. Having Abir take me around to the gardens was the best choice. My bones started to thaw from the frigid temperatures I’d been dealing with in the UK.Even though it was warm, Luke had been right about my clothes not being too heavy when it came to the heat. The sun’s warmth pressed against my cheek, and I knew if I stayed out long enough, I’d have a little bit of a burn. I tugged the scarf around my cheeks to prevent that.“If you are too hot, we can go into the greenhouse for a little shade.”“I’d love to go wherever you want to take me. This place is so beautiful.”The flowers were so colorful, and I loved watching the butterflies and bees jumping from one to another. It gave the garden life that I’d never seen before.I had a brown-thumb, though I doubted Luke’s mother, Gia, tended to the garden. Several gardeners moved throughout the paths, checking on the brilliantly colored plants.Up ah
SophiaThe decorations down each hallway were gorgeous. I guessed the paintings depicted previous kings or other royalty, but since I lost my guide and his mother was no help, I wandered down the hallway with no direction in mind.I recalled passing a main staircase at some point, but the hallways were long, and at any given corner, another one spread out in front of me with no end in sight.Taking the opportunity to snoop, I peeked into several rooms, knowing that if anyone caught me, I would use the excuse that I was lost.Instead, the one person I wanted to see appeared in the hallway. Thankfully, I wasn’t snooping when I saw him.“Luke,” I said, unable to hide the smile on my face.He strode down the hallway as if he owned the place. While he did that everywhere, in this context, I saw an entirely new person walking toward me. He belonged here, no matter what he thought.“Where’s Abir?” he asked, his thick eyebrows mashed together.“Your mother told him to get ready for dinner,” I
LukeI didn’t need to give Sophia a half hour to get ready. As it was, we were already going to be late, but I needed the time to get myself composed. In our time together, we hadn’t been alone much. We had either been in a public place or on a plane with several staff members.Standing in her doorway when she was on the cusp of stripping down to change had shifted something inside of me. Of course, I found her attractive. But we were playing our parts as boyfriend and girlfriend. If I had asked her to, I knew she would have kissed me right then and there. I saw the desire in her eyes, and I’d done a terrible job of hiding it myself.Taking a cold shower was in order, but that only took ten minutes. I’d dragged it out longer than usual. I spent extra time picking through my clothes to find the perfect outfit.While I knew I’d have to dress more traditionally for the banquet, I grabbed a suit that I had brought from home. It had faint gray stripes that were only noticeable if you were
LukeWhen Father started on the first course, I lifted my spoon to signal to Sophia that it was time for us to enjoy our soup.“I know you’ve most likely told the story more times than you can count,” Father started. “But tell us how you and Sophia met.”I glanced at her, grateful that we’d nailed down this part of the story ahead of time.“It’s not the most conventional way,” I said, glancing at Mother. Even though she ate her food, she still hadn’t looked up at any of us. “We met at a pub while she was on assignment in England.”Mother clinked her spoon against the bottom of the bowl a little too loudly and let out a small disapproving sound.Father glanced at her and then back to me, waving me on to continue.I went on with the story that Sophia and I had fabricated. It was a version of the truth. Father wanted to know all the little details, and Sophia and I worked together to fill in the gaps. Between the two of us, we created a story that was fit for a romantic movie—not that I
SophiaI woke on my own the next day. It was the first time in a long time that I hadn’t set the alarm. Though I had no idea where my phone was, even if I had set one. I hoped Mr. Fraser hadn’t called, but we didn’t have an appointment scheduled. Since I couldn’t have anyone overhear our conversation about the story, I made a mental note to contact him on Sunday after the interview with Luke.The previous evening’s events flooded my mind as I sat up in bed. I fluffed my pillows, pushing them against the headboard and pulling the covers over my chest. I wasn’t quite ready to get out of the soft coziness of my bed.The conversation at dinner was pleasant, other than the silence from the other end of the table. While I tried to ignore it and keep Abir and Erol talking, Luke had been aware of his mother the entire time. I had never seen him so angry before, and I hoped that I would never have that expression directed at me. As a dutiful girlfriend would, I tried to calm him by catching hi
SophiaIt was just him and me for breakfast. He noted that his Father and Mother were eating in their chambers, and Abir tended to sleep in.Breakfast wasn’t a big affair, but it was delicious nonetheless. I wasn’t sure I’d ever want to eat the fried foods back in Dallas after tasting what fresh delicacies were around the world. Or maybe I’d have to be a bit pickier when choosing places to eat. Matt had always tried to get me out of my shell. Maybe it was time to follow his advice.I hadn’t texted Matt since I’d left the UK. I probably had a bunch of messages on my phone waiting for me. I’d check them later. My curiosity for where Luke was taking me had pushed my need to answer Matt’s burning questions to the back of my mind, even though I was sure he had a lot.“Where are we going?” I asked Luke as two servants finished clearing our plates. I didn’t like talking to them as if they weren’t there—as the rest of the family did.“I thought I’d take you to some of the local landmarks. For
LukeSophia gave me a lot to think about during our time together. She wasn’t fishing for information, but I’d told her my innermost thoughts about how I felt about the kingdom. I hoped my insecurities didn’t show up in her newspaper, but there was enough respect between us for her not to exploit me. I could tell she was having a good time, and I was having more fun with her than I’d had with anyone—even Maddox—in a long time. Seeing my country through her eyes opened my own and gave me an opportunity to take a hard look at what running the country might feel like.The time passed quickly, and I hoped the rest of the evening did as well. I didn’t want to be in the presence of Mother, let alone in the same room. Her attitude from last night still bothered me. I hoped that she would be too preoccupied with her guests to notice me at all. I only had one more full day in the palace, and it was big enough to avoid her if I needed to.Heading back to Sophia’s room, I steeled my nerves. I co
LukeStepping away to make sure that everything was okay with the hijab and her dress, I wondered what it would have been like to meet her in a pub, as our fake story suggested. Would she have come over to me, or would I have gone to her? Would she have made me laugh, and would we have hit it off right away? By her looks alone, I was sure I would have asked her on a real date. Maybe she would have told me she was in the country for a story. It was possible we could have had a one-night stand, and I would never see her again after that.Before meeting Sophia, I would have stuck in my ways and not dated, but if I met someone and we had an expiration date, I wasn’t sure what I would do.Even though sleeping with Sophia would probably be amazing, I’d much rather her stay with me at the palace so I could be with her as long as possible until she went back to the US.“Earth to Luke,” Sophia said, waving her hand in front of my face. “I’m beginning to think there’s a blemish I missed.” One o