The heat from the tension in the car could melt an iceberg. They weren't talking, and none of them were on their phones either. It seemed like they were all waiting for someone to break the silence, but it was already 20 minutes into the trip and still no one had said anything. Gerald was driving, and while Luci sat in the front seat, her hands rested on the armrest as she stared out the window like there was something incredible going on out there. Her tawny skin looked blotchy, like she had been crying all night. Sira looked at her in the mirror and felt a pang of guilt spread over her. It was her fault that Luci was going through this, if only she had known about Gerald's feelings for her, she would have kept him at arm's length.After a few seconds of staring out the window, Sira would move on to staring at the back of Gerald's head as he drove the car. She had always liked to watch him drive, he was always perfectly calm when he drove.Now seeing him drive reminded her of the nig
She knew where she was, yet she kept her eyes closed, hoping steadfastly that she was wrong. She hoped what she remembered was a dream that was far from reality. Dreaming was enjoyable, and it was pleasant when he placed his lips on hers like they were always meant to be there. His lips were soft like baby skin and sent butterflies fluttering through her whole body, first from her lips to down her throat, flowing all the way down to the tips of her fingers and tips of her toes, and finally shooting up to her brain. It was a pleasant dream indeed, although the memories of having such a dream cannot be entertained."Are you awake now?"With the sound of Gerald's voice, she had to accept reality. She opened her eyes, and it was definitely not a dream. Gerald was in a pair of plain maroon boxers, and beads of water hung on his chest hairs. There was nothing unattractive about his shirtless body in that moment; his lean chest was well defined with muscles, and his waist narrowed down to his
Luci had her afro in two buns, with two strands of twists decending on her forehead. She was wearing a matching set of plain red bikini. Her skin looked a little more tanned than it usually was, giving her a nice glow in the sunlight. She laid down on the sun lounger, looking at the waterfall as the sun caught its water beads as it fell into the kidney-shaped pool.Sira observed her from some distance with a tray of drinks in her hands, willing herself to go talk to her like she planned. At that moment, she didn't know what exactly she wanted to say, all she knew was that she needed to say something to her.She sat on a Sun lounger beside Luci's own, facing her as she placed the tray beneath her. Luci turns her head and smiles at her."Here, Pina Colada," she says, giving Luci the drink."Perfect, exactly what I need," she says, taking a sip. "That's strong. Great" Sira observed her keenly, trying to see if she had an annoyance towards her but was simply hiding it, but Luci looked as
Aurora PovIt is finally the day I've been anxiously waiting for. I turn over on my bambom mat, stretching my body to loosen the tightness I feel within my muscles. Ever since I made the decision, I have felt anxiety eating at me from the inside. All I do is think, and after thinking, I think about everything I thought, and it's a never-ending cycle. My whole life is about to change completely, and I do not have the capability to understand exactly how it's going to be.After the death of my mother from an unknown illness that took over her body and left her bedridden for two years, it had been only my father and I. We managed with the little we could, selling trinkets at the town market. One day, my father had the idea to apply for a loan to start up a business as a jewelry seller. Initially, I had no hope for the loan because we are far from being noble. We are simply poor humans living in the kingdom. Yet everything took a surprising turn when he received a letter saying his loan h
Aurora POV"What are you doing?" Madam Iwin is asking me for about the fifth time today. I never could have thought that setting dishes can be this tasking. Why should there be an exact spot on the saucer where the teacup should be kept, and if there is, why isn't it in the middle, which makes more sense? How many kinds of plates must be used in one meal? I have come to the conclusion that nobles and royals have too much time on their hands, which they certainly do because they have no work. They sit around reading, talking, drinking, eating, or organizing balls that last for hours or buying beautiful clothes.Madam Iwin is different from yesterday; yesterday, she seemed like a nice lady, handing me my uniform and giving me a lecture about the history of the palace as she served me fruit juice and mini baked pies. Now she has transformed into a complete authoritarian.I move a silver fork to the front of the rounded white bowl on the tray, and she whips my hand lightly. All I want to
Zao POVThe sunlight that spills into the garden through the stretching, huge trees is almost blinding; the flowers glow vividly in its shine. Birds whistle softly in their usual manner, flying high between trees, and hummingbirds sucking on flower nectar. I walk towards my favorite tree, the royal poinciana, and there is a woman standing underneath, her back turned to me. She is wearing a floor-length dress the same deep orange-red color as the tree. Her long, thick hair sways gently in the breeze. I continue walking towards her, and when I get closer, she turns her face to me, the sunlight casting a glow on her caramel skin. Princess Deze. Another wonderful dream from Father I raise my hands. "I'm already doing it, you can actually stop now" I say to the heavens. Father have been sending fairies to plant dreams about Princess Deze for months now. Stubbornly I held out for months now deceiving myself that I can refuse his will but right now I will do anything to stop having these dr
In spite of my resolve, I smiled to myself in my bed thinking about him; he is without any doubt the most beautiful man I have ever seen in my life, and just the thought of him gives me flutters in my belly.***Soka braided my hair in the palace maiden style. She rubbed in shea butter and argan oil all the way to my scalp. Her hold was tight on my scalp, making me wince whenever she combed. "Be still. Don't you want to be pretty?" she asked. The palace is filled with the most gorgeous people I have ever seen in my life. I'm confident enough to know I don't look bad, but being in the palace gives me a sort of insecurity about my looks. Being chosen to be a server to a royal should be one of the greatest compliments to my looks. In our kingdom, beauty is everything to females; mostly, beauty is everything we have. If I wasn't plensant to the eyes Madam Iwin would probably have made me one of the cleaners of the latrines or send me to work on the farms. It is known that the king usua
I watch the palace workers move around my palace in disarray as they prepare for the coming of Princess Deze. They carry different items, from lockers to flower vases and paintings for the princess chambers. Frankly I would have preferred the Princess to stay else where and not in my personal palace. If I had done that, it would have created issues with the nobles about keeping to tradition. Tradition demands that Princess Deze stays with me for at least 40 days before any marriage preparation can begin. During these 40 days I'm supposed to court her and make sure she gets accustomed to the palace and the unique ways of our kingdom. This would all be easier if Princess Deze takes this marriage as politically as I do. Something tells me that she might have romantic ambitions considering she is so young. She is just in her 20th year, at that year all females are obsessed with the idea of first love. A palace worker stubbles into me dropping a plain black flower vase, it falls wit