Casing ✔️

Chapter 13

The whole world seemed to stop as James led me to a clearing in the woods. There was a stream that moved slowly, relaxingly, beside it, and a pit for a fire in the middle of the open nothingness.

But it was when I looked up that my heart seemed to stop as well.

The sky was absolutely breathtaking; there wasn't a cloud to be seen anywhere on the deep blue canvas above, dotted with glimmering perfect stars. I couldn't remember a time I'd seen them so clearly before, so maybe it was the first time.

I'd let go of James' hand and moved to the middle without realizing it, and when I did, I also realized I was smiling so widely I could compete with his brilliant grin.

"I take it you like it," he stated, setting our bags down on the ground.

"It's amazing," I breathed, still staring at the sky.

"I hoped you'd say that." I heard the zipper of his bag, and then some rustling. I wanted to see what he was doing, but I was so mesmerized by the view that I couldn't take my eyes off it—in fear that it'd go away when I looked back.

In all my life I'd never been so speechless. I usually spoke without thinking, but now...now I was seriously doubting I'd ever experience anything better than watching this tiny piece of the big universe. I felt so small, yet so important. Like everything in my life had led up to this, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

"How are you still single if this is how you date?" I asked, staring at the constellations.

"Who said I'm not married with two kids to the last girl I asked right after meeting her?" His words made me finally look away from the night sky to give him a sharp look—to which he laughed, and said, "Don't worry, princess Elina, you're the only one."

That wasn't what I was worried about, I just wasn't a fan of his joke.. But I didn't even think about it anymore when I saw what he'd been doing while I was busy staring at the sky. There was a big plaid blanket on the ground, with two big sleeping bags on top, a few pillows and another blanket. His bag had to be stuffed completely full to have room for all of that, but I didn't complain.

My question from before still stood. How he was single was beyond me.

"Are we spending the night?" I couldn't have hid the excitement bubbling up in my voice even if I tried, and the smile on his face told me he heard it too.

"Yes. I even brought hot dogs and s'mores."

"You really are a prince," I blurted, closing my lips tightly as soon as I heard myself say it. Not that I knew if princes camped in the woods with their princesses, but they at least had the means to spoil them—and that was what it felt like James was doing.

"I have to be worthy of a girl like you somehow." His wink made my knees threaten to buckle. "I'm gonna gather some wood for a fire, would you care to join me?"

I smiled and nodded, because I really didn't want to stray far away from him in the middle of the wild. And because I liked being close to him and his dimples, and his absolutely ridiculous sense of humor. So I took his elbow as he offered it to me, and we walked around our campsite in circles, never going far enough to lose sight of our things.

"Did you bring a book?" he asked me as we put down the wood we'd found, and I settled on one of the sleeping bags, wrapping my arms around my legs, with a nod. "What's it about?"

I bit my lip. "It's a love story between the devil and a human girl," I said, leaving out the part about all the kinky stuff they'll be doing before they finally admit to loving each other—at least I hoped that would be it, because I couldn't handle them hating each other for three hundred pages without getting some action.