America & Me..

Chapter 11

I knocked on America's door, barely containing my impatience to see her. She was alone.  

"You really ought to have a maid in here at night." 

"Maxon! Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to call you that in front of everyone. It was so stupid." She thought I was mad. Makes sense. I enjoyed it quite a bit. 

"Do you think I'm mad at you?" I asked as I walked in and shut the door. 

"America, you call me by my name so often, it was bound to slip out. I wish it had been in a slightly more private setting," I said with a sly smile, "but I don't hold that against you at all." 

"Really?" 

"Of course, really." 

"Ugh! I felt like such an idiot tonight. I can't believe you made me tell that story!" she slapped me on the side gently. I relished her touch. 

"That was the best part of the whole night! Mom was really amused. In her day the girls were more reserved than even Tiny, and here you are calling me shallow ... she couldn't get over it."

We walked across my room and ended up on the balcony. There was a small, warm breeze blowing the scent of the thousands of flowers in the garden toward us. A full moon shone down on us, adding to the lights around the palace, and it gave America's face a mysterious glow.

"Well, I'm glad you're so amused," she said, running her fingers across the railing. I hopped up to sit on the railing, feeling my usually tense body unravel into relaxation. 

"You're always amusing. Get used to it." It was the truth. She was different, in a an indescribable way.

"So ... about what you said...," I started tentatively. I wanted to ask her desperately. A part of me had felt proud and repulsed that she had praised me so highly in front of the world.

"Which part? The part about me calling you names or fighting with my mom or saying food was my motivation?" She rolled her eyes. I laughed. 

"The part about me being good..." There it went. 

"Oh. What about it?" She ducked her head down and twisted a piece of her dress.

"I appreciate you making things look authentic, but you didn't need to go that far." It felt good getting that out. It kept bothering me. After years of being told I was incompetent, the shoes of my father that I had to fill felt two sizes too large. Her head snapped up. She seemed confused. A sliver of hurt flickered across her eyes. 

"Maxon, that wasn't for the sake of the show. If you had asked me a month ago what my honest opinion of you was, it would have been very different. But now I know you, and I know the truth, and you are everything I said you were. And more."

I didn't know what to say, it made me feel warm inside. "Thank you," I finally said. "Anytime."

I cleared my throat. "He'll be lucky, too." 

"Huh?"

"Your boyfriend. When he comes to his senses and begs you to take him back," I said matter-of-factly. She laughed as if that were impossible. 

"He's not my boyfriend anymore. And he made it pretty clear he was done with me." I could hear the hope in her voice. I felt let down almost, she still hadn't moved on. Obviously. 

"Not possible. He'll have seen you on TV by now and fallen for you all over again. Though, in my opinion, you're still much too good for the dog." I said, like I'd seen this happen a million times. 

"Speaking of which!" I said a bit louder. "If you don't want me to be in love with you, you're going to have to stop looking so lovely. First thing tomorrow I'm having your maids sew some potato sacks together for you." 

She hit my arm. "Shut up, Maxon."

"I'm not kidding. You're too beautiful for your own good. Once you leave, we'll have to send some of the guards with you. You'll never survive on your own, poor thing." I said all this with mock pity.

"I can't help it." She sighed. "One can never help being born into perfection." She fanned her face as if being so pretty was exhausting.

"No, I don't suppose you can."

She giggled. She didn't notice, staring out into the garden. I felt myself leaning in, falling into those abyss-like eyes and the alluring lilt of her laugh. She turned so abruptly, and I was done for. Her eyes took me in, lips parted. I leaned in, closing the distance between us and kissed her. She pulled back like I had shocked her and I kicked myself for disgusting her. She never wanted this. She wanted her boyfriend. Not this kiss. Not from me. 

"Sorry," I mumbled, blushing. I felt bad. Really bad. 

"What are you doing?" she asked in a shocked whisper.

"Sorry." I slightly turned away, obviously embarrassed.

"Why did you do that?" 

"It's just ... with what you said earlier, and then seeking me out yesterday ... just the way you acted... I thought maybe your feelings had changed. And I like you, I thought you could tell." Like her?! I was on the brink of confessing my love. 

I turned to face her. "And... Oh, was it terrible? You don't look happy at all." My first kiss, fantastic. What was I thinking?!

"I'm so sorry. I've never kissed anyone before. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm just...I'm sorry, America." 

I breathed a heavy sigh and ran my hand through my hair a few times, leaning against the railing. I'd wanted my first kiss to be with America. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eyes. She seemed to be thinking about something, hard. Suddenly, she stepped up to me and rubbed her hand across my forehead.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm erasing that memory. I think we can do better." She pulled my hand down and propped herself up beside me, facing toward her room. 

"America, I don't think you can change history." All the same, hope surged through me.

"Sure we can. Besides, who'd ever know about it but you and me?" 

I came close, wrapping an arm around her waist so that we faced each other. My nose tickled hers. I ran my fingers across her cheek gently. With my hand holding her face toward mine, I lowered my lips to hers and gave her the faintest whisper of a kiss. I was so excited yet so worried to be so close to her. She felt like she would break at the slightest nudge. So this was what it felt like to be in love. That was so unexpected. This was all too quick, too strange. 

"May I say something?"

She nodded.

"I'm not so stupid as to believe that you've completely forgotten about your former boyfriend. I know what you've gone through and that you're not exactly here under the normal circumstances. I know you think there are others here more suited for me and this life, and I wouldn't want you to rush into trying to be happy with any of this. I just... I just want to know if it's possible..."

It was a hard question to answer. Would she be willing to live a life she'd never wanted? Would she be willing to take on the responsibility that I had as a prince? Most importantly.....would she be willing to love me?

"Yes, Maxon," I whispered. "It's possible."