My Princess~Malachi Barton

☆The next morning☆

**Laura POV:**

I opened my bedroom door to find Flor waiting for me, a look of relief on her face. "Hey, I was worried sick about you," she said, rushing in to hug me.

I hugged her back, feeling a little guilty for not messaging her earlier. "Sorry, Flor. I know I should have reached out to you, but I just needed to get out of there."

Flor stepped back and looked at me curiously. "So, what happened? Zack told me about your father's arrangements, but I want to hear it from you."

I sighed and invited her in, closing the door behind us. "It's just so crazy, Flor. My father wants me to marry some prince from Wales, and I can't even think about it without feeling suffocated."

Flor's eyes widened in shock. "That's terrible! What did you do?"

I flopped down on my bed, feeling a little overwhelmed. "I ran out of there, Flor. I couldn't take it anymore. And then I ran into Malachi, and he brought me back to his place."

Flor's eyes lit up with interest. "Malachi?"

"Yea I met him at the airport earlier it's a long story but he found me on the road and I might have blubbered to him about the marriage and he calmed me down and invited me to his place"

Flor awed as I finished my little story "wait malachi? I feel like I've heard that name before could it be Malachi Barton like hes a movie star isn't?"

I nodded, feeling a little shy. "Yeah, that's him. And his friends were so nice, Flor. We had so much fun together."

Flor grinned mischievously. "I bet you did. And I bet you have a crush on Malachi, dont you?"

My face went red as I denied it. "No, Flor, I do not! We were just having fun, that's all."

Flor teased me playfully. "Oh, come on, Laura. I know you too well. You can't deny the sparks that were probably flying between you two."

I rolled my eyes, feeling a little defensive. "There were no sparks, Flor. We were just hanging out."

Flor chuckled. "Okay, okay. But I know the truth. You're crushing on him hard, Laura."

I threw a pillow at her, laughing. "Shut up, Flor."

Flor then asked "So, what now? Are you going to go through with the arranged marriage or are you going to follow your heart?"

I sighed, feeling a little torn. "I don't know, Flor. Part of me wants to rebel and follow my own path, but another part of me feels like I owe it to my family to do what's expected of me."

Flor nodded understandingly. "I get it. But you have to think about what's going to make you happy, Laura. You can't spend your life stuck in a loveless marriage just to please your parents."

I knew she was right, but it was hard to shake off the feeling of duty and responsibility that had been ingrained in me since I was a child.

Flor continued, "And what about Malachi? Are you going to see him again?"

I felt my heart skip a beat at the mention of his name. "I don't know, Flor. I mean, I had a great time with him, but I don't know if it's a good idea to get involved with someone right now."

Flor raised an eyebrow. "Someone? You mean a commoner?"

I blushed, feeling a little embarrassed. "Well, yeah. I mean, it's not like my parents would approve of me dating someone who's not royalty."

Flor snorted. "Your parents need to get with the times, Laura. You're almost 18, and you deserve to make your own choices."

I smiled, feeling grateful for my friend's support. "Thanks, Flor. Just talking to you makes me feel better."