Uncrowned Princess

42

Ethan moved around the guest room, gathering his belongings and packing them into his suitcase. He could feel the weight of Isabella's gaze on him from where she sat on the couch, her arms crossed and a pout firmly in place.

"You know," Ethan said, trying to break the silence, "if you keep frowning like that, your face might stick that way."

Isabella's only response was to deepen her scowl, pointedly looking away from him.

Ethan sighed dramatically, zipping up his suitcase. "Oh come on, Bella. Are you really going to give me the silent treatment?"

Silence.

"Fine," Ethan said, a mischievous glint in his eye. "If you won't talk, I guess I'll just have to entertain myself." He cleared his throat and began to sing, loudly and very off-key, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine..."

Isabella's lips twitched, but she maintained her stony expression.

Undeterred, Ethan continued, adding exaggerated dance moves to his performance. "You make me happy, when skies are gray..."

A snort of laughter escaped Isabella before she could stop it. Ethan grinned triumphantly, advancing on her with his arms outstretched. "You'll never know dear, how much I love you..."

"Don't you dare!" Isabella warned, but it was too late. Ethan scooped her up from the couch, spinning her around as he belted out the last line, "Please don't take my sunshine away!"

Isabella couldn't help it – she burst into giggles, wrapping her arms around Ethan's neck. "You're ridiculous, you know that?"

"Ah, but you love me anyway," Ethan said, setting her down gently but keeping his arms around her waist.

Isabella's smile faded slightly. "I do. Which is why I don't want you to go."

Ethan pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "I know, love. But I've been here long enough. I need to get back to work, especially with the competition coming up in less than two weeks."

Isabella sighed, resting her head on his chest. "I know, I know. I'm just being childish."

"Well, you are very good at it," Ethan teased, earning himself a light smack on the arm.

"Hey!" Isabella protested, but she was smiling again.

Ethan cupped her face in his hands, his tone growing more serious. "I'll miss you too, you know. But we'll see each other at the competition. You'll be there, right?"

Isabella nodded, taking his hands in hers. "I promise. Wild horses couldn't keep me away."

"Good," Ethan said. Then, with a playful smirk, he added, "Because I'm going to need someone to console me when I lose spectacularly."

Isabella rolled her eyes. "Please. You're going to blow them all away."

"Your faith in me is touching," Ethan said, pulling her close for a kiss.

As they broke apart, Isabella suddenly grinned. "You know, if you're that worried about the competition, maybe you should practice your talent portion some more. I think your singing could use some work."

Ethan gasped in mock offense. "I'll have you know, my singing is a national treasure!"

"Oh yeah?" Isabella challenged, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Prove it."

Without missing a beat, Ethan launched into an even more over-the-top rendition of "You Are My Sunshine," complete with exaggerated vibrato and interpretive dance moves.

Isabella doubled over with laughter, tears streaming down her face. "Okay, okay! I take it back! Please, stop!"

Ethan bowed with a flourish. "Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week. Oh wait, no I won't."