The Beach Princess

Chapter 4

“He was such a kissup!”

“He’s not a kissup, Collin, he’s just a really nice guy,” Marybeth giggled as they returned back to her room. She took Martin’s leather jacket off her body while Collin looked in disgust. “If you’re planning to keep it with you, you better hide it well, Princess.”

“I will,” Marybeth hugged the jacket in her arms and smiled. But then she turned back to Collin, who was leaving, and kissed his cheek lightly.

Collin froze.

“Thanks a lot for this amazing day,” Marybeth whispered. “You might be the head chef’s son, but you’re really as fearless and gentle as a prince to me.”

“I’ll… remember that. Thank you, Beth,” Collin was floating in the air. She called her a prince. Marybeth, the princess he had been in love with since forever, called her a prince! A much, much better compliment than “a band star who handed me his leather jacket”. Much better.

-

“Breakfast, Bro? Come on, this resort is amazing!”

Liam’s voice pulled Martin back from his thoughts. Liam stared at his friend, almost choking on his french toast. “What the hell—are you actually lost in thought? This is so not you, Martin.”

“We’re going back to the base camp tomorrow,” Martin sighed. “And I still haven’t found her again.”

Liam turned his choking into a laugh. “You seriously thought just because you handed her your jacket, both of you are gonna meet again? What are you, Cinderella? Hah—“

“Shut up, Liam,” Martin snapped. He scratched his brown-haired head in frustation. “I have to find her again.”

-

“Collin?”

“Miss Marybeth, you shouldn’t be here! The kitchen is really dirty right now, oh my—“

“No, no, Mom, it’s okay,” Collin stopped cutting up cucumbers and approached Marybeth. “What’s up, Princess?”

“I was actually thinking…” Marybeth lowered her voice so that the head chef could not hear them. “The Corridors will have their farewell gig today. What do you say?”

Crap—she’s really into him. Collin nodded with a heavy heart. What choice does he have? He could not possibly let a girl like her wander alone in an all-night concert, could he? “Crap—you’re really into that Martin guy, Beth,” those words slipped out of his mouth without his brain’s control.

Damn!

“What? I’m just a fan, Collin, why is that?” Marybeth looked puzzled. Oh right—she was a damsel in distress all her life, trapped in this gigantic mansion. She would not know the first thing about love.

“It’s okay,” Collin forced a smile. “It’s just—he’s a star, Beth. I don’t want you to be hurt—I don’t want you to get carried away just because he treated you so special. You don’t know how many girls he has treated that way.”

-

“I know how many girls you’ve treated that way, Martin, so why not spare this one? If you sweep her off her feet again, only to leave her, and let her turn on the TV the next day and see you making out with Emma Roberts or Carly—what do you think she’d feel?”

“Why don’t you for once work with me, Chris?” Martin frowned. “I won’t do that. And, no, maybe I will never be in a serious relationship with her, but as long as we’re on this coast, why don’t we make it last?”

“He has a point,” Gerrard spun his drum sticks. “Thank you,” Martin pointed his hand at him. “Come on, guys, from the top. I want this to be perfect.”