Switch ✓

Chapter Eight

Evelyn's POV

"What would you like today? Up or down?" Reyna, Courtney's personal maid, asks me. I am now grateful that I've dyed my hair to replace the wig.

"You know what? I think I'll do it myself." I smile gently. "Thank you anyway. You may leave."

She nods and walks out of the room. I end up doing a messy bun and leaving the room quickly. It'll have to do.

On my way down the hall, I hear music playing from one of the rooms. Naturally, I go to investigate.

Peeking through the crack, I can see Archer on his guitar. Not one of those electric ones that drive me insane, but the nice acoustic ones. His eyes are steady, fixed on the strings as his fingers softly pluck them. I'm mesmerized by the music, and I find myself almost completely leaning against the door.

I don't move when he stands up and walks away from his chair to a corner of the room. But I do fall down once he opens the door.

"Hey," he says with a quiet chuckle.

I smile as he helps me rise to my feet. "We need to do something about your hair," Archer grins, and I nod in agreement. Even though I'm pretending to be a princess, I certainly haven't gained her skills. Or does she not do her own hair?

He sits me down in a chair and turns it slightly so that I face the mirror in Courtney's room, and this is the first time I've actually seen myself since the switch. My hair is still the slightly lighter shade of blonde that I'd dyed it to, but my eyes are still the same colour. I just have to keep my eyes down.

Unfortunately, Archer doesn't play by my rules. Instead, he adjusts my head so that my eyes are staring into the mirror, and I blink as often as possible without making it seem unnatural so that he doesn't see the colour.

He first removes my tiara, setting it on a pillow of some sort. He then removes the pins that hold up the messy bun I'd put together in two seconds, letting my blonde curls fall down my shoulders.

"And here I was, thinking you were the perfect girl," he jokes, spreading my hair so that it doesn't cluster together. A small blush spreads across my cheeks as he picks up a hairbrush from the tabletop, combing through my hair carefully.

"It's so soft," he murmurs, and in the mirror, I see a casual smile plastered on his face. His eyes are fixed on my hair, and every move he makes is delicate, as though he's practised in the arts of hair styling.

"How are you so good at this?" I ask calmly, and he grins a little.

"Isla used to make me do her hair when we were kids," he explains. "She stopped when she turned eleven though, four years ago."

"I don't really do my own hair," I admit, and I'm about to say that my hairstylists do it for me when I remember that I'm pretending to be Courtney. "I ask Reyna to do it because she's really good."

"Well, we'll see who's better in a couple of seconds," Archer teases, twisting the braid into a bun. "There, take a look."

I turn my head so that I can just see the masterpiece he'd created. A warm smile spreads across my face as I comment, "It's amazing."

He takes a mock bow, making me laugh. "I do my best. Is it better than what Reyna does?"

"Maybe," I reply in a snarky tone, smirking when he pouts back at me.

"Well, that's done. Do you want me to paint your nails for you or are you leaving?"

Rolling my eyes, I still giggle. "No, I'll leave. I'll see you later today."

"Yeah, see ya." 

I start walking towards the door.

"Courtney?"

"Yep?" I turn around to reply to him, but I don't see much before his lips are attacking mine. I drop the princess act completely and kiss him back, my hands all over his face and neck.

Suddenly, he pulls away, and I stare up at him. "I'm so sorry. You're just so perfect and.. different right now. But we can't do this, Courtney."

"No, no we can't," I respond, my eyes darting away. My cheeks start to heat up with embarrassment. How could I think this was a good idea? Pretending to be Courtney and then kissing her own stepbrother? Oh yeah, that's not weird at all.

Archer puts his hand on my cheek and tilts my head upwards so that we stare into each other's eyes. After a few seconds, he growls hungrily. "Fuck it."

And he kisses me again.

And moments later, he has me against the wall, the two of us making out furiously. His smooth-shaven stubble gently scratches my shoulder as he leaves kisses on my neck.

Suddenly, my phone buzzes, and he pulls away quickly. "Right.. the ceremony thing," he mutters sheepishly, running a hand through his hair casually.

"Yeah..." I pick up my phone and see that it's a text from Courtney, the real Courtney.

Where are you? My mom says you're nowhere to be seen!

I'm coming, I'm coming. I reply quickly, irritated. "Come on!" I snap at Archer, ruining the moment completely. I mean, ugh! I need to get the fact that we had a moment out of my head, entirely.

I grab his wrist, and we dart out of his room, down to where the rest of the royal family wait.