Uncharted - A My Sweet Prince Novel (2)

Old Enough

The two of us stand there for a long time, just looking around, not really making eye contact. "So..." I say slowly, peeking over at him I know precisely why Asaka suggested we spend time together, and it had nothing to do with me being the Maid of Honor and Chezem being Best Man.

"I do not do this sort of thing," Chezem says simply, looking at me as if I am an interesting specimen to be examined.

"W-what sort of thing?" I ask, my nerves getting the better of me. Asaka knew how I felt about being put into new situations with strange men. Not that Chezem was strange, but well, you never knew with people.

"Lead strange women around my home." His cheeks turn a shade of pink and he looks away. "Not that you are strange, by any means. "

I blink, startled by our similar thoughts. "No," I say. "Not at all. No more strange than you."

He glances at me, and I can see a faint smile. It is gone in an instant and he turns. "Come," he says. "I will show you my home."

"That would be great," I say, walking after him. He doesn't seem to be in any hurry, and I am grateful. I can't get enough of the palace and I want to take my time admiring. He leads me down long hallways with golden filigree climbing the walls like vines. My fingers trace the patterns and I stop, gazing up toward the ceiling where a beautiful mural is painted. A soft sigh escapes my lips, and I know Chezem has stopped walking and is staring at me, but I don't pay him any attention. My eyes trace the figures of angels on the ceiling, twisting and soaring among the clouds. So free.

"Miss Lina?" Chezem asks me, reaching out and lightly touching my arm.

I flinch away from his touch, my heart jumping painfully in my chest as I take a step back. "What?" I ask, a little bluntly.

He blinks and drops his arm. "Shall we continue?"

I nod silently and follow behind as he turns and walks away, just a little faster than before. Neither of us says anything as we walk, but I notice him glancing at me from time to time. I pretend I don't. He shows me many rooms, each seemingly grander than the last. We enter a grand ballroom with lights strung up high across the ceiling, candles lining the ledges and a velvet curtain drawn around the perimeter. I let out a sigh, and Chezem looks at me again.

"This is where the reception will be held," he tells me. "This is where the dancing will happen." He doesn't sound particularly thrilled about that.

"Don't you like dancing?" I ask. I assumed, as a prince, he would have to have many artistic talents and hobbies.

"I am afraid not," he says, tilting his head to the side as he studies me. "And you?"

"What about me?" I ask, getting lost in my own studies. He has a very structured face -very pleasing to look at. And his eyes - hidden behind his glasses - are simply gorgeous. A girl could get lost in those eyes without a map to follow.

"Do you dance?" Chezem asks me, breaking me from my reverie.

I shrug one shoulder and walk further into the room. "I suppose," I say offhandedly, a small smile curving my lips upward. I have been dancing since I was a child. I know many styles, but I don't want to seem like I'm boasting. But then I remember that I am speaking to a prince and I turn to face him fully. "I've had classes since I was a young girl," I say.

"Are you not young?"

The question surprises me. "I...er...what?" That was not what I had been expecting.

"You speak as if you are old," Chezem tells me with a chuckle. "You can't be any older than twenty-two, perhaps."

"Twenty-one," I correct, looking away. "But old enough."

"For?" Chezem questions, walking after me as I slowly twirl around the room, getting lost in thought again.

"Old enough to know better," I hear myself say, but it sounds like someone else's voice, so far away.

And suddenly I am not standing in a ballroom with a prince, a twenty-one-year-old woman, but I am a sixteen-year-old girl, lying on her bathroom floor, crying, while her best friend holds her and cries with her, promising that everything will be okay. But it won't be okay. I won't be the same ever again.

I stop twirling.

I realize Chezem is standing right in front of me, a look of concern on his face. He lifts one hand toward my cheek and I flinch away, coming back to my senses. I realize I have been crying and whirl away from him, swiping my hands furiously across my cheeks.

"Nothing," I snap harshly, walking away from him. "I'm fine."

"Miss Lina..."

"I said I'm fine!" I practically shout, walking briskly away from him. "Where's Asaka?" I demand. "I want to see her."

Chezem sighs softly. "I do not know where she has run off to. Shall I help you find her?"

I fold my arms tightly across my chest and clench my teeth. "Yes...no...fuck, I don't know," I say, shaking my head, shoulders drooping. I don't want to get in the way of whatever she and Jun are doing.

"I remember Asaka speaking of you," Chezem tells me. "She said that you enjoy reading?" I glance over my shoulder at him and nod. He smiles warmly at me, but I can tell he is a little weirded out by my behavior. I would be too, if I were him. "Then you'll love this," he says, holding his hand out to me hesitantly.

I stare at it for an agonizing moment before taking it in my own and allowing him to lead me from the room. We walk down yet another long hallway with golden filigree scaling the walls, but I stare at the carpet and our feet as we walk, a little briskly, toward another room. The doors are large, like the others, and carved beautifully. I don't pay them much attention. I'm too busy wallowing in self-pity to care. But then Chezem pushes the doors open, and my curiosity is piqued. I look up and feel my heart leap in my chest.

"Oh, my..." I blurt, stepping into the room. I stare around me in wonder, fingers itching to touch the hundreds of books I see around me. There are shelves upon shelves and so many books. I bet there are several rare collections stored within this room.

"I spend many hours in this room, just reading. Sometimes I think I'll never be able to read them all." Chezem stands next to me, not touching, but close. "I thought you might find some pleasure in this room."

"You have a library," I hear myself whisper. "Of course."

He chuckles. "And it is yours to use whenever you'd like."