Run Away From The Pain

The King of Rock, And The Prince of Italy.

I woke up wrapped in the smooth silk sheets of my king bed, as soft morning light streamed in from the balcony windows behind my bed. 
With a soft yawn, I turned and peeked at the clock on my bedside table; 9:48 a.m.
I smiled at the thought of a good night's sleep, and sunk back down into the sheets, twirling around, fashioning a cocoon out of the silk. 
A sudden knock on the thick wood of my french doors made me freeze.

"Uhh... Princess?"
That dreamy Italian accent… oh no… it was Antonio.

I quickly scrambled out of bed and ran over to my closet, flinging the doors open in hopes to find the closest mirror.
I found the mirror and touched up the messy bun my hair was fashioned in, and made sure the bags under my eyes weren't too terrifying. 
I quickly and quietly slipped back under the sheets, and laid my head down on the pillow, shutting my eyes lightly, in hopes to fool him into thinkin I was still asleep.

"Principessa?" 
He called out again, expecting an answer I wouldn't give. 

"Your majesty, may I come in?"
Without skipping a beat, the handle to my door turned slightly, and the soft white wood creaked open.
The face of an angel poked through the slit of the doors, and stared at me.

In an attempt to discombobulate him, I yawned lightly, and stretched out my arms, making it seem as though I just woke up. 
When I opened my eyes, I acted quite confused, making my inner gypsy smirk in approval. 

"Oh, Jesus! Prince Antonio," I scrambled, grabbing the silk sheets and bunching them around myself, trying to cover anything that might be exposed. "You scared me!"

"Forgive me, Principessa." His meoldic voice cooed at me. "Your mother suggested that I come and wake you up. You see, Principessa, today we are meant to get to know each other, while our families discuss the terms of the treaty."

"Oh, yeah… That's today." I smiled kindly. "Uhh... Just give me a little bit so I can get ready, and then we'll go out, okay?"

"Of course your highness…" He smiled, and began to walk out of the room, only to stop midway to finish his thoughts. "I am staying in the room next to this, so please come find me when you're ready."

The room next to mine… He... He's staying in Steven's room?
My inner goddess and I both rolled our eyes, as I got up and strolled into the bathroom. 

As quickly as I could, I took a shower, scrubbing myself raw, and washing my greasy hair, until it was squeaky clean.
I hopped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around myself, and plopping down infront of the vanity to quickly apply some liner and intensify my already dark and curly lashes with some mascara. 

When I was finished, I braided my wavy hair, letting it hang off of the side of my shoulder, then sprinted into my closet to pick out something to wear. 

I swear to god it will confuse me until the day that I die, how I have an entire room filled with clothes, yet I can't ever find anything to wear. 
I eventually gave up and settled on a pair of jeans, my favorite red flannel unbuttoned with a black tanktop underneathe, and my western riding boots; more or less, I looked like a typical cowgirl. 

When I was ready, I composed myself, and then calmly walked out of my room, and right into Prince Antonio's back. 

"Will you ever stop scaring me?" I laughed a little, rubbing my throbbing forehead. 
Jesus, this kid is chizzled from marble. Sure as hell feels like it anyway…
My inner goddess was laughing at me, as my head ached in a dull pain. 

"Will you ever stop running into me?" He counter attacked me question, catching me off guard. 
He had this certain undeniable charm about him, which honestly drove me insane. 

He also seemed, as nice as he is, quite sarcastic and well… like the male version of me.
It's a little unnerving… how comfortable I feel around him. 

"So what would you like to do today, Principessa?" He asked, peering down at me. 
Oh god, the gold in his eyes are popping out like the headlights of a Challenger on a dark road at midnight.. 

"Please, call me Ace." I smiled "And, I'm not sure… I was hoping I could get a morning ride in, if you wouldn't mind coming to the stables with me? I haven't taken Spades out for a while."

"Spades…" He muttered, chuckling. "That's funny. Ace of Spades…"

"You're the only one who ever got that…" I smirked, quite astonished. "Everyone else questioned why I named him that, making me explain it."

"Well, Ace," He grinned at the informality of our conversation. "I'd like to accompany you to the stables, and possibly ride one of your horses, if that's okayt with you?"

"Of course it is." I smiled as we made our way towards the majestic beasts. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, clearly, you love to ride," Antonio smiled as we sat down at the table on the grand patio of the gardens, munching on some afternoon snacks. I watched him intently as I nibbled on a sweetened, perfectly ripe peach. "But what are you other hobbies? Like and dislikes?"

"Well…" I paused, having to think about it. I'm always on tour with the band, so I never really had time for doing things for myself. "I like to play some guitar, listen to music and stuff."

"That's great. Who's your favorite artist?" He asked, eyeing me up and down. "I can tell you don't have a 'normal' music taste for females your age."

"Yeah, I don't" I giggled, as a hot blush spread like wild fire, engulfing every visible part of my body. "But first, who's your favorite artist?" I didn't honestly expect anything more than Andrea Bocelli, or someone like that.

"My favorite is actually a… uh… Ameri-can band."  He smiled widely "I like Aerosmith."

"Oh, you've gotta be fuckin' kidding me." I muttered, rolling my eyes. 

"You've heard of them? Yes?" He looked worried, as though he may of offended me or something.

"Heard of them?" I asked, stiffling a laugh. I thought of telling him about Steven and I, but for some reason, refrained. "Yeah, I like them too."

"Ahh, wonderful!" He grinned at all the things we have in common. "I also like Led Zeppelin, and The Rolling Stones."

"No way!" I gasped, genuinely excited about the similarities we had. "Me too! Gimme Shelter was actually the first song I ever learned how to play on the guitar!"

"That's so cool!" He grinned, biting into a peach. 
The sweet juice dribbled down his chin and the gypsy inside of me was screaming at me to go and lick it off for him. 

Ugh, shut up, you little whore. 

"I beg your pardon?!" He asked, taken aback. 

"Oh my god, did I just say that out loud?" I gasped, as my hands flew up to my mouth in shock.

"Yes…" He smirked. 

"Oh my god, no, I'm so sorry, I didn't… I don't…" I couldn't help but to stutter.
Oh my god, Ace, just shut the fuck up.
Why am I feeling this way? Steven is the only guy that can do this to me… I won't allow myself to feel this way about anyone else. 
You don't even like him for him, you like Antonio because he's super hot, and just so happens to have the same taste in music as you… stop being a drooling little skank. Steven disapproves.