Until The Clock Stikes (NACS Remake)

Chapter 6

It's been two weeks since I ran out on dinner with the royals and I sit comfortably eating breakfast next to Lucy.
"Good Morning." Will says popping a seat next to me in the intimate dining hall.
Lucy perks up on the other side of me, forgetting her eggs and toast.
"Prince William, it's always a good morning when you're around."
Will smiles and looks at me.
"What about you, Mia. Happy to see me." He shoulders me and smiles, stealing a piece of rye toast from my plate.
"Not if you're only here to steal my breakfast." I reply, grabbing for the stolen sustenance.
He spins out of my reach and stuffs the whole piece in his mouth.
Lucy giggles into her juice.
"Come on, let's go to the market today." His face is open and boyish today. "My treat." He adds.
The market is held in the square next to the castle. Lucy and I drop down from the carriage followed by a cloak clad Will.
The merchants shout out compelling promises, laying out their best products.
Lucy and Will walk side by side talking in low intimate voices.
I stop to look at a jeweler selling rose pendents and intricate gold bracelets, in the second I am looking Will and Lucy are lost in the crowd, leaving me alone.
"Damn." I curse under my breath.
And then someone's grabbing my arm, I panic and try to pull free of the cloaked stranger.
"Woah. Is this how you treat your friends?" He asks in a confident, low voice.
"Jay." I gasp aloud, pulling my arms around him.
He nuzzles into my neck but only for a second and then he's pulling me into the tailor shop.
"I wanted to see you again." he says under the hood.
"Well I'm glad." I respond. "Can I please see your face?" I ask him.
He doesn't answer, instead holding dusty blue fabric against my face
"This would look lovely on you."
I knock the fabric out of his hands, annoyed. "This isn't a game, Jay."
His mouth and chin are the only things visible and he grimaces at my malice.
"I'm sorry, you're completely right." He bites his lip. "The Prince has a ball every spring." He says, pausing to see if I get it.
"I hope to see you before that, but only then will I reveal myself." He promises, his muscles are tense like a panther waiting to jump, or maybe run.
"Jay. Don't you trust me?" I ask.
The tailor shop is small and full to the brim with cloth, the front door rings open, indicating more customers and Jay is pulling me down the isle.
"Of course I do. I just-"
"Mia?" It's Lucy, and then she whispers to Will. "I could've sworn I saw her come in here."
A pause.
"Mia?" Will calls.
"I've gotta go." Jay says, he pauses to look at me for a moment and then his lips are pressed to my forehead.
Will and Lucy come around to the isle I am standing alone in.
"Hey." Lucy greets excitedly. "Need a new dress or two?" She asks.
Will is looking at the fabric and he picks bronze from the stacks.
"I like this color." He says, handing me the roll of fabric.
"Excellent. One dress down." Lucy comments.
I grab the dusty blue that Jay held up to my face. "I like this one." I comment.
The tailor pops out from behind the counter to help us and he calls forth his assistant for help.
"Blast." The old man says, as if remembering something.
"My assistant is out for lunch."
With a deft hand the tailor himself takes my measurements.
After picking styles and design we are headed back for the carriage.
Will now walks beside me, hand on my back.
"You really like disappearing on me." He whispers, his hot breath tickles my ear.
"Maybe you aren't good at paying attention." I shoot back, stepping into the carriage.
The warm summer air is an omen for the coming months ahead and I gladly shut it out of the carriage trying not to think about how unreasonably mad I am.
Later that night I am laying on Thomas' couch as he sits across from me, book in hand.
"It was awful Thomas. And so amazing at the same time." I concede, groaning and rolling over to my stomach.
"So let me get this straight." He says, taking off his reading glasses.
"You met the guy at the festival?" He asks. "That was like a month ago." He points out.
"I know." I sigh heavily.
"Do you love him?" Thomas asks, putting his bookmark into place.
"Well I don't know, Thomas. How do you fall in love with let alone like someone whom you've never even had a face to face conversation with?" I ask searching his eyes.
"I used to love a girl I never saw." He starts, smiling. "She worked here with her father sometimes, and just one day out of the blue she stopped coming to visit. I guess she moved. It doesn't mean I didn't love her anymore. It meant all the love I felt had to be dealt with differently than normal love." His brown eyes are lost somewhere in the memory of her. "Knowing someone is only half of loving them because you can love someone and not love every part of them. You know he's funny and sarcastic. Now is that enough to fall for, that is the question."
'Daddy? I am five years old and we are headed to the market together. His eyes are tired from a night of packing his items and stand.
'Yes, my dear?' He breathes it out with exhaustion.
'Did you love Mommy?' with my given age I don't seem to notice the tensing in his shoulders.
'I loved her before I knew her.' he answered.
I giggle in the ridiculousness of the statement.
"How'd you do that?"
"Because, my love. You're soul is whole again when you meet someone like her. Because she's exactly what you needed way before you knew you were missing something.
'You're silly, Daddy.' and I am giggling again.
"That's not a fair question." I respond.
"Why's that?" He asks, scooting to the couch to sit next to me.
"Because You're sarcastic and funny, and so is the Prince."
"But it's not the same." He amends, throwing an arm around me.
"Come on. You need tea." He says, and I think he's right as I wrap my hands around the warm fresh cup.
"Why'd you open up to me?" He asks, taking a sip of his own cup.
"I feel like I've known you for years." I answer honestly.
He smiles, chuckling.
"From what I understand. You've known the Prince alot longer than I." He replies.
"Ah but I guess you weren't listening to your own wonderfully given speech earlier." I say with a smile.
"Why thank you." He says, puffing out his chest and rubbing his chin.
"Dork." I fire back.
"Excuse me!" He exclaims with vigor jumping closer to me. "I am certainly not a whale's shcmeckle."
And with a big gust the tea that was in my mouth ends up all over his face, so even if I wasn't laughing hard enough, now I'm also choking.
His face is scrunched up and he stays perfectly still as the tea drips off his face.
"You're right." He says through pursed lips. "I added too much sugar."
He opens his eyes, licking his lips.
"You're gross." I state, trying not to laugh again.
"Well I am covered in tea that is turning sticky fast." He shoots back.
"It's a good look for you." I answer, grinning.
There's a wicked light in his eye.
"You know. I think you're right, I bet it would look great on you too!" He shouts, rubbing his face on mine.
With a screech I'm wriggling out from the table, running for his bathroom.
He's bounding after me in hot pursuit but I slam the bathroom door and try to lock it, turning on the water.
The door opens slowly, and there he is, with a key. Grinning.
With not much effort at all he's tossing me in his shower, fully clothed. But I will not go down that easy, grabbing a hold of him and yanking him into the cold spray of water with me.
We're shivering and soaked and locked in our grasp, he's so close I can feel his heartbeat.
"Cold." He blatantly whispers, warming my frozen state. I let go of him and reach for the handle, the water stops and we're dripping into the drain, eyes locked.
"Mia." He whispers, studying my face.
His eyes are the warmest brown I've ever seen, almost cinnamon.
"Yes?" I answer, desperate, for what? I don't know.
"We should grab some towels." He says with a laugh, stepping away from me.
And with that I am left there shivering in the shower, and he is practically running from the bathroom.