Princes In Hiding

Cold Suns

"Hey Nat, want to go out?" I look up to the person asking me and I find Joseph. It's the middle of the afternoon and I was under the tree reading a book. I know Harold is doing some student council work or something, and Vincent is probably in his room with his guitar. I looked around and was surprised to not see Florence, Joseph's personal knight, around. My father is taking a nap after pulling an all-nighter and training Florence.

"First of all, don't call me Nat," I tell Joseph. He replies with a cheeky smile which I find annoying. "Second of all, we are already outside." I motion my hand to the wide field around us.

"I know Nat-" I glared at him. "Natalia," he corrected himself, "I meant go out of this place. We can go out into town or probably go to the park." He must be joking, right?

"But I'm reading a book," I tell him, "Besides, if you want to go out, go get Florence or Vincent." I put my book in front of my face, completely covering Joseph from my sight. I silently prayed that he'll go away, but sadly, he didn't.

"C'mon! Florence follows me around all day," he whined, "I'm actually getting tired of seeing him." He then crossed his arms on his chest. "Vincent, well, he's a bit occupied right now."

"He just doesn't want to hang out with you, right?" I ask him. I have noticed that, like me, Vincent distanced himself from people. I have seen him with a group of people, probably the music club, but I haven't seen him interact with them the way friends interact with each other.

"He can be a bit stubborn at times," Joseph tells me. I kept the book up and continue reading. The protagonist is about to choose the translator over the other suitor, a waste if I were to be honest. "I'll treat you," he says with a sweet tone.

I sighed and put down my book. I look at him with curiosity. "Where are we going?" I ask him. One of the things I rarely turn down are free stuff. I don't have to fight for it, exert much effort for it, and the best of all, pay for it.

Joseph smiles brightly at my question, knowing that he's won. "There's an ice cream parlor across town," he tells me. I haven't fully explored the town so I don't exactly know what he's talking about. The thought of ice cream seems nice in this weather as well. I can feel my mouth watering. "We can use my car and I'll pay for whatever you want to get," he offers.

I stand up from my spot. "Alright!" I tell him, "Lead the way, Your Highness." He rolls his eyes but does so. I follow behind him with my book clipped in my right hand. I will soon read more about this princess.

Joseph brings out his car keys and opens a shining black car. I ride at the passenger seat beside him. "Wait," I tell him as a sudden thought pops into my mind, "We might risk people from school seeing us."

"What?" Joseph says, "Ms. Brightton, don't tell me you're embarrassed to be seen with a handsome prince."

I roll my eyes. "Don't worry that will never happen," I fire back.

He puts his hand on his chest and fakes a pained expression. I laugh at his reaction. "There's that laugh," he suddenly says.

"What?" I ask.

"You rarely laugh," Joseph simply replies, "the first time I heard you laugh was when my brother was chasing you around the house."

I suddenly feel heat rise to my cheeks as the memory of Harold and I running around the house. It's true that it was a fun experience, one of the funniest in fact. "You're not in my grade level," I tell him, "How would you know that I don't usually laugh?"

"I have sources," he tells me, "I am popular after all. Besides, I also have a little brother." The car drives smoothly and there weren't any traffic for us to worry about. I watch as the familiar landmarks and buildings pass by.