Beauty and the Prince

Chapter 3

The weekend was stalling as the mass of students crammed in the auditorium watched the hands on the clock at the front of the room. Just a few more turns and they would be released to wreak havoc in the pubs; beers and karaoke until the wee hours of the night. This lesson was the only obstacle in the way of a promising Friday night. There were more heads on the desk than raised. The projector in the back of the room rattled nervously as the professor clicked a button dissolving the slide and replacing it with another. The brown suit he wore combined with a disturbingly monotone voice made for a premium snooze concoction. William Wales barely had the strength to control his eyelids. If he did he would have seen the pencil before it smacked him square on the nose. Startled out of his stupor his eyes were met with the pinkish widening dimples of Catherine Middleton.

The days had passed swiftly since his first introduction to the Catherine Middleton and William was happy that they had fallen into a routine of acknowledgment. She stayed away from the hoards of women who were always present, but anytime they caught each others eyes a nod and grin were exchanged. They, also, began to see each other regularly during the various student activities hosted by their dormitory and the many classes they shared. He was indebted to her and her extensive knowledge of their lessons. He payed her in chocolates for the late nights she'd been spending tutoring him. He was trying so hard to be more interested in the course, but it was obvious he'd chosen wrong. Her enthusiasm was helping him hang on. He made it a point every week to personally taste test her contribution to the ladies' dinner parties. She was an excellent cook. She was smart. She was funny. She was oblivious to her effect on men. Catherine was exactly any mans type. She wasn't like any of those women sprawled in magazines scantily clad and selling photo shopped goods. She was something much more substantial. She was never over done. She was always on time for classes. She was proficient in sports. She was approachable to any and every one who needed or wanted friendship. She was taken. Rupert was hard to ignore. Much of the time Catherine was surrounded by eligible men, her dark haired boyfriend made an effort to be there to thwart off suitors. William understood his uneasiness. It was a good thing they were just friends, because the glares Rupert sent out to any man daring to enter her orbit could send shivers down the spine. Despite Rupert, William hoped to deepen their friendship. Tonight she would be joining him and his "posse" of heathens for the last weekend pub crawl before they would need to buckle down and study for their upcoming exams. The least he could do was treat her to a round or two, because she'd probably be his saving grace during that time. He was looking forward to it.

The Prince was normal. He joked loudly with his group of hooligans after pulling pranks on unsuspecting victims. He put off studying until the absolute last minute, if Catherine were not around to prod him along. He spent his time in class dawdling between sleep and awareness. She admired him for his level headed approach to living life on campus, completely ignoring the chaos that erupted every time he entered the presence of too many women, and simply enjoying himself. He was a prided joker and spent much of his time spinning dry tales about life in the royal family. Sometimes, when she allowed her thoughts to linger, she would imagine herself in his place. The responsibility of being an heir to the throne of the entire country. How could one possibly come out as normal as he appeared? She and many of her friends had always only thought of the perks he and his younger brother must have been entitled to as pseudo-celebrities. There were many nights, though, when William would spill his insecurities over discarded wads of paper and pizza, and Catherine could understand the downside of being who he was born to be. Tact and respect were often lacking when people approached him. They'd ask him personal questions about his father. Hoping for a shock reaction, many would release questions about his mothers' untimely death in hopes of goading a response they could use to spread gossip back home to their own families. Diana. She was a topic that Catherine tiptoed around. The prince was always guarded about his brother, his father, and even the woman whom the world had deemed The Mistress. His mother, though was like pulling a shade on a sunlit room. The jovial spark in his eyes disappeared. His silence would radiate. The world, she often thought to herself, must not realize that we lost an icon, but her boys lost their mother. Catherine could barely relate. Her family was one of impossible closeness. Her mother had come up with an idea that changed their lifestyle at a very young age. Her father had joined and together her parents had produced a lucrative business that would present a brand new world for their children. Their success, however, couldn't buy acceptance, and Catherine was used to snotty and snide comments about her mothers former profession and their families lack of blue blood. Even that feeling of not being enough had dissipated as she'd gotten older. Williams' pain was everlasting. It was probably why he partied so hard. In fact, tonight she and her friends would be joining the Prince and his pack for a wild weekend at the pubs. Rupert had declined to join them, and Catherine suspected the Prince had only offered as a courtesy. They didn't seen to get along. Of course, they were both to polite to say so. Guiltily, she was relieved there would be no tension tonight between the two men.

Over the few weeks they'd spent getting to know each other the school had taken notice. Catherine's roommate, especially, had taken to grilling her throughout the week about her relationships with Rupert and William. Each time the subject was brought up Catherine swiftly dismissed the accusations. A little part of her was annoyed at the almost unnoticeable giddiness of her roommate when she did confirm that her friendship with William was strictly platonic. She was after all in a relationship with Rupert. A well educated, handsome man. Sure, their time was becoming strained. He was a busy senior; papers and extra-curricular activities had him constantly preoccupied. That was part of his appeal though. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him. Especially, not because she'd rather spend time with Wills. He just made it easier for her not to spend her weekends completely cooped up in the dormitory completing assignments not due for months or on the field spending more time than her teammates preparing for the next hockey match. As the class reawakened in time to catch the bell releasing them from their bondage, Catherine and William remained sitting. Lingering at the task of closing the books neither had been paying much attention. They'd discovered that leaving slightly before or after the class diminished the whispers about the Prince and his brunette friend.

"Good Lesson," Wills chuckled spreading his grin wide and extending a hand towards Catherine to lift her from her seat.

"Fantastic," she responded, taking his hand and swinging around towards the door. "What time are we meeting tonight?"

"No one comes out before the moon, so, I guess we'll give it a go around ten-ish," he questioned pushing open the doors and stepping out into the dim sunshine. Ah, he thought, Freedom! Her voice stated what he thought. William glanced over at his friend walking beside him over the slightly wet grass; the dew always lasted long past due in the small college town. The little sun that ventured to peak from behind the clouds had managed to settle right in the crevice of her plump dimple stained cheeks. Adorable. Her eyes shone a mixture of brown and blue and green; a combination that formed dazzling hazel orbs. He was tempted to reach over and wonder a finger into the crevice were the light had settled causing her to redden, but, as if it had read his thoughts, shadow swallowed the little sparkle on her face. She turned her head suddenly as if caught in the middle of an indecent action, her face falling and recovering quickly into a lackluster smile. He followed suit turning immediately into the face of her mysteriously appearing boyfriend, Rupert. If William were paranoid he would think popping up randomly was apart of some master plan. Neither he nor Catherine had anything to hide, but he couldn't help feeling like he was causing a bit of competition between himself and Rupert. How many points do I have?A sly thought crossed his mind and produced a smirk. Rupert saw. He stepped around placing himself directly in front of Catherine, dramatically sitting his carrier bag on the ground, and finally placing his greedy lips on her for a kiss. From William's point of view it looked more like a pillow engulfing a sleeping head. Surely, she hadn't enjoyed it. He could see her subtly wipe at her assaulted lips while Rupert retrieved his belongings and slipped an arm across Catherine; moving the Prince over on the pavement. She didn't look as disgusted as he was, though. A bit surprised, but not repulsed. And why should she be, he was her lover.

" I'll see you tonight," Wills asked ready to break off from the duo. It didn't matter that they were walking to the same dorm. He figured he'd just stop in the cafeteria for a minute and see his other friends, since Rupert had taken Kate's attention. " I'm gonna stop in and give Ollie his dose of my presence, and make sure he's all set for the festivities," he said stabbing for a bit of lightheartedness under the invisible pressure.

"Yea, I got some time to join. Catherine and I will be there." Rupert interjected quickly, causing Catherine's surprised face to crumble and recover one more time before watching William stalk off the path.

"Good. Good." William called over his shoulder.

It didn't sound like everything was good to Catherine. Why didn't she feel overjoyed? This would be the first time she'd spent quality time with Rupert in weeks. Pub crawls weren't exactly the time for coziness. And William's friends were a rowdy bunch. And, more importantly, the dashing Prince himself would be there. Somehow, he managed to be charming to everyone who was not her boyfriend. Worry set in.