Running Around Royal (Prince Harry #4)

Chapter Thirty-Three

"I feel like we don't talk anymore," Harry said, standing on the balcony that overlooked Mediterranean Sea. Barely the sun rose, only showing a sliver across the sky as it turned from a bruised purple to a light blue. Waves crashed against the rocks of the beach that was below. Thankfully they had been taken out of the embassy for a night, placed in a private villa for the time being as the home of one of Harry's old friends. There were perks to being royal, and connections was just one of them.

"Are you quoting a song?" Meredith asked, fixing her dress in the morning light. Her stylists had done her hair and makeup already but had left the worst bit for later when Meredith wasn't wasn't to breathe in such a tight dress. "Or is it that we're too tired so we constantly sleep? Or is that when we are awake, we're constantly surrounded?" A smile hovered on her lips as she desperately tried to fix herself.

"Let me help." Walking over, Harry hooked her dress in the back. It was yet another dress made by a man who didn't realize women weren't able to reach back so far. He zipped up the back.

"We're alone now. What do you want to talk about?" She turned around and smiled at him, but his face gave her worry. "Harry, what is it?"

"It's nothing."

"Really, because you're making my concerned?" Lifting her hand, she caught him by the chin and made him look into her eyes.

"All we do is sleep when we're alone, and I know we can't help that we're tired. When we're out, it's not like we can have a conversation. Even now, who knows who's going to walk through that door?" He sounded frustrated. "It's not your fault, and I'm not angry with you, Mere, but it's weird. I thought going on this world tour was going to be different."

"How?"

"I don't know."

She gave him a look.

"Mere, I thought I would have to show you the ropes, honestly, and it's amazing how quickly you've caught on...."

"However?" Her voice traveled through the wind as the smell of the sea came off in waves. The sun was still on the horizon, creating hues of bright colors in the sky.

"But," he swallowed, "we moved past the honeymoon stage pretty quickly."

Meredith gulped, pursing her lips for a second, trying to understand what he meant. "We're still happy, aren't we?"

"Yes, I am. Are you?"

"Of course, Harry." Her thumb ran over his scruffy cheek. "What did you expect out of the honeymoon phase?"

"I always had this grand idea that the honeymoon bit would be longer. I thought we would be back in London; I thought we would start thinking about children," he said. "And you just got on board with the world tour-- and, Mere, I don't want you to think that of you, but honestly, I didn't see you getting on board. It was a shock then-- it's a shock now." Harry sighed, feeling as if this wasn't coming out right. "You're up at the crack of dawn, and you smile and you've turned into a complete princess around people, and that is all I see every day because we come back to whatever embassy it is and we pass out."

"What do you want, Harry?" She genuinely wanted him to know. Some of these changes that she had made was in hopes that it was going to make it easier for him. A world tour was hard, and Harry warned her. Meredith didn't want to complain. "Do you want me to be meaner? I can do that easily-- consider it done."

Harry laughed. "No." The smile wasn't able to be wiped from his face. "I want...." He tried to find the words. "I'm hoping, maybe, Jessica can shorten this. Maybe Granny will grant us some more time off. Somehow-- perhaps-- we can get this done with. I love traveling, and I love being with you-- but this is crazy. This is too much. I went on shorter tours, but I never expected this much."

Meredith admitted, "I want some alone time too." Seagulls squawked overhead, making Meredith think back to Wisconsin Point, where he proposed. Before it was where he proposed and she said yes, it was days of tanning under the hot sun with Kyra, Giorgi and Tabitha; it was days of dangerous exploring when the ice was a foot thick, and her and her friends walked on the dangerous ice.

He wasn't shocked. Knowing his wife well enough meant that she enjoyed her alone time. It was yet another reason for the breaks. When they had begun dating, it seemed like they spent their whole time together, but in truth, there were times that Meredith wandered alone. After Meredith went back to university and they were apart, the couple missed each other, but Meredith enjoyed the ability to do what she wanted. Some of it was taken away now by being royalty; other parts were taken away by being a wife.

"I don't want you to think," she stated, "that I don't love you, because it's not just you that is driving me up the wall."

Harry chuckled. "I know."

Wrapping her arms around her husband, Meredith laid her head against Harry's shoulder. "I love you, Harry."

"I love you, Mere." He kissed the top of her head.

"Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

"No. I just wanted to give you a heads up on the tour."

"Do you think that's the best decision?"

Harry pulled back, ginger hair shining in the light. "What do you mean?"

Meredith pursed her lips again, which was her natural habit when she was concerned about what she was about to stay next. "Harry, we are working in some interesting boundaries here. People know we're coming, and if we turn away, it's fine as long as some royal is there to go in our place. Sophie is very popular; Eugenie is doing more events, same with Beatrice; Anne is doing great, as always; Charles and William are doing more anyway because they're future monarchs and all. Someone needs to be there if we aren't." She had a point.

"What do you think we should do?"

"We have this afternoon off, but after that, we're going into... a sticky situation."

"How do you feel about that?"

"I know you'll be there to protect me," she said sarcastically, using the most dramatic voice she was able to muster.

"I know you're an adult, and I know you can handle it yourself. But, the Middle East is not a 'sticky situation.' It's more than that, Mere."

"Is that why we're having this conversation?" she asked. "Are you scared about what might happen next?"

"You never wanted to go to a war zone, you said," Harry went on. "It isn't about this, but that is a good point. Thank you for that, Mere."

"Not my point." Meredith rolled her eyes. "We need someone to pick up the slack if we do less-- that's my point. While everything might be published, I would hate for people to be disappointed in us and what we cannot do."

"We're humans too, Mere." It was something she used to say to him.

"No one sees us that way."

"You used to see me that way."

"I'm an odd duck. I'm weird. We all know this." She sighed as her eyes looked back to the sea. She needed to come up with a plan that allowed her to go swimming this afternoon, which meant convincing Harry. He was probably the easier one to save, where Jessica, Bill and Bella wanted to keep Meredith safe or whatever. However, Harry probably wanted some alone time. "I'm just saying, we need to watch our backs."

The corners of his mouth turned up in a sour mood.

"What's that face?" Meredith asked dryly.

"You might become a royalist after all," Harry replied. They stared at the sunrise together.