Romani Prince

Chapter 6: Turmoil

"Gaby!  Wait!"

I hear Mina behind me, but I don't stop. I'm practically running, at this point.

Mina reaches me behind the bushes.

I start drying myself, trying anything that can get my mind off Luka.

It's not working.

"Gaby...  What's wrong?  Was he disrespectful in any way?  I'll kick his ass!"

I turn to her abruptly.   "He... kissed me!"

Mina freezes, confused.  "And... you didn't want him to?  Because it sure looked like you did..."

I drop down on a rock.  My face hiding inside my palms.

"Of course I did...  I do...  But I shouldn't!  Carl still thinks we're together and... God!  That fight was only a few hours ago!"

Mina sits by my side.

"Forget Carl!  He's a total asshole!  He's history!  Now, tell me what's going on with Luka."

I tell her about my reaction to his smile, this morning and then, our interaction on the sand and in the water.

"I don't even know him, Mina!  And I already feel like I cannot breathe without him!  How's this possible?"

"Wow...  So, this is really serious for both of you..."  Mina looks at her hands, unusually pensive.

"What do you mean?"

She sighs hard.  "Well...  In the car, earlier, Luka told me that you're his... promise."

"His what?  He called me his honey in Romanian, I think..."

"Mierea?  Oh, God!  That's sweet!"

I keep staring at her, waiting for answers.

Mina takes a deep breath. "In the car, Luka told me that bunica Ana, our grandmother, pulled him aside to tell him that she didn't want him to come."

"Why?"

Mina frowns, searching hard for the right words. 

What could be so difficult to say?

"You see...  Our bunica read in her cards that Luka would meet his promise, in this trip...  And that he'll love her until the day he dies."

I drop my face in my hands, once more.  "That's... deep."

"Yep,"  Mina replies.

"Oh, Mina...  This is all happening so fast!   I can't even think straight!"

"I can imagine..."  Her voice sounds weak.

I look at her.  "There's more, isn't it?"

She nods.  "Yeah..."

"What is it?"

Mina gets up and starts pacing, nervously.

"Mina!"  I'm losing it.

"He's the prince, Gaby!   He's the last Kostic male in our lineage!  He has to take his place when the time comes or..."

She stops in mid-sentence and, when I look up, I find Luka glaring at Mina.  A deep crease in between his eyes.

"Dosta (enough)!"

Even with messy beach hair falling over his eyes and still wet from the sea, Luka looks and sounds every bit of the leader that he's meant to be.

I wonder how much of our conversation he listened to.

Respectfully, Mina lowers her head. "I'm sorry, but Gaby needs to know."