Heartthrob of Aclea

Chapter 13 - A Soft Kiss On My Cheek

'Hello, tall man. Can you buy me a cotton candy?' I stopped cheering for Brian who had been drenching from volunteering to get dunked fully clothed. There was a small girl, presumably aged ten, making puppy eyes, palms kissing. Since I had grown unfriendly with children, I stood froze and scratched my temple, trying to rack my brain whether to get away from her or to fulfil what she wanted before she made a scene and uncovered the real identity of Brian and me.

'Are you lost, little girl?' I asked politely.

'My brother scolded me. I just want cotton candy.' Easy. I could do that.

'Follow me.'

SPLASH!

Both of us turned around to find out Brian had been dunked again. A funny sight to admire. Children around him burst into a hearty laugh. It was cute and entertaining. I mouthed him that I was going to be back after fulfiling this little girl's demand. He nodded briefly and I assisted the girl to a dessert booth.

I dropped a fiver for cotton candy and a bag of chips, knelt so that I could see her face clearly, and handed it to her. 'It's my treat, little girl. What's your name? Does your mother know you are grabbing candy from a stranger?'

'You're not a stranger. You are Prince Aaron and my name is Leslie.' She instantly put it into her mouth and danced excitedly. She knew me. I was not panic. At all.

'I'm not a prince and you shouldn't be talking to me.'

'Leslie loves Prince Aaron because he is cuter than my doll.'

Well, wasn't this getting interesting? 

'How do you know Prince Aaron?'

'My mum loved to read bedtime stories. My favourite will always be The Kingdom of Aclea. There was a father, a mother, and two brothers. Only one of them had black hair and the same hairstyle as yours. Mum said he was bad and always disobeyed his father. But, I think Prince Aaron was funny. He loved ridiculing around with Prince Brian.'

'Leslie! Over here!' A boy with a big mop of ginger hair waved extremely at us. He held a big teddy bear and written on its stomach was the word sorry. He must have been regretting from scolding Leslie for finishing his ice cream - I guessed so.

Eh, I didn't give two bollocks.

'Goodbye, Your Highness. It's a pleasure to meet you.' She embraced me and then ran towards the boy. I could feel a warm sensation surrounding my heart. I'd never expected anyone to recognise me from afar, particularly a child. She had hugged me with great tenderness. Nobody had done this before. Nobody had adored me as Leslie did. For just a moment, I felt so alive. I felt appreciated. I felt like I was glowing with delight.

'Why are you kneeling? You are going to wet your pants.' Brian came with a new set of garments. A t-shirt that said "World's Greatest Winner" – this must be the present he got earlier – and blue shorts that he bought at the thrift shop before the entrance.

'Nothing. Where's my beanie?'

'Here.' He thrust me a plastic bag filled with my damp beanie and jacket. 'Do you know about The Ball this weekend?' Eating some chips, I made a boring face. I hated the balls. I hated fake smiles, silent whisperings about who bought the latest shoes from Jimmy Choo, and the jazz meeting the night air like old associates.

'Alas, Brian. I'm not the man of balls and no, I won't ask anyone to be my date or join the stupid dance.'

Mum had taught me to dance since I was ten. Annually, my family organised The Ball at the palace. She would take me to the middle of the ballroom – after her slow dance with Dad – and swayed back and forth with the sentimental ballads playing in the background. The last time I danced during The Ball was before Camellia went to New York years ago; I was forced by her. Slow music made me sleepy. All the time.

'Are you ready to be the King?' I changed the subject.

'That's a hard question. I hope and I'm more than ready. What really needs to happen,' Brian took a deep breath, 'is I must be fair in my judgments to bring Aclea where victory and harmony are sitting. Impossible but attainable.'

'I wish I could be like you.' My eyes roamed to the sky. There were still no stars. Brian put his hand around my shoulder and grabbed my left boob just like Chris Evans always did when he was excited.

'Be yourself instead. You are my brother and I'm always proud of you!'

'I've been looking forward to this day as long as you have. My friend, my brother. Sometimes, I'm envious but never doubt that I love you.'

'I love you too, Aaron.'

It was nearly five when we'd arrived home. The streets were empty. The town had fallen asleep. Only city lights accompanied the lonely moon to cherish the balanced of the night. En route to my chamber, I felt exhausted then, off-balance and hardly able to keep my eyes open; I almost dropped Mum's vase. The door was slightly opened. I backed off and thought who might actually have entered my chamber without closing back the door. Weird. Everyone should know the rules – must keep the door close regardless of what happened. Neither was Dad nor Mum went there for a bean-sized possible reason. Brian had gone to his chamber. Elliot and Ethan should be guarding through CCTV this chamber. Bloody hell, this was hair-raising. I pushed the door open, nearly wanting to jump out of excitement. And she too.

'I heard you'd never attended The Ball after I left. Now, I'm here and let's change that.'

Camellia greeted me with a soft kiss on my cheek.