To Dance with a Prince

Untitled Part 31

Thea kept stealing glances at Roy as they walked down the hall and when their hands brushed she felt a little flutter of nervousness. Roy was handsome. Like he should be on the cover of a magazine handsome, so how did he end up being a bodyguard? As they approached her room, he stopped, placing his hands in his pockets and looking down at his feet almost shyly. They were starting to have conversations as they got to know one another and Thea liked him; I mean really liked him. She wondered if he did the same.

"So I thought tomorrow I would invite Princess Helena and Felicity to go to lunch." Thea played with the hem of her shirt as she talked. She hated feeling unsure of herself.

"I will have Slade get with her guards and we will work out the logistics." Roy's voice was tight for some reason and he seemed to be fidgeting.

"Can I ask you a question?" Thea didn't want him to leave. She wanted him to stay and talk, or just keep her company. Being back home was great in that she was getting to spend time with her brother and father, but she also felt lonely. There was a lot of time they were busy during the day and now with Oliver having Felicity, she was finding she had even more time on her own.

"Sure." Roy looked up at her. She had the prettiest brown eyes.

"Would you like to come in?" She held her breath as she waited for him to answer.

"Ummm, I would love to but I am not sure if I should. Your brother would have my head." Roy let out a huff of a laugh.

"My brother is not here, and he is not the boss of me." She turned and opened the door to her suite and then stood back to let him follow her inside. He hesitated for only a moment and then walked in and stood awkwardly waiting for her.

Thea walked over to the couch and sat down and Roy followed with a stiff gait. She sat down and she smiled at him as he sat stiffly beside her, not sure what to do.

"So Roy tell me about you." Roy looked at her perplexed.

"What do you want to know?"

"How did you end up being a bodyguard?"

He looked down for a moment trying to decide if he should tell her his story, he decided the truth was the best option. "When I was 16 years old I was living on the streets, constantly getting into trouble. My parents had both died and I really didn't have any family to take me in so I was on my own. One night I was low on money and I was hungry, so I decided to mug these two guys that were leaving a bar. I didn't realize that one of them had a gun and they had me on the ground about to shoot me when Slade came along. He beat them to the point they both finally ran off and then helped me to my feet. He took me to a nearby diner and bought me some food and we talked.and I talked. He told me that if I agreed to make a change that he would train me to be a bodyguard. I have been loyal to him ever since."

Thea was looking at him in wide-eyed surprise.

"I didn't realize....." She really didn't know what to say.

"I would be dead if it were not for Slade."

They sat in silence for a few moments and Thea asked softly, "Do you miss your parents?"

Roy shrugged, 'Sometimes." She could tell he didn't want to talk about it so she just nodded. Roy stood, "I should go." He walked to the door and Thea followed him, not sure what to say. They stood for a moment and looked at each other and before she could stop herself Thea leaned forward and kissed him. It wasn't a passionate kiss, just a soft one of comfort and understanding. Thea pulled back and smiled as he looked at her in surprise and she opened the door and leaned against it.

"See you tomorrow Roy."

He finally gave her a smile in return and walked away.

***