As if my body is moving of its own accord, I walk around to the back of the apple tree, climb halfway up its trunk, and grab a ripe apple from its boughs. It’s early for apple season; this is the only mature apple on the tree, so for some reason, I feel the need to get it for Alessia. A smile works its way onto my face as I climb down from the tree, anticipating the surprised look on her face.
Oh, come on! This isn’t even realistic!
Still, I’m powerless to stop. I walk up to Alessia, tap her on the shoulder, and gently toss the apple into her lap. She stares at it for a moment, then looks up at me, her brows pinched together.
“Why are you being nice to me? I kicked your ass and took your freedom today.”
I’d like to know the same thing! I want to shout.
Instead, what comes out of my mouth is, “Because you’re my wife. Why wouldn’t I be nice to you?”
I instantly wish to melt into my shoes and disappear from existence. This is embarrassing. This is the mushy-gushy feelings crap that I’ve been avoiding all my life, even when my friends moved on and got relationships of their own. I thought they were crazy to put up with another person just as stubborn, quirky, and demanding as they are.
And yet, here I am, married at twenty-five, and taking my wife out on a date to boot.
Again, what am I doing?
Then Alessia’s cheeks go pink, and all my thoughts melt away. The smile reappears on my face. My knees go weak as she takes a small bite of the apple, then turns to look at the sunset, the colors reflecting beautifully in her picture-perfect face.
I know exactly why I’m doing this now. There’s no question as to what’s going on. It would be plain as day to a man even slightly in touch with his feelings, but that man is not me. It took me a second to realize this.
I see something in her.
Something that goes beyond the surface, beyond skin-deep beauty. I’ve seen plenty of beautiful women in my life, and none of them have put me under quite so captivating of a spell.
I see something in Alessia worth waiting for, buried deep beneath the veneer of dignity and authority that she’s so carefully constructed over the years.
And for me to want to pursue something? That means it’s worth one hells of a lot.
Chapter seven
Alessia
Imunch on the sandwich I brought for our picnic in relative silence, watching Aurelio carefully. He’s been acting weird this entire time. I’d say he’s twitchy, but that doesn’t quite explain it properly. It’s more like he’s…I don’t know, sappy? Anxious? Suave? It’s somewhere in there.
Whatever it is, it’s annoying. Extremely annoying.
First, he has the audacity to patronize me for my upbringing. Then he wraps his arm around me and holds me there. And now, he’s giving me gifts, giving me more than half the food, and standing to block the bright sunlight so I don’t have to squint.
Who is this guy, and what has he done with Aurelio?
This isn’t something I’d planned for. By now, I’d hoped to have him wrapped around my little finger, ready to obey my every command. Instead, I’ve beaten him in swordplay, but lost to him in the mind game. He’s free to taunt me and tear me down as he pleases, just to make himself feel better. Now, he’s also free to romance me, or whatever this is.
I don’t like it. I prefer bickering. I’m used to that.
But I have to admit, being treated like a princess without the stress of actual royal duties…it’s kind of awesome.
Aurelio shoots me a soft smile, sending butterflies cascading through my middle. It’s like he’s reading my mind. Determinedly tearing my eyes away from that perfect face and swoon-worthy smile, I finish eating my sandwich in silence, letting the warmth of the last light of day soak into my back. It’s finally the perfect temperature out here on the windy rolling hills of Celestia.
When I finish my sandwich, I can barely set down my wrapper before Aurelio scoops it up and places it in the tiny basket I brought with me. This simultaneously has me blushing like a schoolgirl and prickling with irritation. It’s so confusing, the way he makes me feel. I want to scream.
Turning away from him, I walk over to his horse, hoping to distract myself by forcing interaction with this terrifying beast. I’m not a fan of animals bigger than I am, so even approaching Cricket has my heart pounding. Yeah, I’ve ridden on her back all this way, but that doesn’t establish much trust with me. Trust is gained in droplets and lost in buckets with royalty.
My whole body is tenser than a taut rope as I reach out to touch her mane, the same way I saw Aurelio touch her earlier. I squeeze my eyes shut just before my fingers can brush her mane.
To my surprise, nothing happens.
I open my eyes, feeling the coarse hair beneath my fingers. Cricket hasn’t even bothered to turn and look at me. She didn’t twitch when I touched her. I take a deep breath, then run my fingers through her mane. I find a tangle in her hair, so I move my hand to pet her shoulder instead. Still, there’s no reaction, but I’m suspicious now. I feel like I’m walking on the thinnest ice the world has ever seen.
