Royalty, Romance Novels + Secret Attackers

Library Date

The rain drips off the roof and falls into the small pond right outside the window, making a rhythmic pattering sound.

Gianna elbows me and points to the ducklings playing in the water. They duck their heads in and shake off the water before doing it again. Mama duck is there too, just observing, ready to help out if need be.

We giggle. This is definitely the best part of spring. Every year, this window gives us the perfect vantage point to watch wildlife. I could stay here for hours.

"What are you doing?"

We turn to see Gus coming towards us.

"Watching the ducklings bathe." I tell him.

He peers in the window. "Ah, cute."

Gia gives some lame excuse to get away, smirking as she leaves. I don't know why she bothers. There's nothing going on between Gus and I.

I turn my attention back towards the ducks. The runt of the bunch, squeaks and nibbles on a Lilly pad.

Gus takes a deep breath, "I want to apologize for yesterday- I'm sorry I lost my temper there."

"No, it's okay, I get it. Being stranded in the middle of a pond for 55 minutes is not great." I say, remembering our last outing.

Lucy had taken charge of the last few dates, trying to make them seem more official. Both of us were just happy to not have to think of more activities to do together, although Lucy's choices are a bit on the boring side.

Wine tasting as a date is awkward when only on person is doing the tasting. Gus had tried describing what they taste like, but I can't wrap my mind around what the heck vintage is supposed to taste like. Beyond describing bitter and sweet, he was having trouble explaining what made each of them unique.

The art gallery was an interesting choice. I was enjoying myself by making up stories around all the pieces, but when an art curator overheard me, he decided to take it upon himself to explain what each and every piece actually represented. Many of the pieces had unfortunate histories to them. Eventually the date became extremely depressing and Gus ended up sneaking us out of there as a fire alarm coincidentally went off. No, we didn't set it off, but maybe I should have in order to get away faster.

The most recent date was supposed to be a romantic rowboat ride. Neither Gus or I are anything close to sailors, so the most we were able to accomplish was five tight circles in the middle of the pond. The employees we rented the boat from were scared to accidentally interrupt us, so it took some intense waving and screaming before anyone came to help us. By then, I had developed a headache, and Gus a sunburn. He kind of lost it at the end there. It was not pretty. I'll be wary of any more ponds I come across.

The rain splatters against the lily pads, the ducklings still squawking. In the reflection of the window, I see Gus rub the back of his neck. He nudges me.

"Hey, I still want to make this work."

I look up at him. "Me too."

"You know, I've had enough of these dates. We go out and everything goes wrong. Let's stay in this time."

I smile. "You know, I was thinking the exact same thing. That's why I prepared this." I brandish the picnic basket.

He frowns. "A picnic?" He gestures outside, asking skeptically, "In the rain? We had one rained out date and that's enough for me."

"Well, no, not exactly. Follow Me." I lead him up the staircases in one of the towers of the castle.

"Where are we going?" He asks skeptically.