Maid For You 4

Chapter 51

He continued staring out the window. "Oh, nothing...nothing too important. I was just thinking about..." he turned to look at me, and he stopped dead in his tracks. He pursed his lips, but his smile showed through. "Cassie." His voice threatened to break into all out laughter. "What are you wearing?"

"They're pajamas," I snapped.

"Are those sheep?" he laughed.

"They are," I said. "Anyways, what were you saying?"

He covered his mouth with his hand, his eyes smiling. "How can I take you seriously in that?"

"They're just clothes," I said.

"I mean of all the outfits we saw today, this just really takes the cake."

"Are you done?" I folded my arms.

He started laughing. "You're just standing there...looking all pouty...in your sheep outfit."

"Oh my gosh, I'll change then if it's so distracting!" I cried, throwing my hands up.

"No, please don't," Coleman said, walking up to me. "I love your sheep pajamas."

"I'm changing," I determined.

"I'll stop making fun of them," he promised. "You don't need to change."

I hesitated a moment, but honestly, my sheep jammies were very comfy. "Fine," I acquiesced, sitting down on the couch once more. "So, what's on your mind?"

Instead of sitting on another couch, Coleman came and sat on the same couch, though on the other side. "That I need to get myself a pair of sheep sleepwear."

"Okay then," I said, starting to stand up.

"I'm kidding!" he protested. "That was the last joke."

I rolled my eyes.

"Honestly," he started. "And, this is a bit embarrassing for me in particular to admit, but I was feeling rather empathetic towards Nikolas—King Nikolas, I should say. He has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders right now." His green eyes drifted to the side. "One day, I'll be king as well. Of course, my father is quite healthy and relatively young. He's only in his early 50s. It will be quite some time before I am crowned King, but I suppose it made me think. If the responsibility were to fall to me, right now, would I be ready? I am the same age as Nikolas, afterall."

There was a pause. "What do you think?" I finally asked. "Would you be?"

"No," Coleman said. "Absolutely not." He looked up at me. "When my father was my age, he already had a wife and child and was the King of Aregano. I've never even had a girlfriend."

"You've had lots of girlfriends," I corrected.

"Not really," Coleman said. "Not real girlfriends. Just...friends who are girls." He smiled wryly.
"With whom I've enjoyed some pleasant times."

"You certainly have," I grimaced. Then, I thought for a moment. "You know you can change, right? We all can."

He said nothing.

"Do you want to change?" I asked him.

He looked down at the couch cushion, absentmindedly beginning to trace its embroidery. "I suppose that is the question."

"You're at least nicer than when I met you," I told him.

"Well, even I can admit that the bar was pretty low," he chuckled.

"Yeah, true," I conceded. "But, I don't know. Even you standing with me during the coronation party. You wouldn't have done that before. You'd have probably tried to woo some Nikotan girl over." I looked at him. "You were actually, truly, a good friend."