The Queen

Chapter 10:

I quickly walked away from Aspen, mad. 

I ate breakfast in silence, then went outside to the gardens to ponder. Aspen still loves me. I thought. But I don't love him. I had to tell Maxon. I was done with keeping secrets from him. I thought for a little while longer, and was interrupted by Maxon walking towards me with a worried look on his face.

"What's wrong?" he asked. He sat down beside me and started playing with my hair.

"Nothing." I said, trying to not to look worried. "I just needed some fresh air, that's all." I would tell him, but I needed more time to comprehend what just happened.

"America, there's something wrong." Maxon said. "You always go to the gardens when there's something on your mind." 

He knew me so well. I guess I'd tell him.

"In the hallway, I ran into Aspen." I began. "I thanked him for saving us, and he said he'd do anything for me because....." I trailed off.

"Because why?" Maxon asked.

"Be- because he still loves me." I said, looking at Maxon.

"But what about Lucy?" Maxon cared about my maids as much as me, and knew what Lucy had gone through.

"He said that he only married her to take his mind off of me." I still couldn't believe it.

"What? I never saw Aspen as being so destructive." Maxon said, pacing in front of the bench. "To just break Lucy's heart like that......" he trailed off.

"I know." I said, standing up and putting my hands on Maxon's shoulders. "I can't believe it. Should we tell Lucy?" I didn't want Lucy to live life not knowing the man she loved loved someone else, but I didn't want her to have her heart broken.

"I don't know." Maxon said, deeply in thought. " I think Aspen should tell her, not anyone else. Can you talk to him?"

"I'll try. He might not listen since I kind of yelled at him." I confessed.

"Thanks, darling." Maxon said as he kissed my cheek. "Are you up for some paperwork?"

"Ugh!" I groaned. Maxon looked at me funny when I did that. "It's not that I don't want to spend time with you!" I explained, playfully shoving him. "I just despise paperwork!" it was the most boring thing EVER. I would rather clean the whole palace than do paperwork. Ok, maybe not the whole palace.

"I guess we could skip an afternoon of work...." Maxon said, wiggling his eyebrows at me. "We did extra work yesterday. How about a trip to the beach!"

"Yeah!" I said. 

We didn't go to the beach very often when I was little. I hadn't been to a beach in such a long time. 

"I don't think I have a bathing suit though. Do you?" I didn't think the royal family went to the beach that often. I doubted that Maxon owned a pair of swimming trunks.

"Yes, I do." Maxon said proudly. "It is mandatory that I always have my speedo ready." he said with mock seriousness. I burst out laughing, and Maxon joined in. We laughed so hard that we were rolling on the ground, and I bumped into a vase, which fell over with a loud thump. A guard came running over, to find Maxon and I laughing even harder.

"Is there something wrong, Your Majesties?" the guard asked. We probably looked like the complete opposite of the royal family.

"Yes, we're fine." Maxon said, trying to contain his laughter. The guard left, and we laughed for a while longer.

"Let's go now!" I said, finally being able to compose myself. 

I went to our room and asked my maids if I had anything to swim in. I didn't,  so I sent Paige into town to buy me one. 

She got me a sky blue bikini with darker blue stripes. I got ready, and went to the car in which we would be travelling to our private beach.

"Do you ever know how to drive?" I asked Maxon.

"Why yes, I can drive any type of vehicle, a helicopter, a plane, and if I need to, a unicycle." I laughed at the last one.

"A unicycle? In what situation do you need to ride a unicycle?" I gave him a funny look, and he returned it.

"I don't know, but when there is one, you will thank me." he said. 

My Maxon. He always knew how to make me laugh. 

We arrived at the beach, and we got all of our stuff and hauled it out of the car. I was walking back from the car when Maxon came up behind me and scooped me up, bridal style. He ran toward the ocean with me in his arms, and dunked me in. He ran away, and I started to chase him.

"You'll never catch me!" he taunted, looking back and sticking his tongue out at me. I ran back to where the water was knee deep, and doubled over, holding my stomach.

"Maxon!" I said, sounding faint. "Maxon, my stomach!" he came running toward me, and tried to pick me up. But before he got me, I jumped up and wrestled him into the water.

"Gotcha!" I said, laughing.

"Ugh!" Maxon yelled, in defeat. " You win!"

 He was soaked from head to toe, with some seaweed stuck in his hair. We played in the water for a while, then went back to shore where we had laid out some beach towels. We were laying down, watching the sunset and holding hands.

"I'm really sorry." Maxon said, out of the blue.

"Sorry? About what?" I asked. He hadn't done anything wrong.

"We never got to go on a honeymoon. We were too busy with dissolving the castes and the baby to ever have one." he looked as if he failed me.

 I didn't care that we didn't have a honeymoon. 

"Maxon, I don't care." I told him, and he looked confused. "I don't need some honeymoon. I'm perfectly happy right here." Maxon's face relaxed as I told him this. He wanted to give me everything in the world, but all I needed was him.

"I didn't mean to disappoint you." Maxon said.

"Maxon Schreave, nothing you do will disappoint me!" I said, maybe a little too forcefully. He looked stunned. "All I want is you." I said, softening my tone.

"Thank you, America. I just don't want to loose you. You're the most beautiful, smart, charming, and funny girl in the world, and I want to give you everything. " I could feel my cheeks getting hot.

"I love you, Maxon Schreave." I said.

"I love you too, America Schreave." Maxon said with a sweet smile in his face. Then, he kissed me, right when the very last light if the day was disappearing; he kissed me.

"Let me make it up to you." Maxon said as he broke the kiss. "Let me take you on the most extravagant honeymoon ever." he looked at me with love in his eyes.

"Maxon, you know what my answer is. Yes, take me on the most extravagant honeymoon ever." I said. I loved him so much, words couldn't describe it. He was mine and I was his.

"Great! We'll leave tomorrow!" Maxon said, grinning.

"Tomorrow? Isn't that a little soon?" 

"I kind of planned this whole thing out." Maxon said sheepishly.

"Oh, thank you, Maxon!" I was super excited about our honeymoon. Even though I was perfectly fine staying put, a honeymoon would be so much fun. 

Just me and Maxon, not the King and Queen. Tomorrow I was leaving for our honeymoon.