The So-Called "High Life"

Undici

Another update in less than six months! It's a miracle!

Anyhoodles!

Enjoy :)

- Nico_Solace

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

=Nico=

I was hiding again. This time, instead of a book, I had my phone and laptop, but I was right back under that staircase avoiding all human interaction.

Surprisingly, the interview with Harold Clarkson wasn't a complete disaster in the eyes of my parents; they were actually impressed with how well I handled his blatant disrespect. Now, however, my mom has decided I need to find a husband.

Hence me hiding.

I have had many suitors over the years, but most of them were simply in the light of me having fun and blowing off steam. Now she wants me to actually find a man I'm willing to spend my life with? No way. It's a lot of stress to go from not being allowed to show affection with men to finding a very public male partner in a matter of a month. Not to mention most of the men I spent time with had the personality of a wet sock.

Jason called me, most likely already knowing exactly where I was. I'm thankful he wasn't telling my mother.

"Jason, I love her, but if I have to hear about James from Graxia or Henry from Vendasia again, I'm going to run away and live as a commoner." I say before Jason can get another word in.

I hear his deep chuckle in response. "I understand. And Thalia may have an option for you."

A groan escapes my mouth and before I can say anything more, Jason is speaking again. "I know, I know. You don't want anyone else butting into your love life. I'm serious, though Thalia might be on to something with this guy."

I let my eyes slip shut before I respond. Do I really want to start a relationship with a Carrayan man? Would that be problematic for our nations to allow me to marry one of Thalia's subjects? I puff out a sigh, telling Jason I'll meet the man. Just because I meet someone doesn't mean I'm going to marry him. And, hell, maybe I'll just end up with a fun night.

---

=Will=

"Thalia, this is idiotic!" I protest. "I can't date your ex-fiancé! You guys broke up like a week ago! That's not even mentioning the fact that he is a prince and I'm not even close to royal! I would be commiting career suicide by attempting to date the prince."

Thalia laughed. "Will, have you met Nico? He's not exactly looking for the most proper man on the planet."

"First of all, I've never formally met him. But yes, Jason has told me a bit about Nico's... History."

Thalia's nose wrinkled up. "Right. I forgot about that. But forget that, Will! He's just your type."

I rolled my eyes, turning back to my computer. "Thalia I'm not going to date the prince."

"I'm not asking you to drop down on one knee and propose on the first date, Will. I'm simply asking you to do me a favor and go out to dinner with him just once. You can decide what you want from there."

I refused to look away from my computer. I knew Thalia was giving me those damned eyes that made me want to say yes to anything. I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of going on a date with Nico just because she asked me to. Nope, it definitely wasn't going to happen.

The dark haired man with the most captivating eyes I've ever seen will not become my next boyfriend. I am not interested in dating a royal. I run the schedule of one and I have no interest in waiting around for Nico all the time; royals have very busy schedules.

I glance up at Thalia after ten seconds of determined staring at my computer screen. Just as I predicted, she was giving me those eyes! I stare at her for a few long seconds, convinced I could avoid the consequences of those eyes.

"Fine!" I cave, sighing in frustration. "You win. If he agrees, I'll go on one date with him."

Thalia let out a triumphant laugh. "Yes! Thank you, Will. I promise you won't regret it."

She rushed out of the room, already pulling her phone out of her pocket. I assumed she was calling Nico or Jason, but there's no way I could be sure. She better be right about me not regretting this or I'll kill her.

---

=Nico=

"Alright babe tell me about him," Piper prompted as she styled my hair. "Who is this guy?"

I sighed heavily. Here we go. "Before you say anything, this was not my idea."

Piper laughed, almost doubling over. "I'm not judging you, Nico. If he's good enough for a date with you he's obviously at least good looking. I know the kind of guys you go for."

I smiled, thankful Piper was so understanding. It was nice to have someone in my life who was so open-minded. She never judged me, no matter what foolishness I was getting into. This was especially refreshing when I'm about to go out with the personal assistant of my (technically) ex-fiancée.

"Okay." I shifted slightly in my seat. "Have you heard Jason talk about a Will at all?"

"Yeah, of course." Piper replied, looking over my half-finished hair critically. "He's Thalia's PA."

I nodded as confirmation. "Well, it's him."

She nodded at first, obviously distracted by whatever she was trying to get my hair to do. Right as she reached to fix another piece of hair her hand froze and her eyes widened. "You're going on a date with Thalia's PA?"

I cracked a weak smile.

"I mean, that's awesome; he's just your type. I just meant, is that the smartest move? Not only is he a personal assistant - meaning he's a commoner - he's a Carrayan and Thalia's PA, specifically. This is a big political statement."

"I know. I was worried about it, too. But don't you think it's time I stop doing things because if everyone else and start doing things for myself?"

"No!" She basically yelled. "Listen, Nico, we've been friends for a few years now and you know I'm all for you being yourself. You're still a prince, though, babe. You need to be mindful of not only what your parents want but also what the Malavitan public expects."

"So, are you telling me to cancel the date you're preparing me for?" I asked, confused by her apparently change in heart.

"No, that's not what I'm saying. Go on the date. Have fun. Get to know a guy that you don't have to sneak around. I'm just saying you need to be mindful of your future when you start going on dates."

"Yeah, I know." I sighed heavily. Piper always had the best advice.

"Alright, you're all done. Have fun on your date tonight, okay babe? Don't think too hard about what I said, but keep it in mind." She kissed my cheek before turning to start putting her supplies away.

"Thanks, Pipes." I hug her before heading out of my bathroom.