Twisted | Nascar AU

Chapter Five

The next morning Daisy did not attend breakfast. The King and Queen acted as if it was perfectly normal for her chair to be empty. They kept to themselves and didn't react when they overhead the suitors asking questions.

Not only was the princess's seat empty, but Joey's was also. The boys didn't know what to think. The situation last night had not been addressed so the three who witnessed it, Alex, Bubba, and Erik, were left to share the news. A rumor began to spread down the table that the two skipped breakfast together and were on a date. Erik shut down this rumor. "Joey's not here."

"We know he's not here, where is he?" Noah asked. "No," Erik insisted. "He's not here. He left." The men were silent. "But she didn't send anyone home last night," William pointed out. "Something happened last night," Alex confessed.

"What happened?" "With who?" "Is the Princess okay?" The men immediately began asking questions. "There was an altercation," Alex hesitated. "An 'altercation'," Bubba laughed. "Yeah, okay buddy." The boys put the pieces together. "So, where is Joey?" John Hunter asked.

"Princess Daisy sent him home because he started calling us kids and said she wasn't serious about the competition," Erik explained. The men remained silent as they processed this.

"I hope she's okay," Alex broke the silence. "She was really upset last night. She tried to hold it together but I could see that his words hurt her." An understanding fell upon the men. Originally they had seen Princess Daisy as regal and untouchable, but this event has shown she's affected by their actions.

"Excuse me, y'all," Ryan stood up. "I'm going to head to the restroom real quick." He left the ballroom and asked a guard where the closest restroom was located. He was directed down the hallway to his left. After doing his business he came out and shut the door behind him. He was surprised to see Princess Daisy walking down the hall towards him.

"Princess," he greeted. "I heard about what happened last night. If you need anything, I'm here for you." The princess nodded and bit her lip. Daisy wanted to get out of the palace. To go somewhere far away, and Ryan seemed like the kind of guy who wouldn't think twice.

"Follow me," Daisy grinned. She grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hall back from where she came from. "I'm not complaining at all, but would you mind telling me where we're going if you're going to abduct me?" Ryan joked.

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Abduct? You could have walked back into the ballroom. I'm sure you were having a great time in there." He chuckled. "Oh, yes, Princess, my favorite thing to do is sit and make small talk with ten other guys who are also hoping to have you to themselves." Daisy's heart leaped at the thought of Ryan wanting her all to himself.

"Okay," Daisy smiled. They had reached a door in the hallway. It had wallpaper matching the hallway so Ryan wouldn't have noticed the door if Daisy hadn't put her hand on the doorknob. "This is where I go when I need to get away from everything. As you can imagine, it's not like I can just stop being a princess for the day, so when I feel like it's all too much this is where I go." Ryan nodded.

She turned the handle and they walked in. Ryan was surprised to see a set of stairs. He looked at Daisy with a brow raised. "Trust me," she grinned. Daisy started up the stairs and opened a door at the top. She revealed a beautiful blue sky. There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

The pair climbed through the doorway and found themselves on the roof. In front of them laid the entire kingdom. "Wow," Ryan breathed. "Yeah, it's beautiful." Ryan couldn't help himself, he had to take advantage of this opportunity the princess had given him. "Not as beautiful as you." Daisy grinned. "Is that so, King of the Curls?" Ryan tossed his head back, sending his curls into a frenzy.

"I thought you were joking about that name!" Daisy scoffed. "I would never joke about such a title!" Ryan admired her smile. He wanted so badly to reach across the space between them and place his lips on hers.

"So," Daisy broke the silence. "Want to go sit down?" Ryan nodded and followed her to a bin full of blankets. It was a cool autumn day so blankets weren't necessarily needed but everyone knows if you have blankets there's no way you're not cuddling.

They sat on the edge of the roof, dangling their feet over the side. There was another roof below them but it was an entire story down. Sitting up here made Daisy feel free - like she could do anything.

"It truly is beautiful," Ryan smiled. "Yes, the view is beautiful," Daisy responded, giving Ryan a slight shove with her shoulder. He groaned. "It won't happen again! Never again will I compliment you, Princess Daisy." The word princess made Daisy's heart sink. So badly, she just wanted to give up her responsibilities sometimes.

She knew it wasn't the proper or regal thing to say, especially to one her suitors but she chose to say it anyway. "Please, when we're together call me Daisy." She was always addressed as Princess, with the exception of her parents. Ryan just made her feel so comfortable. She was already letting go of the stress she had felt on her walk towards the ballroom.

Ryan smiled softly. "Daisy, you amaze me." She turned to look at him. "How?" "You're going through this experience so well. You said last night that you've never experienced something like this. But you've done so well. From what I heard about last night, you handled it like a champion. And now you're here with me as if you didn't have a care in the world."

Daisy's heart leaped in her chest. His words were soothing but she couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, I must put on a braver face than I thought. I most definitely have many cares in this world." She sighed, the weight of reality slowly began to crush her again.

"Like what?" Ryan asked softly as he snaked his hand up from her waist to her hair. He began to gently massage her scalp. Once again Daisy felt at peace. All because of such a small gesture.

"Well, for starters, I have to address last night." Ryan frowned. "I wish that hadn't happened to you. No one deserves to be spoken to in such a manner."

"Does everyone know?" Daisy asked softly. Ryan nodded, wrapping his hand around hers.

"Think about how much better it'll feel once it's off your chest," he offered. Daisy merely nodded. "What else is on your mind?" Daisy sighed. How deep should she get? They'd only met last night.

"You can be honest with me," Ryan spoke as if he read her mind. "I'm here for you, and you only." Daisy nodded and squeezed their intertwined hands.

She took a deep breath before beginning. "It's my father," Daisy spoke honestly. "Ever since I can remember I've felt like a disappointment to him. Now matter how much service I do for the kingdom or how beautifully I dress to impress the town, nothing seems to be enough. Last night just felt like a kick in the gut."

She took a breath before carrying on and Ryan took that time to place a strong kiss on her temple. Daisy felt a blush creep onto her cheeks and she was suddenly grateful that they were side by side rather than facing each other.

"It was Bubba and Alex that got into an argument. And according to the rules and kind of violence is grounds for removal. But I looked at Alex, how sad his eyes were, and how Bubba shrank back and wanted to disappear the moment he saw me. I couldn't just send them home. I needed to understand what happened. I choose to believe there's a rational explanation for two good people getting into a fistfight."

Ryan hummed. "It sounds like you need to talk to them about it." Daisy groaned. "I know, but I despise confrontation. I was on my to speak to them privately when I ran into you. It just felt like a sign to get out of there."

Ryan smiled. "I can say I'm thankful I ran into you. I'd rather have you here with me than with two other guys." Daisy smiled and looked up into his eyes. His eyes were filled with compassion and care, and if Daisy didn't know better she would have thought lust. He was everything she needed at that moment.

Slowly Ryan leaned closer until his forehead rested on hers. "Is this okay?" He whispered against her lips. "More than." And that was all it took for Ryan to lean in and place a long kiss on Daisy's soft lips.

They shared a moment of passion until as quick as it had come, it was over. Daisy rested her head back on Ryan's shoulder and Ryan leaned his head on hers.

They sat there like that for a moment. Daisy admired the beautiful kingdom and Ryan admired her. He hadn't known her for very long but already she took his breath away.