Page 80 of When The Night Falls

‘Jason!’ I yelled when I had spent hours chasing sleep to no avail.

A few seconds later, he opened the door, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers.

‘You called?’ He rubbed his face and leaned against the doorpost.

‘Could you sleep here tonight? I can’t sleep. I need cuddles.’

He nodded and smiled softly. ‘Sure,’ he said and climbed into my bed.

‘I love you,’ I cooed.

‘And I love you.’ He hooked his strong arm around me and scooped me into his familiar embrace. ‘When are you waking up?’ he asked drowsily.

‘Alarm’s set for half six.’

‘Okay, I’ll make sure you wake up.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Sleep now.’

‘Yes.’ I snuggled closer and released a contented sigh.

§ § §

The next day, Olivia and I were having dinner at Mary-Anne’s place along with Aaron and Tyler when I boldly confessed to seeing little point in the Royal Family.

‘That’s actual heresy,’ Olivia said. She had always been of the opposite opinion and fancied the tradition it entailed.

‘I appreciate their charitable and diplomatic work,’ I said, ‘but that, as well as everything else, can be executed by elected officials. I can’t stand the idea that people are born into roles like that. And how can we improve in the future if we won’t let go of the past? The monarchy has served its purpose. It’s outdated now. There’s no reason to keep it around. I mean, merely for the sake of history? Please.’

Olivia gasped as if I had just cursed in church. ‘In times of need, we require one head at the top to gather the people,’ she argued. ‘One who unifies the people under a common goal. Politicians can’t do that the same way the Royal Family can.’

‘Listen, I regard the Queen with the utmost respect,’ I said. ‘Don’t get me wrong, I think she’s wonderful. What I’m questioning is the principle. I don’t support the concept that people should be born into roles like that. And I also find it fairly ironic that they’re not supposed to have a political opinion. They’re supposed to be neutral. But isn’t politics what royalty was built upon in the first place? Wasn’t politics the reason monarchies came to be? I just think it’s ridiculous. We can have presidents and elected officials. Look at France, for example, or Germany. They’ve managed superbly without a monarchy.’ I shook my head. ‘I seriously think it’s only a matter of time before we’ll move away from the constitutional monarchy as well. It’s outdated, to say the least.’

Across the table, Mary-Anne smirked and raised a spoonful of ice cream to her lips.

‘Quite the diatribe,’ Tyler said and glanced at Aaron. ‘I can see why you like her,’ he joked.

I had always appreciated Tyler, and I could understand why he and Aaron had been friends ever since secondary school. They were quite similar. Both were shy of conflict and always preferred a conciliatory approach.

‘I disagree,’ Olivia said. ‘I think the Royal Family serves a unique diplomatic purpose, as well as an important general role in society. When or if a new war breaks out, the whole nation will be looking to Her Majesty the Queen, not the Prime Minister.’

‘Er, to be fair, I think they’ll be looking to both,’ Aaron intervened. ‘They certainly looked to Winston Churchill during the Second World War.’

‘It’s irrational to think that we should keep the monarchy merely for the sake of tradition,’ I said to Olivia. ‘It must serve a practical purpose that will prove more lucrative than other alternatives. Imagine how we could administer the resources that go into maintaining the monarchy. It’s also a matter of caution that the head of the nation should only be allowed to sit for so long. We’ve seen how totalitarian a ruler otherwise can become. Have you learned nothing from when you studied constitutional law?’

Soon after I had said it, I leaned back and blinked. I hadn’t meant to sound so harsh. Fortunately, Olivia knew me better than most, so she took no offence. She merely shook her head and said, ‘We will never agree on this. And the separation of powers guarantees that no such thing can happen, so I actually did pay some attention while we studied constitutional law, thank you very much.’

‘Biscuits, anyone?’ Mary-Anne asked and sent the dish around the table. I recognised them as my favourites. Mary-Anne made the best butter biscuits in the world.

‘Oh, Mary-Anne,’ I cooed. ‘Butter biscuits.’

She smiled at me. ‘I made them especially for you.’

‘You shouldn’t have.’

‘Of course I should have.’

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