Page 57 of Falling Princess

I closed my eyes. My knight really is insufferably perfect, forgiving my worst moments when I absolutely don’t deserve it. Remembering myself, I lift my chin and try very hard to reenter the dorm suite as a princess should: with dignity.

Dignity lasted approximately two seconds.

“You’re back!” Raina exclaimed when I walked in, scrambling off the couch to tackle me around the waist. She’s stoned, as is Bashir. I can’t believe I actually missed the stench of marijuana.

“Yes, I am. To stay, this time.”

Kenton gave me a lopsided grin, “Came back for your plants, huh?”

“That’s definitely it. You know how I feel about growing herbs in pots. You weirdos, on the other hand...”

Raina made a face. “Zosh!”

Bashir gave me a bleary smile and offered me the nub of a lit joint. I didn’t bother checking to see what Lorcan thinks. I took it, inhaled two puffs, then coughed, hard. Kenton pressed a beer into my hand.

Honestly, it’s kind of great to be back.

Life returned to normal, only better. Now that I’ve accepted Lorcan’s constant presence, my world slowly expanded. It’s still small and curated, but with the primary feud in the dorm suite mostly resolved, we started planning group trips to museums and to see local sights like Arthur’s Seat.

A sledding outing one weekend ended with hot chocolate at Cata’s house. Kenton got excited about a new movie and dragged the six of us—Scarlett included—out to see it. Lorcan drove Kenton crazy by checking out the security situation before letting me inside.

The experience, my first, proved to be a bit more intense than I anticipated. At one point I found myself flinching away from the screen and grabbing Lorcan’s arm. He glanced over. I cowered, half watching the film and observing his reaction from the corner of my eye. He’s sinew and bone beneath the soft texture of his sweater.

On the other side was Raina, and on the other side of her, Bashir. Scarlett and Kenton were seated in the row behind us, probably making out. Becca and Lacey seem to have faded from the picture.

A movement at the other side of the chair caught my attention. Raina, playing with his free hand.

Poor Lorcan, being accosted by two princesses at once.

I should’ve sat next to Bashir. He and I are the two losers in this pairing up business. I shifted away and resolved not to touch Lorcan again. In this one singular way, I’m exactly like every other heterosexual woman on the planet—dismayingly unable to resist the charms of Lorcan of Tenáho.

He’s so quiet. You can project anything onto him. Right now, for example, Raina seems to have gone back to believing Lorcan returns her affections. She sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder while tracing the back of his hand with gentle strokes. Perhaps he does. If I had to guess, I would conjecture that his feelings were tolerant affection, not romantic. But given my terrible instincts in these matters, for all I know, he’s planning to accept her proposal any minute.

The next morning, a grainy image of my face was plastered on page six of The Daily Herald with the headline,Auralian PRINCESSES BRAVE THE BOX OFFICEfollowed by the slightly less shouty subtext,Zosia Auralian and Raina Myseci Dazzle Off-Campus.

Right. I’d forgotten all about the press.

“Well, that’s just wonderful. Now they know where we attend school,” I complained over breakfast.

“That’s probably been common knowledge for months,” Lorcan said as he whisked batter in a bowl. “The university doesn’t let reporters on campus though. It’s private property, and if they let paparazzi get through security, they’d lose their reputation as a safe harbor for the wealthy and publicity-averse in a hurry.”

At least it isn’t a bad picture. I look like myself, for once—long yellow hair braided back from my face, white coat, my features relaxed and cheerful.

My phone beeped.

Scarlett texts,Behold, my fifteen minutes of fame!accompanied by a zoomed-in version of the same image I was just looking at. It showed her face, half-covered by her brown hair as she gazed adoringly up at Kenton.

Raina’s expression grew pensive. “Do you think there’s something going on between them?”

Incredible. Bashir burst out laughing. Even Lorcan, busy at the stove, gave Raina an incredulous look.

“What?” Raina asked.

“This is the third night this week Kenton hasn’t come back to the dorm,” Bashir points out. “Where do you think he’s been?”

Raina gasps. “I—but I saw him with one of her friends last weekend! Kissing!”

“I think they have a sort of open arrangement,” Lorcan supplied, gently.

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