Page 23 of Coral Prince Conundrum
Justice rolls his eyes. “Give me a break. The way you two have been canoodling and studying fish environments has been Valentine’s-Day-card levels of sappy.” He smirks, then leans forward over the counter. “Hey, Seero!” he hollers.
When I turn to my left, the man in question looks up and waves. When his eyes meet mine, he smiles even brighter.
“Look at the way he beams at you,” Justice mutters. I slap my friend’s shoulder, and we both turn back around. “So, what will you have?”
“Pistachio latte with oat milk,” I reply.
“Hot and large?”
“You know it. How much do I owe you?”
“Oh, please, you work here.” He waves his hand. “Go spend time with your handsome boy toy.” He saunters off, but not before muttering, “At least one of us has a love life that makes sense.”
I snigger and shake my head. I really ought to ask my best friend about what’s going on with that rugged guy he likes. After a beat, I walk to the corner to greet the secret prince. He grins and says, “Good day. How was the car shopping?”
“Ugh, annoying,” I reply. I sit closer to him than necessary. His presence on my shoulder and thigh feels soothing, and hedoesn’t back away. Seero Dagat doesn’t seem to want to be away from me either, and I don’t know what to make of it.
“I apologize. Since I caused that damage, I can buy you a new car,” he says.
I chuckle. “It’s not that. The car actually works fine. My dad is just…” I shake my head. “I’d rather focus on our mission to save the planet.”
Seero perks up and plays with the papers before him. He took my advice and printed out our slide deck. “I think we have enough information. But I just need to memorize it and present it in a meaningful way.”
He bites his lip as he scrutinizes the papers. I bump my shoulder with his. “I’m sure you will.”
“But what if I cannot?” he asks. He shoots me a sad look inches from my face. I’m so tempted to kiss him, but I don’t know how public he wants to make us.What even is the ‘us’ between us?“What if I am not convincing?”
“Don’t think like that, Seero.”
“But you are much more knowledgeable and well-versed than I. If only you could be the one to present to the court.”
I would love to travel with you. I frown and take his hand. His warm skin in the palm of my hand warms my soul. “We’ll keep working on it. How about tonight, we order in some dinner, and you continue practicing in your room?”
“What about your schooling?”
I shrug. “I withdrew from the summer class. I’ve been too busy. It was extra credits anyway, and I’ll keep the photos and data I’ve worked on for the fall semester.”
His brow furrows. “You withdrew…for me?”
“No.” I lean forward. “We’re trying to save all of humankind, remember?” I whisper. He nods, and I continue, “I can take classes later, but this can’t wait. This project is important. You, Your Highness, are important.”
We share a slight laugh. “Not as important as you.” His words make my smile fall. This gorgeous, exotic man keeps saying such romantic words, as if our fling doesn’t have an end date. Even if he had real feelings, I can’t just fly with him to a different country. His life is so much bigger than mine, being the heir to a kingdom. Still, no one has made me feel alive like this runaway prince.
“Ahem.” We both look up to see Justice holding a cup. “Your pistachio latte.”
“Thanks, man.” I turn to Seero. “Can I take that drink to go?”
Justice pushes forward a paper cup. “No surprises here.” He gives us both a cocky, insightful look as I take the drink. My best friend can be such a know-it-all.
Our presentation practice session goes well after dinner and into the late evening. Seero memorizes as many facts as possible; however, the heart just isn’t there. I know that he wants to convince his court to make peace, but the words don’t sound organic. Still, we repeat and repeat all the slides.
“I’m wondering if it’s because English is your second language?” I ask, sitting on the bed.
“No, that is not it.” He sits next to me. In his gray sweatpants and black shirt, he’s majestic. Meanwhile, I wore my neatest red shirt over a tank top and my tightest black jeans, hoping for some more sexy times tonight. “English is taught at a young age to everyone in the Coral Kingdom, alongside Corali.”
“Really?” I cross my legs and smile. “How did such an isolationist country learn that? Internet?”
He snickers. “Yes, but many of our ancestors swam to other nations covertly and bartered their knowledge in exchange for fish. To learn about colonizers, we had to learn their language.”
