Page 79 of Prince Material
“I’m fine.” I swallowed hard. “A little overwhelmed.”
“I’m five minutes away. Stay inside with Nathan, okay? I’m so sorry, Orson. I thought we’d have more time before they found us.”
“It’s not your fault.” I leaned against the wall, suddenly exhausted. “Though I wish I’d worn a better shirt for my first paparazzi photos.”
His laugh was relieved. “Trust you to worry about your outfit at a time like this.”
“Well, someone in this relationship has to care about fashion, and we both know it’s not you.”
“Hey!” Floris’s mock-offended tone made me smile despite everything. “I’ll have you know my fashion choices are perfectly fine. Hold on, I see the crowd. Be there in two minutes.”
True to his word, Floris appeared moments later, slightly out of breath like he’d run across campus. His eyes found mine immediately, and the concern in them made my heart flip.
“Are you really okay?” he asked, crossing to me in three long strides.
“I am now.” I let him pull me into a hug, breathing in his familiar scent. “Though I think I understand why you were so worried about the press finding us.”
His arms tightened around me. “They can be overwhelming. But Nathan’s team will help keep them at a distance, and I had a meeting with the Dean and the head of the campus police a few days ago, and they agreed to ban them from campus grounds.”
I pulled back enough to look at him. “You really thought of everything, didn’t you?”
“I tried.” His hand came up to cup my cheek. “I wanted you to be protected, but I also didn’t want to make you feel suffocated or controlled. It’s a delicate balance.”
“Thank you.” I leaned into his touch. “For thinking of me, for arranging protection without making me feel like I needed a babysitter.”
His smile was soft. “Always.”
“So what’s next? Will we have to wait until they disappear?”
“Margriet thinks the best approach is to give a brief statement and then make it clear we’re not available for any other interviews.”
“Statement? You mean t-talk to them?”
He squeezed my hand. “I will do it, but it would mean a lot to have you by my side.”
Standing next to him, that I could do. “Okay.”
Floris checked his watch. “It’s 2p.m. Why don’t we call it for five? That should give them enough time to set up and give us the opportunity to prepare.”
I nodded bravely. “Sounds good.”
It sounded absolutely awful, but what choice did I have? Being with Floris meant dealing with this, so I would learn to suck it up.
We used the break to shower, change into something respectable—Floris’s words—and go over the statement. Floris had written something, and we called his dad first to get his thoughts, then Margriet to secure her approval. Meanwhile, the Dean’s office had allowed us to use the chapel for the press conference, which I thought was somewhat fitting for the announcement of a relationship.
That was probably why I was humming as we made our way over there, flanked by Nathan and another guy named Tim, who was Floris’s security detail. Tim wasn’t as tall as Nathan, but he made that up by being even more intimidating.
“What are you humming?” Floris asked as we walked across the commons, my hand clamped in his. “It sounds familiar but I can’t place it.”
“It’s stupid.”
“Now I’m even more curious.”
“The word chapel triggered it. The song is called ‘Chapel of Love’ and it talks about going to the chapel to get married.”
Floris snorted. “Don’t you think that’s a little soon?”
Heat flooded my face. “I wasn’t suggesting… I just…”
