Cinderfella, Page 6

  “Says the girl who runs from life every time it gets a little rough” I stop pacing, planting myself firmly in front of her.

  “Is that really what you think of me?” Her eyes are the saddest I’ve ever seen them. I cross my arms to stop myself from pulling her into me.

  “No, yes…I don’t know what to think.”

  “I didn’t tell you because I liked that you saw me as just me, Ellie. I liked who I am when we’re together. You’re my friend and…”

  “If we are friends, then you should have trusted me.” I feel my frown deepening over my brows.

  “I did. I do. I just wanted to stay here as long as possible. Where I can be just me the girl, not the princess.”

  “And look at how that turned out.”

  “Can you even imagine my life? How it feels to have your friends picked for you? People assigned to follow you wherever you go?”

  “Never had many friends…”

  “Can you imagine being the top of your karate class, but only the Sensei will spar with you because all the other kids are frightened they’ll hurt the princess? To be constantly on show, guarded day and night? To be seen as the country’s future happiness, to be watched like sport?”

  “No…I can’t.”

  “The reason I wanted to keep this from you was because you are the only person in my life who isn’t ‘assigned’ to me. You aren’t paid to laugh at my jokes or to protect me. You don’t have to be kind to me, but you are anyway.”

  “I really hadn’t thought that far…but God, Ellie, I could be in so much trouble. Don’t you get it? They’re looking for you. You said you’d texted them? But thinking about it, I haven’t seen your phone. They think you’ve been kidnapped. There’s a huge reward for you.”

  “Did you think about claiming it?”

  “I can’t believe you’d ask me that! If I get caught up in this, I could lose any chances I had at becoming a doctor.” I’m pacing again.

  “No! I’ll tell them the truth, that you helped me. I promise it’ll be okay.”

  “You can’t promise that. Mud sticks, Ellie.”

  “So, meeting me wasn’t worth it? Being with me wasn’t worth it?” Tears roam freely over her cheeks, she’s not acting. “I thought you were different.”

  “Maybe I’m not.” I snap. She walks right by me and out of the door. “Oh no you don’t!” I stride after her, grabbing her elbow.

  “Let go!” She slaps my chest with her free hand.

  “Always feisty.” I half laugh but there’s no way I’m letting her go, not yet, not like this. “So, you’re just gonna leave? Just like that? Go; be miserable with your prince. Guess you’re gonna run from this like you run from everything?” She stops struggling.

  “I don’t know what to do, or what you want from me.”

  “You don’t?” I lower my head a little, placing my forehead against hers.

  “Ash…”

  “You don’t know how much I want you? You can’t tell how I feel about you?” I close my eyes and breathe her in. She smells like cinnamon, sweet and intoxicating.

  “Please…don’t say it.”

  “Tell me you don’t feel it too. Tell me and I’ll let go. But if you go, you can’t come back, because it’ll hurt too much.” Pushing my forehead harder to hers, willing her to push me away, willing her to stay and leave all in one big push.

  “Ash, I’m not allowed to care.” Dropping her head to my chest, I hold her. Tears dampen my shirt. I’m hurting her and can’t bear it. Holding her away from me, placing my hands atop her shoulders. “You’re not allowed to care, or you don’t? Those are two very different things.”

  “I have obligations.”

  “Leave.”

  “What?”

  “I’ll make it easy for you, leave, I’ll understand. I’m not being fair to you by expecting you to stay. You’re a princess, one day my queen, and I’m the guy who works with pigs. I get it. I ‘ll never forget you.” I half bow. “Please…just go.”

  “Don’t ever bow to me!”

  “But...”

  “You are better than me, Ash. Don’t ever bow to me.”

  “If that is what you wish, Your Highness. Please just go.” I walk back inside, numb.

  “No! This isn’t my wish!” I turn, she’s standing right behind me.

  “Ellie?”

  “I can’t feel for you, but it doesn’t mean I don’t. I’m not leaving you. I do feel it Ash, I do feel what you feel.”

  “Then show me.” I can’t contain my feelings any longer. Grabbing her waist, I pull her into me, lowering my face to hers. “You sure?” She smiles up at me with that gappy-toothed grin and I simply can’t wait any longer. I clamp my lips down over hers. She sighs making my entire body clench with want. This is right. We fit. My tongue explores hers; she tastes sweet and warm, like I imagined. I want to always be kissing her, to never stop pleasing her. I don’t care who she is. Right now, she’s simply Ellie. Pulling her in closer so that our chests touch. She smiles against my lips, relaxing into them. Hungry for her, she takes her mouth away, I drag her back. She steps out of my hold, panting slightly. Reaching for her, she puts her hands up to stop me. “What’s wrong? Didn’t you like it?”

  “I did. A little too much.” She blushes. “We need to slow down. Is that alright?”

  “I’ll wait as long as you want me to.” I nod, trying to hide my disappointment.

  “Thank you.” She chews her bottom lip. Neither of us knows what to say or where to go from here. I have an idea.

  “Come with me.” I offer my hand.

  “Come with you where exactly?” She narrows her eyes playfully.

  “Trust me?”

  “Always.” Placing her hand in mine, I lead her out into the night.

  8: Ellie

  “Where are you taking me?” We run over a field and around the back of an old cowshed.

  “You’ll see!” We stop. Ash places his palm over my eyes. “Not much further, no peeking now.” He walks me slowly across the grass.

  “Seriously, if you’re going to kill me, I think you should have at least given me a head start.”

  “Like you did when you told me you were royal?” He says against my ear, sending little electric pulses shooting over my skin.

  “Okay, okay, let it go. If you’re going to throw that in my face every two minutes then I’ll simply leave, and you can call me that cab you keep threatening me with.” I giggle. He kisses my cheek and withdraws his hand.

  “You can look now. Well? Do you like it?”

  “I love it! What is this place?”

  “It’s my secret retreat.”

  “Did you build this?” I move closer to the tree house and touch the ladder.

  “Yeah, started it with my dad when mum was pregnant. It was our bonding project. We never finished; it just got left halfway through. When things got really bad with the ‘angry goat’ incident, I started coming out here a lot. Some days only hammering a few pieces of wood together, but it was something. I needed to escape after my mum…” He looks away, holding back so many tears.

  “Maybe you should build things for a living.”

  “I do like working with my hands. It was really therapeutic.”

  “Oh, Ash.” I place my hand in his.

  “I was just a kid.”

  “So, whose idea was the rope swing? I haven’t been on one of these in years.” I tug at it to see how sturdy it is. “I probably wouldn’t be allowed to in case I break my royal neck.”

  “I have a feeling that won’t stop you. Try it out. There’s nobody watching but me.”

  “Okay.” I giggle.

  “Think you can climb to the top?”

  “Faster than you can, I bet.”

  “Is that so?”

  “It so is!”

  “Challenge accepted. Winner gets me.” He laughs, and I can’t resist joining in.

  “You are such a child! What does the loser get?”

  “Kiss
ed.”

  “Sounds fair.” Taking a few steps back for a good run up, leaping into the air. Clinging onto the rope, I swing by pushing off from the tree.

  “Thought this was a race?”

  “I decided I like swinging better. A girl can change her mind you know.” I gently swing from side to side.

  “Careful you don’t bash into the tree.”

  “I won’t. Push me?” He gives me a huge shove from behind. Even though I’m not swinging very high, I feel completely free. There are no guards looking on, no photographers snapping my every move. It’s just Ash, and me. A guy who likes me for me, that means more than I can ever explain. It’s only been a few days, yet this, being with him, is different, amazing. I never believed I’d find a person that I connected with so stupidly quickly, and yet here we are. I can’t imagine going back to my life again, away from our secret tree house, away from him.

  “What’s wrong?” He holds the rope still, stopping me from swinging.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You haven’t said anything for a while.”

  “I was just thinking…wishing really.”

  “About?”

  “About tomorrow and the day after that…and the day after that…I mean, we can’t hide here forever.” I sigh.

  “But we can for now.” He leans forward, kissing me gently. I put my hands around his neck and hop from the rope to him. He holds me up in his arms. I wrap my legs around his waist. “You are bad for my health.” He grins, running the lightest of kisses along my neck.

  “Stop.” I half-heartedly protest.

  “You want me to?” He continues to work his magic.

  “We better.” I slide off him.

  “Sorry, just can’t help myself.”

  “Are you going to show me inside?”

  “Can you manage the ladder?”

  “I hope you’re joking. You shouldn’t mock royalty.” I point my nose in the air.

  “You can only pull the royal card if you accept that you’re royal.” He shakes his head. “I mean, right now you could be anyone…you’re just an amazingly cute girl in tight jeans.”

  “Oh really? Does ‘anyone’ kiss you like this?” Placing my palms on either side of his face, pulling it down until our breaths intertwine. There’s a little groan in the back of his throat; he’s putty in my hands. Instead of kissing him, I stick out my tongue and swipe it from his forehead down over his nose.

  “Urgh! Gross!” He wipes his sleeve over his face. “You’re no princess!”

  “The look on your face! So funny!” I laugh, fleeing up the ladder before he can decide on my payback.

  “You get back here, Missy!”

  I push the hatch above, popping my head inside the tree house. It looks strangely bigger inside than is does from the outside. I clamber inside.

  “It’s perfect.” I survey Ash’s secret world, a part of him that no one else gets to see. I’m lucky enough to have an invite that I don’t want to run away from.

  “You like, Madam?” His head comes up through the hatch before he joins me.

  “Very much.” I sit on the mattress that takes up an entire side of the wooden room. There’s a slightly lop-sided shelf, which holds a few medical journals. In the opposite corner, there’s a little desk, which has a laptop, a small dated radio and a framed picture on top. I get up to study the picture.

  “That’s me with the family. Mum had just had the twins.” I notice that his dad has one arm around Ash and one arm holding a baby. His mother holds one, but she too has an arm around Ash.

  “You all look so happy…”

  “We were I guess, still,” he shrugs, “Stuff changes.”

  “I love it here…it’s so you. A laptop? Looks new. How did you afford it on the pittance your father gives you?”

  “Actually, weird story. I’ve been going to the town library to study but was visiting less and less because of my workload. A week ago, this laptop was just sat here all wrapped up in a big red bow. I didn’t know what to do so I just left it. There’s only my old man that knows of this place and he never comes out here…I don’t think it was him for a minute. And then I met Gerry...I have a strong feeling he has something to do with it. Things certainly have changed a lot since he showed up.”

  “Really? First a computer, then my hair dye…I’d like to meet this Gerry.”

  “I have a feeling you will.” He smiles with those seriously adorable dimples; my breath catches in my throat and I have to look away. I turn the radio on for a distraction. Ed Sheeran’s ‘Photograph’ is playing.

  “It always feels like he’s singing just for me…I love this song.” I turn it up a little.

  “Me too. Dance with me?” He opens his arms widely.

  “What, here?”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s a little snug.”

  “Thought you liked a challenge?” He cocks a brow.

  “Indeed.” I snuggle into his chest as we gently rock side to side. We let the tune wash over us and keep dancing until well after the song has ended and another has begun. “I could stay like this forever.” I look up, he’s staring at me intently. I could easily drown in those blue pools of his.

  “Let’s then.”

  “You know we can’t.” Untangling myself from him, I turn the radio off, taking a seat on the mattress. He joins me.

  “What is it?” He moves a piece of hair that’s escaped from my bandana and wraps it around my ear. “You keep phasing out. Where do you go?”

  “It’s just…these past few days with you have really opened my eyes, you have got me thinking. What if I was supposed to meet you? I mean, I never really knew my purpose before. I have all this power to change things and never once have I tried. All I’ve ever known is that one day I will form an alliance through marriage which will connect countries…I’m watched by the world and haven’t ever done anything worth watching.” I bring my knees up to my chest, resting my chin on them.

  “Ellie,” He places his hand lightly on my back. “You’re right, the world is watching you, but only you can control what they see.”

  “Being with you these past few days, watching your passion for people and how deeply you care…well it got me thinking and I want to help too.”

  “So, what? You wanna become a doctor, a nurse? Hate to burst your bubble, but I don’t think many royals work in healthcare.”

  “No, silly!” I push his arm; any excuse to touch him is a good excuse. “I have so many ideas…”

  “Tell me.”

  “Don’t laugh, they’re very rough and I don’t have a business plan or anything yet.”

  “I promise.” He puts on his best serious face.

  “Okay, so I was thinking about The Palace setting up some sort of grant scheme for people like you, who want to work in healthcare but don’t have the funds to train, like a royal scholarship.” I steal a brief glance at him to see if he’s laughing.

  “Ellie, that’s a fantastic idea.”

  “You really think so?” I wait for some sign of sarcasm or at least a hint of mocking, but there’s none. I gain a little in confidence, wanting to share more of my thoughts.

  “Yes! What else?” He lays across the bed half upright against his pillow.

  “I also think that the royal family should visit hospitals at least twice a year, or maybe more. Can you imagine those children’s faces if my mother, The Queen, read them a story?”

  “They’d be over the moon. Do you think they’d go for it?” Ash pulls my arm lowering me into his body so that I’m lying between his legs with my back supported by his chest.

  “I don’t see why not. I’m going to suggest it when I go home.” I feel him clench under me, but I carry on talking. “Also, we need more helicopters and helipads so that we can fly to other countries and transport needed organs within a matter of hours. Then your mother may have got the heart she needed in time. We need a negotiator or someone to make connections with medical professionals ac
ross the world; so, all countries can provide organs to anywhere in the world at a moments notice. I may have to take up a few more languages…”

  “Why? How many do you speak now?”

  “Seven.” I shrug. “Like I said, pushy parents.”

  “I like it. You’d be great at that.” Ash kisses my ear from behind.

  “You’re distracting me!” I nudge him in the ribs.

  “I give in!” He laughs.

  “And, this way I can be doing more good than just marrying some prince to connect two countries…I can connect all the countries.”

  “I like any plan that means you’re single.”

  “Am I single?” Half turning so we’re almost stomach-to-stomach.

  “No,” he pulls my chin up to his. “You’re mine.” My stomach somersaults like crazy. We kiss, and I could easily stay here forever. I break away, before it starts to become more than just a kiss.

  “I’m going to have a meeting with my parents in the morning.”

  “You’re still going back?” He sits up straight, my body goes with him.

  “You know it’s only a matter of time. They will find me. Isn’t it best to go back of my own accord?”

  “What if they still make you marry that guy? What about us, Ellie?” He stands abruptly with his back to me. I stand too, wrapping my arms around his waist.

  “At least I met you. They can never take that away. Don’t you see how much I’ve changed because of you?”

  “You’d really marry him?”

  “If my father demands it, yes.” He steps out of my hold, turning to me. He looks bewildered, lost.

  “But what about us? I know you feel it too. We’re meant to be together…don’t you see? Fate led you to me. I just know it. Fate and a silly pair of shoes.”

  “I’ve been born into privilege and with that, certain obligations…” I say robotically.

  “Have you heard yourself? You sound like one of them.”

  “Please, let’s not argue,” I ask. “Let’s just sleep here tonight. Tomorrow will seem much brighter.” I sit back on the bed, holding out my hand for him to join me.

  “I’ll be back in a bit.”

  “Please Ash, don’t be cross.”