The next week went by painfully slowly to Caspian. Trapped at home with no way to escape or properly blow off steam, he often found himself in front of the TV, watching basketball game reruns, or at the in-home gym attempting to rebuild his strength after all the injuries he’d sustained had left him feeling withered and weak. His broken wrist and ribs had all but fully healed a little more than halfway into the lockdown, thanks to the advanced medicine he’d received at the hospital, and even his wounded leg was well on the mend. His limp had disappeared, and the limb only pained him if he was on his feet too much during the day. Aside from a few developing scars on his bicep, thigh and cheek, he was almost as good as new.

However, his physical state was the only one that was recovering in any positive way. Internally, he was still stressed about a number of different things. His relationship with his father was still rocky, and they did their best to avoid each other in the mansion. The few times they had crossed paths, all Atlas had been interested in talking about had been whether or not Cas still believed Iris was innocent when she was now ‘evading the law.’ The prince had stood his ground and told the king that he was glad she’d gotten away while she had the chance, which had only convinced the reigning Maydestone that his Stockholm Syndrome hadn’t been cured and that he needed another therapy session with Dr. Foster as soon as the lockdown was lifted.

In addition to the unending tension with his father, Caspian was also worried about Iris. Rationally, he knew she was safe with Miles, but he still checked in with his friend once every morning to make sure nothing had happened to her overnight. Fortunately, that stressor was short-lived though. As each day went by and she was still safe, he felt more and more confident that she was going to be okay. Jacob had convinced the military that she had been taken away by other rebels, so the soldiers had only searched the streets of the capital and a few of the public buildings. They didn’t believe any of the high borns in the city had been accomplices in the crime, so they had left private residences untouched.

By the time the lockdown was over, the military came to the conclusion that Iris and her rescuers were long gone, and they could focus their efforts on matters beyond the walls of the capital. The orders were repealed, and the city was free to resume activities as normal. It also meant that Cas was free to leave his home and pay Iris a visit in person.

Having waited for this moment for seven days, he was understandably enthusiastic when he got up in the morning and readied himself to go to the Kinders’ house. He’d already texted Miles to let him know that he would be on his way, had showered and dressed himself and was heading to the garage when he bumped into Jacob, who was going the same direction.

The guard bowed his head politely and fell in step at his side. “You’re in an awfully good mood today,” he mused, glancing over the prince’s ensemble. “Where are you going?”

“I’m just visiting my friends,” Cas replied vaguely. “I need to get out of the house, you know?”

“Mhm,” Jacob grunted knowingly. “And do you have a plan… when you get to your ‘friend’s’ place?”

Cas faltered slightly. He knew the guard was asking him if he had a plan to deal with Iris now that things were finally calming down in the capital, but he didn’t have an answer. Truthfully, he hadn’t thought this far ahead. When he’d rescued her, he had just been trying to keep her out of the hands of the soldiers, and he’d succeeded. Now, he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to send her back to the other districts, but with everyone on the lookout for her, the capital couldn’t be her home either. There was no right solution.

And Jacob knew it too. “If you don’t have one yet, I’d suggest coming up with something soon, Your Highness,” he advised, casting the prince a sideways glance. “You only have so much time for your visit, after all.”

“I know,” Cas murmured. While it was unlikely that anyone would catch Iris now that it was assumed she’d fled the city, he couldn’t hide her with Miles forever. The plan they had come up with before was temporary at best.

When they got to the garage, Cas parted ways with Jacob, heading to his car while the guard walked off to inspect the newly fixed wiring on the side door. He climbed into the driver’s seat, feeling eager to be behind the wheel for the first time in far too long, and turned the engine. Luckily, Miles’ neighborhood was only a short trip away, so he could be there in fifteen minutes or less. Excited to check on Iris, he backed the car out of the garage and headed down the long private road at the side of the estate.

--

For Miles, the lockdown went about as well as it possibly could have. He found that he enjoyed spending time with Iris, watching movies and shows and playing games to pass the time. There was something melancholic about her, but it wasn’t difficult for him to pull her out of her off-and-on moods with a bit of well-place humor. He also felt more and more drawn to her as the days went by. She had a sweet and thoughtful disposition that attracted him like a bee to honey, and he woke up each morning looking forward to the activities they would do together.

He was also feeling good about how their escape had gone overall. Following Jay’s instructions, he had called the police station to report his car as stolen, and the officers had bought the lie hook, line and sinker. Unfortunately, his car had been impounded as evidence, but it was better than being arrested, so he couldn’t complain. As long as the police didn’t see him as a suspect, he would happily let them keep his car until they were ready to return it to him.

By the time the lockdown had ended, he was almost upset about it. He would no longer have the joy of keeping Iris all to himself, but at least he would be able to see his friends again and get out of the house. Cas had already texted him not too long ago that he would be coming over for a visit. Jay hadn’t said anything yet, but he was sure he would be stopping by sometime later in the day as well to catch up with them.

Stepping out of his closet, where he had just finished getting dressed, he glanced at Iris with an amused expression. “No way. I could never get bored of keeping you entertained,” he denied, smoothing down his shirt over his torso. “It’s been like having a live-in audience for all the stupid shit I do. Making you laugh is the ego boost I’ve needed.” He paused. “Well, need is a strong word, but I definitely liked it.”

Striding over to the bedside table, he picked up his phone and slipped it into his pocket, “By the way, Cas said he’s gonna be here soon. Sounds like he got sick of being cooped up a lot faster than I did.” He turned back to her with a lopsided smile. “How someone gets sick of a royal palace, I’ll never know. That place is a dream to live in.”

“Sure, you say that now, but I bet you can’t wait to go out partying, living it up and dancing and flirting with all the attractive young women.” Iris chuckled softly as she couldn’t help but smile at Miles as she folded her legs over one another neatly, “I’m sure all the clubs and ladies have missed you and… your terrible dancing.” Finding herself laughing at her own comment she had become comfortable with winding him up, finding the banter between them enjoyable and it honestly felt like she had gained a friend in her time here and she was glad that his general being was so calming to be around because she knew she would have been a mess if he didn’t have the humour to keep her mind off of everything.

“Please, you don’t do that much stupid shit… well… I could probably count a few, but I put that down to you just making me laugh.” Rolling her eyes as she looked back at him grinning as he mentioned his ego boost that he needed. “Of course, you didn’t need it, that’s why you kept entertaining me.” Sticking her tongue out playfully as she folded her arms comfortable on the sofa, it had practically been her little space as she barely left the thing but thankfully it was comfortable. Though she doubted anything would be uncomfortable in his home.

Watching as he picked up his phone, she couldn’t help but smile at the mention of Cas, eyes lighting up at the idea that he was coming over. It was hard to hide her excitement, it had been a week. A long week not seeing him, not being able to talk to him and she wished she had some sort of phone just to message him on occasion, but she knew it was risky. Not seeing him for a week was important, it had to be done because it only made sure their escape plan worked and that she was safe but it was hard none the less. “Oh brilliant! It will be good to see him again.” Iris was careful not to hint at anything being there between them, it had to be a secret after all. “I mean I think I’d go crazy stuck without any sort of decent company. We both got lucky that you weren’t boring, so we were able to entertain ourselves.”

Though… what if. What if he doesn’t like me anymore? It’s been so long, what if things are different between us? The thought crossed her mind, but she quickly pushed it down knowing that dwelling on it would only make it worse, she was excited to see Caspian and she was sure he felt the same. “I now know some more card games; I’m definitely going to win when we all play again. I can feel it.” Looking towards the door she wondered how long he would be she hoped he didn’t live too far away as she was excited that he was coming over already. Glancing down at the dark red dress she was wearing she smoothed it out with her fingers feeling a little nervous, butterflies building up in her stomach as she tried to calm herself from acting like some school girl thinking about her crush.

Speeding along the highway, Cas turned his stereo up as high as he could take it and opened the sunroof on the top of the car. It had been weeks since the last time he’d gone for a drive alone, and he was milking the experience for all it was worth. Though he was excited to see Iris again, he’d never lost his fondness for taking solo joyrides around the city. The pulse of the music and the roar of the wind ripping through his hair were thrilling as he traveled at a high speed down the moderately busy road. If his father didn’t demand that he come home sooner than the usual curfew, he was tempted to take a longer drive after he left Miles’ house later that day.

He coasted between other cars, making his way toward the Kinders’ neighborhood while his thoughts fixated on Iris once again. Now that they were finally going to see each other again, he was finding it harder and harder to keep her out of his head. He’d missed being around her, talking to her, touching her. The week that they had been apart had left him feeling like an addict on withdrawal, and he couldn’t wait to bridge the divide that Atlas had unknowingly forced between them with the implementation of the lockdown. He also couldn’t wait to steal a moment to talk to her about the proposition she’d made before they had started drinking before.

As always, the thought left him somewhat flustered but also stupidly excited, and he pressed down a little harder on the gas pedal in anticipation. The memory of their night at the pub came to mind, as well as how hard it had been to cool down after things had gotten so heated between them. The lasting impression of her hands on his bare skin, her lips locked hungrily with his own, and the briefly unleashed desire that had culminated between them was more than enough to make him lightheaded. Although he was glad that they’d had the sense to stop before they’d gotten themselves into a situation that they may have regretted, he was still looking forward to being with her in a way that he never had with anyone else before.

However, amidst his rekindled passion for her, another thought appeared that put a halt to his train of thoughts: He and Iris had stopped themselves last time because of the potential repercussions that could have come with sleeping together. Swearing under his breath, he glanced at the nearest exit sign to gauge where he was en route to Miles’ house. In the capital, he had access to contraceptives, but he hadn’t thought to buy anything when he’d left the mansion that morning. It had also been quite a while since the last time he’d sent a servant to run such an errand for him—even though he’d never slept with anyone before, he’d been hopeful enough to keep some on hand, just in case—so anything he might have had was most likely expired.

Biting his lip, he groaned and turned the wheel, steering his car onto the next exit ramp. If he’d planned better, he would have paid a servant to make the trip for him, but it was too late for that. He would just have to hope he could slip in and out of a gas station fast enough that he wouldn’t draw attention to himself. The last thing he wanted was for someone to catch him in the middle of a scandalous purchase and spread rumors about his sex life. He already had enough problems to deal with without being roped into more high born gossip.

Pulling up to the first gas station he saw, he was relieved to find that there was only one other car parked outside the shop. Hopefully, that meant it would be clear enough that he could be back on the road in just a few minutes.

He pulled into a space by the door and climbed out of his car, leaving his sunglasses in place until he was inside the convenience store. As he lifted them up to rest on top of his head, he dipped to the back of the building straight away where he was pretty sure he could find what he was looking for. Fortunately, he was right and there was only one other family nearby, none of whom seemed to have noticed him as they tried to talk their daughter down from purchasing an overpriced doll by the register.

He grabbed a box from the shelf along with a couple other random items—a bag of chips, a pack of gum, and a lighter even though he didn’t smoke—since it felt weird to approach the cashier with nothing but contraceptives in hand. Not wasting any time, he turned and wove his way through the other stands until he got to the counter and set everything down to check out.

The pink-haired woman on the other side lazily glanced up from the book she had been reading. “Will that be all for you today—?” she started to ask and then froze, doing a double-take as she looked up to see his face. Recognizing him immediately, her entire demeanor shifted, and she fumbled to set her book down. “Your Highness. Did you, err, find everything you were looking for?”

Cas nodded faintly, avoiding her gaze by pretending like he was reading something interesting on his phone. It was impossible to escape from the gas station without being spotted by the cashier, but that didn’t make the exchange any less awkward for him. He felt like a guilty schoolboy who had been caught trying to buy cigarettes. It would have been easier if he was just a normal high born who could duck in and out of a shop without being recognized, but he was unfortunate enough to have eyes on him wherever he went. Nothing he did went unnoticed or forgotten.

The girl scanned each item, thankfully without commenting on the sordid box, and gave him his total. “Do you want a bag for everything, Your Highness?” she asked as he took his card from his wallet to pay.

“Yeah, thanks,” he replied, trying to ignore the obvious intrigue etched on her face. It wasn’t a long shot to guess that she was trying to piece together who he was going to be seeing after he made his rushed purchase. He was just glad that no one in the capital knew he was with Iris, so she wouldn’t get dragged into the merciless spotlight along with him.

Inserting the card into the reader, he waited a few seconds for the transaction to go through and then moved to return it to his wallet. However, as he did, he stiffened as he caught sight of movement to his left. Too late, he realized that the girl he’d spotted a few minutes ago had slipped away from her parents and bounced over to the counter. She leaned up on her toes to set down the doll she was determined to get, wearing a bright smile on her face.

“One dollie please, miss!” she called to the cashier, only to pause when she caught sight of the other items on the surface. “Are you buying a toy too, mister?” she asked, and before he could react, she had swiped the box from the counter to read the label. “What are cond—”

“Not a toy!” Caspian interrupted her quickly, turning scarlet as he took the container back from her small hands.

In the next moment, the girl’s mother saw that she was hassling him and blanched, racing over to take her by the hand. “I’m so sorry, Your Highness,” she apologized hurriedly. Her eyes flicked to the box in his hands and she grimaced, giving her daughter a firm tug, “Elise, that was very naughty. You don’t go through other people’s belongings like that!”

“Sorry, mama…” the girl pouted as she was speedily ushered away.

Caspian watched them go with an appalled expression, mortified by the entire encounter. Muttering to the cashier to keep his receipt, he tossed the box into the plastic bag with the other goods and hurried out of the store to escape back to his car. Once he’d closed the door behind him, he threw the bag on the passenger’s seat and gripped the steering wheel with both hands. “Oh my god!” he yelled to no one, dropping his forehead onto the brim of the wheel in humiliation. There was no way that errand could have gone any worse. It was just his luck that a stranger’s kid would have been the one to approach him at the gas station.

For a few minutes, he stayed where he was, hiding behind the tinted windows of his car until he reigned in his embarrassment enough to lift his head and set out again.

Trying his hardest to forget what had just happened, he made excellent time to Miles’ house and pulled around to the front door. He stowed the individual packets in his wallet and left the empty box, snacks and lighter behind, still veritably glowing red as he climbed out of the vehicle and stepped up to the entrance. With a calming breath, he reached up and knocked, praying that the color would leave his cheeks before anyone answered the door.

--

“You’re not boring either,” Miles returned, giving Iris a teasing push to the shoulder as he stood near the sofa. “You might even be better company than Cas and Jay. Don’t tell them I said that though.” He winked at her and glanced at his phone to check the time. He would have thought that Caspian would have gotten to his place by now. Maybe traffic was bad on the way over? He wondered, trying to guess what could have held the prince up. Cas was usually punctual.

Looking up at Iris again, he laughed at her competitive words. “Oh really?” he grinned at her with equal enthusiasm. “We’ll see about that. I do think you’ll wipe the floor with Cas if you play against him though. You’ve come a long way, young apprentice.” Jokingly, he pressed his palms together and bowed to her in an old-fashioned, ridiculously formal gesture to accentuate the point.

In the next moment, he perked up again as the doorbell rang, signaling that the prince had finally arrived. “Oh good,” he mused. “His Royal Tightass is here. Stay put for a minute, and I’ll bring him in.” Flashing one more friendly smile Iris’s way, he trotted to the door and headed out into the hall to receive his new guest at the door.

“I’ll take that as a compliment then.” Iris mused laughing as Miles gave her a teasing push being playful with her back, “Little old me? Better company than Jay and the crown Prince. My you are full of compliments for me today. I’ll get some sort of ego hanging around you for too long.” Chuckling as she shook her head in amusement finding it quite amusing he would boast such a thing, she didn’t believe she was better company than the boys who were his best friends but it was nice to think it if even for a moment. “There it is, now I think I’m the best. I told you hanging around you would give me some sort of ego boost.”

Smiling to herself as he kept the enthusiasm going, playing along with her at the idea she’d beat them all at cards. “Young apprentice.” Chuckling as she grinned at the idea of wiping the floor with Cas if they played cards together, well she could think of better things to do with him than play cards but she was certain that it would be fun. “I still think I could beat you too, just you watch next game you will be begging me to stop as the humiliation will be too much for your fragile heart.” They were bold words for her, she knew she was still getting the hang of playing the games, but she couldn’t help but boast her new abilities. It was always fun having banter with Miles.

“Royal Tightass.” Iris snorted at the nickname Miles consistently gave Cas, it was always amusing to her as she had never seen Cas be tight with anything. Not with her anyway, she didn’t know if there had been other times, but she still found it amusing. Giving a small wave to Miles she could barely contain her excitement. Already she could feel the knots in her stomach, butterflies building up at the anticipation of seeing him. Though she knew she couldn’t hug him or kiss him for that matter whilst Miles was around, perhaps they would get a brief moment alone? I wonder if he thought about that night together. Feeling her cheeks heat up at the thought, their last conversation burned in the back of her mind because at first it had been an innocent suggestion. To talk through what had happened and enjoy each other’s company, she felt like she could open up to him but now the idea of that night together made her think of other things they could be doing.

Hearing the door go once more she could only assume it was Miles with Cas and the smile spread across her face as she eagerly sought him out, “Well well well, did the palace get boring your highness?” Smirking as she made the comment, she had to make that comment because it stopped her from leaving the sofa and going over to hug him. As much as she yearned it, she knew right now she had to just wait a little longer. At least she could see and talk to him though.

“That was the idea,” Miles grinned at Iris when she said he was building her ego. Really it was more of an excuse for him to compliment her without giving away his interest outright. Now that the lockdown was over, there was less of a reason for him to pretend like he didn’t find her ridiculously hot, but he wanted to plan out how he was going to make a real move at least a little before he actually tried it. For now, he would just work less to hide his attraction, so she wouldn’t be blindsided when he left nothing to the imagination later on.

Heading out of his bedroom, he made his way to the front door, where one of the maids had just let Caspian inside the manor. “Hey, long time no see,” he greeted the prince in a friendly manner, then quirked a brow when he noticed the color on his face. “You okay, man? You’re looking a little flushed.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Cas shook his head, shutting the topic down with a wince. Apparently his efforts to quell his embarrassment hadn’t worked very well. He hoped the residual awkwardness would fade once he got his mind off the events at the gas station. Seeing Iris again would help. At the thought of her, he peered past Miles’ shoulder down the hallway that led to his room, his heart fluttering with excitement. “Let’s go sit down,” he suggested to the other high born, waving a hand for him to follow as he strode toward the corridor.

“Okay,” Miles complied without question, picking up on the prince’s implied desire to meet up with Iris away from the maids that were milling about the public quarters of the building. They walked back to the bedroom, talking idly as Miles made one more attempt to ask why the prince had shown up to his place looking flustered. Of course, Cas shut him down stubbornly and took a few quick steps ahead to get to the door before his friend had a chance to pester him anymore. As soon as he opened it, he was greeted with the sight he had been awaiting for the whole week.

Stopping in the doorway, he couldn’t help but stare as his eyes landed on Iris. She was sitting on the sofa, donning a beautiful, deep scarlet dress that cinched and flowed over her body in a way that both flattered her figure and highlighted the rosiness of her fair skin. Her golden blonde hair was loose and her blue eyes were especially striking in contrast with the bold color of her clothing. It almost felt like she had been posed just for him, and he nearly missed the words that left her perfectly shaped lips as he struggled to pick his jaw up off the floor.

“Um, yeah…” he managed to splutter after a moment, proceeding the rest of the way into the room with Miles following close behind. Clearing his throat, he smiled at her sheepishly, feeling strangely nervous around her when she looked so incredible. If possible, she was even more gorgeous in person than he’d made her out to be in his imagination while they’d been apart. He was bewildered how he had gotten so lucky that a woman like her was actually interested in him. If his friend hadn’t been in the room with them, he would have been tempted to close the distance between them and have her on the sofa.

Chagrined by the direction of his own thoughts, he forced himself to speak, “Anyway, how have you been holding up? I hope Miles hasn’t been giving you too hard of a time while you’ve been stuck here with him.”

Hearing the splutter of Cas, she felt a satisfaction that he was clearly still interested in her, and her worries and thoughts had all been for nothing. There was no change between them, he didn’t suddenly find her repulsive or no longer have feelings for her. Iris knew she had been silly, but again she couldn’t help but worry over those things. Especially when she thought how he could have whomever he wanted, anyone would have happily thrown themselves at him, but he had chosen her even after she had betrayed him, he still wanted her and it made her feel giddy inside knowing this. Knowing that he thought she was worth it all.

I’m glad I wore this for him. Thinking to herself fondly as she looked at the sheepish smile and the way he cleared his throat knowing to herself that she had made the right choice. Seeking out his gaze she had to hold back her blush, try not to appear flustered because she couldn’t let on that there was anything between them. Seeing him standing there before her was amazing, he looked healthy, well and a lot better than he had at the border and he also looked like most of his injuries had healed. Well she hoped they had.

“Honestly Miles was so boring.” Iris smirked over at his friend just winding him up a little, “You just can’t get good company these days.” Finding herself laughing as she shook her head slightly to show that she was only messing around with a light-hearted joke. “I am only messing, honestly Miles has been lovely. Managed to find clothes around my size and put up with me for a whole week and I’ve made myself pretty comfortable on this sofa.” Patting the cushion that had been her bed for the past week, but she didn’t care because it was just as comfortable. The furnishings here were top quality and far better than anything in the districts, it certainly beat the floor of the bunker they had stayed in the first night.

“I actually think I’ve managed to get a bit more sleep too, which is a godsend considering this guy snores loud. I mean it, super loud I thought it was like a bear or something.” Iris knew she was rambling a little and talking a little too much about her time with Miles, not that there was anything wrong with that, but she felt incredibly nervous around Cas. Seeing him stood there looking as handsome as ever, like nothing bad had happened to him it just made her nervous and ramble on like it was natural.

“Sorry, I’m talking too much…” Fiddling with the hem of her dress trying to hide how nervous she was with a laugh, she knew she must had looked stupid and she found her cheeks heating up ever so slightly. “How was your week? Did you get up too much at all? I don’t suppose you’ve had to start up those boring lessons you used to complain about so much.”

Way to go Iris, you look like a bumbling wreck, how he was ever attracted to me I don’t understand.

When Iris answered his question by saying that Miles had been boring, Caspian blinked, not expecting to hear those words come out of her mouth. Out of all the ways a person could describe his wild friend, boring was far from the top of the list. He would have thought that she’d call him overwhelming or ridiculous before she would ever accuse him of not being entertaining enough to keep her occupied. So, when she clarified that she had been joking, he nodded, not at all surprised.

“After everything I’ve done for you, I’d be offended if you didn’t think I was lovely,” Miles chimed in with a roll of his eyes, stepping across the room to plop down on the sofa next to her. “You minx. You make it sound like I made you sleep on the sofa every night.” Turning back to Cas, he shook his head adamantly. “I swear, I offered her the bed, but she insisted every time that she preferred the couch. It was all her decision.”

“Sounds like her,” Cas chuckled, recalling how much Iris had fought with him whenever he’d wanted to do something kind for her. He had always liked helping other people, but she made simple gestures in veritable competitions. Any time he proposed to do anything for her, he knew to brace himself for pushback and excuses before she would begrudgingly let him come alongside her. It sounded like Miles had learned the same lesson during their week together, except his friend hadn’t been persistent enough to convince her to sleep in the bed.

Despite the warm atmosphere in the room, the prince felt an odd twinge in his chest as he conversed with the others. Noticing the way Miles had seated himself at her side, he found himself wondering involuntarily just how close they had gotten during the lockdown. A subtle frown tugged at his lip, though he managed to stifle it before it took over his features. He was probably just reading into things. It was only natural for Iris to have found friendship in Miles while they had spent so much time together. He couldn’t be upset with her for getting along with the other high born. Reprimanding himself silently for distrusting them without reason, he strode over to the empty chair adjacent to the sofa and sat down.

As Iris went on to tease Miles about his snoring, the other man balked and turned to her with wide eyes. “You said I wasn’t bothering you!” he gasped. “What the hell? Did you lie to me?” As he spoke, he nudged her jokingly with his elbow, making it clear that he wasn’t actually offended by the remark.

Telling himself that his friend was just treating her the same way he would behave around him or Jay, Cas did his best to shake off the discomfort he felt by focusing on her question to him. “Not too much,” he answered with a shrug, his eyes idly roving her red dress. “I spent most of my time watching TV while I recovered, but I also hit the gym a few times, so I wasn’t a total couch potato.”

He wished he could comment on how good she looked, but with Miles sitting right next to her, he kept the observation to himself. “What have you two been up to?” he asked instead, careful to keep his tone in check. He didn’t want to clue either of them in to the hint of bitterness he felt, especially when he was sure he was just being paranoid.

As much as she had wanted Cas to sit beside her she couldn’t just outright say it as it would draw unwanted attention to themselves, plus she could handle not sitting next to him as she had already waited a week just to see him again. “Hey no fair! You can’t gang up on me.” Huffing as Cas mentioned it sounded like her finding it hard to accept kindness at times. Iris didn’t know why she was like it, accepting help from others was often difficult and she wondered how she had developed that kind of behaviour. It was hard to understand everything fully especially when she still couldn’t remember everything about her life, even with the main parts of it unlocked there was still a lot she didn’t know.

“I was being kind; didn’t want to hurt your feelings or make you feel self-conscious over your snoring.” Iris stated in a matter of fact tone but she couldn’t keep a straight face as the soft laughter left her lips at the playful nudge of his elbow, he clearly wasn’t offended but it was always fun to make these kind of remarks. In fact, a lot of these banter comments and light-hearted jokes between them had kept her from crumbling, the laughter stopped the tears and it was becoming easier to forget as each day passed. Especially with his bright personality.

Glancing back over at Cas as he took the sat adjacent to them, she smiled as he spoke about his time, “How are you doing now? You’re looking loads better, have the… injuries nearly healed?” Her tone softer, a pang of guilt as she hesitated at saying the injuries because he’d never have had them if it wasn’t for the rebellion and Ethan and her father. The man who had started this whole ordeal off.

“Oh! Well, not too much. I think I’ve watched a lot of the latest movies now, we just sort of chatted and hung out really.” Tapping her fingers against her knee as she tried to recall the activities they had done, “Ohhh but Miles did teach me some various card games, turns out I already knew how to play a lot of them… I eh… just didn’t remember.” Feeling a little sheepish at the fact she did know how to play more games than just snap, she just couldn’t remember. “At first, I only thought I knew how to play snap, but apparently not. I’ve got quite the lucky hand with cards.” Smiling proudly at the idea she was becoming better at the game, that and she had remembered something more of her life. It was only little, but it will still something.

“I’ll be sure to whoop you at cards next, I honestly think Miles cheats.” Casting a sideways glance at Miles with the playful jibe that he cheats at card games.

Fidgeting on the sofa she was itching to have a moment alone with Cas, to just find out if he truly was okay. If they were okay, but again she had to remind herself that being patient was key though she couldn’t help but ask her burning questions curious to know if they were truly in the clear. Sighing softly to herself she glanced at her hands that had intertwined with one another neatly in her lap, “It’s felt like a long week. I can’t lie I was anxious every time there was a knock at the door. Do you think you all got away with it? That I won’t be taken back there.”

“I feel a lot better,” Caspian confirmed with a smile when Iris asked how he was doing. He’d caught the slight waver in her voice, so he wanted to assure her that he had almost fully recovered. His injuries had been severe, but the medicine in the capital was unmatched by any other countries on the continent, so even though only a week had gone by, he was practically healed. All that was left to remind him of the wounds were the slight ache in his leg that formed when he spent too much time walking on it and the white scars that were developing over the worst of his surface injuries. For the most part, he could scarcely tell that he’d been stabbed, shot and broken just recently.

As she went on to tell him about when she and Miles had been up to during the lockdown, he nodded along attentively, glad to hear that she had stayed busy. The one thing his friend was good at was providing distractions when times were hard. His chipper attitude and eagerness to take everyone’s minds off their troubles were appreciated by both himself and Jay. “Oh yeah?” he mused. “What games did you play?” He was also relieved that she was still gaining memories back. It may not have been much, but to him, it was a sign that she was still recovering from the head wound that had given her amnesia. Any progress she made toward recovering the person she had been before that night was important to him.

“We had a whole week, so I taught her a few different ones,” Miles answered. “Rummy, Hearts, Spades, Blackjack, even Go-Fish.” He glanced at her with a smirk and then scoffed when she accused him of cheating. “Whatever. If anyone has been cheating, it’s you. I’ve never lost at Rummy that many times in a row in my life! I know you’ve been pocketing aces, Iris. Don’t try to deny it.”

Watching the two banter as if they were old friends, Caspian felt another sting of envy that threatened to wipe the pleasant expression off his face. He wished he could have been the one to be locked up with Iris for a whole week. He’d had that much time with her when they had been in the districts, of course, but their time together hadn’t been all fun and games. They had been running for their lives from the rebellion. Absently, he leaned into his chair and folded his arms over his chest, struggling to mask his jealousy. He knew he shouldn’t be upset. It had been his idea to hide her with Miles when she’d left the hospital, after all. To be frustrated that the two had bonded would have been hypocritical. Yet he couldn’t help himself. Insecurity bubbled up inside of him, and he remarked flippantly, “I believe her. You know you don’t always play fair, Miles.”

His friend turned toward him with a frown, catching the subtle passive-aggressive tone of his voice but not understanding what had provoked it. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Inwardly, Cas cringed, knowing he was letting his emotions get the best of him again. Miles didn’t deserve that. Even if he had taken interest in Iris, it was because he didn’t know they were together. But are we still? He wondered suddenly, stricken with a flash of worry. Before the lockdown, he’d thought he and Iris were on the same page, but what if she had only fancied him because he was the only eligible man around? Now that she’d spent a week getting to know someone else, what if she’d decided she liked the other high born better? They had never talked about being exclusive with one another, so she’d had every right to explore other options while they were apart. He swallowed hard, wishing they could be alone so he could find out where her head was at now that she’d spent time with someone else.

“You’re safe now,” he confirmed in response to Iris’s question, dodging the one his friend had asked by latching onto the other subject. “I talked to the head of security about it… Jacob. He figured out that we were the ones who helped you escape, but he agreed not to say anything after I explained the whole situation to him. He said he would tell the soldiers that you were taken back to the districts already. I know him well, and I’m sure we can trust him to keep his word.”

“Wow,” Miles whistled. “That was lucky.” He turned back to Iris. “Looks like you’re in the clear, rebel girl.”

“I would never cheat!!” Iris found herself laughing as Miles turned it back to her, the idea that she would cheat was preposterous, but she liked the fact he would tease her back. Again, the bright chipper mood taking away whatever worries she had faced. They were still there in the back of her mind, but it was easy to focus on something else if only for a second. “I can assure you I did not pocket any aces; I didn’t even have pockets! I wasn’t even wearing anything with sleeves. You’re just a sore loser.” Biting back as she could see the smirk on Miles face and she knew already he was just winding her up, but she couldn’t even stay fake mad at him.

Though she found her gaze wandering back to Cas, the smile being replaced by a frown at the tone of his voice. Seeing him with folded arms over his chest she felt like he was becoming closed off, that he didn’t want to talk or share with them and she felt the worry creep back in. The thought that he actually might not be interested in her anymore, that maybe over the week he had come to find that he wasn’t attracted to her and it had just been the adventure that had drawn them close. I thought… we were together? Maybe I got it wrong? Iris had to stop herself from just outright asking him what his problem was, worried that it would just cause a fight and he would admit to not liking her anymore. Words she didn’t want to hear leave his lips. Iris knew she was probably overreacting to this, but the flashes of that vivid nightmare she experienced a week ago when he had said he never loved her haunted her.

What if I just said something that offended him. Maybe he doesn’t like the fact I’m insulting his best friend? I must have done something wrong. Nerves began to build up as she couldn’t help but fidget uncomfortably on the sofa worried to speak for a moment because she thought she had done something wrong. Watching Cas she felt herself ease a little as he confirmed she was safe, deciding to focus on this subject of the conversation making her feel a little silly as she had probably just overreacted and read too much into it. “Jacob knows?” There was worry in her voice, not because the guard knew but she still couldn’t shake off the worry that Cas didn’t like her.

“Rebel girl?” Smiling slightly as Miles made the comment, she relaxed a little more, Jacob could be trusted as Cas had said and she believed his word. “I can’t believe he agreed to it…” Shaking her head she was slightly shocked that he had agreed to keep his word and even throw the soldiers off of her scent. “I’m starting to build up a debt here for people saving my life.” Trying to make a joke, hoping that it would cheer up Cas a little, she still wondered what brought on that tone of voice. “Though thinking on it, I’m fairly certain that Jacob was the one that made the prison take me to the hospital. If he hadn’t have done that, I don’t know what would have happened.” Iris could remember hearing his voice bark the orders at someone about moving her, she was certain it was Jacob though it was hard to recall without thinking on that painful time.

Determined not to dwell on the matter Iris grinned at the boys clapping her hands together, “We should celebrate lockdown being lifted. I know I don’t want to sit around here dwelling on the past. I am safe, you guys aren’t going to be punished. We should be happy. What shall we do?” Hoping that it would brighten up everyones mood and keep her own mind off of the depressing thoughts.

“You heard me,” Miles grinned at Iris cheekily, getting her back for calling him a sore loser. “I stand by it. You were a rebel of Aspiria, and now you’re a rebel of rebels. It’s fitting.” He couldn’t tell at all if she was reciprocating his playful flirting or if she was just teasing him in a friendly manner. She was too personable to differentiate between the two. However, she had yet to push him away when he’d sat beside her on the sofa, so he took it as a green light to keep making an effort without pushing her boundaries too much. Besides, it was amusing to poke fun at her. She was a good sport, and she return each verbal blow with a swing of her own that only egged him on.

Meanwhile, Caspian felt restless as he watched one of his closest friends sidle up to Iris so comfortably. He wished he could just say something to ward Miles off, but his tongue was tied as long as they were trying to keep their relationship—or what was left of it—a secret from everyone else. Additionally, he was no longer certain if it was even his place to tell other men off from her at all. If she had decided that she wanted to test the waters with someone else, he couldn’t stop her.

He averted his gaze uneasily. They had exchanged ‘I love you’s at the rebels’ prison, but what if it had just been the heat of the moment to her? In retrospect, they hadn’t been together for very long, so their ties to one another weren’t very deep. Maybe all it had taken was one week apart for her to decide she wanted to be with someone else. Of course, it was also possible that he was overreacting and that nothing had changed between them, but it was hard to stay positive when it looked like she was chatting up another man right in front of him. His initial excitement to see her again was quickly being replaced with hot tendrils of jealousy and doubt.

“You don’t owe anyone anything,” Miles waved a hand dismissively. “We’re helping because we want to, not because we want something from you. And I swear to god, Nox-Fleuret, if you try to pay me back, I will kick your ass to the curb.” As he spoke the fake warning, he poked her shoulder with one finger to emphasize the point.

When Iris mentioned Jacob, Cas risked turning back to her, surprised to hear that Jacob had been the one to send her to the hospital. The guard hadn’t mentioned that when they had talked before. “He did?” he mused, wondering why Jacob had gotten involved at all. Usually he said he was too busy to deal with the affairs at the penitentiary, so he had obviously made an exception for her. He doubted he would ever be given an answer to the question though. The guard was far too reserved to explain what had caused him to make Iris his personal responsibility.

The sound of Iris’s hands clapping together pulled the prince from his thoughts, and he nodded at her idea. Putting his own sour mood aside, he agreed that they should celebrate now that the worst was over. She deserved to have closure after everything she’d been through. “I don’t know,” he said contemplatively, trying to come up with an idea. “Miles, this is your house. What do you think we should do?”

“I have a few ideas,” his friend smiled mischievously. “Champagne, takeout from a restaurant of Iris’s choice, and, if anyone wants to have a little more fun, something from my stash.”

“Ugh, more alcohol?” Cas wrinkled his nose. “My stomach is still recovering from the last time we got drunk.”

“Then don’t have any,” Miles shrugged. “That’s what the other stuff is for.”

“I think I’ll just stick to the food,” Cas shook his head. He wasn’t very fond of the drugs other high borns like his friend indulged in either. He used them every once in a while, but he preferred not to touch the stuff unless he was feeling especially daring at a party. Usually when Jay and Miles got high, he was the one making sure they didn’t do anything stupid before they sobered up.

“Suit yourself,” Miles rolled his eyes and turned back to Iris. “So, what are you in the mood for? I bet I can name a restaurant that makes any kind of food you would want to eat.”

Nox-Fleuret. The family name, the one that had been proudly brandished across the rebellion and now it just left a bit of a sour taste in her mouth. Though it was just a name it was her fathers name, she couldn’t remember what her mothers last name was else she would have asked by now to be called it. I guess it doesn’t really matter? To Iris however it did, finding herself getting wrapped up just about her last name, she didn’t even bite back at the tease that Miles had said on kicking her to the curb around paying him back. Already he knew she was the type to pay people back, finding it hard to except kindness without some form of repayment. Caspian knew this about her also, but she didn’t have the heart to fight back on the matter.

Smiling at Cas at the mention of Jacob and how he had sent her to the hospital she nodded, “Probably because of you and I don’t think it’s anything to with authority. I think he believes in you like I do.” As much as she knew they had to be careful she still wanted him to know that she believed in him, hopefully he also took it as a she still cared for him. Maybe he would read into it more, she hoped he would because it hurt not being able to tell him her feelings for him and ask if they were okay.

Turning her gaze to Miles as Cas stated it was his home and what did he think she shook her head grimacing, “I don’t like your ideas. Especially when it comes to drinking.” Although it had been fun, she wasn’t a huge fan of drinking, or anything else for that matter when he mentioned his stash. Wrinkling her own nose, she shook her head agreeing with Cas on the idea that more alcohol was not the way to go with this.

“Food however sounds great; I’ve regained my appetite and let’s just say the food here is amazing. It's certainly been a treat.” Perking up at the idea of food, at the start she had been a bit cautious still feeling sorry for herself but she had soon warmed up to the idea of eating and now it was always exciting to experience the new foods that she could taste. It was the same when she had stayed with Cas, they always had such fancy food that she had never tried before and it now felt strange thinking on the slops they used to eat back in the districts.

“Whatever we have will certainly be better than anything I could ever cook myself.” Grimacing as she thought on the stale bread, she had offered Cas back when he was locked in her basement. Not that was something she had cooked because there wasn’t much food available to cook for him at the time because whatever money her family had was always spent on alcohol to appease her father. “I’ll be honest, I’m not that great when it comes to food. I’ve not really had much choice before, so I am happy to let you guys pick. I’m sure it will be amazing whatever you choose.”

When Iris said that Jacob had probably helped her because he believed in him, Caspian reddened slightly. He hadn’t thought of that. Reflexively assuming he hadn’t done anything worth being respected—he fumbled often when he attempted to take over his father’s responsibilities, he’d allowed himself to be fooled and captured by the rebellion, and he’d even helped a known and wanted rebel escape from the military—he was surprised that she thought the guard looked up to him. He was also flattered that she said Jacob believed in him “like she did.” Though he was still uncertain where they stood on a romantic front, it brought him pleasure to know that she still thought he was going to be a king worth following.

“Maybe,” he murmured, shuffling his feet bashfully.

When Iris told Miles she didn’t like his ideas, the high born gawped at her incredulously. “Why? It’s customary to pop a bottle of champagne when you’re celebrating something. If I didn’t offer, it would be bad manners.”

“It’s less about that and more about the fact that you just offered after getting all of us trashed a week ago,” Cas clarified dryly.

“So?” Miles stared at him uncomprehendingly. “I think it’ll be fun, but I guess I just come from hardier stock than you do.”

“I mean, I was the one who was taken by the rebellion, beaten almost to death and managed to come back alive,” Cas reminded his friend with a wry smirk. “But sure, you can say you’re hardier than me if you want to.” Despite the gibe, he knew his tolerance to alcohol couldn’t match a lot of other high borns his own age. With nothing better to do with their time, most of them spent their nights drinking and doing drugs at wild parties around the city. He participated when he could, but even then, he didn’t often indulge as much as the people around him. Because of that, he wasn’t able to wreck his liver and bounce back the next day like they could. It was just a matter of exposure.

“Alright, you got me there,” Miles relented, throwing up his hands. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, tapping away at a text message. “But if you two aren’t gonna join me, I’m inviting Jay over to do the fun stuff.”

“You do that,” Cas laughed. When Iris said they could decide on a restaurant, he pondered their options, deciding that he could be the one to pick, since Miles and Jay were going to be content with their sinful pleasures. If they were getting high, he knew they would eat whatever he put in front of them without question. “We could order from that pizza place I told you about,” he suggested, glancing at Iris with a smile. “We can’t go out because the city guards could recognize you, but they deliver. I think I owe you a meal from them anyway.”

Iris couldn’t help but smile as she watched Cas shuffle his feet, noting the slight reddening of his cheeks. It felt good to see him react like that, watch him feel bashful over compliments from her. I just wish we could be alone. Biting the bottom of her lip as she tried not to fidget because she wanted to be close to him. A part of her didn’t know what was worse, being in lockdown away from him for a week or having him in the same room and not being able to express her feelings openly because no one knew.

“Customary for you maybe.” Iris commented rolling her eyes at Miles as he seemed to overreact at her comment on not liking his ideas, finding herself smirking because she knew how to wind him up. “Not that I had much to celebrate back home, but when we did, we certainly didn’t pop a bottle of champagne.”

Shaking her head at how Miles claimed it would be fun she knew she didn’t drink as much as they had that night, but she knew she couldn’t stomach such a thing. That and her own personal demons when it came to alcohol, she just didn’t touch the stuff, she was actually quite surprised she had let herself go that night and participated like she had. “I wouldn’t say hardier background… more spoilt?” Teasing Miles with a smirk on her face, it was a light-hearted comment still joking around with him and in no way did she mean the word spoilt maliciously.

When Cas piped up about what had happened, she felt her smile drop, although she knew it was in good humour and she had to remind herself of that fact. It was true, Cas had endured a lot and he was definitely hardier than Miles considering, but even with the gibe the reminder that he had been beaten almost to death was a painful one. Hesitating briefly, she composed herself knowing that it was silly to get worked up over it, that was now in the past and they were both safe. “Well I think I’m much hardier than you both put together.” Boldly making a comment of her own as she tried to put the smile back on her face, “I managed to step in a bear trap and lose my memories at the same time.”

Glancing over a Miles as he spoke about inviting Jay to do the fun stuff, she had to stop the sigh from leaving her lips. It was just another person thrown into the mix, another person that was stopping her and Cas from being alone together. It was hard not to feel disheartened as she knew that everyone was just trying to help, but she just wanted to talk to Cas alone.

“Oh! Luigis was it?” Grinning at the idea of going there, she had remembered him saying how it was one of the best pizza places around and they had agreed to go together. “Didn’t I owe you that? Or was it just drinks? I definitely owe you a lot.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised,” Miles shrugged, unperturbed by the fact that people beyond the city walls didn’t celebrate much. From what he understood about the districts, the commoners who lived there were bland, pessimistic individuals who wasted their days working and complaining. “But that just means we’ll have to show you how we party in the capital. Celebration is a form of art, and that art requires a bottle of bubbly. It’s the law!”

Cas shook his head amusedly at Miles’ exclamation. It was true that they usually popped champagne when they had something to celebrate or someone to honor, but there was no law. He wondered if Miles expected that he and Jay would finish the entire bottle without any help. If they were opening a new one, they were going to have to, since that particular drink didn’t keep very well after the first day. If they were planning to dabble with drugs on top of that, they were going to be extremely inebriated by the afternoon. He just hoped they wouldn’t do anything too stupid while they were crossfaded, since he didn’t feel like stopping them from trying to leave the mansion today.

When Iris accused Miles of being spoiled, the high born barked a laugh. “More spoiled than the man who’s going to inherit an entire country from his dad?” he snorted. “Good effort, but I don’t think that’s even possible.”

At his words, Cas averted his gaze uncomfortably. He had already known what his friends thought of his position as the crown prince, but they were far off their marks. While he couldn’t deny that there were perks to the royal status, the weight of his insurmountable responsibility was practically suffocating. He had never looked forward to being crowned king. Even when he’d been to the other districts and felt the pull to change things in Aspiria, he still recoiled from the thought of actually stepping up and doing it. As soon as he took over for his father, every eye in the nation would be on him, waiting to see if he would succeed or fail. To the prince that was entirely too sensitive to the way others perceived him, the pressure was crippling.

So, when Iris changed the subject, he was happy to move on. “I don’t know if I would call that hardy,” he disagreed with a laugh, finding it funny that she would use her condition as proof for being tougher than either of them.

“Yeah, that just sounds clumsy to me,” Miles snickered. “Maybe you need one of us hardy men to keep you company, so you don’t step in a pit fall next time.” Meaning the statement in a joking manner, he nudged her again before hitting ‘send’ on his text and stuffing the phone back into his pocket. With any luck, Jay would join them within the hour.

Trying to ignore the other high born’s obvious flirting with Iris, Cas nodded in response to her question. “You were gonna try to pay, but I already told you I wasn’t going to let you do it,” he reminded her stubbornly. Taking his own phone out, he pulled up the restaurant’s webpage to order delivery. “What kind of pizza do you guys want? If Jay is coming, I’ll get two, so we have enough for everyone to eat as much as they want.”

“I highly doubt it’s a law, if it is it sounds like a ridiculous one.” Iris chuckled shaking her head at the idea it was the law to celebrate with a bottle of bubbly. Of course, it wasn’t an actual law, but she enjoyed the light-hearted conversation. A part of her wondered what Miles thought of the districts, his view had to be like Caspians before he understood the reality of the places beyond the Capital. Though right now she didn’t want to think on it, everything from her hometown to the rebellion still hurt her and she knew it was still a fresh wound for Cas as well after everything they had put him through.

“I mean, I don’t think it’s spoilt to inherit a country with all the rubbish that no doubt comes alongside it. Think of the responsibility. I doubt you could run a country; you’d bankrupt it with all your silly laws and partying habits.” Iris snorted at Miles winding him up some more as he proclaimed that Cas was the spoilt one, at least Miles didn’t have to deal with a major responsibility. That and his life won’t be in the limelight, he won’t have peoples lives to consider. Then the troublemakers, the ones that cause crimes, he has to decide what to do with them and be okay with that decision. Finding her thoughts trail off she felt a great empathy for Cas and the idea that he would be the one to make these important decisions. It couldn’t be easy, especially when his relationship with his father was still rocky so he didn’t exactly have someone to turn too.

“Clumsy!?” Outraged Iris found herself frowning not catching on to the flirting of Miles, “You try walking in the dead of night and not stepping in a bear trap in those woods.” Folding her arms over her chest as she huffed at the idea, she knew it had been somewhat clumsy but it’s not like it was intentional. Though, what would have happened if I didn’t step in that trap? Things would be so different. I’d probably be dead, that’s for sure and things wouldn’t change. My father would have been alive if not killed by alcohol poisoning.

Pushing herself off of the sofa she moved over to Cas and stood behind leaning down to glance at his phone to check out the menu, “Just you watch I will pay you back and there is nothing you can do about it.” Teasing Cas as she peered at the device wondering what kind of pizza she wanted. “Hmm, what do I want. What are you getting? I can share with you. I doubt I could eat a whole thing.” Smiling as she enjoyed being that little bit closer to Cas, “Oh! Can we get garlic bread? Do they even do garlic bread? I eh… I mean is that okay to get some?” Feeling her cheeks heat up slightly as she felt a little embarrassed assuming it was just okay to add to the order, especially when she had no means of paying anyone right now.

A smile tugged at Caspian’s lip when Iris reveal that she understood some of the hardships that he was going to have to face when he became king. Of course, it was impossible for her to grasp the full weight of it all, since she had never needed to make decisions that could affect an entire country before. He supposed she had some idea though, since she was the daughter of a former leader of the rebellion. He would have been surprised if her father hadn’t had high expectations of her as well. He studied her discreetly, wondering what she could have gone through before they had met. Did she even know, when so many of her memories were still locked away?

Unable to ask while Miles was in the room with them, he busied himself by looking over the menu while his friend backtracked hurriedly from his last comment. “Sorry, I guess you wouldn’t have known about the rules we have about not going in there,” he apologized, remembering belatedly that she wasn’t from the capital. High borns were well aware of the risks and heeded the warning signs posted around the perimeter of the woods. There were some parts that were safe, while other parts were known to be used by hobbyist hunters. Either way, though, no one was supposed to venture into the trees after dark. Someone who had come from beyond the city wouldn’t have been able to tell which areas were safe and which were dangerous.

Listening to the conversation, Cas glanced up from his phone briefly as Iris stepped over to look over his shoulder. Although she had done nothing but walk closer to him, he still felt his heartbeat quicken with irrational excitement at her proximity, and he had to try hard to keep the emotion from bleeding into his face. “Good luck with that,” he wished her sarcastically when she insisted on paying him back. Aside from the fact that he knew she didn’t have money, he wouldn’t have accepted reimbursement for the food no matter if she was rich or poor. She didn’t stand a chance against his determination to treat her to lunch.

“I was thinking of getting this one,” he said pointing out one of the restaurant’s specials. “It’s got a few high-quality white cheeses with salmon, dill and red onions. I’ve had it before, and it’s really good.”

“Ooh, yeah,” Miles pitched in. “Let’s get one of those and the one with bacon, pesto and onions. I know Jay likes it, so he won’t complain about the options when he gets here.”

“Okay,” Cas nodded, making the selections on his phone. “We can get garlic bread too.”

“Great,” Miles grinned. “You’ll love the pizza from this place, Iris. It’s some of the best you can get in all of Aspiria. The chefs were professionally trained in Italy.”

“I will win, trust me. I am repaying you. I’m just as stubborn.” Iris chuckled as she poked Caspian gently on the arm, a smile tugging at her lips from just being in his presence. It took a lot to not just hug him, show affection but she knew she couldn’t, and it was painful trying to hold it in. Especially as a part of her worried that they weren’t on the same page anymore, perhaps the week apart had made him realise he was better off without her. That was something she consistently found herself thinking about, that he was so much better off without her. I’m glad he rescued me, saved me but… he would be better off without me.

Thinking on it she wondered on how they could even work, when it came down to it there was no way they could be long term considering he was due to be King. Biting the inside of her lip she tried not to think on it, but the thought continued to swirl around her mind as she contemplated on their future together. As much as the idea made her heart race it was all just fantasy, a fairy tale that could never come true because she was not destined to be with him. I should just enjoy my time here with him, while it lasts.

“Huh? Oh, that sounds quite interesting. These certainly sound more on the high end of pizza. I’m used to just good old cheese and tomato.” Grinning as she looked at the photo of the restaurants specials, excited to try the pizza because as the boys had said this was one of the best pizza restaurants in the Capital and it was hard not to be a little excited. Especially when most of her life she had eaten stale bread and scraps, compared to the food now she couldn’t imagine liking the previous food she had tolerated in the districts.

“Yes! Garlic bread is the best. I won’t have anyone tell me otherwise.” Iris smiled looked over at Miles as he mentioned on how the chefs were professionally trained in Italy. “Well if this isn’t a good pizza they need to retrain the chefs then. I have high expectations now.” Chuckling to herself softly as she knew it was lie, she didn’t expect it to be the best nor would be disappointed because she knew whatever food did arrive, she would be happy to eat. It was a nice change from the slops in the districts that was for sure.

Lingering around Cas for a little bit longer she watched him order the food her mind trailing back off to her previous worries of not being good for Cas. Maybe I should just disappear? Back to the districts, he would be better off without me. Looking over Cas for a second before she stood back up moving back to the sofa as there was no need to keep hanging around him after he had ordered. Sitting back down on the sofa she found herself thinking on ways to escape, sneak away from the boys because they would all do better without her and she wanted the best for Cas and she was believing that she was not it.

We’ll see about that, Cas thought, glancing up at Iris with an amused expression when she poked his arm. Though her touch was playful, it still sent butterflies flitting in his stomach. It was familiar and warm, like a comforting place that he longed to return to; yet at the same time, it was electrifying after they had gone an entire week without being near each other. He bit his lip as he keyed the information into the checkout on his phone, finding it ridiculously hard not to reach out to close the distance between them. He wished they could be alone and inwardly regretted sending her to stay with Miles during the lockdown.

“Luigi’s makes plain pizzas too, but we never order those,” he told her succinctly when she commented on the suggestions he and Miles had made. In the capital, only children ate the bland options provided by restaurants, while adult high borns were expected to have more refined palates. They were all raised on the richest spices and seasonings the world had to offer, and as a result, almost everyone acquired expensive taste by the time they were fifteen or sixteen years old. After that, they ordered the gourmet dishes not just because it was expected of them but also because they genuinely enjoyed the flavorful recipes.

“Yeah, after you try these, you’ll never want to go back,” Miles promised her confidently. He was a little surprised that Iris had limited herself to cheese and tomato pizzas all her life, but he guessed that she had just never been pushed to try the toppings that were better. If the people outside the capital didn’t dine on gourmet food at every meal like the high borns did, maybe her family had never even given her the chance to get out of her comfort zone with unique dishes. “If you don’t think the pizza is good, I will literally give you two hundred credits and chug the whole ass bottle of champagne,” he added, slapping one hand on the sofa beside him with unnecessary emphasis.

“Damn, now I kinda hope she hates it,” Cas snickered, hitting the key to submit their order and putting his phone away. All they had to do now was wait for the driver to arrive with their lunch.

“She won’t,” Miles grinned confidently. “I’m certain of it. I’ve never met a single soul that didn’t think Luigi’s makes the best pizza in Aspiria.”

“We’ll find out then,” Cas shrugged, his eyes tracking Iris’s movements as she went back to the sofa and sat down. Though it was irrational, he felt a pang of disappointment, wishing she would have stayed by his side a little longer. Her visit to his chair had been so short that he couldn’t tell if it had been an excuse to get close to him or if she had really just done it to read the restaurant’s menu over his shoulder. For the second time that morning, insecurity simmered beneath his skin, and he shifted his weight uncomfortably.

To make it worse, as soon as Iris sat down, Miles threw an arm over the back edge of the sofa behind her. The gesture would have been incredibly discreet if not for the fact that he had been flirting with her rather overtly just minutes before. However, because he knew exactly what his friend was thinking, Cas seethed with silent jealousy and glanced toward the bedroom door to tear his eyes away from them. Part of him was tempted to ask if something had happened between them, if only for the sake of clearing the air, but he didn’t trust himself to approach the topic without revealing his own interest in Iris.

Tense with anxiety and unsure how to deal with it around them, he rose abruptly from his seat and then cleared his throat. “Speaking of champagne, I’ll go get a bottle from the kitchen for you,” he offered, masking his desire to get away with a reasonable favor.

“Okay, thanks,” Miles nodded. “We’ll be here.”

You don’t have to remind me, the prince thought, biting down on the tip of his tongue to stifle the petty words. Needing some time alone, he stepped out of the room and strode to the kitchen without making eye contact with the maids he passed by in the halls.

“Oh.” Iris couldn’t help but find herself feel a little stupid at the idea that no one ever ordered plain pizza, but then she didn’t know any different. In the districts just having a plain cheese and tomato pizza was considered a luxury and she couldn’t remember the last time she had a pizza out there. Especially when the income she they had earned usually went on alcohol for her father at the time. It was just another reminder that she wasn’t from their world, that she didn’t truly fit in when she would order something so plain compared to the choices. The pizza itself sounded so fancy to her, salmon, dill and high-quality cheeses. If she was honest she wasn’t too sure if she would like it, fish hadn’t been something she had grown up around, but she knew she shouldn’t put a downer on it straight away because she might like it.

“They sound great.” Though her voice didn’t match the statement because she was now feeling self-conscious over pizza and she knew she needed to stop, but she was finding it hard to not beat herself up over it. Then came his comment and it stung a little, to hear Miles boast about throwing her money if she didn’t like it. Two hundred credits was a lot of money and she couldn’t help but think about how that amount had been at least triple the amount Maisie had given her and Caspian to survive in the districts. Even though Miles had made the comment to Iris it just reaffirmed her thoughts on how she and Cas were both from very different worlds and it only made her doubts and fears worse. So, drawn into her own little world she barely noticed the arm over the back of the sofa behind her, she didn’t care one bit as she found herself gravitating towards the plain pizza choice.

They must think I’m some sort of charity case. It was hard to hide the emotion she felt, the anxiety was building, and she knew she could be rubbish at trying to hide her unease. “There is no need for a bet like that. I’m sure I’ll like it.” Trying to sound confident as she flashed a smile in hopes it wouldn’t draw unnecessary attention to her.

Taken back by the sudden abrupt movement from Cas she looked up aa frown etched on her features as he spoke about getting the champagne. With Miles’ comment she knew she had to be reading into it, he was just doing them all a favour right? Though something told her in the pit of her stomach that something was wrong, Cas was upset over something and she couldn’t understand why. Thinking to herself she wondered if maybe she had said something wrong? Perhaps she had upset him or maybe he was just acting like this because he no longer had feelings to her. I wish I could go after him. It was hard not to just follow him, but again she was in hiding and couldn’t be seen.

Sighing softly she looked over at Miles on the sofa, “So when is Jay getting here?”