The Luna Choosing Game

Chapter 0618

Nicholas's lips were soft. His touch light, a barely there caress, as he held my face so near to his own.

I didn't register the sound of a door opening at first, so fully engrossed as I was with the man in front of me. It wasn't until I fluttered my eyes open and saw a figure walking past, that I startled into wakefulness.

It was a girl I didn't recognize, wearing an oversized hoodie and shorts. She had wireless headphones over her ears with the music blasting. She must have been the new roommate because my old bedroom door was opened.

Theld my breath, expecting some kind of reaction to seeing a prince and a woman she probably didn't know kissing in her living room, but the girl seemned totally unfazed.

She walked into the kitchen, retrieved a drink from the fridge, and then walked straight back into the bedroom without looking at us sideways.

Nicholas and I were in a frozen state of surprise, only broken once the girl closed her door. Then we looked at each other.

We were both confused and surprised. The romantic mood, however, was broken. Nicholas lowered his arms to my waist and kept them there, keeping me closer than too far apart.

"We should get Elva and Anna out here," Nicholas said. "I would like to spend more time with them."

I lifted a suspicious brow. "Why?"

Nicholas smiled. "I want to hear all the details of your life."

"They aren't all pretty..." I reminded him.

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I want to know everything about you, the good and the bad."

He was so sweet, I couldn't resist pressing myself up onto my tiptoes and kissing him one more time. Briefly, this time, so that we would not be interrupted. Then, I lowered myself back down.

"Elva will be happy to see you," I said. "Elva! Anna!"

They stumbled out of the other room so fast, it was as if they had been listening at the keyhole. Anna, I imagined, had been doing just that. Elva probably mimicked her without realizing what exactly they had been doing.

My cheeks burned red. "Anna..."

She shrugged, showing only a limited amount of shame. "I'm not the one kissing a prince in the living room!"

Elva gasped. "They were kissing?!"

I gave Anna a hard look. This time she did look apologetic. Sorry, she mouthed.

I sighed.

Fortunately Nicholas's very presence was enough to distract Elva from any further thoughts about why Nicholas and I might have been kissing.

Elva rushed to Nicholas for a hug. "Why are you here?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I wanted to make sure you and your mom were okay," Nicholas explained.

That seemed reasonable to Elva, who nodded.

Nicholas's presence was just as much of a surprise to the camera crew. The producer paled fiercely when he stormed into the apartment, ready to throw out orders about lighting and placement and what Anna and I should talk about, only to see Nicholas sitting on the couch.

"I'd rather not be recorded as being here," Nicholas said. "If you didn't mind, we should keep my presence a secret."

"Uh... yes, your Highness," the producer said. They'd met before. The producer had been around. But something about Prince Nicholas's presence this time seemned to upset him. Maybe because now he couldn't just do whatever he wanted, treat us however he wanted without ramifications.

It was a sad fact of life that people in power would want to treat those of us without this way. We shouldn't have needed Nicholas around to have some agency. Still, I was grateful for his presence. Now I wouldn't have to be so on-guard that the camera crew might try to capture my every bad moment.

Over the course of the day, interviews were given, as well as a few shots of Elva playing with her toys, and Anna and I hugging. Nicholas had to hide for each of them.

Once, when I knew he was hiding in the kitchen, I sneaked in there to find him. He was leaning against the counter, a carefree smirk on his lips. He had a devilish look that didn't full suit him.

"Why, Nicholas," I said, careful to keep my voice low. "Why in the world would you look at me like that?

"Why do you think?" he teased. I sneaked closer then, and he smiled as, after checking no one was locking, leaned in and kissed me.

It was as strange in the living room as it was here in the kitchen. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I'd have Nicholas here in my modern life. When I had left him at the Academy, I had thought I'd never seen him again.

Yet here he was, even as a prince, sneaking secret kisses to me behind the backs of the cameras.

The kiss didn't last long. It couldn't, really, with the dangers lurking so near. We couldn't risk the cameras catching us together.

Nicholas kissed his way to my ear.

"I can't wait until I get you back to the palace," I lightly swatted his arm.

Then I leaned back to look at him. "You came all this way..."

"I told you," he said. "I couldn't stay away. I had to be close to you."

I didn't want to dare hope, but... the inability to stay away from each other for long periods

was a feature of the mating bond.

But surely... I couldn't dare wish that Nicholas, a prince, would actually be developing a

mating bond with me.

"Piper!" the producer called, and too soon I was called out of the comfort of Nicholas's armsThis content belongs to Nô/velDra/ma.Org .

and the warm fuzziness of my thoughts.

"Go," Nicholas said and kissed my cheek. "I'll never be too far."

When it came time to say goodbye, Anna had warmed up to Nicholas some. They shook hands, and she told him, "Please take care of her for me."

"I promise," Nicholas said.

"I'm right here," I reminded them. "I'm capable of taking care of myself."

"It doesn't hurt to have someone looking out for you," Anna said. "Especially when that someone is a prince."

The cameramen then waited for Nicholas to leave. Once he was gone, the producer indicated it was time for me to say goodbye to Anna myself.

Anna and I hugged. She turned into me, and keeping her voice low, whispered so the cameras could not hear. "When you are queen someday, don't forget about us little people you left behind."

I would never leave Anna behind. Especially if I, as Queen, had the means to bring her with me.

She knew that, so she grinned at me.

"I know you'll make the right decision," she said to me, but didn't clarify further. Did she mean with Nicholas? Or with the King's demand?

Maybe she meant both.

"I won't disappoint you," I said.

Her smile softened. "You couldn't, no matter what you do."

But we both knew that wasn't true. If I walked away, if I hid, as Anna called it, I don't think she'd ever forgive me.

She'd certainly never let me live it down.

"I mean it," I said.

Her grin widened. "Alright." She was pleased.

Now I just had to live up to my words.