CALLA ROLLED OVER and looked at the clock. Nearly twelve. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. She hadn’t set an alarm after getting home last night. She’d assumed she’d sleep until at least ten, not well past it.
Leaning back in bed, she sighed. For the first time in weeks, she felt rested. Maybe just learning about her pregnancy had been enough to calm her body.
She shook her head...it was the ten hours of sleep that had done it. She rubbed her belly, enjoying a few minutes of quiet, then heard the knocking. Swinging her legs off the bed, she waited for the initial wave of nausea to pass.
Seriously, Calla, how did you miss all the pregnancy signs?
Her nervous laugh echoed in the bedroom as she grabbed her well-worn robe and headed for the door. She was sure Kostas wanted to talk more. And she welcomed the discussion. Last night she’d been too tired and shocked to really discuss his marriage statement. But it was time now.
Flinging open the door, she cinched the top of her robe closed as the well-dressed young woman holding a to-go coffee cup and standing on her doormat smiled at her.
She should have thrown on actual clothes. “I’m sorry. I thought...” Calla cleared her throat. She didn’t owe the stranger an explanation for being in a robe in her own home. “Can I help you?”
“I’m Natalia Kilon. Prince Kostas sent me. I think it’s best if we talk inside.” The young woman stepped through the door as Calla tried to figure out what exactly was going on.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m his assistant.” Natalia held out the to-go cup as she smiled at Calla. “It’s decaf, but Prince Kostas thought you might like to start the day with coffee.”
“He did?” Calla took the cup from the aide and tried to keep her temper in check. It wasn’t Natalia’s fault that she was here instead of the man she’d expected...and wanted.
“And he figured that I’d want to sleep until after noon?”
“No.” Natalia shook her head. “I’ve been here since just before eight. I’ve had the palace run me a fresh thermos of coffee every hour since. When noon hit, I waited a bit longer, then just took a chance that you might be awake.” She shrugged as though those words made sense. Like requesting a new thermos of decaf coffee and having it delivered to a parking area while waiting for the prince’s knocked-up midwife to show signs of life was normal.
Taking a deep breath, Calla offered Natalia a smile. “And where is Kostas?”
“At the clinic. He wanted me to come and see how you were doing.”
“But didn’t come himself.” Fury quickly replaced hurt as she looked at the tall woman standing in her living room.
Natalia either didn’t see the anger pulsing through her or didn’t react to it. “While most of the press is focused on the birth of Princess Zelia, there are still those who would enjoy breaking the story that Prince Kostas got the nurse from America pregnant. The new royal baby won’t stand a chance to that piece of juicy gossip. Even though it won’t surprise most of the island that Kostas—” She quickly bit off the last of her sentence. “My apologies ma’am.”
“For stating the obvious?” Calla let out a sigh. She knew coming home had been hard for Kostas. He’d been worried about expectations from the moment she’d sat next to him on the plane. And she hated how close her pregnancy was to the rumor that had destroyed his teenage crush. It would cause a scandal when the press learned. But that did not excuse him from sending an aide to her doorstep.
Color coated Natalia’s cheeks as she pulled out a tablet and started hitting her stylus against it. “I think I should start making a list of the things you’d like moved to the palace. I know most of the furniture is rented. I’ll ensure that it’s sent back to where the clinic got it from. But what items are yours?”
“If you’ll give me a minute to get dressed, Natalia?” Calla left before the woman could utter what she assumed would be a polite acceptance.
She pulled on a pair of jeans and glared at the top button. Her jeans still buttoned but they were starting to dig into her barely noticeable bump. Glaring at the ceiling, she shook her head that she’d failed to notice so many things until well past the middle of her first trimester. Reaching into a drawer, she grabbed a hair tie, threaded it through her buttonhole, and secured her jeans that way.
One didn’t work with pregnant women for a decade without learning a few tricks!
Dropping an oversized shirt over her head, she slipped on shoes and walked out her front door, saying nothing to Natalia. She wanted to talk to Kostas, and that was what she was going to do.
This issue was between them...period.
It was nearly lunchtime, and the clinic was quiet as she stepped into the office. Kostas looked up as she closed the door.
“Calla.” He nodded but didn’t quite meet her gaze.
“Care to explain why there is an aide in my apartment right now?” She crossed her arms as she stood on the other side of the desk.
A knock echoed on the door and Kostas called for entry without even looking at her. Her mouth dropped open as Alexa opened the door. They needed to talk. Now!
“Calla! I didn’t know you were here. It’s your day off, and Eleni and the baby went home a few hours ago. You should use your free day!”
“Yes, you should,” Kostas murmured, but she ignored him.
“I needed to see to a few things. Get something straightened out, then I am leaving...promise.” She addressed Alexa, but she meant the words for Kostas. She was not leaving until they talked.
“Well, Kali and I are going to grab lunch at the bistro down the block. We don’t have another patient until almost two. So—” she flicked her gaze to Kostas “—unless you need something, Dr. Drakos?”
“Enjoy your lunch, Alexa.”
She was gone and Calla rounded on Kostas. “Explain. Now.”
Kostas rolled his head and let out a yawn.
As the primary OBGYN in the capital, he didn’t get many off days. No way to sleep until nearly noon after a long delivery. She wanted to grant him some slack, and probably would, if he’d just meet her gaze.
“It’s safer for Natalia to be at your apartment. Once the news breaks that you are pregnant and we are getting married, your life is going to change. In ways that you cannot imagine yet. I wanted to give you a few more days of relative normalcy.”
“By sending a stranger to ask me what I’d like to take with me? A stranger to ask me what to box and what to leave behind? Before we’ve even had a chance to talk?” Her body shook with emotion, but he still wouldn’t meet her eyes. Last night he’d held her so tightly. Looked so excited, shocked but excited, to discover that she was pregnant. But now...
Had a night of rest made him rethink the statement of marriage? It hurt more than she wanted to acknowledge, but she couldn’t really blame him. A night of passion had resulted in so many life-altering changes. However they felt about each other, they were tied together forever by the little one she carried.
“We don’t have to marry, Kostas. Many people co-parent without walking down the aisle.” The words tasted terrible as she uttered them. She didn’t want him to marry her for the baby. But she was drawn to the man, felt like she was where she was meant to be when she was in his arms.
That didn’t mean they’d make a good long-term match, though.
“We are getting married, Calla.”
Such certainty. Like an order from the prince he claimed to hate being. She felt her nose twitch as she watched him.
He made a few more notes on the page before him and she lost the bit of her temper she was still controlling.
“I am not marrying a man who won’t even look up from his work at me. A man who is embarrassed by who he got pregnant.” The angry words spilled out, yet it was the sob at the end that nearly broke her. It wasn’t fair to make such an accusation, but he was a prince, and she really was just the knocked-up midwife.
The palace staff was too well trained to say it to her face, but others... The headlines, the questions about her status—they were inevitable. It had been one thing for Liam to point out, but for an entire island nation to question her, to judge her...
Calla wrapped her arms around herself and forced the fear and worry away. There wasn’t time; and she was not weak. She was a strong woman, a soon-to-be mother who would do anything to protect her child. With or without Kostas, she’d ensure their child never questioned that Calla loved them for who they were as a person. Not the title their birth afforded them.
She reached for the door handle, ready to storm back to her apartment and tell Natalia to get out. That she wasn’t going anywhere.
Kostas’s dark eyes landed on her. His mouth fell open. “Embarrassed by who you are? I don’t care who you are. It’s you who didn’t want to date a royal. Who’s trapped by fate now?”
The desperation in his voice stilled her feet.
He stood, walked toward her, stopping just inches from her. “Despite your clear aversion to dating a royal, putting distance between us... Despite everything, I cannot stop looking out for you. Listening to the fluctuations of your voice so I know when you are happy, stressed, tired.”
He pushed a hand through his hair as he looked at her. “Last night, when you leaned your head against me, I desperately wanted you. Still want you.”
Kostas took a deep breath. “I wanted to be there when you woke up this morning. But I also want to protect you, and I know how hard that is going to be. It is safer for you, and for our child, if no one suspects anything at all until you are safely in my rooms at the palace. But all I can do is think of you, dream of you, look out for you.”
The air in the room felt too thick to breathe.
Calla laid a hand on Kostas’s heart. It was beating rapidly under her fingers. “Kostas...” There were so many things she should say. So many things they still needed to address, but her soul refused to voice those in this moment.
She rose on her toes and brushed her lips against his. His arms wrapped around hers. Tightening as he deepened the kiss. The world shifted just as it had the night they’d first met. Everything clicked into place.
Kostas broke the kiss but kept her close to his body, like he wasn’t ready to let her go. Calla sighed, enjoying the heat coming off him. The subtle scent of clean laundry and Kostas that she’d craved for so long.
“I’ve missed you.” His words were soft as his fingers stroked her back. “So much.”
“Me too.” Calla hugged him tightly. Then she made herself start the conversation they both seemed to be putting off.
“We have chemistry.” She laid a hand over her belly. “But marriage is a big deal, Kostas. A forever deal. At least, the version of it I want.”
She stepped out of his arms. If she didn’t put a bit of distance between them, she’d lose the smidgen of courage she’d worked up for this.
“You’re carrying a royal baby, Calla.”
“I am.” That was a truth she couldn’t escape. He might wish he was just Dr. Drakos, but that wasn’t life. Their child was going to carry the title of prince or princess. Their childhood would look completely different from hers.
Still, she wouldn’t cheat any child out of a loving family. “Chemistry doesn’t mean we are meant to be together, though. A marriage of convenience—” Calla barely caught the laugh in the back of her throat. “This isn’t a historical romance. This is our life. We get to decide.”
“Marriage to me protects the baby. Ensures the entire weight of Ioannis’s authority comes to his or her aid if needed,” Kostas countered.
“And it won’t, if we aren’t married?” Calla shifted on her feet; her body aching to lean into Kostas but needing confirmation of this first.
Kostas blinked. “What?”
“If we aren’t married and something happens with our son or daughter; if they need something, the palace will deny them because we didn’t marry?”
“I...” Kostas opened his mouth and shut it. “I...”
“So?” Calla raised a brow as she kissed his cheek. She knew Ioannis and Eleni wouldn’t deny their child the protections of the palace. His father may have refused to come to the aid of his second born, but his brother was in charge now. “Why don’t we take a bit of time, get to know each other? Date.”
“The press—”
“Will come for me when they find out about the pregnancy anyway. But until we are sure about marriage, we can keep this very discreet.”
She inhaled a deep breath. She didn’t want to be his secret, but she knew once the press learned of their relationship...her stomach twisted at the thought of press at her door. But she’d navigate it. Life was too short to accept a person for convenience. “My parents loved each other. It was a gift. Something that carried them through their lowest of lows and highest of highs. Maybe I didn’t grow up with every luxury, but my home was happy and filled with love.”
Calla paused briefly before continuing. “I won’t accept less than that. My child—our child—deserves to see their parents love each other.”
“Royal marriages don’t have a great history with love.” His tone was so bitter, her heart ached for him. That belief was rooted deep, and she knew of his mother’s struggles. But what about Ioannis and Eleni?
“Says the man who watched his brother, the King of Palaío, fawn over his wife yesterday. Who cooed with his newborn daughter and rubbed his queen’s back.”
“They are the exception.”
“Maybe. But our child deserves to see that, too, whether it’s between us or...” Her brain caught the words as she imagined Kostas with another. It hurt, even in her imagination, but this was a point she needed to make.
“Between us or other future partners we have. I will not deprive them of that for some royal protocol issue.” Calla bit her lip. “If you aren’t interested in seeing if what we have is more than just passion—”
“Yes,” he interjected. “Yes, I am interested.” He crossed his arms, uncrossed them, crossed them again and then reached for her hands. “But with some ground rules, to protect you and the baby.”
She squeezed his hand. Ground rules sounded a lot like control, but she was determined not to give in to the baggage she carried from Liam. This would be different; she’d see to it, or she’d walk away.
Kostas laid his free hand on her belly and the hand in hers rubbed the base of her wrist. “We meet in secret, at least for now. That means no trips to your apartment or the palace. You keep palace security on speed dial in your phone, and if something threatens our child, we move you to the security of the palace. Immediately.”
Secret meetings. Why did that sound so different from her statement of discreet? Calla swallowed. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than a marriage of convenience. At least for now. “Any other requirements, Prince Kostas?”
His hand dropped hers and raised to her face. He stroked her cheek. “We find time for each other, each day. Even if it is only ten minutes. I’ve gone weeks with distance between us. I don’t want that again.”
“That’s the easiest thing to say yes to.” Calla tipped up on her toes and kissed him. They felt right together, and they owed each other the chance to see if this was the place they were meant to be. And they owed their child a happy home, even if it meant their parents weren’t together.
Though Calla’s heart refused to accept the possibility her brain offered.
Kostas paced the small balcony on The Grotto, his eyes trained on the trees and ridgeline for any indications of cameras or visitors that should not be in the area. The Grotto was a secure location...mostly because it was a rarely used hideaway in the mountains.
Baby Zelia’s birth had captured the nation’s attention, but when word broke that another royal was on the way... The bad boy’s baby, conceived with a foreign nurse out of wedlock.
The headlines his mother and Maria had faced would look like puff pieces compared to such a revelation. Kostas pulled his hand over his face at the questions that would be thrown at Calla.
And he wanted to protect her from every single sling. Wanted to wrap the weight of the palace around her to ensure no slights ever touched her. His mother hadn’t felt protected. His teenage crush’s concerns had simply been ignored, his pleas for aid falling on his father’s deaf ears. Calla would never feel that way. He’d make sure of it.
She’d never deal with a lie or overstatement. He’d push back. He doubted Ioannis would mind, but if he did...well, Kostas planned to do it anyway. Calla would always feel protected...always.
Kostas breathed in the mountain air, forcing himself to focus on finally having Calla to himself again. Finally getting to spend time without worrying if anyone saw or suspected. Their first date!
Or was it their second date? Did they count the diner in Dayton with cheap burgers and salty fries?
“You have quite the pondering look on your face, Kostas.”
Calla’s voice caught him off guard. He’d not seen her hike in on the back trail. That meant he could have missed others. He scanned the horizon one more time then turned to her.
He dropped his lips to her cheek and his heart settled as her scent floated over him. Calla was here. She was safe, and so was their baby. That was all that mattered.
“How did you get here? I was monitoring the main trail.” He pushed a lock of dark hair behind her ear, his fingers unable to keep from reaching for her.
“Land trail.” She pointed to the edge of the property, “It was one option on the very detailed sheet Natalia emailed me this afternoon. It looked like the easiest route from my apartment. And it’s lit almost all the way back down the trailhead. Still...” She held up a flashlight before setting it on the small table.
Calla stepped closer and slid her fingers through his. He hoped it was because she couldn’t keep her hands from him, either.
“So why were you looking so pensively into the trail? Scouting wayward cameras?” Her giggle hovered around them.
He knew she was trying to make light of the situation, but she needed to look for cameras. Or do like he did and just assume that they were always trained on him. If he never broke the princely expectations foisted on him in public, then people couldn’t complain. Or at least they couldn’t complain as much.
Rather than give a lecture she was likely to hear from the protocol office ad nauseam after she was publicly linked to him, he offered the other truth. “I was trying to figure out if this was our first or second date? Does the diner count?”
“Of course it counts.” Calla’s eyes widened as she held his gaze. “It’s why we are here! Why...” Her hand dropped to her belly before she smiled. “It was definitely our first date.”
“I like to think we’d have ended up here, even if we hadn’t had the medical crisis on our flight.” The hope floated into the early evening and he pulled her close. “Like to believe that you’d have landed in the clinic and our connection would have been too much to ignore at some point.”
Even if I was royal. But would I have set aside a space in my heart if we hadn’t met before? Kostas wanted to believe their initial connection was strong enough, but he wasn’t sure. And he hated that.
Her lips twitched and her mouth opened, but whatever words initially hovered there, she swallowed as she looked over his shoulder at the retreat. Perhaps the same thoughts were floating through her mind.
“So, where are we?”
Rather than push, Kostas wrapped his arm around her and led her into the retreat. “This is The Grotto. It’s a retreat my father created then rarely used. My brother updated a few rooms, but I think there are bathrooms that still have pink tile that was in fashion in the 1950s. My father planned to fully renovate it but...” Kostas shrugged.
This had been his father’s place, his hideaway. On the few occasions he had come here with his mother, Ioannis and Kostas hadn’t accompanied them.
“Your father?” Calla leaned her head against his as they moved into the retreat. “I’m not sure I’ve ever heard you mention him.”
Kostas let out a small grunt. “That’s because there is little to say. My father was ‘the King.’ Always. He was a husband and a father after caring for the country. Maybe that was the right choice, but it left little room for the rest of us. He ceded control of the throne to Ioannis only when the stroke he had made it impossible for him to carry on. He died a few weeks later. Without being king, I am not sure he had much to live for.”
Calla squeezed the arm she had around his center. “That sounds hard.”
“It was.” Kostas bit the inside of his cheek as emotion wrapped through him. This was a heavy topic for a second date...but maybe it was best she knew. “My father wanted to control everything.”
He let out a breath and shook his head. “Actually, my father did control everything. If it didn’t benefit the crown, it didn’t get mentioned or addressed. It’s why Mom left.”
“So he would have had thoughts about our relationship.”
“Undoubtedly,” Kostas confirmed. His father would have hated that both his sons had gotten women pregnant out of wedlock. Would have attempted to control that narrative as soon as he’d learned it. His mother...
Kostas’s heart seized as he thought of his mom. And her reaction to being a grandmother. She’d died so young, but he knew she’d have loved that stage of her life.
His mother wouldn’t have cared that they’d gotten pregnant out of wedlock. Wouldn’t have cared that Calla was a foreigner; that she didn’t have a title. All that would have mattered was the smile she brought to her son’s face. “My mom wouldn’t have cared, though. She’d have thought you were perfect.”
Perfect for me.
Calla’s lips twisted down and pulled back. “I’m hardly perfect. The best I can hope for is delightfully flawed.” Her nose twitched as she looked around the retreat living room. “I love the windows overlooking the mountains here. I bet it’s lovely first thing in the morning.”
“It is. And at sunset, which we’ll see in about two hours.” He pulled her to him. “What do you mean by ‘delightfully flawed’? That is an...” he hesitated “...interesting combination of words. Did your parents say that?”
“Oh, no!” Calla laughed, but the sound was uncomfortable. “Liam, my ex, always called me that. We dated for five years, got engaged, but I didn’t meet his family’s expectations. I got so used to saying it for years that it still slips out.”
A person she cared for; someone she’d considered spending her life with, had called her “delightfully flawed” so often it still slipped into conversation? That was horrible.
“Is he why you’re here?”
He was so glad she was in Palaío, but had she been running from an ex? Her past didn’t matter to him, but he wanted to know everything about the woman before him.
“In a roundabout way. He helped me pay for nursing school and when we broke up...well, he wanted the money back. It would cost more in lawyers to fight than repay. I’ve nearly paid it off and I’m here because the pay from your lovely clinic lets me clear the last bit off within a year.”
“He wanted you to repay him?” Kostas knew his mouth was hanging open, but he couldn’t help it. What a callous thing to do at the end of a relationship.
She squeezed his hand as she stepped to the window overlooking the hills. “Liam...” She hesitated, and Kostas didn’t push. He wanted to know, to understand, but he wouldn’t force it.
“He probably would’ve gotten along well with your father. He was quite controlling. I didn’t realize it as quickly as I should have. But I did my best to fit the cast he and his family wanted. Blond...society fiancée, but it was never enough.”
She shrugged. “And I’m glad. I am much happier being me than trying to fit someone else’s mold. I won’t do that again!”
Calla clapped. “But as soon as I pay off Liam, I can kick my final tie to him. Heavy stuff for date two!” She grinned and looked for the kitchen.
“The baby and I are hungry. What are you feeding us?”
She was ready to change the topic. He understood, but he couldn’t stop the bead of anger pooling in his belly on her behalf. So her ex had helped her get her degree then demanded repayment when she didn’t measure up to his parents’ expectations? What had those expectations been that Calla couldn’t meet them?
He’d called her perfect a few times, and he still felt the word fit her. Rationally, he knew no one was perfect, but Calla was caring, intelligent, beautiful, brave...what else could one want?
He made a note to have Natalia track down Liam and the loan. Preferably without Calla knowing. He’d have it paid off and perhaps send along a note thanking the man for his stupidity. After all, it had led Calla to him.
He’d surprise Calla with the news when it was done. His gift to her, a true gift, one he never expected repayment for.
“We’re having moussaka.” The palace cook had placed the spiced meat dish, layered with eggplant and tomato sauce, in the warmer this afternoon and he’d driven it up with him. “And there’s kourabiedes for dessert.”
“Ooh, butter cookies! I love those!” Her eyes sparkled as she pointed to the hallway. “Kitchen this way?”
Kostas took her hand and kissed the top of it. “Can’t let you and the baby go hungry. Follow me, my lady.”
“My lady!” Calla laughed, and the sound was relaxed. Not the nervous laugh he hated to hear come from her sweet lips. “I could get used to that phrase.”
He squeezed her hand as he led her to the kitchen. If she enjoyed hearing “my lady,” how would she feel when people referred to her as “Your Highness” or “Princess”? Hopefully, with the same bubbly enthusiasm he’d just witnessed.
“So now that you’ve fed me, what’s next?” Calla grinned as Kostas put the rest of their dinner in the fridge. She hopped up on the counter just like she’d done at home for years.
Kostas turned and looked at her. For a moment, she almost hopped off. Liam had hated this habit, but she’d never managed to break it.
As a young girl, her father had placed her on the edge of the counter so she could watch her parents cook. She did it without thinking.
Rather than comment on her position, Kostas stood in front of her. His eyes burned with desire. He held her gaze before his attention dropped to where their child was growing.
“You are gorgeous. And now that you’re sated, what would you like to do?” His voice was sultry, and her body hummed as its cord raked across her.
She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him closer as her arms circled his neck. She’d trapped him—though he looked like he had no intention of going anywhere. His breath caught as she lightly kissed his lips. It would be so easy to fall into bed with him, to whisper that she wanted him to carry her to bed. To lose herself in his arms.
Part of her wanted to. Cried out for her to beg him to touch her. But she also wanted, craved, more than just a physical connection to him. She brushed her lips against his then pulled back.
He let her pull away, but his palms rested on her knees.
“What movie options are there? If this was a second date between two regular people, we might go to the big screen. Pay too much for popcorn and sodas, and think about holding hands in the dark.”
Kostas chuckled. “‘Think about holding hands in the dark’? That sounds more like a teen rom-com.” He kissed her cheek as he lifted her off the counter and then pulled her toward a door on the left.
He swung it open with flair and she covered her mouth as he flipped on the lights. She’d heard people discuss their home theaters. Known men to brag about putting in a large screen, but this...this was basically a small theater.
She blinked as she looked at the seats—or rather, couches. Designed for comfort and cuddles. The popcorn maker in the corner was only a little smaller than the one in the theater by her house.
“The bathrooms may still have pink tile, but Ioannis upgraded the theater, my lady.” He winked as he walked over to the popcorn machine, flipped it on and dumped the kernels in, then looked at her. “We’ve got a huge library of movies. And I also have most of the streaming services, so rom-coms, drama, comedy? What’s your favorite?”
The smell of popcorn started to fill the space as she looked at the place. So this was what dating a prince was like!
“Most of the streaming services? Including the ones from the States?” She crossed her arms as the request built in her chest.
Kostas seemed to sense her hesitation. “Yep. So what is it you’re craving? A talk show, reality television, baking show?”
He was so far off.
“You ever seen the ridiculous History channel show Ancient Aliens?” Calla felt heat flood her cheeks. “My dad and I watched it together and it’s hilarious.”
Kostas ran his hand through his short hair.
“Do you miss your longer hair?” Calla ran her hand along the shortened length. “I liked it. Not that the short hair doesn’t look nice too.”
He blinked, clearly confused by the turn of subject, which she couldn’t blame him for. “Are you trying to change topics now because we can get any show in the world on a big screen, with a bucket of popcorn from an actual popcorn machine? And you want to watch a show about how aliens helped ancient people build things...a show that history can easily debunk but is like an accident you can’t look away from?”
He kissed her cheek as she felt happiness bloom inside her. “You’ve seen it!”
“Only a few episodes. Well, almost every episode.”
“So you did have a weird thing besides silly mugs. Oh, Alexa would love to know this.”
“But you’ll keep my secret, right?” He kissed her, lingering for a few seconds.
“I would have agreed without the kiss. But that was nice.” Calla grinned as she leaned into him and kissed him again. “Besides, I couldn’t out this secret without outing my love of it too.
He brushed his lips against hers again then handed her a bowl and scoop. “You get the popcorn ready; I’ll go load up the show.”
Calla watched him walk to the small room off the theater and let out a sigh. She was dating a prince, and everything was different, but in this moment, in this one perfect piece of time, it just felt like that first night. Like they were Calla and Kostas.
The lights and questions would come, but they’d find a way to navigate it together.