Undercover Princess

Chapter 8

The morning of my date was a laborious one.

I had been up since 6am panicking about how I'm going to play this. I ended up having to call Eric for moral support, he was extremely unsympathetic about the entire situation and mocked me for being, and I quote "a boneless chicken".

Bearing Eric's words of encouragement, I proceeded to get ready for my date. Or as Lily insists on calling it - Stage 1 of "Operation Riley". Whichever outfit I tried on failed to hide the nerves and my somewhat bloated stomach. In the end I walked out the door in a simple chiffon white dress paired with a dainty emerald necklace I inherited from my Grandparents.

The doors were pushed open and Riley was already sat across this quiet and cozy cafe. I approached him clinching my fist, all the while reminding myself to be graceful and collected.

"Hi!" Riley met my gaze and stood up to plant a kiss on my left cheek. I had successfully avoided blushing and swiftly sat down on the chair which he was kind enough to pull out for me. Coffees were already on the table, I took a sip hoping that was enough to break the ice.

"Chai Tea Latte, how very thoughtful." Riley chuckled, and what a wonderful chuckle it was. I smiled and thank the heavens that I spared the embarrassment of burning my tongue for the second time.

"I don't want to waste time. I want to tell you I'm sorry. I should never have listened to my friends and bet on your happiness. I only hope that we can still be friends after this!" Friends. What a peculiar request given the situation. In the hours building up to this date I had successfully refrained from caring too much , in fact I was so good at it I almost managed to convinced myself that what Riley did was not at all a big deal. The sight of his petal soft lips churned up emotions buried deep inside my stomach. The memory of his insincere kiss, which I had once believed to be sweeter than jelly babies covered in fudge, suddenly stung. It stung so hard that I started to question whether anything that left his perfectly shaped mouth was true at all.

"Of course we can be friends, you are great company!" Nervously draining the contents of my mug, I momentarily peaked at him so as to find a good time to put down my drink. As he continued to stare at me for a further five minutes, I found myself holding tighter and tighter into the mug against my face.

"Pippa, you really are something special." Riley beamed at my apparent frantic presence. My nervous laugh took over and lingered in the atmosphere for a little longer than we both anticipated. Riley's left hand picked up his Ice Tea, whilst his right disorderly made its way across the table and onto the back of mine. My hand twitched as a matter of reflex but he was quick to ensure it stayed where it was, in between his fingers. "I know this sounds crazy, but ... the first time I saw you, it was like I knew you were something special! I mean it, you have an aura about you. Something I've never seen in anyone before. The way you talk, the way you glide instead of walk, how your posture is always excellent. I can't quite put my finger on it but...you are different! Who are you?"

If there ever was time when I wish there was more coffee in my cup, it would probably be now. What was I going to say? Oh yes Riley! I'm actually a Princess and I've decided it would be the most splendid of ideas to dress up like you commoners because Princes from my area are suuuccchhhhh idiots! Whilst that seemed like a perfectly rational explanation, in the end I settled for "Oh you're too kind, I'm really just an ordinary girl trying to live an ordinary life. You know, shopping, nail varnish and Starstrucks (I think you mean Starbucks). All that girl stuff." The unattractive nervous laugh took hold of me again, like a demon who has made it its life's work to ruin my chances with Riley.

"I'm sure you are anything but ordinary Pippa." Riley flashed his pearly whites and I blushed. In my defence it was one of the most incredible smiles the world had ever seen. I knew I was blushing because my face felt red hot, deep breathing only seemed to have made it worse. Eventually I reach a breathing state of half panting and half heart attack, all in the name of trying to act calm and collected in front of him.

Riley fixed his gaze on my eyes, his stare so intense it had put an end to my panting, I had stopped breathing all together. I realised then the way romance novels go on about someone taking your breath away was true. It was very very true! With great self-control, I gasped and tried to escape his gorgeous eyes. What sorcery is this? I think he was casting a spell on me.

Remembering the task at hand was "Operation Riley" Raising from my chair, I hooked my bag onto my left shoulder. "Well this was tremendous fun, but I really must dash! I need to go and.....wash my....cat!" I rotated my head clockwise and jumped from my seat. I thanked him for coffee and dashed out the door. If I stayed a second longer I would be at risk of handing my heart and soul to this man!

"Pippa wait!" Riley followed my footsteps with haste, by the time I pulled the door open he had already caught up with me. Darn his long muscular legs!

The next thing I felt was my forehead against something plump, slightly soft but with bounce. I opened my eyes and realised it had been someone's chest, reaffirmed by the dreadfully strong cologne that I was certain killed my sense of smell for a second or two. "It must be great coffee they serve in there!" Oh my god, I know that voice all too well!

"Ollie!" I exclaimed with as much panic as despair. And sure enough, I opened my eyes to reveal the person before me - Oliver Norman-Hughes, future King of Vinz.