Princess Charming

-Chapter 19-

The huge metal gates in front of the car swing open. I lean back and sigh in relief when I see Caroline and someone else standing next to her. A handsome man with dark coloured skin, smiling at Nathan.

The car stops abruptly and the engine dies. Nathan ambled out the car with a grin plastered onto his face. He ran around the car and shook this strangers hand then hugging him in that manly way.

I stepped out of the car door, listening to the roars of laughing coming from Nathan and his friend.

“You’re back? When did you get here?” Nathan beams, slapping the stranger on his back.

“Hey, forget about me. I come back and you go away? On a honeymoon? Why didn’t I know this?” The boy folds his arms and stares at Nathan, demanding answers.

“Come on,Jackson. I did send you an invite, you didn’t turn up. Tell me, when did you get here?”

“I got here the day you left. I couldn’t call you because I lost my phone, which reminds me, I need your number again.”

They both walk in the house, leaving me and Caroline to hug while she bombarded me with questions.

“How was it? Was it good? Are you still mad at him? Answer me” Caroline demands and shakes my shoulders. I smile and pull her into another hug, I’d missed her.

“It was great, no it was fantastic. No I’m not still mad at him.” I answer, watching Thomas shift the luggage into the house.

“Was it romantic?” she squeals but I only raise my eye brow.

“I guess it was?” I shrug my shoulder, my answer was more of a question, but now I think about it, it was romantic. The kiss on the first night, the bracelet he bought for me, ice-cream, balloons, restaurant. He had really tried to make the trip special.

“Well at least you had fun. That dude called, Jackson is Nathan’s best friend who has been travelling the world. He came from Australia two days ago.” Caroline explains and I nod. Jackson seemed like a nice guy, we weren’t fully introduced which I thought Nathan would do.

“He didn’t know Nathan and you got married, and that’s the reason he didn’t get the invite because he went from country to country.” Caroline continues, holding up my wrist and gazing at the bracelet Nathan bought me. She gasped excitedly when I heard someone shout my name. I turned to the source of the noise, and small boy, peaking through who couldn’t be much older than eleven. I saw his eyes furrow and my heart thudded with recognition. It was Graham.

“Belle?” He called squinting to get a better look. I cover my face, dragging away Caroline from looking but it’s too late. Thomas has already attended to him.

“Can I have my ball please?” I hear Graham ask. I cover my eyes and look at the football caught in the bush. Thomas quickly kicks it back but this doesn’t get rid of Graham easily.

I start to panic and tug on Caroline’s arm. “He’s seen me, what do I do?” I whisper slowly, demanding a quick answer and a way out of it.