The One: Maxon

Chapter 8

A few days passed until my father had returned. He hadn't said a word to me in 14 hours since his arrival. I had been busy while he was gone, making sure he had a little work as possible to do when he returned home. He noticed. Thursday afternoon, he sent for me to see him in his office.

"Father? You wanted to see me?" I said as I entered.

"Maxon, would you come take a look at some of these documents with me?" He said without looking up. He was nose deep in a pile of documents covered in red ink, most of them marked by me. "You did a good job with these, by the way. I'm proud." My eyes widened as I looked over at him. His face was still stony, hard lines across his head and his face in a deep set frown as he continued looking at the papers. I smiled and looked at where he was pointing.

"Ah yes, I had been meaning to discuss this with you..."

"Kriss!" I exclaimed walking into her room beaming from ear to ear. She was sitting on her floor doing a puzzle when I came in. She smiled at me.

"Hey," she said.

"Shall we go on a picnic?"

"Really?" she said excitedly.

"Well we can't go outside, but what if we have one on your balcony? You can order whatever you like up and we'll sit on the floor and eat together. Her smile grew as she stood up.

Half an hour later we had a platter of many different kinds of food in front of us, some I didn't recognize. Kriss picked up a green roll with a pair of chopsticks and motioned for me to open my mouth. I leaned forward and opened my mouth as she placed it in.

"It's sushi," she said as I chewed. "It's a Japanese dish with seaweed, rice and raw fish." I made a face at that and swallowed hard. She laughed at me and ate one herself.

"It's not bad, but I don't know if I love it ," I said politely. She covered her mouth to chew faster before replying. Had I been talking to America, she would have no qualms about speaking with her mouth full. It always made me laugh because as hard as she tried, her manners were all but refined.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Kriss.

"My father said he was proud of me today," I said gazing out onto to the garden as the sun began to set. Kriss shifted her position onto her knees to speak to me more directly.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. It felt really good to hear that from him. It's been a long while."

"That's really nice, Maxon." She sidled up next to me and placed her head on my shoulder. "I'm glad it made you happy," she said with a dimpled smile. I poked one of them which made her scrunch her nose.

"Come on, let's go for a walk around the palace," I said grabbing her hand. We left her room and chatted on the way.

"When do you think we could go on on a real date outside the palace?"

I frowned. "I'm not sure, my dear. With what's been going on lately it's hard to say." I paused. "Would you regret it?" I asked her, putting us at a halt. She looked at me with a confused face.

"The rest of your life would be like this, you know. The walls. My mother only leaves the palace about twice a year, and if you think the public is intrusive now....I know you have deep feelings for me, but what about the life that comes with me? Would you want that too?" I didn't know why I was asking her this.

"Maxon," she began, "you make it sound like I'm trapped in a dungeon or something. I want to be here. I want to be with you. Sometimes I think about what my life would have been like if we never met and it fills me with dread." She placed her hands on my cheeks, looking me directly in the eye. "I need you to know that I'd want you even without the palace, the crown or the title. I just want you, Maxon." A single tear fell down her cheek after she rendered me speechless. I couldn't return those exact feelings yet ,but...

"You have no idea how much I've been dying for someone to tell me I was what mattered," I said quietly. Her face changed suddenly.

"Maxon?"

"Hm?"

"I...I don't think I want to wait anymore." She looked at my lips and moved forward slightly. I hesitated before leaning in.

"Are you sure?" I whispered just centimeters away from her lips.

"Yes," she breathed. I placed a hand on her nape and one on the small of her back and moved forward to place a gentle kiss on her lips, as if she'd crack if I pressed to hard. It was her first one and she trusted me enough to let me share it with her. It warmed my heart to its core. I pulled away, hoping I didn't overstep. I was met with a brilliant smile.

"When can we do that again?" she said with her forehead pressed to mine. I smiled.

"How about in as long as it takes to get back to your room?" She giggled as we walked back. When we returned, we spent a few minutes giving each other gentle kisses on our bodies: hands, cheeks, fingertips. I pressed my lips to hers again, smiling against them.

"It's getting late, dear. Dinner will be soon" I said. Kriss sighed.

"I suppose so. Thank you for the wonderful afternoon," she said placing a kiss on my cheek before I left, beaming from ear to ear.

//
Some wholesome father son content