Forbidden Love

Prologue

"Oh my God, you're in love with her!"

"Ssh, keep it down, I don't need everyone to find out."

He tried to look menacing as he said that, but he knew he probably looked guilty more than anything else, and slightly shocked that someone had figured out how he felt.

"You need to tell her how you feel, she's getting married in two days!"

"Exactly why I shouldn't tell her," he replied, exasperated, "she's getting married, she chose him, she loves him, not me."

"Maybe she chose him because she doesn't know how you feel."

He couldn't openly admit that the same thought had entered his mind multiple times over the past year, so he simply changed his tactic.

"More importantly, he loves her, and he's my best friend, I could never do that to him."

He got up before the other person could reply, it was too late for any logical arguments, and he needed to get out of there, out of her sight, before he did something they would all regret.
He had almost made it to his room, through the maze-like hallways of the palace, when he felt her presence behind him. He sighed, and stopped walking, but he didn't turn, he couldn't trust himself around her when they were standing only a few feet from his bed.

"What are you doing here, Mia?" His voice came out harsher than he had planned, he felt the catch of surprise in her throat.

"How did you know it was me?"

I always know it's you baby. He finally turned to face her, she looked even more beautiful in the dim light of the corridor, he couldn't help but smile and soften his voice.

"I recognized your perfume." That was a safer answer, and one she would easily accept.

"Oh, right," she blushed, "well, I saw you earlier, and you looked so sad... I just wanted to make sure you're alright."

"I'm fine Mia, go back to your fiancé."

He could see her flinch at the bitter tone of his reply, and half expected her to turn around and run away, but he should have known better. She stepped closer and gently took his left hand, sending him in a full state of hyperventilation.

"Did I do something wrong? You've been avoiding me lately." She sounded even smaller than she was, almosy like she was afraid to ask.

If she only knew... but he couldn't tell her, it was too late now...
He cleared his throat and forced himself to smile reassuringly, the last thing he wanted was for her to feel guilty for something that was his fault, and his fault alone.

"No, honey, you could never do anything wrong." He couldn't help the term of endearment, he would never use it in front of others, but when he was alone with her... she could always see right through his tough guy routine.

He was still smiling, lost in her eyes, when he saw a small tear fall down her cheek, instinctively he raised his right hand to wipe it away, but then she leaned into his touch, and he realized his mistake, he had allowed himself to get too close, and now he couldn't stop from going further.
He closed the little distance left between them and gently pressed his lips to hers, still cradling her face, a part of him still waiting and hoping she would slap him and run away. She parted her lips to let him in, and he lost all coherent thoughts, his brain too fogged to even wonder if she maybe felt the same way he did.
They stayed that way for what seemed like hours, careless of the world around them, intoxicated by each other's sweet taste, until a noise from outside swiftly brought them back to reality.
He abruptly let go of her, ashamed at what he had just done, at how far he had let things go, mentally scolding himself for losing control with his best friend's fiancée.
She still looked dazed by that kiss, disappointed that he had put a stop to it, but he knew he had done the right thing.
She opened her mouth to speak, but he put a finger to her lips to stop her, he couldn't have let her go if she had said she loved him, it was best not to know.

"No, Mia, don't say it, whatever it is, it doesn't matter, in two days you are going to marry him and become Queen of this country. I have nothing to offer you, you're better off with him."

"But I..."

"Stop right there, it was wrong of me to take advantage of your kindness, but now it's time for you to go back to him, back to your future."

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, we have both known from the beginning this was an unfair competition that I never had a chance of winning. Now go, please." He knew he sounded desperate, but that was exactly how he felt.

She looked like she was about to object, but then she wiped her tears with a steely determination, she turned on her heels and walked away, leaving him alone.
It had taken him all the strength he had to turn her down, and he wondered if she would ever forgive him, but he knew he had done the right thing. Tristan was a genuinely good man who loved her enough not to hurt her, it would have been unspeakably wrong to take her from him, he didn't deserve it, and Mia would have seen it too, in time.
But boy had it hurt to let her go!
He allowed himself a moment to fantasize about taking her to his room, peeling that gown off her delicious curves, kissing her all over until she was squirming with desire, begging him to take her, then he would have made love to her until they would have both fallen asleep, sated and exhausted...
A shiver of excitement ran down his spine and he suddenly realized who he had just fantasized about, his best friend's future wife, the future Queen of their country. He couldn't even imagine how it would have felt if they had actually...
No, he had done the right thing.