Timeless [h.s]

Twenty three

"Bye, Miles. Good luck with that." He left in silence and I picked up my phone, looking around one more time. Sienna and Arthur seemed to be debating ties, probably excited about the ball. Oliver however, watched me intently. His gaze didn't falter, not even when I caught him. I rose a sceptical eyebrow, silently questioning him.

If I had to be brutally honest, sometimes I really couldn't look past his attractive features. The sharp jawline and attentive blue eyes drew me in. I wasn't entirely sure what he thought of me, or how he saw me. He was the only person who used to know me back then; he didn't have to imagine what I was like, he witnessed everything, including the awful downfall of my life. We used to be friendly even as children and I enjoyed his company. He came a long way since our hide and seek games.

"Staring is rude." I mumbled, watching as he walked towards me and decided to sit down on a large couch in our living room. I chose an armchair, absentmindedly running my hands through a furry decorative pillow.

"Sorry, I just compare you now to what I remember from back then. You have way less hair and clothing." He spoke, making me laugh in agreement. I did remember him differently too. The leather jackets and short hair brought up a new side of him, one that had nothing to do with the posh fabrics and long hair he once used.

"It's weird, isn't it? Being here together, I mean."

"Yeah." He agreed, looking into my eyes with a deep emotion I couldn't quite pinpoint. "I feel like we have the freedom to do everything we want and yet we act as cowardly as ever." I gulped, trying to keep my feelings at bay. He seemed to be coming from a general point of view, but somehow his words made me blush. I didn't doubt for a second that I wanted to be with Harry, but somehow my best friend's ex-husband stirred something inside me, lust perhaps. I shook my head and tried to clear the fog inside me, to resume back to our friendly chat. Just the thought of feeling attracted to Oliver made me feel like a cheater.

"Yeah, I was definitely bolder in a way." I finally answered, knowing I had delayed the words for too long. "I like myself now, though."

"I don't know if you ever noticed, but I used to have a major crush on you. I guess we were fourteen, maybe fifteen. I kept to myself mostly, but I always tried to have a dance with you during our balls. It was embarrassing, I used to write you letters and burn them." His cheeks heated up immensely, as I hadn't seen before.

I thought back to my teenage years, recalling the longing glances Oliver used to spare me. My mother always mentioned him as one of my admirers, but I hardly cared for those things back then. I enjoyed my freedom while it lasted, a child far too innocent to believe she'd have to renounce all her desires and dreams to rule a country.

"I had some notion, but the day you kissed me in the spring gardens was a pretty good indication." His blush deepened, if possible. I enjoyed the banter, thinking back to the clumsy kiss we shared. Humanity evolved greatly since that remote moment, and yet humans were still essentially the same. We cared about feelings, about interaction, about feeling wanted and needed. Emotion moved us and it would always move us, no matter how long it passed. Being human was a synonym of being something bound to feel, no matter how much we tried to conceal it.

"You were my first kiss." I added, at last. Interrupting our reminiscing moment, I heard Sienna and Arthur squeaking behind me. Oliver laughed, looking between them and me. He seemed embarrassed but adequately chill, showing off that whatever attraction he nourished for me was deeply buried in the past.

"So were you." He said, making me gasp a bit. I hadn't considered that possibility but it was somewhat endearing, the idea of two young royals sharing a meaningful but mundane moment without the prying eyes of others on court.