Royals: A Different Beginning

Chapter 5

Eugenie noticed Jackie's wandering eye. "I don't think he's here yet."

Jackie laughed. "Is it that obvious?"

Beatrice giggled. "I'm sure he's just as anxious, too- but who can tell with Harry." 

The girls talked and danced while they drank. Jackie mingled with the other guests, greeted with friendly hugs from Princess Anne and Prince Andrew. She was showered with compliments on the party, even Camilla, queen of cocktail parties at Highgrove House, was impressed by the setup. 

"I'm off to the bathroom," Jackie whispered to Beatrice and Eugenie, blinking a few times to clear her fuzzy head before striding out of the ballroom. She was a bit disoriented, the result of two glasses of champagne and a cocktail. After spinning around twice, Jackie saw the restroom. She practically fell through the door, fumbling for the light switch. 

The bathroom in Clarence House was stocked with fluffy towels and ornate bars of soap. Jackie grabbed a crystal glass off of a silver tray, filling it with cold water and gulping down a few cups. She fluffed her hair and put on a fresh layer of nude lipgloss. There was a knock on the door. 

"Hold on," Jackie called, giving the hem of her dress a sharp tug, straightening the wrinkles. Another knock came, this time louder. 

Jackie let out a huff and reached for the door handle. Before she could do anything, the door pushed open into her, sliding over her toes. "Ouch, dammit!" Jackie hissed, stumbling backwards. 

"Oh- sorry-" 

Jackie's heart skipped a beat at the sound of the familiar voice. She looked up to see Harry standing in the doorway to the bathroom. She couldn't deny how wonderful he looked. He was wearing a blue suit- her favorite- and a white shirt with no tie and the top button undone. He looked perfectly careless.

"I said hold on," Jackie grumbled, rubbing her toe through her Louboutin heels, which now had a long white scuff on the tan leather. 

Harry was fighting back a grin. "I'm really sorry. It's good to see you." 

Jackie chewed on her lip. "Good to see you too." She studied Harry's face. It hadn't changed much since she last saw him two years before. He was missing his beard, however, and he had a few more smile lines next to his eyes. 

"I like that dress, it's new, isn't it?" Harry asked. 

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, actually, I have bought a few new things in the past two years." 

Harry smirked, clearly amused. "Well, you haven't changed a bit." 

"Unfortunately, neither have you," Jackie snapped. "If you'll excuse me." She attempted to brush past him, but stumbled into the doorway.

"Jacqueline Baker, are you drunk?" Harry asked incredulously. 

Jackie scoffed. "No, you just broke all my toes, remember? And what's it to you, anyways?"

Harry's eyes narrowed, but the corners of his mouth tugged upwards. "Why don't I walk you back to the party?"

"Oh, no, you were in such a hurry to get into the bathroom, I wouldn't want to inconvenience you." Jackie stalked down the hallway towards the ballroom, looking over her shoulder once to see Harry looking amused, still standing tall in the bathroom doorway. 

Jackie immediately found Kate in the ballroom, William at her side. She leaned into Kate's ear and hissed, "I just talked to him." 

Kate's eyes widened. "And?" 

"And, I yelled at him, of course," Jackie sighed. "What did you expect?"

Kate looked disappointed. "About what?"

"Well he burst into the bathroom while I was in there, and then I snapped at him about everything else he said to me," Jackie admitted. "I just get so mad when I see him!" 

Will clearly couldn't help but to overhear Kate and Jackie's conversation. "He just got back from a polo tournament in South Africa, maybe it was an accident." 

"Maybe a bit jet-lagged?" Kate suggested.

"There's a one hour time difference," Jackie said, raising a brow. She pointed to William. "Don't tell him what I said, alright?"

"I'll stay out of it," William said, putting his hands up. 

Jackie smiled, patting Will's arm. 

"Hey, it's the happy couple!" a voice called from behind Jackie. She shot Kate a look as Harry came over, pulling Will into a hug and giving Kate a kiss on the cheek. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, Harry," Kate said with a grin. Jackie's glower sobered Kate up a bit. "How was your flight?"

"It was good," Harry said, turning to Jackie. She gave him a sarcastic smile. "My dad tells me you helped him put this together."

"Mhm."

"Well, it's awesome. Almost as good as my twenty-fourth birthday," Harry said, sounding genuine. 

Jackie's face softened, she'd forgotten all about that party she'd thrown for Harry. She'd managed to keep it a total surprise, he'd been so happy... 

Camilla approached, breaking Jackie's train of thought. "Oh, let me get a picture. Best man and maid of honor!" Jackie didn't have time to protest, Camilla was already holding up her camera. "Jackie, Harry, get together." 

Jackie glanced at Kate, who wore an encouraging smile. She turned to Harry, who's arm was out, his eyes expectant. Jackie reluctantly pressed into Harry's side, his arm wrapping around her waist. She let her hand rest against his back, the feeling familiar. He smelled familiar. It was all so familiar, a dull ache formed in her chest. For a moment she wondered if it was a longing for him to hold her for longer than the few seconds it took for Camilla to take the picture, but she shoved the thought to the back of her mind and plastered a convincing smile on her face.