A Christmas Walk

7.

I rubbed my eyes aggressively. I still felt slightly fatigued but I needed to get up. The clock on the nightstand read 7:08. I slid myself out from under the covers. My feet rubbed the fuzzy hotel carpet. I wondered if the royals had any carpet or if it was all tile and hard wood, maybe they had rugs. Regardless, I had to get up. I grabbed my sweatshirt again and the room key.
"Where are you going?" I heard a whisper in the dark.
"To get coffee?" I answered. I wasn't sure if it was Savannah or Michelle.
"Can I come with you?" I think it was Michelle, it sounded like it was coming from her side of the room.
"Sure." A figure moved in the other bed, it was Michelle. I pulled my zip up on and cuddled in close. We quietly left the room. "Are you excited for tonight?" I nodded.
"I guess. More nervous I think."
"Why?" I looked at her.
"This is a big deal." She nodded a little.
"I know you probably don't want to talk about it anymore but I just have to tell you, Autumn, I haven't," she stumbled for words. "You haven't been so intrigued by someone in a long and you didn't even look at Erik the way you look at Prince William. I mean you two have riveting conversations that you two seem to be the only ones that understand. You have a lot in common."
"But we also have a lot, not in common." I pointed out. We made our way into the breakfast hall. We got coffee first.
"I'm aware but those things aren't as big as you think they are." I laughed.
"Do tell."
"Good morning girls." We looked over our shoulders, it was Pam.
"Morning Pam."
"Surprised you're up so early."
"Busy day." Michelle smiled. I leaned in close.
"The Prince invited the four of us to the royal Christmas ball." Pam smiled brightly at us.
"She knows about him?" Michelle snapped her head to me.
"I told her when she came and got me from the dance studio. My little melt down was partly about him." I trusted Pam with everything really.
"Oh perfect!" She looked at Pam. "Then can you please tell Autumn that if she wants to be with him, to be with him."
"It's not like that." I said before Pam could speak. Pam grabbed my hand.
"You know I can't tell you want to do, but I can advise you to listen to your heart, and your friends. The world is full of endless possibilities, don't shy away from them because you don't think you're good enough. Always try, and if you fail, at least you can say, 'I did my best and I tried'." Pam always gave the best advice and knew just what to say. I nodded. She squeezed my hand. "Have fun girls." Pam walked out of the dinning hall with her coffee.
"Wow." Michelle paused. "Does she always give that great of advice?" I laughed.
"Yes, yes she does." We scooted down the line. I grabbed a bowl of eggs and I put cheese on top and mixed them. The warmth of the eggs started to melt the cheese. Michelle grabbed a yogurt and we sat down.
"As I was saying before, those differences you find so big, really aren't in the grand scheme of things."
"I have to disagree but prove me wrong." She stirred her yogurt, I'm not sure why it was just vanilla but she always did it.
"The distance thing, you could move here, or he has the option of, what's the word? Abdication!" I took a bite of my eggs. "If he has feelings for you he has the right to be with who he wants, the law can't dictate who you love, too much. So what you don't have money, he does and if you're together you'll share it."
"Michelle, I appreciate the sentiment but I just, I can't. I can't ask him to do any of those things."
"Why not?"
"Because, we are not a guaranteed forever thing, even if married." Michelle sighed. I felt like I failed and destroyed her. "I'll tell you this, I will enjoy my time with him while we're here today. Okay? Tomorrow we just get back on a plane and go home. If he can find me in a hotel, he can find me in California too, if it's really supposed to me." She smiled softly.
"I like that." I nodded.

We trooped back up stairs to the room. Savannah was up and watching tv, not quietly either. Vanessa was out!
"How was breakfast?" She muted the tv.
"Good." I handed her a milk and a single serve cereal bowl, Frosted Flakes. Her favorite.
"Yes!" She ripped the top off like a kid.
"No!" She looked at me. "You are not about to make a mess in our bed." Savannah acted as if this was such an imposition. I rolled my eyes at her as she scooted off the bed. She made herself at home on the desk so I crawled back into bed.
"I don't make a mess." She mumbled under her breath.
"You spilled wine on your shirt last night." I looked at her.
"I don't remember that." She acted as if it never happened.
"Well your shirt sure does." Michelle and I giggled.
"What are you watching?" Michelle changed the subject.
"How to make a Prince fall in love with me." She joked.
"Then I'd suggest watching Autumn and not the TV."
"Ohh that's good." Savannah pointed her white, plastic spoon at her.
"Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny."
"We only joke because we love you." Michelle crawled into my bed and locked me in a hug.
"No you don't, you love to make fun of me!"
"You just made fun of me!" Savannah cried.
"I'm a hypocrite, what can I say?" I laughed as Michelle pulled me over. "We should climb into bed with Vanessa and see how long it takes her to wake up."
"You know she's going to kill us, it's not even 9 am and she's going to claim she needs her beauty sleep for the ball." Savannah now pointed her spoon at me. Michelle and I still laid there wrapped up together.
"Yeah, yeah." I tried to wave my hand in dismissal.