Hidden Princess

Chapter 5

I lead everyone through the house until we get back to the pool room. "Alright, there is a room for you guys to go change over there," I point to the right of the pool room. "It's like a locker room, so it's big enough that you can all change at the same time. Cami and I are going to go change up in my bedroom." I grab her hand and pull her back out of the pool room and then upstairs to my room.

"Woah. Your house is amazing Nia!" Cami says as I close the door behind us. "Is that a real tiara?!" She squeals and I look over to her as she picks up my tiara from my vanity. I forgot that I left that out.

"Um...yeah." I say carefully. "It's eighteen carat white gold with over 200 diamonds. So please be very careful with it."

"Wow. It's so pretty!" She says in awe as she gently sets it back down. After Cami fawns over the tiara a little more, we finally get changed into our bikinis, mine in blue and here's in pink, and head back downstairs to the pool room.

The guys are already changed and most of them are in the pool, while Alex, Jack, Felix, and Xavier are in the jacuzzi. Cami and I go over and join the guys in the jacuzzi. I sigh as I sink into the warm water between Alex and Xavier.

"Guys, you'll never guess what Nia has in her room!" Cami says as she settles across from me between Felix and Jack. "An eighteen carat white gold tiara with over 200 diamonds in it! It's so pretty!"

"A tiara? Seriously?" Felix asks, looking shocked.

"It was a gift from my parents when I turned fourteen," I shrug. It was also the day of my coronation as the crowned Princess and heir to the throne of Eplea, so of course I got a new tiara for it.

"Damn Portuguese, there's just more and more we don't know about you." Felix laughs.

We chat for a bit between the six of us before Jack and Felix go join the others in the pool.

"So Nia, what are you doing for Thanksgiving?" Cami asks once it's the four of us.

"I don't even know what Thanksgiving is, so nothing that I know of." I shrug.

"You should come with us down to our grandparents' house for Thanksgiving dinner! It would be so much fun!" She squeals. "Won't it be great if Nia comes Alex?"

"Yeah, that'd be awesome if you could come with us," Alex says, smiling at me.

"Your brother could come too!" Cami says.

"If you're sure you family wouldn't mind me tagging along, I'd love to come," I smile. "I doubt Dário will come though, he's never been big into holidays."

"Well, invite him anyways!" Cami says. A loud splash causes us all to look over to the guys in the pool. Connor is sitting on Eric's shoulders, and as I'm watching I see Felix get lifted onto Jack's shoulders before Felix and Connor start trying to push the other off. "Oooo they're playing chicken! Let's go Alex! I have to try to keep my title of reigning champion in chicken!" Cami says, excitedly, while she climbs out of the jacuzzi, pulling Alex along with her. Alex rolls his eyes at his sister, but follows her with a smile.

"You know, he likes you," Xavier says, switching to Portuguese.

"Who, Alex?" I ask, tilting my head to the side.

"Yes, Alex," Xavier says, moving so he is sitting across from me. "If you're not around, then your all he's talking about, or he's texting you. And when you are around, the guy can't stop grinning like an idiot." Xavier says glancing over his shoulder towards the game going on in the pool. I feel my face flush as I look over and catch Alex looking back at me. My heart flutters when our eyes meet and he smiles at me.

"See, that right there is what I'm talking about," Xavier chuckles. "He definitely likes you."

"I like him too," I admit in a whisper, but Xavier hears it anyways. "If things were different, I would could see myself being with him, and I don't foresee that changing any time soon." Xavier gives me a questioning look but doesn't push when I don't give any more clarification.

"You never know what could happen in the future," Xavier shrugs. "Why not just give him a chance and see what happens?"

"Eplea is a long way from Illinois," I say, "and I'm going back once school is out for the summer. I have to." I sigh. "It wouldn't be fair to him for me to lead him on like that. To let him think something more could happen between us, and then to break his heart like that, its just cruel. I can't do that to him."

"Nia -" Xavier starts but is cut off by Alex coming back, putting an end to the conversation in Portuguese.

"What are you two over here chatting about?" Alex says as he climbs back in the jacuzzi, sitting next to me.

"Nothing too exciting," Xavier says. "I just thought it'd be nice to have a conversation in Portuguese since Nia doesn't get to do that too often here. It was just a little about school and she told me a little bit about where she is from." He looks over at me. "Dê uma chance (Give it a chance)." He says before climbing out of the jacuzzi and leaving me alone with Alex.

"What did he just say?" Alex asks, turning to me.

"It was nothing important," I give him a small smile, which he returns. I lean my head back and look up at the stars through the glass ceiling of the pool house, Alex does the same. Not that we could see many stars. Not like I could back home in Eplea. "I miss the stars." I say softly and Alex turns his head to look at me.

"You miss the stars?"

"Yeah. Back home, I used to lay out on my terrace and look up at the stars. You could see thousands of stars in the sky at night, since there isn't as much light pollution there as there is here." I sigh. "It's the one thing I miss as much as I miss my parents."

"When you come with us to my grandparents for Thanksgiving, I'll take you out to the barn to look at the stars," Alex says, not taking his eyes off me. I turn my head to look at him.

"Really?" I ask, looking into his eyes.

"Really," he smiles that smile that makes my heart flutter. "They live in way out in the country and the stars are really bright out there, you'll love it."

"I'm looking forward to it," I say with a smile.