Unexpected

Chapter 14

His shampoo was from the same company, Molton Brown, but wasn't the same scent -- instead it was something I couldn't even pronounce but it was a nice, light and clean smell. I was right, there was no conditioner, but all things considered, I was fairly impressed with his selections. Although, given who he was, I guess I shouldn't have expected an old bottle of the cheapest shampoo possible and a half used bar of soap or anything.

When I was done getting ready, I walked out into the living room, hoping Alex was finished with his call. I sat awkwardly with Robert for a couple of minutes, talking primarily about the weather, then thankfully Alex came in from the deck shortly after.

"Is everything ok?" I asked.

He crossed over to give me a quick kiss, which made me color slightly. I was really not used to kissing with an audience (while drunk, sure, but not sober), even just little pecks. "Yes, all is well. It was my grandmother."

"The Queen?" I squeaked, and Robert quietly left the room, which I appreciated.

"Yes, Charlie, the Queen. Who is my grandmother, if you'll recall," Alex said teasingly.

I hit him on the arm. "You looked pretty somber out there, are you sure everything is fine?"

"She wasn't exactly delighted about the pictures, if you must know. Said she has come to expect these things from George -- my brother -- but that she was surprised that I had found myself in the news for something like this. She wasn't angry but just reminded me that I'm the face of the monarchy and should hold myself to a higher standard of behavior."

Yikes. "Ah, the old 'disappointed in you' route? What did you say to defend yourself? Or did you just take it?"

"I apologized that I had caused her any stress and told her I would exercise greater caution in the future, regardless of my surroundings. I've found with my grandmother that it's best just to ask for forgiveness and move on from there -- she really doesn't want to hear justifications or excuses, just that it won't happen again."

"That sounds like a good plan for dealing with anyone, really," I said. I was somewhat hurt that he didn't defend me to her but what he said was reasonable. As if sensing my disappointment, Alex continued, although his effort to make me feel better had the opposite effect.

"I did tell her that you were a lovely person and what a good time we were having together. She said, 'I know, I saw the pictures.'" I gaped at him, aghast, while he continued, with a chuckle, "She's much funnier than people realize."

"The Queen thinks I'm slutty." I moaned and Alex pulled me into his arms laughing.

"Of course not, she was joking. That's a prime example of British humor. She doesn't think you're a slapper, I promise you. She said she was glad I was having fun, that I deserved it." Changing the subject, Alex said, "Enough about that, are you ready to go? We're not too far off from the start of the movie, right?"

"Yep." I decided to just shake off his conversation with his grandmother as zero good would come from overthinking it. "Good idea, we should totally go a bit earlier to make sure we get a good spot!"

"Is this your first drive-in experience?" I asked him, after we'd parked in a great central location, not too close but not too far away. Maggie and Jack had pulled in beside us, although they were slightly closer to the screen. Other mules were slowly arriving, but by showtime, there were only about five other couples there.

"It is. Are these fairly typical in Nebraska?" He motioned for me to come closer so I slid across the bench seat, and he put his arm around me.

"No, not any more, sadly. But there was one in the small-ish city I went to undergrad in so we went a few times, with my sorority sisters."