Princess Lulu was dressed in a fabulous red dress that pushed the limits of royal conservatism. Her fascinator was adorned with red feathers, perched stylishly on her thick, auburn hair. And on her arm was the famous Hollywood actor, Gregory Owens.
Aisha was used to seeing famous people up close, but it was still a bit of a shock seeing a member of the royal family make a glittering entrance at her own party with an American heartthrob on her arm.
She glanced at Nick. His eyes were darting between his little sister and the tall, muscular, immaculately-groomed man on her arm.
Aisha followed his gaze to the King and Queen. For a split second, their jaws went slack, but Queen Naomi quickly schooled her expression into one of practiced calm.
She gave the newcomers a polite smile.
"Please, do have a drink," she said.
*
Apart from smiling and briefly wishing the Princess, she didn't get a chance to talk to her. Lulu was swarmed with important well-wishers- dukes, barons, lords, and ladies, all tripping over themselves to wish her a happy birthday, and discreetly scope out her new beau.
While the party proceeded with a veneer of normalcy, Aisha could feel an undercurrent of tension thrumming in the air. The smiles of the royal family were slightly strained as they made their rounds of the room. All in all, it was rather a relief when she got into the luxury car meant to take her home.
Exhausted, Aisha nodded off in the car, only to jerk awake as it drew to a stop.
"Ma'am, the entrance to your building is slightly...crowded," said the uniformed driver, peering ahead. Rubbing her eyes, Aisha sat up, looking out of the heavily tinted windows.
There was a knot of reporters, photographers, and media folk gathered at the entrance to her building, all jostling with each other, chattering loudly, and glancing up at the small balcony of Aisha's flat.
*
When Aisha stepped into work the next morning, she was utterly tired and sleep deprived. First, she had stayed up all night juggling the many questions of her roommates with the hysterical phone calls of her parents.
Secondly, a short video clip from the party had been leaked on the Internet, showing Lulu with her new beau and then cutting to the shocked faces of the royal family- and Aisha, who was at Nick’s side.
ROYAL SIBLINGS FIND FOREIGN LOVE? screamed the news channels, flashing that same clip again and again till Aisha was forced to turn the telly off, and tell Nat and Rose that it wasn't to be switched on again in her presence.
Foreign, thought Aisha, snorting under her breath as she signed in to work. She and her entire family were British citizens.
Fortunately, Nick had quickly rustled up a security team to keep the paparazzi from getting too close to her. Even so, it was rather disconcerting to have a group of suited men in sunglasses surround her, elbowing away the frantically clicking cameras just so that she could get to work.
Aisha felt her phone buzz in her pocket, and paused in the foyer, glancing at it before she stepped in to work.
3 missed calls from Nick.
ВЫ ЧИТАЕТЕ
Aisha and the Prince of Wales
ЧиклитAisha Ahluwalia is a London-based Indian, focussed on her career as a personal shopper with the UK's most sought-after designer, Elise Alva. She's used to dealing with celebrities, having handled clients ranging from Oscar-winning actors to the wive...
