Prince Louis' Pov
"That lasagna was delectable am I right or am I right?" I nudged Gabriel while shaking my eyebrows in an up-and-down movement, who did nothing but stifle a nod.
After we had dinner at a restaurant also suggested by Eugene, we made our way to the hotel to get some rest and prepare for the ball that was being held tomorrow.
We were currently waiting for our lift and I tried making small talk with the ever-silent guards by my sides.
I let out a huge sigh, one dramatic enough to grasp the attention of the men. "Your Highness, is everything alright?" Nicolas turned to face me.
"It's just that on a beautiful evening such as this, I'm being accompanied by two men to my hotel room instead of the opposite gender. Oh, isn't this dreadful?" I placed the back of my hand on my forehead and closed my eyes.
I opened one eye and Nicolas opened his mouth to say something as the doors opened.
"Huh?"
"It's you." We voiced in unison after what seemed like a moment or two.
"Well, this trip just got less boring." I smirked and felt the wheels turning in my head.
I rushed into the metal box and pressed the 'close' button frantically. The guards started to step forward as I placed a hand up.
"I forbid you from taking another step." Their feet remained planted in their former positions and I chuckled.
"I'll make my way back to the hotel room. You both should take the other lift. Bye-bye." I saluted them as the doors finally closed.
It then dawned on me that I must've looked very absurd to the person beside me and by the time I looked at the expression on her face, I stood corrected.
She had an eyebrow raised in way of questioning the whole situation.
"Hi." I breathed out and gave a toothy grin. "Do you remember me?"
"Hi. From the airport right? I never got the chance to apologize for ruining your shirt. Here." She reached into the pockets of her sweatpants and pulled out a couple of euros.
"For your dry cleaning. Cream cheese can be tough to get out of clothes. Sorry." Her eyes held both concern and embarrassment in them. I think it was more of the latter though.
"Not to worry, I already got it sorted out. Again, I apologize for bumping into you....?"
"Oh. Kaitlyn and you are?"
"Louis." It'd be wiser to leave out the whole Prince thing. Wouldn't want to make this situation even weirder.
I let out a hand for her to shake and she gave me a curious look. I looked down at my hand and back at her before she smiled and shook my hand.
"Where to?" I asked.
"Well, the lobby, I wanted to go for a walk, you know, get some fresh air. But you seemed to be in a bit of a situation considering how you jumped into the elevator."
"Right. I am in a bit of a pickle." A thought came to my head and I pressed the rooftop button. "I think the roof will be a much better place to receive 'fresh air' than the lobby or outside."
"You're not trying to kill me or anything right?" She let out a nervous chuckle.
"Not exactly." Her eyes widened when I said that.
"I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I just feel bad for wasting your time." She nodded and looked forward.
"So. You stay in this hotel?" I tried to make small talk while the lift went up.
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't right?" She chuckled.
"Yeah." I mentally facepalmed myself.
The doors opened and we stepped out into the rooftop. It had been decorated with flowers and plants, creating a garden feel. It also had dim fairy lights on some plants.
Side note. I told the staff to do this. The roof looked so cold and unapproachable but ever since it was renovated, more people have been coming here.
"Wow. The view is so beautiful." I heard Kaitlyn gasp beside me.
That made me let out small laughter. "Indeed it is."
I led her to the glass railing by the edge of the roof and we were able to admire the city lights.
"Are you here on vacation?" Kaitlyn broke the silence.
"I wish. I'm here on business." I looked at her.
"Oh. Just out of curiosity, how old are you?" She looked at me.
"I'm 23. Most people say I don't look my age."
"No, it's not that. When you mentioned business, I thought you were maybe in your thirties or something."
"How old are you?"
"I'm 20 and before you ask no I don't attend college."
"I wasn't going to ask." I smiled softly.
"Right." She faced the view once more.
"Are you on vacation?" I elevated my head on the palm of my hand and decided to study her briefly.
She was pretty, like really pretty. She had thick, brown hair that fluttered as the wind blew and brown eyes that made you delve deeper the more you stared into them.
Her skin was fair and her lips were lush pink. Her cheeks and nose had turned red due to the cold temperature. She had a kind of charm to her, that made me want to know more about her.
"Hello?"
"Yes?"
"Were you listening to me?"
"Sorry. I zoned out. Could you repeat what you said?"
She sighed but smiled as she replied. "I said that it's kind of complicated. I'm here on vacation but I'm not staying for long."
"Is it okay for me to pry?"
"I don't really have anything to hide." She laughed. Her laughter echoed in the night air and was kind of nice to listen to.
She tucked a piece of stray her behind her now reddened ears. "My dad's a pilot so I travel with him, that's why I can't exactly say it's a vacation since it's like a frequent thing." She stretched her hands on the railing.
"Would you like to sit?" We had been standing for quite a while now and she had been shuffling from foot to foot. I guessed that much.
"Sure."
I led her to the seating area and told her I would be back. There was a vending machine at the corner so I tossed in some coins and got coffee for the both of us.
"Thank you." She cupped the can and took a sip of the coffee.
She sighed. "That hits the spot." I smiled and took a sip of mine.
"So. What business do you do?"
I placed my can on the wooden table before she added it.
"Can I pry?" I tugged at my coat's sleeve and laughed quietly before turning to her.
"I actually have a lot of things to hide, but that I can answer. I.." am the prince of Belgium and next in line to the throne and I'm here for a meeting with other royals, some of which are also next in line to the thrones of their respective countries.
"It's a kind of family business. I'm here to meet with some of my dad's partners to discuss."
That wasn't entirely a lie.
"Oh. That's pretty cool." She said and took a sip of her beverage.
"You don't seem surprised. Is that all you have to say?" I smirked a little.
"What can I say? I've met my fair share of people in this travel lifestyle and have seen a couple of people like you. The whole family business thing." She motioned circles with her hand.
"No wonder you talk so freely to a complete stranger." I said and drank out of my coffee again.
"Are you British? Your accent has me wondering."
"Not exactly. I lived there for a while when I was younger. I'm from Western Europe."
"Ah, so this is kind of your turf?"
"Precisely." We both laughed in the quiet night and looked at each other, eyes locked. I wonder what was going through her mind.
It was the first time I had enjoyed conversing with a stranger in a while.
A white substance dropped lightly onto her reddened nose before another and another and another fell continuously.
She stood up immediately. "No freaking way. No freaking way!" She bounced up and down in her position and had a pure look of excitement on her face.
I stood up and chuckled. "What? The snow? It's November, I guess it's cold enough for snow to fall. I placed my hands in my coat pockets.
She removed her phone from her pocket and began taking pictures. I don't question it because the view was worthy of being photographed.
"Don't you know? It hasn't snowed in Italy in like 10 years. This is the first time and I can't believe I'm experiencing it on my first visit here! Isn't it amazing?" She let out in one breath.
"I didn't know that it's not a frequent occurrence. It is quite amazing."
"Yeah!" She piped and then looked at me giving me a small smile. "Could you please take some pictures of me? I need to capture this as a memory."
I nodded and she gave me her phone. I took some pictures of her and she posed in such a natural way. You could tell she had done this multiple times.
"Thank you so much. I just can't get over this. The snow is so pretty." She moved towards the railings and stared into the wide space.
I fell into step beside her and looked at her. "Yes. Very pretty."
Afterward, she excused herself saying she had to make a live video of some sort, and asked if it was okay with me. I told her it was alright as long as I wasn't in it.
I watched as she spoke animatedly into her phone screen and mused about the snow to her followers. I made a mental note to ask for her number.
"Sorry. It took longer than I expected." She said scratching the back of her neck.
"It's alright. You must be freezing. Let's go back inside the hotel." She nodded and I got up from the chair I was in, disposing of our coffee cans, as we made our way downstairs.
Kaitlyn's Pov
I blinked once, then twice, and then thrice. What a small world.
"It's you." We said at the same time.
"What's you?" Emma's voice spoke up from my AirPods and I quietly said "I'll call you back."
"This trip just got less boring." He said with a smirk.
The so-called Adonis I had mentioned to my friend was standing in front of me and entered the elevator speedily pressing the 'close' button and saying some weird things to the men with him.
I raised an eyebrow once the door closed. Like I said, I've met my fair share of weirdos on trips and I crossed my fingers behind me in hopes he was at least normal.
"Hi." His voice was low and raspy and suddenly I lost all the words in my vocabulary. Again.
"Do you remember me?"
"Hi." I gave a lame response before I quickly added. "From the airport right? I never got the chance to apologize for ruining your shirt. Here." I reached into my pockets and pulled out some euros not sure of the amount he would need.
"For your dry cleaning. Cream cheese can be tough to get out of clothes. Sorry." Thinking that I had made a fool out of myself in front of such an attractive person had me mortified.
"Not to worry, I already got it sorted out. Again, I apologize for bumping into you....?" He drew out the end and I realized he was asking for my name.
"Oh. Kaitlyn and you are?"
"Louis."
He held out a hand to me and I was suddenly confused. He looked down at his hand and back up at me.
What was wrong with me today? I gave him a polite smile and accepted his hand.
"Where to?" He asked.
"Well, the lobby, I wanted to get some fresh air. But you seemed to be in a bit of a situation considering how you jumped into the elevator."
"Right. I am in a bit of a pickle." He replied and that confirmed my assumption. Yup. He was definitely British.
"I think the roof will be a better place to receive fresh air than the lobby or outside."
"You're not trying to kill me or anything right?" I said half-joking letting out a chuckle that sounded forced.
You can never be too careful. He might be handsome but he could also be a psychopath. You never know!
"Not exactly." My eyes widened and I almost considered getting off the elevator.
"I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I just feel bad for wasting your time."
I nodded and looked forward, not totally disregarding the thought from my mind.
We continued to make small talk till we reached the rooftop.
The view from there was gorgeous and the roof itself was aesthetically pleasing.
"Wow. The view is so beautiful." I let out a gasp.
"Indeed it is."
We moved towards the glass railing and it was even more beautiful from there with all the city lights.
"Are you here on vacation?" I decided to break the silence.
"I wish. I'm here on business." He looked at me and I slightly dropped my smile.
Don't tell me I was talking to a guy who had a wife and kids.
"Oh. Just out of curiosity, how old are you?" I decided to voice my thoughts.
"I'm 23. Most people say I don't look my age."
"No, it's not that. When you mentioned business, I thought you were maybe in your thirties or something."
Most people in our age group are either in college or have part-time jobs and he has his own business? Impressive.
"How old are you?" He replicated my question.
"I'm 20 and before you ask no I don't attend college."
"I wasn't going to ask." He smiled at me.
"Right." I faced forward. Well, that was embarrassing.
"Are you here on vacation?" He stared at me, waiting for my reply.
"I guess you could say that. Being a pilot's daughter and having to travel with him wherever he goes doesn't exactly make it a vacation." I turned to him awaiting his reply and he was still staring at me. He must've zoned out.
"Hello?"
"Yes?"
"Were you listening to me?"
"Sorry. I zoned out. Could you repeat what you said?"
I thought as much.
I sighed but smiled and repeated myself. "I said that it's kind of complicated. I'm here on vacation but I'm not staying for long."
"Is it okay for me to pry?" He was actually pretty decent. Some people would just invade and ask a bunch of questions. That made me uncomfortable 90% of the time.
"I don't really have anything to hide." I laughed.
That was half true. I tucked a piece of hair behind my hair. The cold wind was whipping my locks into my eyes.
"My dad's a pilot so I basically travel with him, that's why I can't exactly say it's a vacation." I stretched my hands on the railing.
"Would you like to sit?" He suggested and I thanked the stars he did. I was getting tired.
We talked for a little longer until no words were said and we just locked eyes with one another. I wonder what he thought of when he stared at me. He seemed to be doing a lot of staring tonight.
Louis had hazel eyes which looked different depending on the lighting. Right now, they looked different from the day at the airport, somewhat darker.
His hair looked auburn which made a great contrast to his eyes, or maybe they were brown. I don't really have a knack for colors.
A white substance and another dropped onto his hair and I looked up to the sky.
I couldn't believe my eyes. I stood up almost tossing the chair backward."No freaking way. No freaking way!" I bounced up and down on my feet and couldn't hide my excitement.
"What? The snow? It's November, I guess it's cold enough for snow to fall." Louis voiced from beside me. If I weren't so excited, I would've rolled my eyes not so subtly.
On animal instinct, I began taking photos of the scenery. This would look so good on my timeline.
"Don't you know? It hasn't snowed in Italy in 10 like years. This is the first time and I can't believe I'm experiencing it on my first visit here! Isn't it amazing?" I ranted, my eyes not leaving my phone once.
"I didn't know that it's not a frequent occurrence. It's quite amazing."
"Yeah!" I said and turned to look at him, deciding whether to ask him or not.
"Could you please take some pictures of me? I need to capture this as a memory.
He nodded and I gave him my phone. I struck some silly poses and some cute poses as he took the photos of me.
"Thank you so much. I just can't get over this. The snow is so pretty." I moved towards the railings and stared into the wide space.
"Yes. Very pretty." I heard him say beside me.
I realized I had to get this on live so my followers can get an in-depth experience. I excused myself and asked Louis if I could go live and he said he was fine with it as long as I didn't show him.
I spoke to the 500 people that came on live and told them how Italy didn't have snow constantly and they shared the same excitement with me.
After about 20 minutes, I went to where Louis sat and scratched the back of my neck. "Sorry. It took longer than I expected."
"It's alright. You must be freezing. Let's go back inside the hotel." I nodded and he got up then we made our way to the elevator.
*
Once I was inside my room I filled the bath with warm water and threw in a bath bomb. The adrenaline had worn off leaving me freezing on the spot.
I grabbed some chips I had gotten earlier that day and placed them on the table beside the bathtub. I then took off my clothes and stepped, one foot at a time, into the bath. "Oh, that's good."
I reached for the remote and turned on the television. Yes, there was a tv in the bathroom.
I clicked on the next episode of Bridgerton that I had been watching on Netflix and ate some chips from its packaging.
This was a long one. I know it might seem repetitive but I thought you guys would like to know from both perspectives. Mind you, I wouldn't always write from both perspectives just so that the story won't be unnecessarily long, repetitive, or boring. It only gets better from here. The party scene is in the next chapter. I hope you're liking this story so far.
Fun fact: The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue. Crazy right? Next time someone offends you just stick out your tongue and smack them with it.