I yawned frowning. Why was I sleeping on something hard and cylindrical? I turned my head to be met with a hard warm wall. My eyes traveled appreciatively to the hot face where they froze.
"Agh!" I'm sure my scream was loud enough to wake the dead. Tristen's eyes snapped open at the bloodcurdling sound. I jumped off the bed and rolled onto the floor. Using my pillow as a weapon I started pounding his hard chest.
"What the hell were you doing in my bed?!" I screamed at him, hitting him after each word.
"Shit Char! Stop! You might kill me before we get married and then that would be a tragedy."
"More like a happily ever after." I mumbled but stopped. He threw the covers off of himself and stood up. Holy Crap! I couldn't stop staring at his perfectly toned muscles and his gorgeous tan body. How had I missed this last night?!
"Nothings changed, huh?" I looked up to see his smirking face grin down at me. I raised an eyebrow questionably. "Still can't stop drooling over this hot stuff." I glared back and turned around to go into my bathroom.
Forty minutes later, after much yelling and banging on the door from both guys, I emerged clean and ready to annoy the crap out of Tristen. Both guys looked up and glared at me which I returned with a blinding smile. I turned to walk out of the room when I heard whistling. I turned confused to see Tristen and Joey smiling at me widely.
"What are-" The words had barely left my mouth when I remembered- I wasn't wearing pants.
"Crap!" I rushed out of the room and into my closet, laughter following me all the way.
I pulled on a pair of skinny jeans and some pink flats that matched my pink Ralph Lauren one shoulder shirt. I stepped out of my walk-in closet and threw up my brown hair into a messy lopsided bun on the side of my head. The guys looked up from the video game that they had started, something on the Wii, before quickly turning back to their game. I rolled my eyes and stalked over to my purple laptop that had five new messages waiting for me. I clicked on the one from Katie first.
Hey Char!! :)
im coming down to Tecelly tomorrow 2 get ready for ur coronation!! Mom and dad wanted 2 come but couldn't make it. :( they apologize and hope tht they will c u soon enough!! Anyway cu real soon!! :)
Hugs and trees!! :P
Katie
Bff and awesomer sis
I couldn't help but smile at my friend's crazy email. I quickly typed back:
Hey hey hey! :)
Great can't wait 4 u 2 get here! you'll nvr guess who's here? Joey!! :) get here real soon; tristen's getting on my nerve. O and also? Y did u nvr tell me tht u thought tristen and I would end up 2gether? /:) u have some explainin' 2 do Missy. :) anyway c u tomorrow!!
Hugs and cherries :)
Charlie
Bfffl and cooler sis
I scanned through the rest of the emails quickly. Most of them were just from people trying to sell me stuff. When I came to last email, I clicked on it hesitantly. It was from a email that I didn't recognize and I didn't like to read those for fear of viruses.
I looked it over quickly and gasped. I must have read it wrong. I looked through it again. No, same words.
"Tristen? Joey?" My voice shook and as I looked through those words again I wondered if it was a prank.
"Yeah?" I felt them come to stand on either side of my chair.
"What the hell is this?" Tristen said angrily. "I will kill the person that dares to threaten you." I felt glad that he would protect me. Maybe this marriage wasn't such a bad idea. I mentally shook myself. This is Tristen we're talking about. The guy who had made fun of me since I was old enough to walk.
"You have five days left to live before we kill you. Give up the crown or your life will be terminated. Signed, your 'Haters.'" Joey read aloud. "What kind of sick joke is this?" He yelled angrily. I looked up at both guys. Each one looked like they wanted to murder someone. I smiled sadly, glad that they wanted to help me.
The intercom next to my bed beeped, ruining the moment. I sighed and got up, pushing the answer button because it was now beeping impatiently.
"WHAT?!" I yelled, slightly annoyed and kinda scared still. Although I was sure it was someone's idea of a joke, the part about killing me freaked me out.
"You have five seconds to get down here. The press is here and we have to do a release on you and Tristen. I hope you're dressed." A voice hissed out. I rolled my eyes.
"I'll be right down Carlee. Don't get your thong in a twist." The guys snickered besides me and I couldn't help but smile. It was so much fun messing with Carlee. She was way too easy.
"I. Can't. Believe. You. Just. Said. That." Carlee enunciated through gritted teeth.
"Yeah, well sue me." I hit the power off button before she could yell at me again. I turned to see the guys standing there looking at me solemnly.
"What?"
"Are you sure you're going to be okay? I mean, you just received a death threat." Tristen said looking concerned. I waved off his concerns.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll just tell my bodyguards that they should be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. Also Tristen?" I turned so that I was facing him fully. He looked at me concern written in his big brown eyes. I smiled at him, surprised by the feeling bubbling in my chest. "Don't worry about me so much. I'm fine." He smirked at me.
"Don't worry? I'm not worrying about you. I'm worried that I might lose the country if you do die." It felt like someone had just stabbed me with a knife. I staggered back, blown away by his harsh words. Joey's mouth hung open as he glared as his cousin.
"I don't need you either! And I will be divorcing you as soon as we get married!" I turned away surprised by the tears brimming in my eyes.
I can't believe that I thought that I loved him and that he felt the same way. I shook my head dismissively. Was I ever wrong!
-------
I walked down the stairs, holding my head high and letting my neck stretch. My face was frozen into a "princess" smile as Carlee called it. The arm that rested on Tristen's was stiff. I wasn't talking to him and I wasn't going to for a very long time. Carlee met me with a smile on her lips and a glare in her eyes.
"What took you so long?" she hissed. She's turning more snakelike as the hours go by, I tsked. "You are late!"
"A queen is never late. Everyone else is simply early." I quoted from Princess Diaries. I loved that movie when I was little. Mia had reminded me of myself. Not wanting to be a princess while it was every little girl's dream to become just that. Besides, Anne Hathaway is amazing.
"Well your not queen yet so it doesn't apply to you." Carlee contradicted. I rolled my eyes.
"Whatever," I mumbled as we continued over to the double doors that were the only thing holding back the crazed reporters and paparazzi.
"Nice comeback," Tristen mumbled snidely, his lips grazing my ear sending shivers down my back. It was all I could do not to slap him or kiss him silly. I settled for a glare which soon turned into a smile as we walked into the entry hall and took our places on two makeshift thrones.
----------
"What's the date for the wedding?"
"Was it arranged?"
"How does it feel knowing that you are the next queen?"
"Are you excited for the coronation?"
"Princess Charlotte? Princess Charlotte? What are you wearing as a wedding gown?"
All the questions being shouted at me were making my head spin. Thankfully, Tristen answered most of them.
"The date should be next weekend May 1. We thought that it should be on a Sunday."
"No it was not arranged." (Carlee had made us have a prep press session, where they told us the answers to all the obvious questions.)
"I feel great knowing that I have a chance to turn something already great into something even better."
"Yes the coronation will be amazing. Char and I got to pick out the wedding planner and she said that she would be happy to plan the coronation as well."
"I will be wearing a custom dress from one of our designers here in Tecelly. I am amazed by the details that she puts into her dresses."
More questions soon followed and we answered them while staring at each other like we were in love. In reality, I was glaring daggers at Tristen while he smiled winningly. After a while I grew bored and started to fidget with my top. Tristen noticed and his eyes widened in surprise. I looked at him confused and he put his arm around me as if blocking me from view.
"Well, that's all we have time for. I promised Char that we would go on a ride around the grounds." I smiled widely. Horses were my life and had been one of the only things that I had missed about being away from Tecelly. My darling horses Fire and Ice were still here I hoped. We walked out, Tristen's arms draped around my neck, his body hugging me from behind. The doors closed behind me and I stepped away from him quickly only for him to re-wrap his arms around me.
"What's the matter Tristen?" I said, breaking my promise. That lasted a long time.
"You have a hole in your shirt." he whispered in my ear, his lips grazing my earlobe slightly. Again I shivered. Why me?
"Oh god," I moaned. Tristen walked with me hiding the hole. As soon as I got to my closet I ran in and tore the shirt off inspecting the hole. It stretched throughout the entire back of the shirt. For some strange reason, seeing the hole in my shirt set the waterworks display off and soon I was crying over Tristen, over the e-mail, and over my shirt.
"You okay?" he asked, before his eyes got huge as he stared at me. I was only in my bra and undies.
"Tristen get out!" I cried, tears streaming down my face. "My life is already ruined. You telling me that you don't care about me! Me getting a death notice! And on top of that I actually thought I cared about you!" I stood there out of breath, my mascara running and Tristen standing there gaping. I shook my head and turned around trying to find a shirt when an arm snaked around my waist and flipped me around. I looked up to be met with Tristen's vibrant brown eyes. My breath caught by the look on his face.
"I love you." His lips crashed into mine and I kissed him back hard.
"What are you two doing?" I pulled back to see Joey in the doorway of my closet.
"Nothing," I said and walked out.
"Hey Char?" Tristen called. I turned around a wide smile plastered across my face.
"Yeah?"
"Aren't you forgetting something?" I furrowed my brow. Damn you Tristen. His kisses were amazing that I forgot what I was doing. I shook my head, unsure still.
"I don't think so."
"Really?" Tristen called back. He held up a random shirt. "You sure you didn't forget this?" I looked down to see that I was only in my bra and jeans.
"I hate you," I growled as I grabbed the shirt. He held it above his head.
"You know you don't." He smirked down at me as I glared up. "But you know, I think I like you better this way." Joey snickered and I turned around.
"What are you still doing here?" I yelled ,pointing at the door. "Leave." He held up his hands in a surrender pose, before walking out and into my room.
I turned my attention back to Tristen.
"Tristen!" I pleaded to him, pretending to be oblivious to the fact that I was in my closet surrounded by tons of shirts.
"Can I have the shirt?" I gave him my puppy dog face. Whimpering voice, big shiny eyes, and pouty lips that trembled a little for effect. It worked. Tristen faltered, caught off guard by my look of pure distress.
"Well, I suppose you could have it." He brought his arm down do the shirt was in my reach. I quickly grabbed his arm and pulled it down so it was behind him.
"You are so paying for the trick." My voice whispered deadly in his ear. I let go and pulled on my shirt before walking out the door. Yup, life was definitely going to get interesting