Author's Note:
Sorry for the long wait for this chapter! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Happy New Year!
I rose my eyebrows. "Do you have a problem with Mister Lucas?"
"No. None at all," Chef Jonathan replied unconvincingly. "Well, I'd uh, I'd better get back to the kitchens."
"Smooth transition, Chef Jonathan," I retorted sarcastically.
He chuckled awkwardly and dashed off.
The current dinner shift ended, most of it spent with Ethan and Dylan talking outside the dining hall.
"Sorry I didn't sit with you most of the time," apologized Ethan.
"It's fine." I shrugged.
"Well, I'd better head back to work. It was good to see you, Cassie," he said.
"You too."
"And what about me?" Dylan interjected, wiggling his eyebrows.
I simply ignored him and walked by.
"Ooh, cold," he chortled.
You're obnoxious, I thought. I dispensed my dish with the rest of the dirty dishes when a friendly face caught my eye.
"Hey, Luke!" I waved.
He turned to me and beamed.
"Hi, Cassie." His eyes then held concern. "Are you doing alright?"
I smiled. "Yeah. Though it really shouldn't be me that you should be worried about. I did get to stop work early and leave those pretentious Barbies behind."
His lip quirked. "Then who should I be worried about?"
"Yourself. You were stuck with the brats," I noted.
Luke smiled weakly, placed a hand behind his neck, and leaned his head back. "Ah, I'm used to this kind of stuff. It just wears me out."
"You should rest, Luke. Go to your room and relax during your dinner break!"
"But I'm hungry, and a guy has to eat." He sighed.
"You should go to your room." I grinned cheekily. "Trust me. I'll make sure you get to eat and rest."
Luke rose an eyebrow. "Fine, if you say so."
I smiled and shooed him off. I went through the buffet line again and picked out a plate piled with delicious food for Luke. By asking a few servants roaming the halls, I was able to locate Luke's room, which was apparently separate from the rest of ours. I rapped at his door and he quickly answered.
"Hello, Mister Lucas." I curtsied dramatically. "Your food has arrived, good sir."
He smiled, and opened the door wider. "Come on in," he offered.
I followed him in and took in my surroundings. He had a queen sized bed, a large desk, a dresser, a couch, and plenty of space. "Nice room," I whistled.
"Thanks. Being the Prince's butler has some perks."
"The job needs to come with perks." I passed him his plate of food, and he went over the couch and plopped down.
I wasn't sure whether to leave or stay.
Luke looked at me expectantly, and then glanced at the couch cushion beside him.
It was all the encouragement I needed, and I took a seat next to him.
"I would have worn my maid outfit, to be a proper servant to you, but I'm not even sure where it is right now," I admitted. "It might still be wet from my little swimming escapade."
"You ought to go down to the clothing designer's area. You still need your measurements for a tailored maid dress," Luke stated.
"Wait, I get a tailored dress?!"
He had just scooped a spoonful of food in his mouth, so he waited a second to swallow. "Yes. All of the house servants get tailored clothes."
"That's pretty neat! I've never had tailored clothing before!" I marveled.
Luke grinned. "I'm glad you're excited."
"So..." I fiddled with my fingers. "How did the pool party go after I left?"
He glanced at me sideways and a mischievous smile lifted on his face.
"Oh, Cassie, I wish you could have seen it. They were livid."
I laughed. "The Barbies?"
"Yes, who else?"
"What happened?" I tucked my legs underneath me and turned to face him fully.
"Prince Coleman came back from talking with you, and Madeline asked how 'that servant wench' handled being fired." He took another bite of food and chewed pensively. "And when she found out that he had not fired you..." Luke shook his head. "It was like all hell had broken loose."
I guffawed. "What did she do?!"
"She was spitting mad. She started cursing and called you quite a few names that I'd rather not repeat. Prince Coleman told her to get over herself and went to the other two girls. All of them, however, were clearly in sour moods after the event."
"Aw, did they take it out on you?" I frowned.
Luke smiled sheepishly. "Well, were they going to take it out on Prince Coleman?" He leaned back deeply into the couch cushion. "It's was 'Butler this' and 'Butler that!'"
"I'm sorry." I sunk dejectedly into the couch. "It's all my fault."
"You don't control the actions of those so-called ladies." He chuckled ruefully. "Besides, I've seen these groups and even those particular girls plenty of times. There is always someone or something to be jealous of."
"Well, yeah. That's because Coleman seems to stick with a pack of girls instead of just picking one!"
"But...they still choose him." Luke's eyes held a faraway look, and I knew there was something there.
"Luke—" I started, but he jumped to another topic.
"Are you entering the staff raffle?"
"What staff raffle?" I asked.
"You haven't heard yet? There's a raffle for two tickets to Sky Land!" He grinned.
"Sky Land! Isn't that the biggest amusement park in Aregano?!" I bounced on the cushion excitedly.
"Yes!"
"I was planning on going there while I'm here. I was looking at pictures and videos online, and it looks so cool!" I beamed. "It would be great to get free tickets."
"I hope you get them." His eyes crinkled into a smile. "I've always loved visiting Sky Land! It would be great for you, especially as a first-time visitor."
"Well, if I win the raffle, the second ticket is yours," I promised.
He blinked rapidly. "Really?" His chocolate eyes bore into my own, surprised and hopeful.
"Of course." A huge smile cracked on my face. "That is, of course, if you'd want to go."
"I would." He had answered quickly, then flushed a little. He stared down at his plate of food. "Well, I hope you get them."
Now, for more reasons than one, I hoped I'd get the tickets too.
We stayed there for a short while longer, until Luke's food was gone and his break was almost over. He laid his head back on the sofa and breathed deeply. "I wish we could stay like this forever," he murmured.
My heart hammered against my chest. The two of us sitting together privately in his room on a couch, laughing and talking...
Also, he had said we. Not I.
Luke's eyes snapped open and he sprung off from the couch. "W-well," he stammered. "Thank you for spending time with me."
"Of course. And I'll take back your plate for you."
"Oh, you don't have to do that for me."
"It's no big deal," I said. As I took the plate from him, I made sure to brush my fingertips against his hands. "I'll see you tomorrow."