He nodded.
For the first time since possibly the plane, she initiated contact, sliding her arms around his waist and resting the side of her head on his chest.
His cheek came to rest against her hair as he put his arms around her. “You’ll be able to get some rest on the way and won’t have to worry about making your connections.”
“I have to admit, I’m okay with that part. Running through the airport is probably my least favorite part of air travel.”
“Not the ten-hour flights with no sleep?” He couldn’t say he’d ever experienced it himself, but he’d heard.
"I can afford to fly first class most of the time so I can usually get some sleep on long flights."
Was it his imagination or did her head seem to rest a little more heavily against his chest? He tightened his hold on her.
For the first time, he started to realize how much he was going to miss her.
That didn't seem possible, not really. Yes, they'd been married for nearly a month and had spent precious little time together during that time, but knowing she was just down the road brought a sense of something he really couldn't define. Comfort? Peace? Reassurance of safety?
He trusted the security teams. They would protect her with their lives if that's what it came to. It wouldn't be necessary - he was certain of that. Not only would they protect her, but the production company would have security as well. Despite being in Europe, the site was fairly secluded. It wouldn't be easily accessible by anyone.
"When will the plane leave?" She took in a deep breath and blew it out slowly, almost like a peaceful sigh.
"Whenever you want, within reason. Probably not for at least an hour." He didn't know for certain. The plane was supposed to be ready to go at a moment's notice, but he hoped they could spend at least a few minutes together before she needed to leave. "Are you hungry?"
"I could eat." But she didn't move.
"We can have something sent in. Almost anything we want, though we probably don't want to ask for something that will take a long time to prepare." They didn't have that much time.
Probably.
"What time do you need to be at your hotel?" That was likely the best place to start.
Elise took a half step back and looked up at him. "Since someone has so kindly offered me a private plane, I should be able to sleep on the way which helps. What do you recommend ordering for dinner?"
"Everything they make is fantastic." This time he moved away from her but took her hand so the contact wasn't completely broken.
"How about your favorite? I'm not picky." Elise followed him to a sofa nearby and took a seat close enough for him to let go of her hand and wrap his arm around her shoulders.
He pulled his phone out of his other pocket and opened an app. "When you get back permanently, the IT Department will set you up with everything you need. There's apps to order a meal, to find your way around the palace, and a couple of other things."
She let out an exaggerated sigh and slumped against him, her hand coming to rest on the top of his knee. "That's a relief. I figured I'd get lost and have to send up a flare to get rescued. But that would be a problem, because, you know. It’s indoors. Plus I don't typically carry flares."
Frederick laughed, something he knew he didn't do enough of. "Flares indoors would not be the best plan, no." After he placed the dinner order, he put his phone down. "Anyone would be happy to help you if you're in a spot where you don't know how to get where you're going."
"I know, but wouldn't that be a bit odd? The queen asking for directions? Even though I've only slept here like three nights total."
He rested his cheek on the top of her head. "William said he still gets lost at Windsor."
"Who?" She shifted to look up at him. "William?"
"Prince William, Prince of Wales. He did an interview at Windsor. The interviewer said something about getting lost, and he said he gets lost. He could have been joking, but it has over a thousand rooms. We're not quite that big, of course, but it's still pretty easy to get lost if you don't know your way around." It didn't have nearly as much history as most of the places in Europe. Being a fairly young country on the world stage sometimes bothered Frederick.
Not as young as countries closer to the "New World" of course, but much younger than Great Britain or even the Commonwealth of Terra Insula in the northern Mediterranean.
A knock on the door shook him out of his thoughts. Frederick kissed the top of her head. "Dinner's here."
He was determined to enjoy his time with Elise before she was gone for weeks.
Falling in love with his wife was on his list of things to do - and what better way could there be to start?
