Pray over it.
Will I end up praying for God to remove me from this whole situation or will I actually pray for His will to be done? My boss wasn’t wrong. I like Finley Andersson. That much is perfectly clear now. But I think it’s just as a friend. Sure, he’s got wonderful qualities. And he’s handsome.
But I can’t date him.
I can’t be taken away from my home and family.
The answer is absolutely not.
This is a quality I wasnotexpecting from Crown Prince Finley Andersson…
“Lorelei! Will you kill it already?! Quit toying around.”
I glance from the black dot on the floor up to the café chair where a crouching prince resides. Snickers float around us from our unintended audience as we stand on our unintended stage, but Finley pays them no mind. His rounded blue eyes are glued to the now-moving nickel-sized spider on the floor.
“It’s a spider, Finley. A living creature made with a purpose. I am not going to kill it.”
“My heart is going to detonate, Leilei. Get rid of it!”
I roll my lips into my mouth to hide the grin wanting to break free. For starters, why is this masculine, regal prince standing on a chair, his chest heaving with anxious breaths, over a little spider? It’s not even big and furry. But secondly, he called me Leilei,pronounced “lay-lay”, something he has taken to since he met me outside Books and Beans this afternoon and held the door open for me to walk through.
No one has ever given me a nickname other than “Lor.” And that has almost felt like a lazy way to not say my whole name.
Maybe “Leilei” could be classified as the same, but to me, it feels like he softened the sharpness of my name. Almost as if I was given permission to simply breathe and exist without having to be in control.
Except now I am in control.
In control of getting Sir Spider out of Finley’s keen sight so that both can live long, stress-free lives apart from each other.
Finally squatting down, I use the plastic cup the barista, Emma Jane, gave me (she, too, is not a fan of spiders) and a napkin to sweep the innocent little thing into its temporary trap. Walking the distance from our back corner table that Finley chose so as to not draw attention to us (he didn’t anticipate a tiny friend lurking in the corner), I set Sir Spider loose outside and bid him farewell and best wishes.
When I turn around after closing the door, the few people within the bookstore-slash-cafe applaud me. My face heats, and I scamper to the back corner where Finley now sits in the chair with his legs crossed, hands folded lazily in his lap as if wasn’t just fearing for his life over a black moving dot on the floor moments ago. Sitting down, I meet his eyes, and he looks away with pink-tinged cheeks.
“If you didn’t want to be embarrassed, then you should have simply avoided the spider.”
He looks at me incredulously and huffs. “Easy for you to say. Do you not understand the way my heart races, brain fries, and veins run hot when I see such a creature?” Then, he smirks. “Come to think of it, I do believe it is a similar response to when I see you. Do I fear you, or do I love you, Leilei?”
Nowmyheart races,mybrain fries, andmyveins run blistering hot. And it’s definitely fear, not love.
“You fear me,” I state, drawing on my sensibilities instead of allowing the haze of confusing emotions to take over. “I am not Lucy, who is sweet and lovely and soft, and you have your wires crossed thinking you love me. I came here to tell you that. Furthermore, I will jump straight to the point. I do not wish to be a princess or a queen, and I do not wish to move to Korsa. Yes, I find myself liking you, but nothing more is plausible.”
Finley blinks once. Unfolds his hands and rubs them on his navy pants. Then he blinks again.
Does he wear dress pants everywhere he goes? I don’t think I’ve seen him in anything less than. What does he look like lounging around his house? Does he opt for holey shirts and baggy sweats like I do?
Not yours to think about, Lorelei.
“Let’s talk about how you are finding yourself liking me. Can you elaborate?” Finley uncrosses his legs and places his folded hands on top of the table, leaning in.
“You are kind, intelligent, and… nice. I find your company enjoyable and your brain fascinating.”
Finley doesn’t respond, and I worry I spoke too honestly. But then, he smiles ear to ear and says, “So you do want to date me, butyou are wholly committed to not leaving Juniper Grove. Therefore, you won’t date me. Did I get that correct?”
My neck heats, and I sip the chai tea that has cooled from the amount of time it took me to make my spider rescue earlier. I appreciate the way Finley is verifying my words before making assumptions. “Can I speak honestly?”
“I’d have you speak no other way, Leilei.”
I set the light blue, rounded mug down. After inhaling, I close my eyes and say, “I’ve never dated a man before. I am clueless about the process. I’ve watched my sister and our friends date, but I’m fearful. I don’t want to mess up. I don’t want to fall in love. I don’t want to leave my home, family, friends, and job. I like you as a person, yes. I could see our brains connecting well. But I can’t see you standing side by side with a woman like me. I am… inexperienced. You are not. I am a small town homebody. You are a traversing crown prince. I like peace and quiet and plants and cats. You like adventure and flirting and shenanigans. We do not make sense, simply put. But we could be friends while you’re here.”
