Jax sat, lifting the blanket. When he was settled, he entwined his fingers in mine and let out a sigh. “I’ve missed you so much.”
I didn’t reply, instead focusing my attention on the film, but it was really hard to think about anything other than him being so close.
As the night continued, Jax topped up my drink, fed me chocolate-dipped strawberries, and edged closer until our thighs were pressed together, making my whole body hum with excitement. When Bruce and the team left to board the rockets into space on the huge screen in front of us, I shivered, the cold night starting to seep through the blanket.
“Here. You look like you need this.” Jax handed me a black hoodie, and I released his hand so I could put it on, grateful for how soft and warm it felt. “You like?” he asked, and I glanced down, wondering what he was talking about.
“What the…” Written on the front of the hoodie in cursive text were the words, ‘Searching for Prince Charming’.
My head snapped to the side just as the movie paused. Rumbling conversation ran through the audience and then a voice echoed out of a speaker somewhere. “Ladies and gents, we are having a slight technical problem. Give us five minutes. Jax, could you come and help us?”
Jax tutted, looking annoyed. “Sorry. Back in a minute.”
I leaned forward and took another strawberry from the bowl balanced on the end of the bed, groaning as its sweetness hit my tongue. Then the screen went completely black before flickering back to life, but Bruce and the gang were no longer hurtling through rocks trying to land on the meteorite heading on a collision course to Earth. No, instead, the face on the screen was mine.
I glanced around, panicking that everyone was looking at me, but it was probably too dark to make me out among the hundreds of people here, although it didn’t stop the blush from spreading up my cheeks. Then a voice that sounded all toofamiliar began playing from the speakers. “Once upon a time, in a magical town by the sea, lived a queen.”
Somehow, a silver crown appeared on my image, making me giggle. It was a recent photo that I didn’t remember having taken, but I looked… well, I didn’t look half bad.
I took a sip of my drink, wondering what was coming next as Jax’s voice continued, “Our beautiful queen was loved by everyone in town.” Photos popped up on the screen of my friends, people I worked with, my boys… even Jasper on a beach at the other side of the world, all holding signs saying, ‘We love Queen Helen’.
I shook my head, emotion burning in my throat as laughter built in my chest. “But she was forced to live in a tower by the evil Lord Lanton and his sidekick crony, Sir Silver Fox Sean.”
This time, my laughter erupted as a loud snort as a picture of Sean and Thomas appeared on the large screen, both of them wearing fake moustaches and sunglasses, looking like comic book villains, making everyone around me break into boos and hisses.
“No one could get into the tower to save Queen Helen… and many tried.”
The next photo was of random town members all dressed as a range of fairy tale characters lying outside Lanton House, pretending to be injured. I rolled my lips between my teeth, my chest filling with warmth at the idea that all these people—people I’d known for years—had all taken time to be a part of whatever crazy plan Jax had come up with.
“The town thought their queen was lost forever, that was until Prince Jax Charming showed up.” Jax’s handsome face appeared on the screen, making everyone scream and cheer. “Famous for fighting fire-breathing dragons, Jax had heard the stories about the beautiful Queen Helen and was determined to free her from her captors. He tried everything.”
Tears of laughter rolled down my cheeks as I watched the slide show of Jax badly superimposed into a variety of photos: trying to scale the building, sword fighting with Sean, and tied to a chair being dangled over a tank of sharks. It was possibly the funniest thing I’d ever seen.
Sniffing, I wiped my eyes, my cheeks aching from smiling so wide, as the voice-over continued, “But nothing worked… and Jax was sad.” An image of Jax, sitting outside my office, dressed in his fireman’s uniform, looking miserable, flashed up next, making the crowd let out a sad “Awwwwwwww,” in sympathy.
“Then he had an idea. Maybe he couldn’t do this on his own. Maybe he needed everyone’s help. So Prince Jax gathered the town’s people together and planned a way to trick Lord Lanton and his sidekick crony, Sir Silver Fox Sean, into letting Queen Helen come to the park to watch her favourite film. First, they set up the cinema… didn’t they do a good job?” Everyone yelled and clapped their appreciation, and I joined in. “Then they put on live music because Lord Lanton and his sidekick crony, Sir Silver Fox Sean hated music and Prince Jax knew it would keep them away.” Torches popped up all over the place as people stood up and voices began singing “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” by Aerosmith. I pressed my hand to my heart because Jax knew how much I loved this song.
“Then the town’s people lit a path so that Jax could find his way to Queen Helen.” More lights appeared, forming two rows and as they got close, I realised people were holding lanterns leading to a chair in the middle of the grass. My heart beat in my chest, my palms turning sweaty.
“Queen Helen managed to make a break from the tower and followed the lights to the path Jax had laid out for her.”
I looked around, unsure if I really needed to get up and join in.
“Helen, move that sexy ass.” Vee’s voice was unmistakable, making people nearby chuckle. “Quick.”
I stood, nervously pulling down the ‘Searching for Prince Charming’ hoodie, as the words of my favourite song danced through the night air. I sucked in a deep breath and walked to the chair, just as Jax appeared at the other end of the pathway, lit by the bright screen behind him. He held a microphone in his hand that he raised to his lips.
The people holding the lanterns placed them on the ground and backed off into the darkness, making me feel like we were alone, despite the crowds of people around us.
“Hi,” he whispered.
I curtsied. “Prince Charming, I presume.”
Jax’s smile spread wide, just as the people singing finished the last few notes of the song, making it so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
“Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city…” He paused, rolling his eyes. “Sorry, wrong movie.”
My head lifted to the sky as I laughed at his rendition of my second favourite movie,Labyrinth.
