“Icaredabout her. But I never felt anything for her.” I put the scallops on to simmer. “I was guilty about it forever, because I knew she was in love with me. But I knew I could never give her what she really wanted. She was the one who broke it off with me. She got tired of waiting, I think.”
“Well, being in a relationship with someone who doesn’t love you back can’t be easy,” she said.
“It’s better to be single than to be with the wrong person. Arcanea know that,” I said.
As the water boiled, I added the pasta. Emma was being quiet. She stared into the fireplace. I could see her mind was working overtime. I longed to know what was going through her head.
“What about you?” I asked. “Was there anyone you liked growing up?”
She shook her head. “No. Like you, I had no interest. Skating was everything to me. I knew I needed to focus on that and have my career come first.”
She scoffed. “Not like anyone wanted me, anyway.”
“What do you mean?” I leaned against the counter. Emma’s eyes roamed up and down my body. Was she checking me out?
“I never really fit in, at school or anywhere else. I was too abrasive,” she admitted. “People thought I was weird, so I kept to myself. And I liked it that way. Mostly. It was hard when I was a kid, being without friends, but by the time I got to high school I stopped caring. It was easier to be alone than it was to try and friends. People were scared of me.”
“But you can’t tell me no guys were interested in you. You’re too pretty,” I objected.
She gave a small smile. “Thanks. If they were, I never knew it. Guys are intimidated by women who speak their mind, and, well… you know I can’t keep my mouth shut.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I know all too well. So you didn’t do anything social growing up?”
She shook her head. “No. I never went to prom, or any of that. I was too busy on the ice. Skating was my life.”
“That’s a shame.” I stirred the pasta. “I never had problems making friends, but that didn’t have anything to do with me. People wanted to suck up to me because my dad was king. I don’t think too many actually cared about me as a person. Everyone was always worried about offending me. It got old fast.”
“Stefan doesn’t seem to mind telling you off,” Emma said.
“He doesn’t. That’s why we’re still friends,” I said. “I got rid of everyone who I thought was just trying to use me to get what they wanted. That ended up being a lot of people, in the end.”
A few minutes later, the pasta was done. I combined all the ingredients, and Emma and I sat down to eat.
“Oh my God. This is like, amazing.” Emma let out a moan as she popped another scallop into her mouth. “You’re such an amazing cook.”
“You look like you’re going to have an orgasm.” I laughed.
“This is way better than an orgasm.” She took another bite and asked, “How did you learn to make such awesome food?”
“I have many talents.” I was barely eating, myself. I was too nervous. I didn’t get why. We were just two friends having a meal together and talking. It wasn’t a big deal. It was like hanging out with Stefan.
Except when I was hanging out with Stefan, my mind didn’t constantly assault me with inappropriate images of screwing him on the table. Gods help me.
Emma was done with her drink. “More champagne?” I asked.
She eyed the bottle, then shook her head. “No thanks. I don’t need any more.”
That was weird. It was clear she wanted some. Did she think I had dastardly intentions with her? Had I put off that bad of an impression? I was trying to be a proper gentleman.
“As you wish, madame.” I poured another glass for myself. Maybe drinking the entire bottle could calm my nerves. I should’ve brought more champagne.
She giggled. “There you go, talking fancy again.”
“It’s a bad habit. I was raised to have proper manners and etiquette at all times. Part of being a prince,” I told her. “Except it didn’t come in handy with speaking to people my own age instead of with diplomats at dinner parties. I had to learn how to act like… how you say… a commoner.”
“None of that here. I’m an American,” Emma proclaimed proudly. “We don’t believe in any of that class-system bullshit. You are what you make yourself to be.”
“It’s honorable. I always admired the attitude Americans have toward bettering themselves.”
