Her eyebrows knitted together. “It’s because of the tabloids, isn’t it? They’re bloody awful, always hounding celebrities with their big cameras, even children. It should be illegal.”
Eddie hesitated for a moment, then nodded, clearly deciding to trust her. “If they caught wind of me being here, it would ruin everything.”
She immediately nodded. “I completely understand. You royals have no privacy, ever. It’s abhorrent. I won’t say a word to anyone, I promise.”
“I appreciate that more than you know,” Eddie said with genuine warmth. He held out his hand. “Eddie York, International Relations student.”
She smiled at him as she took it. “Pippa Bowden. I’m doing a three-month project in the library here as part of my studies to become a librarian. It’s a pleasure to meet you… Eddie.”
Oh, she’d understood the assignment.
“Likewise. And again, I appreciate your discretion, Pippa. It will allow me to enjoy my anonymity.”
She waved his words away. “Not a problem at all. Enjoy your time here, Eddie. It’s been a wonderful experience for me so far.”
“Same,” Eddie said, shooting me a quick side glance that had me fight to hold back a smile.
Pippa waved goodbye, then walked off. I kept watching her to make sure she wasn’t secretly taking any pictures, but she didn’t even have her phone out.
“I think we’re good,” I said to Eddie, who nodded.
We continued walking, but the easy comfort of moments before had been replaced by tension that sat heavy between us. The encounter had been friendly enough, but it was a stark reminder of how precarious our situation really was.
“That was a close call,” Eddie said softly.
“It was the first time anyone recognized you here, though.”
“I know. Do you think she will keep my secret? I wasn’t sure what other option I had but to trust her.”
“Yeah, I think she will. She seemed sincere in her comments on the tabloid press. And like you said, it wasn’t like you had other options.”
Eddie was quiet for a while, and when he spoke again, his voice was small and sad. “In England, we have to assume that everyone will know who I am. We won’t have the luxury of anonymity even for a second.”
We reached the coffee shop and found a quiet corner table, but neither of us seemed particularly interested in our drinks. The weight of what we were facing in three weeks pressed down on us like a physical thing.
“Bash, what if we can’t do this? What if maintaining the pretense is impossible?”
“We’ll figure it out,” I said, though I wasn’t sure I believed it myself. “We have to.”
“And if we can’t? If someone notices something between us?”
I looked at him across the small table—the man who’d become the center of my world, who I’d have to spend two weeks pretending meant nothing to me while surrounded by his family and the highest levels of British society. The man I was falling in love with more deeply every day, even though I knew it could destroy everything. “Then we deal with whatever comes. But Eddie, I need you to promise me something.”
“What?”
“If it comes down to protecting your safety or protecting what’s between us, you let me do my job. No matter what else happens, no matter how you feel about me, I need to know you’ll let me keep you safe.”
Eddie was quiet for a long moment, and I could see him processing what I was really asking—that if it came to a choice between our relationship and his security, he’d choose his security. “I promise,” he said finally, though his voice was strained.
Of course, neither of us mentioned the bigger problem. Even if by some miracle, we survived the trip to the UK without anyone finding out about us, our time together would still come to an end once Eddie’s year here was up.
And I wasn’t sure there was even a solution for that.
22
EDDIE
We were both rather tense, and there was no denying it. Ever since I’d received the summons to return to the UK for Christmas, we’d both been on edge. Not short with each other, but strangely nervous and constantly aware of that ticking clock, that countdown.
