“Wh—what are you doing here?” Kim asked.

 

     “I’ll explain later,” Gerald said, still keeping that melting gaze on her. “Why don’t we have breakfast first? It looks like Melissa’s cooked quite a feast.”

 

     “Yeah, I did!” Melissa exclaimed. “And I want it all gone, because there’s no room left in the fridge.”

 

     The four of them sat at the crowded dining table, an awkward silence hanging only between Kim and Gerald. During the entire time that they were eating, Matt and Melissa had done all of the talking. But then, halfway through their meal, Gerald finally spoke up, “Why don’t we all go out after this?”

 

     “Yeah,” Matt readily agreed, “he’s right. We should go out.”

 

     “Sure!” Melissa immediately said. But her cousin had the same quick reflexes as her, saying ‘No,’ at the same time. Disappointment was undeniably visible in the eyes of the man who has been watching the beautiful lady that said ‘no,’ throughout this entire meal—his burning gaze making her want to curl up into a ball.

 

     “Why not?” he asked her, tilting his head. “You’re free for the next few weeks, right?”

 

     “What?” Kim asked, sitting bolt upright looking at him directly in the eyes for the first time— since he literally swept her off of her feet minutes before— her brows furrowing with confusion. “How do you know that?”

 

     “Your cousin told us,” he said positively. Anyone could have seen Kim throwing angry glances at her cousin.

 

     Kim then sighed, defeated. “Where are we gonna go if we agree?”

 

     “Leave that up to me,” Gerald said with a smile. “Trust me.”

 

 

 

 

     The guys drove the cousins into an open, empty field, not far from where they live. Gerald was still watching that amazing girl he met only three nights ago. ‘She really is beautiful,’ he thought. He watched her observe her new environment, spin around beneath the tall trees and green grass that was surrounding them. She then ran like a young child towards the small lake in the middle of the field and removed her shoes so that she could dip her feet into the cool waters.

 

     It took Gerald a while to realize that he was standing by himself underneath the shade of some evergreens, watching the beautiful lady daydream, ankle deep on the edge of the lake. He then looked around and noticed that his best friend had wandered off with Melissa at the far end of the field, laughing and talking with her.

 

     “How’s the water?” he asked, standing behind Kim, looking at her reflection through the clear water.

 

     “It’s fine,” she said, turning her head to look at him.

 

     “Do you mind if I join you?” he asked.

 

     “No,” she said looking back into the water. “Go ahead.”

 

     “What are you doing here?” she then asked all of a sudden, after a long moment’s silence.

 

     “I thought you said you didn’t mind,” he said.

 

     “Come on,” she said. “You and I both know what I mean.”

 

     “Why?” he suddenly asked.

 

     “Huh?” she asked him, face contorted with confusion. “What are you talking about?”

 

     “Why did you leave?” he asked again. When he saw that she was not going to respond, he asked her again, “Why Kim?”

 

     “Because,” Kim said simply.

 

     “’Because’ does not suffice,” said he. “I’m gonna need a little more than that.”

 

     “Are you really asking me this now?” she asked.

 

     “Yes,” he said, ever so gently.

 

     “What do you really want?” she asked again.

 

     Gerald then stared into her eyes, like he’s done so before—probably already a thousand times already—and simply said, “You.”

 

     “So you’re telling me,” she began, “that some days after that thing happened, you suddenly thought of it and said, ‘Hey! I’m gonna find the girl I fell on, danced with, and—.’ She stopped, mid-sentence.

 

     “’And—?’” Gerald urged. “What Kim?”

 

     “Nothing,” she said, getting up. But Gerald was too quick. He got up as well and grabbed her gently by the arm.

 

     “Kim,” he said, his eyes, begging.

 

     “What?” she asked, coldly.

 

     “Please,” he asked. “Just tell me why.”

 

     “Because,” she said, “I got hurt.”

 

     “’Hurt?’” he repeated. “How?”

 

     “I haven’t yet,” she said.

 

     “Wha—?” he asked. “I don’t get it.”

 

     “I know I will,” she said to him.

 

     “What?” he asked again. “Kim, come sit down.”

 

     Feeling helpless the downtrodden Kim obliged. “Kim, listen. Just give me a chance— just one. That’s all I need. Just let me be your friend. Then we’ll see where that leads us. Come on, Kim. Please?”

 

     Kim then turned her head and looked at him and back at the lake. She then managed a somber nod. Relief was visible in his reaction. “Great,” he said with a sigh. “How about we start this friendship with a trip?”

 

     “’A trip?’” Kim asked. “Where?”

 

     “A family summer home,” he said. When he saw that Kim looked uneasy, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

 

     “Isn’t it a little weird?” she asked. “I mean, we just met, and you’re asking me to go with you to a summer home whose loaction remains unknown to me.”

 

     “It’s in an island off of the shores of Palawan,” he explained.

 

     “So,” she began. “A guy I ‘meet’ at a masquerade ball shows up at my door one day and asks me to go with him to some island in the middle of the Pacific by the Philippines.”

 

     “Okay,” he said. “It does sound a bit weird if you say it like that. But if it makes you feel uneasy, we can take Matt and Mel with us.”

 

     “'A bit?'” she asked. “Try way weird! And how can I possibly phrase it for it to sound un-weird?”

 

     “Okay, okay,” he said. “Calm down. Like I said before: if it makes you uneasy, we can take Matt and Melissa with us.”

 

     “Okay,” she said with a sigh. “I’ll go ask Mel. But I’ve gotta warn you, it’ll take a lot to persuade her.”

 

 

 

 

     “Yes!” Melissa squealed from behind the trees. “OH. EM. GEE! That’s great! I get to spend some quality time with Matt.”

 

     “Ugh,” Kim groaned. “I was afraid you’d say that.”

 

     “Why Kimmy?” Mel asked. “It’ll be fun: you, me, Matt, and your prince Gerald in an island far, far away from all of these big city things.”

 

     “’Prince Gerald, Prince Gerald,’” Kim repeated, mocking her. “Just because you have a thing for his friend, doesn’t mean I have to have one for him.”

 

     “Speaking of having a thing for someone,” Melissa said slyly. “What was that little episode that occurred this morning in the dining room?”

 

     “Don’t you use those big words with me,” Kim said, with a matching finger point and waggle.

 

     “And don’t you try to change the subject,” Melissa said, imitating what her cousin did. “There was a spark between you two and we all saw it; including you and Gerald.”

 

     “There was no ‘spark,’” Kim said with air quotes. “You’re just overreacting like you always do.”

 

     “By the by, cuz,” Melissa said with her girly, New York accent. “How do you know Prince Gerald?”

 

     “What are you talking about?” Kim asked, mimicking her cousin’s accent.

 

     “What I’m talking about,” Melissa said, now with a British accent, “is how you knew who he was before I even introduced you to him.”

 

     “I didn’t,” Kim defended.

 

     “Girl,” Melissa squealed, folding her wrist along with her fingers for an even more girly effect, “the moment he saw you, he hugged you a lifted you into the air. And as soon as you looked into his eyes, you knew who he was.”

 

     “Since when have you been this observant?” Kim asked, turning away. “You never seem to notice when we run out of toilet paper, leaving me stuck in the bathroom for three hours while you go out to get some and get side tracked when you meet some cute guy.”

 

     “Kimmy,” Melissa said, both hands on her hips again, “don’t even try to change the subject. How do you know your Prince Gerald? Spill it!”

 

     “Okay, okay, fine,” Kim said. “I met him at the ball.”

 

     “At the ball?!” Melissa asked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

 

     “Yeah,” Kim said, “maybe the answer to that lies somewhere in the story. So if you would let me finish?”

 

     “Okay,” she said panicked. “Okay, okay. Tell me the story.”

 

     As Kim narrated the events of the night they went to the masquerade ball, Melissa’s eyes went wide, she squealed, then screamed—which Kim had to sustain—and pretended to faint every time her cousin said something that made her feel giddy inside.

 

     “And then,” Kim continued. “We danced again out by the gazebo and then—yeah.”

 

     “’And then—?’” Melissa asked, anticipating more. “What?”

 

     “Nothing,” Kim said standing up. “I went inside and asked you to come home.”

 

     “Kimmy!” Melissa whined. “I know there’s more to it than that!”

 

     “Okay, okay,” Kim said in defeat. “Something else may have happened.”

 

     “Which is—?” Melissa asked, leaning forward.

 

     “We may have—,” Kim said, hesitating, “—kissed, sort of.” And with that statement, Melissa screamed at the top of her lungs, unable to contain her giddiness any longer.

 

     Gerald and Matt then came rushing to where they heard them from. “What happened? Are you girls okay?” Gerald asked.

 

     “Yeah,” Kim said, covering Melissa’s mouth that still had screams and squeaks emanating from it. “We’re fine. Melissa’s just—just—.”

 

     “Just what?” Matt asked.

 

     “Excited,” Melissa said, still pink in the face, “about our upcoming trip.”

 

     “So you said ‘yes?’” Gerald asked with a smile.

 

     “Yup!” she said cheerily.

 

     “Great,” Gerald said with a chuckle. “That’s fantastic. You girls are coming.”

 

     “Excuse us for a second,” Matt said, pulling Gerald back to where they came from.

 

     “Come on,” Melissa said, pulling Kim by her hand after the guys disappeared behind the trees.

 

     “But they’re having a private conversation,” Kim said. “I’m not eavesdropping.”

 

     “Fine,” Melissa said, completely aware of her cousin’s fear of getting lost, walked away saying, “you stay here then; in the middle of tall trees; completely alone; not knowing your way back.” And Kim followed, right before she disappeared behind the same spot in the trees where their new found friends did.

 

 

 

 

     “What the ?” Matt asked as soon as he thought that they got beyond the hearing of the two girls.

 

     “What?” Gerald asked, sensing the anger in his friend’s voice.

 

     “What the was that, man?” Matt asked again.

 

     “What?” Gerald asked again, confused. “What did I do?”

 

     “Were you just hitting on Melissa?” he asked, straightforwardly.

 

     “What?” Gerald asked, yet again. “No, I wasn’t. You know I like Kim.”

 

     Melissa inwardly gasped from behind some bushes—and so did Kim. Did they just hear what they thought they heard?

 

     “Well, what the just happened back there?!” Matt asked trying to control his voice. “They’re both going somewhere with you?”

 

     “Whoa, whoa,” Gerald said, now understanding. “No, no, no. Let me explain: we’re all going.”

 

     “What?” Matt asked breathless, now the one confused. “What do you mean?”

 

     “What I mean,” Gerald said, “is that all of us are going. My original plan was just some alone time between me and Kim in my summer home by Palawan, but she didn’t look very comfortable. So I thought it’d make her feel better if her cousin came with her. And then I thought about what I saw between you and Melissa a few minutes ago and gave me the idea of taking you to help persuade Melissa to come with us. It’s all still part of my plan to spend more time with Kim.”

 

     Melissa was now biting her lower lip, trying to control the squealing, while her hands were shaking both of Kim’s shoulders, her nails digging into her flesh. "Ow," Kim growled silently. "Shh. Stop squealing."

 

     “Are you sure?” Matt asked, reluctantly.

 

     “Positive,” Gerald said, putting a hand on his best friend’s shoulder. “You know I would never do that to you.”

 

     “Yeah,” Matt said. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

 

     “It’s okay, bro,” he said with a nod, assuring him that he understands.

 

     “Thanks,” Matt said, walking past him. “Come on. The girls are probably waiting for us.”

 

     “Race you,” Gerald said, taking off ahead of Matt. And in that moment, he felt like they were little kids again, running towards the pool during vacation with their families. But his daydream was then cut short when he ran into a crouching Kim, next to an eavesdropping Melissa.

 

     “Okay,” Kim said, again lying beneath him. “We have really got to stop meeting like this.”

 

     Gerald chuckled, stood up, and held out a hand to help her get up. And then he remembered something. “How long have you girls been there?”

 

     Kim then shot her cousin an accusing look, raising her eyebrows, to make her feel guilty. Fear was then evident on her eyes, her head quickly shaking, slightly moving from side to side. Kim’s gaze then went to the ground as she chewed on the inside of her bottom lip and scrunched her eyebrows together. With a sigh, she finally said, “Just now. We were trying to find our way back when the two of you never showed up again. We were afraid that you guys got mauled by bears. Then we heard voices and just followed them. And the next thing I know is that you’re lying on top of me again.”

 

     “Wait,” Gerald said. “You heard our voices?”

 

     “Vaguely,” Kim said looking at Melissa again, “yes.”

 

     “’Vaguely?’” he repeated.

 

     “Yes,” Kim said, “vaguely.”

 

     “Okay,” Gerald said, relieved. He didn’t want her to know what he feels about her just yet. He doesn’t want her to feel weird around him.

 

     “So,” Melissa said. “When do we leave?”

 

     “Mel,” Kim whispered, nudging her cousin. “I’m sorry; she can get excited with the simplest of things.”

 

     “It’s okay,” he said. “I’m actually pretty excited myself, and so is Matt. It’s a great chance to get away from all of this. How’s tonight sound to you girls?”

 

     “’Tonight?’” the girls asked simultaneously, Melissa completely happy, while her cousin was in shock.

 

     “Isn’t that a little too soon?” Kim asked.

 

     “We can reschedule if you want,” said Gerald. “But I really wanted for us to leave tonight so that we have more time to spend over there.”

 

     “Come on, Kimmy,” Melissa whined again, “don’t be such a party pooper.”

 

     “No,” she said. “I’m just saying that isn’t it a little expensive to book a flight for four on such short notice?”

 

     “No,” Matt said. “Gerald has a plane—“

 

     “—booked for our flights,” Gerald said, cutting Matt short. “Mine, Matt’s and two extra tickets. We were gonna have some friends over there for a little guy time, but they cancelled.”

 

     “Well, okay,” Kim said, “as long as it’s not a hassle.”

 

     “Great!” Gerald exclaimed. “Great. We’ll take you girls home so you can get packed.”

 

 

 

 

     Gerald smiled as he watched the sleeping angel sitting next to him. He couldn’t help but bring his hand up to her face and fix the few strands of her long hair that had fallen by her almond shaped eyes. But then she shifted to a different position. Then Gerald noticed how uncomfortable she looked, trying to sleep in a sitting down. So he asked the stewardess for a pillow and a blanket, and lifted the arm rest in between them to be able to fix her up. First he had fixed the blanket over her body, enveloping her in warmth. And as he lifted her head to put the soft pillow behind it, her pretty little head slid down to rest on his shoulder. Her arm slowly glided around his abdomen. He looked down to find a smiling, snoring Kim, who unconsciously adjusted herself on his body to feel even more comfortable.

 

     ‘Eh,’ he thought to himself. ‘What the heck. She’s comfortable and I’m happy. No need to change anything.’ And he fell asleep with a smile on his face, yet again, after watching his beautiful princess sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Thank you so so so SO much to all of you who are still reading this. Also, special thanks to my betas, blackdevill13, fairyprincess27, and my friend Angel. Thank you for all of the comments, too, guys. It makes me smile everytime I see one, thinking that people out there actually like what I'm writing. Thank you!!!!!