Emaria was led into the Great Room by one of Ryan’s servants. It had a grand staircase which came to a halt in the middle of the room where it was met with a fountain. Around the fountain was a circle of angels hand painted into the floor, illuminated by the windows in the vaulted ceiling. As she surveyed the space, she was impressed at how similar it was to her own Great Room.
Her family, the Edwards, had been friends with the Phillipes for ages. Since they ruled bordering kingdoms, separated only by a river, it was only expected for them to be good friends. When the Phillipes had a baby boy and the Edwards had a baby girl, their parents secretly hoped the two would one day end up together and join the two kingdoms into one. They were constantly forcing Ryan and Emma together as children. Now that they were grown, they met less often and only met together when it was arranged. That was why it came as a surprise to her when Ryan had asked her to the club and to his house today.
Emma had always had a soft spot for Ryan. She had even had a crush on him for most of her childhood and until puberty had thought they were perfect for one another. To her embarrassment, she had even written Mrs. Emaria Phillipe in her journal when she was twelve. She wondered to herself what had changed her mind so drastically the last few years. Maybe it was the fact that she was maturing and Ryan had not. She had to admit that if she knew a mature, responsible version of Ryan, she would be head over heels for him.
“Emma!” Justin called to her from the top of the stairs.
She raised her head to smile up at him. She felt a weakening sensation in her knees as he smiled back at her and descended the stairs.
He stopped at the bottom and looked her straight in the eye. “Thank you for coming over. Have you eaten?”
She nodded. “Yeah, my family had company over for dinner tonight. I was actually pretty relieved that I had the chance to get out.”
“Well, what should we do? Any ideas?”
“You mean you didn’t have anything planned when you asked me to come over?” She said, incredulously. Could it be possible that he just wanted to spend time with her?
He shrugged. “Not really. I guess I was expecting you to shoot me down.”
“And why would I do that?” She said curiously.
“Well, look at you,” He said, holding his hand toward her. “You’re a princess.”
She laughed. “I hate to be the one to tell you this, Ryan. But you’re a prince.”
“Even so, you still seem out of my league,” he said, looking at her seriously. “You know how stunning you are right, Emma?”
She looked at the ground and quietly replied, “That was a very sweet thing to say, Ry.”
“It was the truth.”
She stood there, not quite knowing what to do next. It was silent for a moment before Justin spoke again.
“Emma, would you like to take a walk with me? It looks like a pretty nice night and I think the gardens might be lit up.”
Her face brightened. “I’d love to.”
Ryan walked down the sidewalk, enjoying his time with Sam. He looked over at her and she looked deep in thought. Out of the blue, he pushed her sideways with his hip, calling out, “Booty bump!”
She pouted as she stumbled back onto the sidewalk, pushing him back with her arms. “Loser.”
He laughed at her reaction. “So what do ya wanna do now?”
“Let’s go The Tower,” She said excitedly.
“Okay, you lead the way,” He said, not having any idea what or where the Tower was.
He soon found out. When they came within a half mile of The Tower, he could see it peeking up over the trees. It was just an old water tower with a ladder attached to the side. The ladder led to the top of The Tower where a slight balcony was guarded by a railing.
He looked mischievously over at Sam. “Race ya?”
“What?”
“When I say ‘Go’. Ready…Set…”
“Wait! you have something on your face. I think it’s pizza sauce,” she said pointing to the spot on his face.
He reached up to wipe it off, and realized there was nothing there. When he looked up, Sam was already gone.
“So long, sucka!” She yelled, running up ahead of him.
He laughed and started after her.
