-----------------------------------------------------------

Kevin dropped me off at class right in the nick of time. His fast driving actually paid off this time. I was sure I would have been late.

“Thanks, Kev,” I smiled as I grabbed my bag and rushed inside.

Noah was already there, experimenting with some chemicals. We were supposed to do an experiment and an exam today. I was glad that I'd made it in time for both of them.

“Queen E, you’re here,” he smiled, looking up from a pipette of purple solution.

“Yeah. I had some stuff to do before this.”

He nodded understandingly. I slipped into my lab coat and put my hair up in a ponytail.

“That’s a cool necklace. It’s the Crysauralian rose, right?” Noah commented as he reached for his camera.

I nodded and flashed him a smile and he took the picture. His eyes glowed with happiness. He really did love photography.

“You’re my perfect muse, Queen E.”

“I should start charging you for those,” I giggled as we continued the titration lab.

It went according to plan, which Noah was immensely grateful for. He still had PTSD from the time our experiment kept exploding. We filled in the calculations and submitted the worksheet.

“You still didn’t tell me what you wanted to that day,” I remembered as the lecturer printed the exam papers.

“Oh,” he said, and his ears turned pink. He played around with his camera. “I’ll tell you soon. I want it to be special.”

“It sounds important.”

“It is. I’ve felt this way for a long time. It’s the real reason why I’m here. I want to tell you when the time is right.”

“I’ll be waiting then,” I smiled.

The rest of the class dragged by slowly and then we got the exam. Difficult was a huge understatement. It was college level chemistry, but still. If I hadn’t pulled a few all nighters, then I wouldn’t have been prepared for this. I wanted an A at least.

“That was a nightmare,” Noah groaned after the lecturer collected our papers.

“It was pretty hard,” I agreed. “I think I messed up the last calculations. Did you get five or fifty?”

“We were supposed to calculate something?” he groaned again.

“It was on the back of the paper, Noe,” I laughed.

He shook his head. “I don’t know how you love this subject.”

I shrugged. “It’s challenging, but it’s nice.”

I played around with my necklace while I checked my messages. I contemplated texting Ashton. I needed him to tell me everything he remembered about my childhood. We’d only met once, but if he remembered anything, then maybe that would help my memory problem. I would meet my biological mother again soon. I wanted to remember her.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Ashton.”

“Ashton?”

I looked up to see Noah’s face painted with confusion, then I realized what I’d just said.

“Oh… yeah. We’re doing something together.”

“If he bothers you-”

“He won’t,” I assured him. “Lately, he’s kind of been a good guy. He seems like a completely different Ashton from the one I know. Maybe we can even be friends.”

Noah studied me and then sighed. I felt bad for keeping everything from him, and from all of my friends. But this wasn’t my secret to tell and somehow I ended up involved in it. Noah wasn’t exactly Ashton’s biggest fan, so I knew he’d disagree with the whole betrothal thing.

Fortunately, the king promised to break the contract after me and Ashton dated, so we just had to push through it and do this together. Thinking about him made a slight blush rise to my cheeks and I had to remind myself that it wasn’t possible to have a crush on him. This was the same guy who’d caused me and the prefect committee the most trouble this year.

I shook my head. The kiss must have muddled my senses. It was probably the strange soulmate bond. Maybe that was the reason why I couldn’t sleep last night and it felt like butterflies were having a party in my belly.

I wanted to trust the side of Ashton that I’d been seeing. The nice side. The guy who cared about his friends and family. The Ashton who actually smiled every now and then. Not the one I’d gotten used to disliking.

“Are you still thinking about him?”

“Hmm?”

“Your face is red.”

“I-It is?” I asked as I felt my face heat up even more.

“Yeah.” His eyes clouded with an emotion I couldn’t decipher.

My phone vibrated and alerted me that Kevin was here to take me home. I was really thankful for my friends who drove me around. Taxis were expensive and I really needed to save money.

“Kevin’s here, I should go,” I said as I gathered my stuff and folded my lab coat.

Noah smiled and nodded. “I’ll call you.”

I headed out into the hallway to see Kevin wandering around.

“I can’t believe I’m inside a school. On a Sunday,” he shuddered.

“Imagine how I feel,” I laughed.

“You seem to like this prison system just fine.”

“Because it’s not a prison. Knowledge is freedom.”

“That’s Doctor Donaldson for you.”

I giggled at the title and did a courtesy. “Lord Kevin.”

He crinkled his nose. “That feels really weird coming from you.”

“I should probably call you that more often. It has a nice ring to it.”

“Please don’t,” he chuckled and then his eyes lit up. “I should start calling you princess then,” he smirked. “You know, since you’re dating Ashton and all.”

My jaw dropped. “D-dating Ashton?”

“Isn’t that what you’re doing?”

“You are way too happy about that.”

“Nice necklace, by the way,” he winked. “The royal flower.”

“That doesn’t prove anything.”

“Sure it doesn’t,” he grinned and I smacked his arm. “Ready to go?”

I nodded but then remembered that I forgot my worksheet assignment. I’d put mine with Noah’s. It was still in his folder.

“Give me a minute. I have to find Noah.”

“Alright. I’ll be right outside.”

I nodded and he headed out. I didn’t have to look very far for Noah. In fact, I didn’t have to look at all because Noah stepped out into the hallway. His expression was a pained one of disbelief.

“You’re dating him?”

-----------------------------------------------------------

!