"It's more... dome-shaped... than I imagined." Arthur says as he stares through the binoculars at the building across the town. He's stood on the balcony of his five-star hotel in the centre of Florence. From his room, there is a perfect view of the Florence Cathedral, and the various other historical buildings.

"Well, obviously." Grace rolls her eyes affectionately, taking the binoculars that had been offered to her, "They called it 'Il Duomo' for a reason, dumbass."

"Sorry, I forgot you were the single, smartest person in the universe." Arthur teases, crossing his arms.

"I can't help it that I'm amazing." Grace responds with a cheeky grin, brown eyes twinkling adorably.

Arthur smirks, and looks at her with tender eyes, "Yes, you are."

Grace places the binoculars down on the table in the centre of the balcony, then steps back inside through the extravagant French doors.

"I still think this room is excessive." She announces, flopping down onto the King-sized four poster bed. It's dressed in fresh pressed linens which are decorated with gold accents. Bouquets of flowers litter the entire room, freshly picked and placed every other morning. There is a room service trolley tucked neatly in the corner which is taken out and replaced before every meal.

"I don't get to splash my cash often," Arthur reasons, following Grace and walking over to the bed to stand over her, "Don't you like it?"

Grace raises a teasing eyebrow, "I like it... but I think my choice was fine. You just wanted to be boujee."

"I wanted to treat you." The brunet says with a pout, before leaning down and pressing his lips to Grace's tenderly, "You deserve it, for what I put you through."

Grace frowns when they depart, "We're both at fault here. I should've believed you when you said you loved me. Instead I listened to my insecurities and I gave you up willingly."

"Perhaps," Arthur says, then pushes Grace onto her back and collapses on top of her. He adjusts himself so that he's leaning on his forearms, trailing a few fingers along the side of her face, "But you did it to spare me the pain of choosing. In reality, I should have been mature enough to stand up for myself."

"But you did in the end." Grace smiles, reaching a small hand behind Arthur and stroking his back affectionately.

"After getting a kick in the backside from you... And my dad."

"Your dad?" Grace jerks, giving him a funny look, "What did he say?"

Arthur smiles, tucking his face into the crook of her neck, giggling awkwardly. He kisses the soft skin there briefly, taking a large whiff of Grace's sweet scent, then he pulls his head back to look at her.

"He told me to do what makes me happy."

"And so, you're here doing me?" Grace jokes with an eyebrow cocked and one side of her mouth turned upwards.

"Well... Bex is like my sister, so doing her was out of the question."

Grace laughs and smacks Arthur's arm in faux anger. She pushes his shoulder hard enough for him to roll over onto his back beside her.

She rolls onto her side, so that she can stare at him from her current position. He turns his head, looking straight back, into the dark chasms of her eyes.

"I love you, Sunshine." Arthur says with such certainty in his voice that Grace has to blink twice to stop herself from being overwhelmed.

"I love you too, Arthur." Grace responds, a shy smile creeping onto her face.

"Still no nickname, huh? I see how it is." Arthur teases with a roll of his eyes.

Grace laughs and whines a long, "No!" grabbing his arm to stop him from rolling away from her petulantly, "I'm not creative like you."

Arthur gins at her, scooping her up into his arms and nuzzling his nose into her hair, "I'll let you off because you're so cute."

"Thank you very much." Grace replies childishly.

She reaches a hand blindly to the bedside cabinet, looking for a television remote to switch on the 50-inch flat screen mounted on the wall across from them.

"-been just over a week since Prince Arthur's dramatic exit from his own wedding and there is still no word on his whereabouts. The news and social media have worked themselves up into a frenzy trying to determine what exactly possessed him to behave like that." The news anchor introduces the segment, "Many people are calling for some form of action to be taken against the prince by the royal family, due to the pain and anger he's caused among the public."

Grace adopts a worrisome expression before turning to her companion. His eyes are downcast, and mouth slanted downwards into a tortured frown. Instinctively, Grace reaches a hand out, letting it fall gently to rest on Arthur's bare shoulder. He visibly tenses, just for a moment, before relaxing, his shoulders sagging in defeat.

"Shall I turn it off?" Grace offers, finger already poised on the power button, just awaiting instruction.

Arthur's head shakes, just once, enough of a gesture for Grace to obediently lay the remote back down on the beside cabinet.

She scoots a little closer to him, then leans back to rest her upper body against the headboard of the large bed, supported by a few soft cushions. She then grabs Arthur by his shoulders, gently coaxing him to lay his back against her chest.

When he finally does, he sighs as her fingers find their usual place among the unruly forest of his hair, carding through it slowly and methodically.

The television continues in the background with various people stating their opinions and facts that really aren't facts. Grace can tell that Arthur is listening to them, but she knows that her hands in his hair are calming him down, at least to the extent that the downtrodden expression on his face no longer extends higher than his mouth.

A phone ringer goes off on Arthur's side of the bed. He lifts himself up slightly, causing Grace's hands to slip unceremoniously from his hair. After reaching over to retrieve his phone from his cabinet, he returns to his prior position on Grace's lap, this time staring straight up at the ceiling as he presses the answer button.

"Hello?" He says politely, confused expression on his face.

Grace can hear a muffled voice but can't make out the exact words being uttered. She doesn't have to, as it turns out, because after a second, Arthur removes the phone from his ear and places it on is stomach with the loudspeaker turned on.

"I've got Grace with me." Arthur states, causing Grace to frown at him questioningly. Her hands have continued their task of running through Arthur's hair, so she manages to tug lightly at the strands to prompt him to look at her. "Bex." He mouths in response.

"Grace! I'm so glad you two are together. I want to apologise again for everything. I feel like a monster." Bex says energetically, "Are the two of you alright?"

"Yes, we're fine, Bex. Just taking a break." Grace smiles as she speaks, her free hand taking to time to rub circles on Arthur's chest absentmindedly, "And don't worry, I'm not mad at you. You did what you thought was right... We all did."

"I guess so. I just feel awful, considering how the media is talking about you guys. They're treating me like a victim when I don't deserve it. I told you to go, Arthur."

Arthur frowns, "It's alright, Bex, honestly. It was bound to be seen like that."

"I suppose..." Bex sounds unconvinced, guilty even. Then she makes a small noise, almost like a gasp, "Unless I tell them the truth."

If anything was going to rouse Arthur from his relaxed state on Grace's lap, it was Bex's last revelation.

"Um... Are you sure that's the best idea?" He says calmly, his body slowly finding its way back to a seated position, "I mean, what are you gonna say? That we were forced?"

Grace raises an eyebrow at that, weren't they?

"That's exactly what I'm gonna say!" Then she pauses, contemplating, "Well, not exactly. But I'm gonna explain that the wedding wasn't what either of us wanted. That we were both just fulfilling a duty."

"Bex, I really appreciate the sentiment, but I don't want to throw anyone else under the bus. We have hurt people."

"Who did we hurt other than ourselves?" Rebecca challenges, earning a frown from Arthur, "And you're continuing to hurt yourself by refusing to stick up for yourself. At least let me defend you if you're not going to."

"Bex-" Arthur starts.

"Actually, Arthur," Grace interrupts, finally allowing her thoughts to spill into the air, "I think Bex is right. All she wants to do is clear your name. Let people know that you had both changed your minds. I don't think that constitutes to throwing others under the bus."

"Listen to your girlfriend, mate," Bex says, the grin on her face clear in her voice, "She always has been the wiser one."

Arthur scowls, but still grumbles a reluctant, "I know." Then they say there goodbyes and hang up the phone.

Grace smiles tenderly at him, reaching a hand up to stroke the side of his face before leaning in for a soft kiss on his cheekbone.

"I'm sorry." She utters softly, earning a confused pout from her love.

"Why?" He asks her, concerned.

"I didn't trust you to know your own mind. Ever since we met I'd been trying to predict your feelings based on how I felt about myself." Grace lets out a deep breath, pursing her lips.

"Well, I'd tell you every day for a hundred years how much I love you, if it meant you'd believe it one day." Arthur tells her, resolute.

"I know. That's why you're perfect for me." Grace grins.

Arthur chuckles, "I just hope the rest of the world sees that too." He sighs, earning a sympathetic look from his lover.

"Things will work out for the better, Arthur." She assures him, kissing him again, this time once on his shoulder.

"I know, Sunshine," He tells her, turning his body to collect her into his arms, letting her fall across his lap allowing him to feather tender kisses across her cheeks, "I know, because at least we're together now. Forever."