"Sweet Dreams, Princess."

Those words are the last thing I heard before I doze off.

I am not exactly sure as to whether I heard that before I fell asleep or at the beginning of my dream.

I was transported back to when I saw the lanterns around me. The part where I exactly finished singing the first verse and chorus of the song. The part where I spotted the man who made the dream possible. The part when I was first interrupted in looking at the man's face.

I smiled, knowing full well that Nate would just be walking towards me while singing the second verse.

I turned and instead of facing him, I was facing the lake in front of me. I closed my eyes as he started singing.

All those days chasing down a daydream,

All those years living in a blur,

All that time never truly seeing

Things, the way they were

Now she's here shining in the starlight

Now she's here suddenly I know

If she's here it's crystal clear

I'm where I'm meant to go

He stopped.

I opened my eyes and turned to look at him.

Green eyes mirroring my own.

I stared at them like I always do. His eyes, shining as he looked into mine.

The way he looks at me has always been like that. Even though he's angry, his eyes still show something else, something that I never understand until now.

Those green eyes are always a whirlwind of emotions. But right now those eyes are steady and giving me only one true message.

Love

That's what I always see behind those green eyes. Despite other feelings simmering within his heart, somehow, that look of love was never absent whenever he looked me in the eye.

For the first time I finally see the message behind those green eyes. For the first time I finally understand why I was always drawn to him, even before we knew each other's names.

He smiled and that made this dream even more perfect.

He gestured for me to take the lanterns he was carrying on both hands and I finally walked closer to him.

"Shouldn't you be saying something like 'I have something for you too.'?"

I giggled. "I should've said that before you even started the second verse." I smiled and looked up at him. "Besides, I don't really have a satchel nor did I ever take something from you."

He chuckled and gave me the other lantern.

Together, we let the lanterns go up in the sky to join the others.

I closed my eyes and wished that I would never wake up from this beautiful dream.

Still smiling, I opened my eyes to look at the man beside me and found that he was already staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

He gave me a loving smile before saying, "You are brighter and even more beautiful than the scene around us."

Instead of giggling like a schoolgirl, I took his words in and felt something inside me.

I felt my heart hammering in my chest. And this time, it's not because I'm nervous. It's something else. Something that I have always felt but never understood.

Could it be...?

My eyes flew open.

I found myself awake in the same place where I fell asleep, inside the bedroom in Nate's private plane, on top of the white bed, my head on his chest, his arms around me, his...

Wait...

I focused my vision on my current position. I raised my head to see myself clearly. Realizing that half of my body was on top of him, I quickly tried to untangle myself from his embrace.

Wrong move.

The bed wasn't big enough to accommodate my clumsiness and I just made myself fall straight to the carpeted floor.

I snapped my head back up the bed to see if the man who was embracing me earlier got disturbed in his sleep.

He stirred and his hand started looking for something.

I panicked.

Thinking quickly, I saw a pillow and placed it near his searching hand. When he found it, he started snuggling the pillow.

Moving cautiously, I managed to get out there without making any more noises. I slowly closed the door and found myself exhaling in relief.

When I faced the cabin, two flight attendants were smiling at me as if knowing what I have just done.

Pfft. Not like we did anything in there other than sleep.

You did something other than sleep. My subconscious bluntly pointed out.

I gave them an embarrassed smile before heading towards one of the living chairs.

"Miss Carter," I stiffen. "Would you like to have some drink?"

Oh. A drink. I thought she's going to ask me something.

"Sure. Can I have some hot chocolate please? It's kind of cold in here."

"Would you like the thermostat to be changed so you can warm up?" she offered.

"Oh, no." I declined politely. "That's not necessary. I'll just have that hot chocolate and I'll be fine." I gave her a genuine smile.

"Right away, miss."

I checked my watch.

Huh. I only slept for five hours.

The attendant came back with my cup of chocolate and a blanket.

"Thank you." I smiled.

"You're welcome, miss. If you need anything else, you may approach any of us, attendants here. We're here to make your flight as comfortable as possible."

I just nodded. She went to their cabin and left me alone in my solitude.

My thoughts went immediately back to the realization I have in my dream.

Recalling everything, from the first time I saw him until now, I realized that something has changed in me, something has shifted between us.

I've felt this feeling towards him for some time now. But it's hard to understand something that was never experienced before. I can't place or even name the feelings I have inside me whenever I'm with him or simply thinking about him.

Could this really be it?

Am I really feeling this right now?

But how can someone tell if one isn't even sure. How can someone call it that if no definite explanation has been presented?

Does it really have to be logical when it comes to love?

Love?

Do you really need to have a logical explanation before you admit to yourself that you love or have fallen in love with someone?

But people say that love is a choice. That it's just your brain making you feel things. That it's just some sort of hormone produced in the brain to make you think that you are falling in love.

Those people who say that have never truly loved someone, or maybe they're in denial. Those people who say that are just trying to prove that love can be explained. They are just trying to prove that love is not what was told in novels. They are using rational, logical, and even scientific explanation just to prove that love is not as mysterious or even magical as what the world knows. However, those people might be correct in one thing.

I think I have gotten crazy because I am currently arguing with my subconscious.

But still I asked myself. And what is that?

Love can't simply be defined by just reading those romance novels. The meaning of love is beyond human's comprehension. Every person has a different perspective because every person is unique. One might felt love but that doesn't mean that it's similar to the other. That's why love is so mysterious.

I took all my thoughts in as I sip on my chocolate.

If we would fall in love then it will just complicate things. It will complicate my current situation.

And possibly my decision.

My hand moved towards my chest, over my heart.

Recently, Nate has been the reason why my heart beats faster. He's the reason of the butterflies in my stomach. He's the reason behind every smile and every laugh I make.

And even though it's weird, I want more.

I want to feel more.

It's like I want to feel those weirdness in me every single day.

Does that means I am really falling in love?

I inhaled the scent of my drink, hoping that it would soothe my nerves.

The whole plan of getting out of the palace is to live my life as an ordinary person. To experience new things and possibly, explore the beauty of the world. Then, go back to the palace and take full responsibility in governing my people.

Falling in love is not part of that plan.

I know for a fact that it would complicate things. That falling in love would make me want to never go back in my homeland. That I would feel devastated if I got separated from the person I have fallen in love with.

I'm not prepared for this.

I wasn't prepared because I didn't expect this nor did I plan it.

A tear rolled on my cheek as I recalled our short adventure in Greece. I closed my eyes as I tried to relive that moment in my mind.

The way his green eyes looked at mine made me want to never look at anything else but him. The feel of his touch against my skin when he tossed me in the water made me shiver with delight.

With my eyes still closed, the scene in my head shifted. I was transported back to when I kissed him for the first time at the party because he's so infuriating. It was supposed to be a punishing, bruising kiss, but it turns out I was the one being punished for what I did. I enjoyed that kiss more than I let on. I will never admit this to anyone, not even to Jessica, but after that kiss, I longed for the next moment to feel his lips on mine again.

Then that moment happened. I can now see myself dancing with Nate. And right there and then, we kissed again, but that time was better because it was romantic to say the least. And as cliché as this may sound, it was a kiss under the bright stars of the night.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

I snapped my eyes open as I made a strangled noise in my throat and whipped my head towards the voice.

"Nate!"

I almost spilled my chocolate if it wasn't for his hands trying to steady my now shaking ones.

"Hey, it's okay. I didn't mean to startle you."

I evened out my breathing as I once again got lost in his green eyes.

Those eyes never failed to calm my nerves down.

Without breaking eye contact, he took his seat on the other living chair opposite to mine.

I felt myself feeling relaxed.

"You should have seen the look on your face," he said after a couple of seconds. His lips, being pulled up into one of his stupid smirks.

"Well, excuse me for being so lost in thought," I scoffed. "You were snoring so loud that I couldn't go back to sleep. So I decided to just get out."

The smirk was replaced into a playful grin. "I don't snore."

"Oh, yeah? And how would you know?"

"Well, unless you gave me proof that I was actually snoring, and then I'll believe you." He said simply.

I tsked. "Don't worry, next time we sleep together, I'll make sure to record that snoring of yours."

Uttering that statement was a big mistake seeing as Nate's grin became even wider. I mentally slap myself.

"The next time we sleep together, huh?"

My face burned. I know I couldn't take those words back. So I just said something really smart like: "Uh... That is... Uhm..."

Knowing full well that I couldn't get myself out of that situation, I looked down and silently prayed that a hole would open up somewhere under my chair and get me out of this situation.

I can feel Nate's laughing eyes on me as I waited for that hole to open, but to my luck, it never came.

I slowly lifted my head to take a peek at his reaction but regretted immediately after seeing his eyebrows wiggling at me.

"You know, Carter, I never thought you would be this bold, considering that you're still a virgin."

That stupid smirk is still plastered on his face while wiggling his eyebrows. His eyes are laughing at my embarrassment.

I was probably redder than a tomato. "I am not bold when it comes to things like that!" I said as I look anywhere but him.

"You are the one who said 'next time we sleep together'" he mocked. "And you even want to be recorded. How kinky."

I glared at him. "That's it!" I carefully placed my cup on the coffee table and threw pillows at Nate.

"Oomph!"

I threw another and jumped on him as he was leaning backwards. The impact of me jumping on him made the chair topple backwards.

I screamed as my mind registered that I was about to land my face on the floor.

For a nanosecond, my brain managed to have a thought, not again!

I closed my eyes as I braced myself on the impact. This is going to hurt.

With my eyes still shut, I realized that the world is now steady, and my face is not kissing the floor.

Huh?

"Are you okay?" I heard Nate's worried voice above me.

I slowly looked up and saw that Nate's green eyes has worry written all over them.

His left hand was on my head while his right hand was wrapped around my waist. He somehow managed to grab and pull me down slightly so my head wouldn't hit the floor.

And my head, well, it's on his chest. I can feel his heart thumping really hard against his chest.

"Are you hurt?" he asked again.

"Uh, no. Are you?"

"Well, I managed to brace my fall," he said huskily. He looked into my eyes as I looked into his. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes."

We stayed on that position for like ages before I felt his right hand slowly moving up. His eyes shifting from my eyes to my lips then back again, as if asking permission.

My eyes stayed on his lips, remembering how the feel of his lips against mine. Remembering how soft and gentle those lips were whenever we kiss.

I want to feel them again.

My mouth suddenly felt dry. I moistened my lips and saw his eyes flickering at my action.

I saw his Adam's apple bobbed and that's when I lost it.

To hell with everything else! I need this.

I stopped thinking and just kissed him.

He didn't protest at my sudden boldness, instead, he willingly gives in and started to respond to my kisses.

I felt both his hands on my head as he tried to deepen the kiss.

His tongue asking for entrance and I gladly gave it to him. I tilted my head so I can kiss him properly but then, in just a swift move, our position was switched.

Without even breaking the kiss, he was now suddenly hovering over me while his tongue explored the recesses of my mouth.

I'm lost.

I'm drowning.

When a moan escaped my throat, I pulled away.

We were both breathing heavily as we stared into each other's green eyes.

His eyes dilating, and maybe darkening as he stared in mine.

Our lips are only centimeters away, and I could've sworn he would claim my lips. Instead, he touched my forehead with his and tried to ease his breathing.

Breathing in.

Breathing out.

I tried to do the same. I tried to control my heart from beating so fast but it was no use. With him still hovering above me, I can't seem to control my erratic heartbeat.

It didn't help that he leaned in closer, until I could feel his breath fanning my ear.

I shivered.

"What are you doing to me?" he whispered. His voice is gruff as if he's in pain or trying to control something.

My eyes widen.

What am I doing to you?

I should be the one asking you that.

"If I tell you something, will you promise not to avoid or distance yourself from me?" he inquired.

I gave no reply.

What can I say? I just gulped and hoped for the worst.

"I... you..." he stammered. If he can't form a complete sentence, then it's something serious. Dear God, help me.

"I can't believe you actually drool when you sleep."

Shocked

My eyes widen in disbelief.

Ugh! The nerve!

He raises his head and showed me his wide grin. Ugh! Those green eyes are mocking me.

And then I did something I thought I would never do. I head-butted him.

I can practically hear my tutor and my mother reprimanding me for being un-lady-like.

"Ah, shit!"

Ouch. I thought he was supposed to be the only one who should be hurt?

"You got a hard head," he yelped.

"Me?" I asked incredulously. "My head hurts too."

"Good. At least I'm not the only one who felt the impact of your action."

I huffed and took my stand. I straightened myself as I heard Nate clear his throat.

"Aren't you going to help me up?"

I gave him a glare. "You're a big boy. I know you can help yourself up if you want to."

He chuckled at my response and rose to his feet.

I scowled and turned my head away and walked back to the bedroom.

"Where are you going?"

I stopped in my tracks.

"Since you're already awake, I can now go back to sleep," I said without facing him. "You said we still have a long flight, right?"

"Oh, is it 'next time' yet? Let me just get my video–"

Before he could complete his sentence, I reached the threshold of the bedroom and slammed the door behind my back.

Thankfully, there's a lock on the knob. But I doubt there's no key for that.

I grabbed my phone and place my earphone in it. I don't want to drink another sleeping pill. A little music could ease my nerves and put me to sleep.

I don't really want to deal with what I'm feeling right now. And I don't want to deal with Nate either.

What I need is a little sleep and hopefully when I wake up, I will realize that what I thought earlier is just from tiredness and stress.

And if not, I'll just deal with that later.