The Royal Contract

He could only gaze at the famous woman beside her. A year ago, he never even thought in his wildest dream that he would meet someone like her.

After several failed relationships, he believed meeting the right one was out of his book. But here he was, with proof that he still had a chance for happiness.

"Are you ready to leave?" As much as he wished to spend the rest of his eternity with this woman, he knew he had to do it one step at a time.

He had spent most of the entire afternoon with her, lounging on the sand and swimming in the perfectly tempered salty water of the ocean.

But the best part of this experience was when he strolled with her on the sand, along the shoreline, checking and admiring the rest of the view of the place.

"I don't want to," Serena uttered as she stared at the breathtaking colorful scenery of the sun setting behind the endless blue body of water.

But, in truth, she was more breathless than anything he had ever seen. Nothing compared to her beauty in his eyes.

But he was not only referring to her physical attributes. It had always been more than that. He believed he saw her more because of her inner beauty and the strength of her character.

"Me too." He responded, feeling he was not ready to end the day and afraid that tomorrow, he would wake to realize this was only a dream.

He held her hand with his, pulling her closer to his side. Then he wrapped his arms around her shoulders as they stared at the last remaining light from the retreating sun.

It was too magical to be true.

It was too perfect.

"It is hard to leave something this beautiful." Serena tilted her face until she could gaze into his face before she returned her attention to the fading light on the horizon.

He could not agree with her more, but his mind could only think of her, ignoring the waves that touched their toes, burying their soles deeper in the sand.

"But sadly, we can't stay here forever." Adam wished life could be this simple.

They would wake up with the sunshine grazing their faces and end their nights with the same beautiful setting.

Sadly, he had to accept that was not their reality. He had to return to his life with all his responsibilities. As much as he wanted to stay with her, he could not turn his back on the people who depended on him.

"I know." She lamely forced a smile on her pinkish lips as she finally looked away from the disappearing sunset. "But I can dream, right? How I wish I could stay here forever."

He could sympathize with her plight. However, Serena had to find a way to return to her world. At least she had to figure out what she would do with her life. She could not hide here forever.

But first, he believed she had to face her demons to close that chapter of her life. That was the only way she could move forward without the past haunting her.

"Everyone is entitled to wishful thinking." Adam had a few of his own. "But we still have to live in the real world." He wanted to remind her.

As much as he wanted to help her, protecting her from her past was not the way. He always believed in fighting his battles, not running away from them.

He would like to tap into the inner fight in her. The one he saw when he first bumped into her. He remembered how she stood tall against him.

And how she sought help to free herself from an abusive relationship. That took tremendous courage. Something she kept inside her.

"I think it is getting dark. We should pack and leave." She glanced at him before turning away, pulling his hand toward where they had left their things.

She ignored his last statement, but he knew she had heard it. Nevertheless, he let it go, not wanting to push her if she felt she was still not up for the challenge.

"I will help you with the things." He said, catching up to her fast stride.

He quickly knelt on the sand, gathering their stuff and putting them back inside the basket. He thought it would be a good idea to leave the beach before they lost all the natural light.

In a few minutes, he had them settled back in his rented car, pulling out of the driveway. Now, the question that had been circling in his mind. Where to go next?

Was he ready to declare the date over? Was he supposed to drive her back to the orphanage? Or should he invite her to dinner?

"If you are still up for it, I saw a nice diner a few kilometers from here. Do you wish to join me for dinner?" He knew he liked the last option better.

Still, would she accept his proposal? He hoped so because he was running out of ideas to keep this night from ending.

He kept his eyes on the road but occasionally glanced her way. He constantly assured himself she was still there, not just a figment of his delusion.

"That sounds fantastic." She finally answered after a long silence. "But I think I prefer if we just go to your room, so we can clean up and change." She pointed to her slightly wet clothes.

They were in a hurry that they did not have time to do anything else but pick up their things and drive away. Now, they were still soaking wet with their swim later that afternoon.

"Then, maybe you can treat me to dinner. I don't mind room service." Serena added.

But he believed she preferred somewhere they could have some privacy, not because she wanted to be alone with him, but because she still dreaded being seen in public.

He just hoped she did not want the press to see her because of her past but nothing to do with her present company. Because he did not want to be the rebound guy she was ashamed to be seen with.

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