Prince on the Beach

by Tracey Carter

  This is when everything starts to go wrong.

  I'm feeling pretty confident as I ride the wave, but then my board starts to wobble. Next thing I know I'm underwater with no idea which way is up. In my panic I let out air until I have nothing left in my lungs. I'm going to die. I know I'm going to die. My body knows I'm going to die, yet it still fights.

  I kick and flail my legs, but all that does is serve to get me more tangled on the rope that attaches me to the surfboard. My eyes are open to search for which way is up, but the saltwater is burning my eyes. My chest hurts from the lack of air and my muscles are getting tired from fighting. I don't know how long I've been down, but there are smudges of black encroaching on the edges of my vision.

  I want to give up. I am so tired and it will be so easy to just let the darkness take me. I would only have one regret, that I never got to wild out. That I was always such the good girl and never had the type of fun most women my age have experienced.

  I swear, if by some miracle I survived this, I'm going to loosen up. I'm going to have a little fun. I'm going to do a lot of things I wish I had been in college and never did.

  At this so when was waiting for me to make that promise to myself, I suddenly feel hands grabbing at me and pulling me up. When we break the surface of the water my body greedily gasps for breath. And what sweet air it is I am breathing in.

  I'm so busy trying to catch my breath that I pay no attention to who is dragging me back to shore. Even when they bring me to the sand and everyone is gathering around me trying to make sure I am okay, I'm still too distracted to pay attention and thank my savior.

  It is only after the paramedics have checked me out and deemed me shaken but fine, that I even look to see who has stood by my side this entire time.

  "You! What are you doing here?" I say. The sudden exclamation sends me into a coughing fit.

  Sebastian stands next to me with a worried expression on his face. I hadn't really taken note of who it was that had been with me the whole time, but I was aware that someone was in they had never left my side since dragging me from the water. That someone was apparently the same asshole that tried to get me to his hotel room last night.

  He waited until I was done coughing and caught my breath again. "I was out there surfing and I saw you go down. I'm not going to let someone just drown because they shot me down in a bar. Why were you even out there alone? Didn't you say you are having a lesson? Where is your instructor?"

  That is a good question. I've been out of the water long enough where he should have come that by now, but there was still no sign of him.

  I shake my head. "He had to go check in with something with his boss, but he hasn't come back. I don't know where he is."

  "And he let you be out in the water alone?" Sebastian looks downright angry now. "That is completely irresponsible of him. I don't care who he is, I'm going to talk to that company and he will be out of a job."

  I shake my head again. "You can't just come to another country demanding people's jobs and messing with their livelihood."

  "Messing with his livelihood? You can't be serious. This man almost killed you because of his negligence. Is him keeping his job really worth the risk of him possibly killing someone else?"

  I have no answer for this. He is right, my instructor should have been with me, but I had gone against my instructor’s directions and if I had listened to him, maybe I wouldn't have been in so much danger. I tell Sebastian this much but he doesn't look convinced. If I'm going to get this meant to keep his job, I'm going to have to distract Sebastian from his warpath.

  "Why do you care so much anyway? I'm a stranger. Even worse, I'm a stranger who rejected you less than twelve hours ago." I really am confused on why he is taking such a personal affront to this.

  "It's the principle of the matter. Surfing is dangerous and he put someone in his charge life in danger."

  I stand up from the boulder that I've been sitting on since the paramedics sat me there to check me out. "Come on. After that I need coffee and I owe you, so you can get one too."

  Sebastian follows behind me as I walked to a coffee shop that had come recommended to me this morning, Sunny Beach Coffee Shop.

  I am pleasantly surprised that getting coffee with Sebastian ends up being fun. He did not show up last night, but the man has a sharp wit. That's right, I'm back to calling him a man. He has proven to me that he's not a little boy and I can afford to give the man who saved my life a little respect.

  Conversation flows between us so easily. He tells me about the small European country that he is from in the way he describes it makes it sound like the most beautiful place in the world. And that's saying something considering pole island is basically paradise.

  "You would have to come visit one day," he says. "Of course not with me," he rushes to reassure me. "Just, based off of your studies and degrees, I think you would find our infrastructure interesting."

  I'm flattered that he even remembers what my degrees are in enough to think that my country would be of interest to my studies. Sebastian is revealing himself to be much more than he let on in the bar last night. Perhaps that was just rashness under the influence of alcohol and his friends. I may be willing to let it slide this time.

  The why I am bothering to is a mystery even to me. At the end of the week I'm going to be flying back to America and he will be going back to his picturesque European country. There is no point of me trying to get to know him and enjoying his company when there is nothing that can ever grow between us.

  But still, for now, I think I'm going to enjoy his company. So, when he asks me if I'm free for dinner tonight, I readily say yes.

  4

  Sebastian

  During coffee teams are going so well with Kayla I couldn't help but ask her to dinner tonight. I called ahead to make reservations for Lumiere, a hot new fine dining restaurant in the area. They were completely booked but tossing my name in there and throw my weight around, I managed to get us a dinner reservation for 8 o'clock tonight. A little later than I would have wanted, but I didn't want to be too much of a jerk to get what I want.

  Kayla is staying at a hotel a little further down the beach than I am, so I'm going to meet with her at the lobby of her hotel to take her to dinner. I'm standing here waiting when she finally comes down.

  "I'm sorry I'm late," she says out of breath from running across the lobby.

  I tuck her hand into the crook of my arm and lead her outside and to be balmy evening air. "It's fine. Believe me you are completely worth the wait." And she is. The yellow cocktail dress she chose to wear tonight stands out boldly against her luminescent dark skin. She did something fancy with her hair that I will probably never understand, but it looks very nice on her. I know that I have the most beautiful woman on the island on my arm on tonight.

  When we get to the restaurant, she is surprised at how differential the wait staff is to us.

  "I guess I haven't gone to enough fancy restaurants, because I never knew service was supposed to be like this."

  I chuckle and then do something that I never would've expected myself to do. "Darling, it's because you are on the arms of a prince."

  I've never told the woman the truth of who I am so fast. It has only been a little over twenty-four hours since I first laid eyes on her, but I know within my soul of souls that I can trust her with anything. I could trust her with my secrets, my identity, and I believe, my heart. It's stupid. It's insane. But I think I'm already falling in love with her.

  Her spunk and intelligence are just as attractive and a turn on as her face and curves. He has the body of a modern day Venus and I want to explore every inch of it and her mind.

  But she does not believe what I say. She laughs her tinkling laugh and teasingly hits my arm. "You sir, are no prince charming."

  Realizing that there is no point in trying to convince her of the truth, I play along with her. I flash her a dazzling smile. "Why would I ever want to be a prince charming? H
e seems like he has no fun. I'm the kind of prince whose company you much prefer. Believe me, I've been around those charming types."

  She laughs again and that sets the tone for the rest of our dinner.

  We play little games to get to know each other asking things like what our favorite color is and if we can be anyplace in the world where would we go. As our game goes on the questions get deeper.

  I believe I ask something along the lines of her deepest darkest secret. I mean in a purely joking way, so when she takes my question seriously and answers I am taken by surprise.

  "The people I went to school with probably suspect this, but I've never opened admitted it to anyone." She looks down at the slice of cheesecake she ordered for dessert. "I'm a virgin."

  At first what she says does not compute but that was a pure neat issue. I could not imagine someone as sweet and beautiful and amazing as her not having been scooped up before. Not in a one night stand sort of way, but in that she deserves to have a long-term relationship with someone who truly cares about her. Who can take care of her needs, mind, body, and soul. So, my surprise is not meant to be a slight on her, but honest astonishment.

  "Well you don't have to look at me like that," she says with a nervous laugh.

  "My apologies. It was not my intention to be insulting. I'm just… I'm just surprised that no one has tried to lay claim on."

  "I'm sure there have been guys out there who wanted to have sex or whatever, but I haven't been interested in them. I've been saving myself for someone special. I don't necessarily need marriage to lose my virginity, but it needs to be with someone that means something to me, not some drunken night at a frat party."

  Something else hits me. "Oh my goodness. I must apologize again for last night. No wonder you were so offended that I would dare suggest something as a lowly as a random hookup. I am sincerely sorry for that."

  She gives me a playful glare. "Well, you shouldn't be trying to just hop into bed with any random person anyway. That can't be healthy."

  I smile. "You're right. But when I saw you, I couldn't help myself."

  "And there you go again with the cheesy lines," she says laughing.

  I laugh with her. "Cheesy but true. If no one has ever told you this, the let me be the first. You are truly a special and remarkable woman. You deserve for your first time to be something special."

  She sobers up and her face turns into a look I could only describe as pensive. "Thank you. No one ever said something like that to me before. Part of the reason why my virginity is such a secret is that I am scared of what people will say or think. So, thank you for being so understanding."

  "Since we are being so open with each other, I have a question for you." She is savoring a piece of cheesecake but she just motioned with her hand for me to continue. "What do you find it so hard to believe I could be up for?"

  She takes a few moments to finish chewing her bite and to think. "It's simple really, princes aren't real."

  I give her bemused look. "You study society, like you say princes are real? There are monarchies all over the world."

  "I mean, in that sense yes they are real, but they're not real real. They don't go out to vacation spots like Pole Island like the rest of us. If you were a prince, you would be staying at a far swank year vacation place than this. Pole Island is nice, but it's not royalty nice."

  "That is mighty judgmental of you. I would have you know that pole island has some the best surfing in the world. Rumor has it that's where it got its name, from ancient people riding the waves on what they called flat poles."

  We laugh together sharing the joke of the island's name. But still in my mind I am thinking about her lack of belief in princes. Some of my brethren are maybe as snotty as she seems to think we all are, but other than my taste in fine wine and good food I don't think I have a pretentious bone in my body. I just have to show her we are all like that.

  Our waiter comes up to our table with a regretful look on his face. "My apologies sir and ma'am, we are closing in a few minutes. May I get your check for you?"

  "That's okay, my good man." I throw down a couple hundred dollar bills on the table, more than enough to cover the bill and give a good tip. I go around the table and pull Kayla's chair out for her. She takes my arm again and we had out into the balmy night air.

  "I'm embarrassed to say this, but I'm having too good of a time to want the evening to end yet."

  I'm surprised to hear this from her. I know we were having a good time, but I did not expect her to admit to it nor regret that we can't have more time together. But, we can. I am just about to ask her if she would like to take a walk along the beach and go to a spot where I know there are nightly bonfires when a nasally voice in my country's accent interrupts us.

  "Oh em gee! Prince Sebastian? Is that really you? My friends will never believe this."

  5

  Kayla

  Something in me panics at hearing what that girl says. Prince? No that can't be right. Sebastian has just been joking every time he says that he's a prince. He had to be. There is no way that a real live prince of a real-life country would be surfing on Pole Island and hanging out with locals at a bar.

  "I have to go," I say in a rush.

  It's rude of me to take off like this, but I need space. I have to think. Through our dinner, I've really been starting to like Sebastian. Prince Sebastian. The title just doesn't gel well with the man that I've come to know. But this explains why he was so defensive about my opinions on princes. Ugh. I'm so stupid. There I was insulting him and his position to his face and he just kept on a a smile and let me go on. How he must be laughing at me right now.

  I collapse onto my bed in my hotel room. I don't even know what to do with myself right now. What does one do when one's made a full of himself in front of a prince?

  Part of me wants to run out and find him to apologize. The other part of me wants to hide in my hotel room until it's time for me to catch up have to the airport get far far away from here. I'm leaning more towards the latter since I don't even know what hotel Sebastian is staying in and, even if I knew the hotel, if the hotel knows who he is they would never let some random girl get his room number. Nope. Makes much more sense for me to hide away and never leave this room again.

  I feel like such a fool. I was really falling for Sebastian. Who am I kidding? I fell for Sebastian. I felt hard. I fell hard enough that I willingly told him my deepest secret of my virginity and was considering giving it to him.

  He must've got a good laugh out of that. Poor little commoner girl saving her virginity for someone special but turning down a real prince.

  It's with these thoughts in my head that I fall asleep.

  The next morning it takes me a minute to figure out why my stomach is queasy and my body feels bones tired. It's only when I'm feeling extreme anxiety that my body decides to feel like it's run a marathon, because that's the only way it will ever get the feel of a marathon. Then my memories flood back to me.

  I can't believe this actually happened to me. I was wrong last night. I can't stay hidden in my hotel room for the next week. But I was also right, I can't go out there and risk running into him. That leaves me only one choice.

  I get in the shower and tried to rinse away everything that has happened to me the two short days I've been on this island. This was supposed to be a dream vacation given to me by my parents as a congratulations. Instead, it has turned into a royal nightmare.

  Pun totally intended.

  By the time I get out the shower my mind is clearer and I have a direct idea of what I plan to do. I grabbed for my laptop that has sat unused since I've gotten here. I opened up and pushed the power button so that I can exchange my plane ticket to one for today. I have to get the hell up out here.

  The universe has turned its back on me. Because I have not used my laptop in days, I forgot that when I packed it the machine had been dead. Since it was in my bookbag not plugged in it is still dead. She is an old thing,
so there's no way I can just plug her in and turn it directly on. It will never charge that way. I have to wait for it to charge before I can think of using it. That's going to take at least an hour. In the meantime, I can use this chance to say goodbye to the beach that I enjoyed so much.

  I slide on my flip-flops and head downstairs to walk out onto the beach. Paul Island really is a place of beauty. Sebastian said that this was his last trip before he went home to take over his family business, which I now suppose met taking over the crown. That means that in the future I may be able to save up my own money and come back here one day. I would enjoy that, even with the memories that I'm sure are going to haunt me for a long time.

  I’d slept in so late that it is midday when I emerge from the building. I keep my sandals in my hands and let my toes sink into the sand even though it is so hot it burns. I want to soak in every sensation to remember this beach by. Anything that is not associated with Sebastian.

  Even though I am fully dressed in a pair of shorts and t-shirt, when I get down to the main part of the beach, I lay down right there. My face lifts to the sun and I soak it all in. I’ve only been here two days but I already know I am going to miss it.

  A shadow falls across my face and I grumble, "Can you please move?"

  The shadow doesn't budge. My left little bit of time in paradise and some jerk is trying to ruin it. I open my eyes ready to give whoever it is a smart on lashing. "What is wrong with you? All this beach and you —" I never finish what I'm about to say because I'm too stunned about what is in front of my eyes. Standing over me in a cream linen suit is Sebastian.

  I sit up so fast my head spins. When I reach up to clutch my head, Sebastian bends down and places his hand on the back of my head.

  "You almost drowned yesterday, you should really be more careful about how fast you sit up."