less impressive than usual after wearing the oversized earphone things during the helicopter ride, didn’t it? But… right. That didn’t matter. This wasn’t a date.
Leo’s hand lingered, straightening Edvin’s glasses—a move which had already become an automatic trigger for Edvin’s internal flutters, for the record—and then he gestured toward the gorgeous, rolling vineyard in front of them. “Zasfer is named after the estate, the same way that Champagne is named for the Champagne region in France.”
Of course. Made sense. What didn’t make sense was why Leo had brought Edvin all the way out here. Unless… oh.
“Is… is this where you’re getting m-m-married?” Edvin asked, deflating a little at the much-needed reminder that Leo had said he wanted to talk to him about the matter of his engagement, not woo him by taking him on the world’s most amazing helicopter ride to a ridiculously romantic setting just to have lunch with him.
Because this was Not. A. Date.
Bad flutters. Settle down.
Edvin tucked his hands in his pockets and tried to look like hearing about his crush’s wedding plans wasn’t going to gut him, but Leo immediately tugged one of Edvin’s hands back out of his pocket with a flirty-looking wink, then kept a hold of it as he led him down a winding path toward the castle—castle!!!—that Edvin had seen from the air. It was small compared to the royal palace, with a pointed roof, jagged turrets, and thick stone walls… but if this had been a date, it would have hands-down been the world’s most romantic setting, because it looked like something right out of a fairy tale.
“The actual wedding will have to take place at the palace,” Leo said. “It’s tradition. But a honeymoon here could be arranged. Do you like it?”
Like it? The picturesque castle and rolling fields of grapes and idyllic, refined country setting?
“It’s beautiful,” Eddie said, which was almost as much of an understatement as mentally referring to Leo as his “crush.” He cleared his throat, reminding himself yet again not to swoon. “How can I… how can I help? W-W-With the… erm, with y-y-y-your engagement?”
And dang it, his tongue—which often stayed remarkably untangled around the prince for some reason—didn’t like that question at all and had to go and make it difficult to get out, the traitorous thing. It had to be asked, though, or else Leo holding his hand on top of everything else that already felt a little bit romantic about the day was going to make it hard to remember why Edvin was really here.
And honestly, about that, he almost hadn’t trusted his own wine-addled memory when he’d woken up after their previous dinner… appointment. But Leo’s messages throughout the week had confirmed it. For some reason, the prince thought Edvin could be of some sort of assistance in the matter of his engagement, and Edvin—above and beyond his infatuation and persistent, erm, attraction (down, boy)—genuinely liked the prince. Therefore, if Edvin could help, he was going to get over himself and his pointless pining, buck up, and do it.
Right. Settled.
“I do need your help, Eddie,” Leo said, leading him up a winding, spiral staircase made of white stone once they made it inside the castle. Floral designs were woven into intricate ornamental shapes along the banister, and a red carpet with a subtle black pattern ran up the middle of the staircase.
“Anything,” Edvin promised a little breathlessly as they reached the top. Not that the stairs had winded him, but Leo? The prince was another matter entirely.
Edvin’s answer made Leo smile, which set off a whole new cascade of flutters… and when he stopped the two of them in a vestibule that was both larger and far more luxurious than the single bathroom Edvin shared with his four siblings and took Edvin’s other hand in his as well, it was almost impossible not to swoon a little.
But no. Edvin was strong.
Leo’s lips quirked up on one side, making Edvin feel like the man might be reading his mind. Oh, Lord. Embarrassing. But before Edvin could worry too much about the possible and heretofore unreported psychic powers that may or may not exist in the van Rosavia line, Leo’s eyes lit up with that chocolatey brown sparkle that seemed to have been designed solely to undermine all Edvin’s don’t-fall-for-him efforts, and he said, “The rumors you’ve probably heard are true. I’ll be announcing my engagement at the Royal Ball—”
Hot on the heels of some serious swooning, hearing that felt like a punch to