slamming on her door at the crack of dawn—and he felt embarrassed. Now he wanted to turn and run—but it was too late.
Selese yanked open the door and stood there, staring back at him in the early morning sun, wrapping a shawl tight around her shoulders, looking sleepy and very annoyed.
“What has gotten into you?” she asked. “It is not yet sunrise, and yet you slam my door as if an army is advancing.”
Reece stared back, tongue-tied.
“So?” she prodded, annoyed.
Reece stood there, forgetting everything he’d wanted to say.
“I um…” he started, then stopped.
Why did she have this affect upon him?
“I came to say good morning,” he said.
Her eyes opened wide.
“Good morning?” she repeated, incredulous.
Then she burst out laughing, right in his face.
“Have you lost your mind?” she added.
Now it was Reece’s turn to get mad.
“Listen,” he began, no longer able to contain himself. “It’s not right what you’re doing here. Playing games like this. I need you to be honest with me. No more of this.”
She looked at him, baffled.
“No more of what?” she asked. “Are you dreaming?”
“No more of this game we’re playing. I need you to tell me the truth.”
“I’m not playing any games with you,” she said. “I don’t even know you.”
He examined her, frustrated.
“So are you telling me you’re not feeling what I’m feeling?” Reece asked, wanting to get to the point. He needed to know, for his own clarity of mind.
She blinked, taken aback.
“And what is it that you are feeling?” she asked.
“Enough of the questions!” Reece demanded, at the end of his rope. “I came here because I love you. Do you understand? I love you. I’m not sick. I’m not delirious. I’m awake. I’m in my right mind. And that’s how I feel. And that’s the end of it!” he yelled, angry, his voice rising,.
She looked at him, surprised, as if looking at a crazy person; then, slowly, a smile formed at the corner of her mouth.
“But you don’t even know me,” she replied. “How can I believe it’s true? How is such a thing possible?”
Reece’s heart fell.
“So are you saying you don’t love me then?” he insisted.
“I don’t even know you,” she responded. “I’m not saying that I don’t love you. I’m not saying that I do. It is not a word I would use lightly. And not with a stranger.”
“Well, how are you supposed to know me, if you won’t give me a chance?” Reece pressed.
Now it was her turn to blush.
“You are royalty,” she said. “I am a village girl. It would not work out between us.”
“And how can you be so sure?” Reece demanded. “Because I think it could.”
She looked him, her eyes growing serious for the first time, as if finally truly hearing him.
“What are you asking?” she asked.
Reece took a deep breath.
“I’m asking you to come with me. I’m saying that I want to take you away from here. I’m saying that I want you to give us a chance. I mean what I say. I’m not a passerby. I take love very seriously. And I know how I feel about you. I’ve been up all night long—and I can think of nothing else.”
Selese’s cheeks reddened, and she shifted, flustered.
“Tell me,” Reece asked, calming. “Do you not think of me at all?”
Selese looked down to the ground, reddening herself.
“I’ve thought of nothing else since you left yesterday,” she said softly, looking down, as if afraid to admit it.
Reece’s heart swelled. He felt like shouting from the rooftops. He could hardly conceive that she felt the same.
“Then why do you resist me?” he pleaded.
She looked up, her eyes wet.
“You would tire of me in a day,” she said. “I would just be an oddity, the village girl brought to King’s Court. Everyone would gawk at me. You would move on to someone else. I won’t put myself through that.”
“Nobody will gawk at you,” Reece insisted. “Least of all me. I could care less what others think. I want you there. I want you with me.”
She looked into his eyes, and for the first time, he could really feel her feelings for him. He could not wait for an answer any longer: he leaned in, placed a hand behind her head, pulled her close, and he kissed her.
She did not resist. She did not kiss him back, but she did not pull away, either. The feel of her lips on his was exhilarating, and he kissed her as long as he could, not wanting to let go. As he