standing here just now.
But God, even hung over as she was, she looks so damn good that I nearly lost control of myself. Especially wearing nothing but my wrinkled white button up.
She was angelic for a moment there.
But in the next second, her smart mouth reminded me of exactly why I wanted to avoid all of this in the first place.
Because she's essentially a spoiled little brat. Yeah, maybe she has her own reasons. But nothing really overwhelms the fact that she has had everything in her life handed to her and has lived without repercussions.
In fact, I think I'm part of the problem…
Instead of making her stay in Copenhagen and face her colossal mistakes… She could have owned up to the fact that she made a complete fool of herself in front of the press. But instead I'm helping her hide out here.
Hell, I even thought of it myself. There is no one that made me do any of this. I just did it on my own, for her benefit.
And I would probably do it again if given the same situation. Because I have definitely developed some sort of crush on Nika…
Maybe crush isn't even the word. I guess a crush is something unrequited. What happens when a crush is returned, and you get exactly what you have longed for?
Man, I am starting to have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Do I have feelings for Nika?
Surely that can't be the case… Right?
But the fact that I’m standing out here, all angsty and brooding, indicates that I do have something to be worried about.
I grind my teeth and take another step into the shallow water that swirls then washes around my feet. I raise my head to the sky and bring my arms out, yelling wordlessly. It's the only way that I can express all the things that I am feeling.
My phone begins to buzz in my pocket. I'm irritated as I pull it out because I have almost everyone on silent. The only person that my phone would even notify me for is Stellan…
I swallow as I realize that that is exactly who is calling. Gritting my teeth, I answer the video call.
"Hello?"
Stellan’s face appears, his dark eyebrows drawn down quite severely. It looks like he's at the palace, though with the low lighting behind him it's hard to be sure. He tilts his head to the side and looks at me quite seriously.
"Hey. I was just calling to check in on you and Nika. I'm wondering if we need to start talking about some kind of alcohol treatment program. Maybe somewhere far away on the beach?"
I sigh. "She's just young. That’s all it is. I don't think that we have anything to worry about in the alcoholism department."
He pins me with his deep blue gaze. "Did something set her off? Because we can't have a reckless princess out there, running around and representing the royal family so poorly. It’s just not something that is going to work."
My neck feels hot all the sudden. I squint off into the distance and try to think of how to explain it without telling Stellan that I definitely banged his sister. I feel a little queasy having to lie to him.
Maybe I should just tell him the truth and get off this babysitting duty. Of course, it would most likely have way more ramifications than that.
How do you tell your best friend that you have developed feelings for his little sister? How do you say that she is acting out because of something that you did?
"Erik. Pay attention."
I look at him, his white button up rumpled, his shirt sleeves rolled up. "Sorry. I just think that Annika needs some time out of the spotlight. From what she's been telling me, it sounds like every time she has to interact with the press, something goes wrong. So, my solution would be just, don't interact with the press."
Stellan looks tired, rubbing his face and sighing. "That isn't a permanent solution. That's temporary at best."
I nod absolutely. "Yeah, I know. It just isn't fair. If she were anyone else on earth, I would tell her to just walk away from the royal family. She would be happier if she did. But I know that that's not an option in real life."
"Nope. It’s not.” He pauses, screwing up his face. “You really don't think that she needs to be in rehab?"
My lips lift a little at the corners. "No, I don't think