Owen Kelly: Guess what??
Owen Kelly: [Photo]
Oh good lord. What the hell? Why is he sending me this?
Me: WHAT THE FUCK?? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU??
Owen Kelly: Why are you shouting at me?
Me: Because that’s what you deserve when you send UNSOLICITED DICK PICS!!!
Owen Kelly: what???
Owen Kelly: oh shit…sorry!
Owen Kelly: Here this is what I meant to send
Owen Kelly: [Photo]
I cover the screen with my hand in case there’s another mishap.
Me: No! I don’t want to see it! I’m never looking at another photo you send me ever again!
Owen Kelly: oh come on! It’s not like it was a bad dick!
Owen Kelly: It was a GOOD dick!
Owen Kelly: Are you saying there’s something WRONG with my boyfriend’s dick???
Me: I’m not arguing about the QUALITY of the dick. I just don’t want to see it
The only dick I want to see is attached to a six foot three Korovan king, thank you very much.
My phone starts blaring with an incoming call from Owen and I answer, putting it to my ear.
“I’m sorry about the mix-up,” he says. “I was trying to tell you we’ve arrived in Korova. It was supposed to be a picture of the main square in Vlalens.”
“You confused your boyfriend’s dick with the Vlalens main square? That’s a bit alarming, O. I thought nurses were supposed to have good eyesight.”
“Shut up, I’m jet lagged. The pictures were right next to each other in my camera roll. It could happen to anyone!”
“Whatever. Just be glad it was me and not your mother,” I tell him.
“Oh, god,” Owen groans. “Blake would never forgive me. He wouldn’t be able to look my mom in the eye again!”
“So, you’re in Vlalens now?”
“Yep. Got in a few hours ago.”
“Awesome. I’m not at the palace right now, but why don’t you guys come by tonight for dinner? I’ll give you a tour of the place as well.”
“Wait—seriously?” The genuine shock in Owen’s tone brings a smile to my lips.
“Yeah, seriously. Let’s make it about six. That should give you a little time to explore the town first.”
After I’ve ended the call with Owen, I slip my glove back on my now frozen hand and make my way toward the front gates of the university and over to where a palace car is waiting to take me home.
“Really? You could study here?”
Of course the first place I went to after I returned to the palace was Lukas’s office, practically bursting with the need to tell him what Professor Zolanskov suggested.
“Yup!” I offer a broad grin. “I’m not exactly sure how it would work yet with visas and all that, but I have someone on the inside so I think I’ll be okay.”
He lets out a soft chuckle; stepping closer to me, he links his arms around my waist and presses a soft kiss to my mouth. “I’m sure it can be fast-tracked.”
“There’s not really any particular rush just yet,” I tell him. “There’s a whole process I’d need to go through first before I get accepted, and we’d have to figure out what to do about the kids’ lessons. I mean, I guess the best thing is to probably wait until Tomas is off at school, but Katya will still need a tutor.”
He kisses me again. “We’ll sort all that out, don’t worry.”
A little before six p.m. I head down to the entrance hall to wait for Owen and Blake. They’re right on time, rugged up in thick coats and hats and red-faced from the cold.
I guide them farther into the warmth of the palace and direct them to where they can leave their outerwear.
“I’m so glad you’re here!” I cry, giving them both fierce hugs. “I can’t wait to show you the palace.”
“It looks amazing,” Owen says, swiveling his head around in all directions, his eyes wide. “I can’t believe this is where you’ve been living.”
“It’s really not as crazy as you might think. The residential suites are actually pretty homey. And this public area is just where everyone works. There are offices and meeting rooms and stuff.”
“And ballrooms?” Blake asks wryly.
I let out a soft chuckle. “Okay, yes. There are ballrooms, and a library, and a portrait gallery. But for the most part the palace is much more functional than decorative.”
They both nod and we set off on our tour, beginning with one of my favorite parts of the palace—the portrait gallery.
Blake is about five years older than Lukas, making his and Owen’s age gap even bigger than the one between me and Lukas; but anyone who sees them together and who knows them as a couple can tell you that age is merely a number when it comes to those two—I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a couple more perfectly matched. Of course, they’ve had their difficulties; in fact, just before I left for Korova they were broken up. But they’ve worked through it and I can tell they’re both definitely in it for the long haul now. They’ve even started talking about children.
Even while I’m glad to see them so happy again, I can’t deny there’s a pang of envy in my chest as I watch them walk hand in hand around the palace as I give the tour. What I wouldn’t give to be able to walk around with Lukas like that…
“You okay?” Owen asks, mouth turned down as he scrutinizes me.
I paste on a smile. “Totally fine. Come on, I’ll show you the king’s garage—Blake, I think you’ll really love this.”
Blake’s absolutely obsessed with the James Bond movies, especially the Sean Connery ones, so it doesn’t surprise me when he goes nuts over the Aston Martins and the Bentley. They’re not the exact models featured in the movies—according to Lukas his ones are better, and I’m not about to argue with him on that—but they are very sweet cars and definitely Bond-worthy.
After I wrap up the tour, I lead Owen and Blake into the family dining room, which Lukas has offered me