"Hey, Lex," she whispered after a while of complete silence.
"Yeah?"
"Can-can we go to that place you were talking about? I think I'd like to get away for a while. Even if it's just for a few days."
She felt embarrassed, mortified, at what she was saying. She knew how it might be coming off to him. They flirt, and she tells him she wants to be alone with him?
"Uh, sure," he said. He sounded surprised. "When do you want to go?"
"Tomorrow."
"Okay."
"Okay? That's it?"
"Yeah, okay. You are the queen."
She smiled to herself.
When she woke the next morning, she was alone.
She panicked for a few minutes, but then she heard Lex moving around in the front room.
She got up and went to find him. He was standing by the front doors, talking to one of the guards. She waited for him to close the door before speaking up.
"Hey," she said.
"Good morning," he said, smiling at her. "I've got a few things to take care of, so why don't you go ahead and get ready? Pack what you want. I'll be back in an hour or so, and we can leave."
"Um, yeah. Okay," she said. Thank god. At least they'd be leaving early. Ben wouldn't get a chance to talk to him, seeing as everyone was only invited back to the palace at dinner time.
He left, and she took a bath. She packed some clothes and her journal into a bag she found in a drawer. She got ready, putting the purple tunic and the black pants on again. Something about the color really agreed with her skin tone, her eyes.
She tried not to think about being alone with Lex for the next few days. But she knew that she had to tell him. It seemed like a good idea last night. She could talk to him alone, and he wouldn't be under pressure to act. And they'd be away from the palace.
Now, she wasn't so sure.
When he came back. He had two packs with him. He nodded to a third one at the base of their bed and told her to carry it. She wasn't sure how far away this place was, but she hoped it wasn't that far. She didn't want to hike for hours, even if the packs weren't too heavy.
He led her outside, and her eyes widened when she saw two horses waiting for them, saddles and all.
She walked towards the white one. The other one was black.
She reached out and stroked the horse's mane. Lex strapped two of the packs onto one horse and the other two on the other.
"Well, it's not too far away, but it'd be quite a walk on foot," he said.
He stood beside her. "This one's yours," he said.
"Mine?"
"Yeah, think of it as a late wedding present," he said.
"Oh, wow, thank you," she said, blushing.
He helped her get on the horse and told her the basics of riding. She had a little experience since they’d ridden horses to get here. But she didn’t really know the rules. Though she found it a little hard to focus. He'd placed a hand on her hip when he helped her get on, and she could still feel the ghost of it, lighting her nerves on fire.
The ride was long, but Aria enjoyed it. Her backside began to ache, but it was easy to ignore while she marveled at the beauty of the horse and the woods they were strolling through.
Lex was quieter than usual, which made her a little nervous. But she figured that it was because of the ride. Or maybe he was just as nervous as she was about having to spend time alone together, away from everyone else.
When they got to their destination, Aria gaped at the scene before her. Once they reached the edge of the woods, she realized they were very close to the mountains. A decent-sized house stood in the middle of the clearing, right at the base of the mountains. There was a small creek running behind the house.
She turned to look at Lex, but he was looking at her.
"It's-it's beautiful," she said.
Chapter 19
They got off their horses and brought them to the small barn on the side of the house. They made their way up to the house on foot.
Lex opened the door, and Aria stepped inside, putting the bags down. It was modestly decorated, nothing like the expensive-looking furnishings in the palace. Lex gave her a quick tour. The entire house was lined with plush rugs, candles in each room for light. There was a large living area with big couches, a fireplace, and windows that gave a great view of the mountains. The first floor also held a small bathroom, dining room, and a huge stone kitchen. There was also a cozy library that Aria wanted to move into immediately.
The second floor held four bedrooms, the largest of which resembled their quarters at home, though on a smaller scale. There was a bathroom attached to their bedroom and another for guests. Lex informed her that a husband and wife lived on the property year-round. They managed the upkeep. They had a bedroom on the third floor, and they would cook for the king and queen if they asked. But Lex had simply packed them food for a couple days.
Now that they were here, she wasn't really sure what to do.
"You hungry," he asked from behind her. They had made their way back to the living room.
"Starving," she said.
"I’ll get us some water and some plates," he said. "Why don't you get the food out of the packs?"
"Okay."
He left, and she looked through one of the packs, taking out a variety of foods: sandwiches, fruit, and vegetables.
When Lex returned, they sat on the floor to eat, enjoying
