“Where exactly are you from again?” Carly asked.
“New Symtaria. It’s very far away.”
Ria cast a warning look in Carly’s direction, but Carly refused to meet her gaze.
“And what exactly do you do in New Symtaria?”
“I am a warrior, a prince. My father and mother rule the land.”
Ria groaned.
Carly’s mouth dropped open, then snapped closed. “You’re a prince?”
“Yes.”
“Then what the hell are you doing in Miller Bend?”
“I’ve come to take Ria home. She is part Symtarian. A princess in her own right.”
Carly was looking at Kristor, but when his words sank in, her head whipped around to Ria. “You knew all this, but you haven’t said a word to me? When were you going to say something? When you were boarding the plane?”
Ria cast a look at Kristor that should have had him cringing, but he only looked confused. It seemed as if he wanted to explain he hadn’t told Carly that Ria was part alien, or that he was an alien and Symtaria was another planet, but from the look of deep disappointment on Carly’s face, he might as well have told her everything.
“I’m not leaving with him,” Ria tried to explain.
“Not yet, you mean. I can see the way you look at him. He’ll convince you to leave. And I wouldn’t blame you.” She set her drink on the coffee table and rose. “He’s a prince, and you’re a princess. It’s a fairy tale, and what’s a fairy tale without a fairy-tale ending?”
“Being a princess means nothing to me.”
Carly gave her a weepy smile. “That’s what makes you so special. You’ve never cared about anything except the excitement of being alive. Not everyone can be like you, though.”
Ria stood, taking a step toward Carly, but Carly held up her hand. “No, you really need to go with him. You’re a princess.” She laughed, but it came out sounding more strangled than anything. “You were meant to be a princess.”
“I would’ve told you, but I was afraid you’d think I was crazy.”
“I never did in the past when people would say something about you talking to the voice in your head. I always sided with you.” She grabbed her purse. “I’m feeling kind of tired. I think I’ll just call it a night.”
“Carly?”
“No, it’s okay. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Are you sure?”
Her eyes shone with the unmistakable glitter of unshed tears. “I’ll be fine.”
Ria watched from the door as Carly made her way to her car and got in. Then Ria watched her drive off.
“I like your friend,” Kristor said. “And pizza.”
Ria turned. She was going to absolutely kill him.
“What?” he asked.
“What? How can you sit there and ask what? It will take me spending all day on the phone with Carly to make sure she understands I’m not leaving with you. Why did you tell her all that?”
“You said you were her friend. I thought you would have explained some things to her.”
“I haven’t told her anything. And now she’s hurt because I didn’t.” She marched over to her wineglass and downed half the contents.
“Why?”
“Why what?” she asked.
“Why did you not explain anything to her? At least to tell her our relationship is more than what one would think.”
“I couldn’t.”
“Yet, you say she is your best friend.”
“I don’t just say it, I know it.” He was about to drive her to tossing the rest of her drink in his face!
“But you can’t tell her this.”
“She wouldn’t understand.”
“Carly is a friend. A friend would understand.” He came to his feet and walked over to her. “You must prepare her for when you do leave.”
She shook her head. “But I’m not leaving.”
He took her glass, setting it on the coffee table. “Are you sure?” He lowered his lips to hers.
Suddenly Ria wasn’t so certain. When the kiss ended, she was out of breath. “If you tell anyone else you’re here to take me back to New Symtaria, or that I’m an alien, I swear to God I’ll castrate you when you’re sleeping.
“Castrate?”
“Cut off your balls.”
“You would do that?” His expression said he wasn’t convinced.
“Just try me.”
Carly brushed the tears from her face. Donald had been right. Ria was going to leave with Kristor. He was a freakin’ prince, and Ria was a princess. Why the hell wouldn’t she leave with him?
Her footsteps were heavy as she trudged up the stairs to her second-floor apartment. She unlocked the door, went inside, dropping her keys on the little table. There was a mirror above it. She stared at her reflection.
Plain Jane, that’s what she was. Plain Carly. There was nothing exciting about her. Dull, dishwater-blond hair, dull blue eyes. That was her in a nutshell. Dull. And she had a zit coming up on her chin. For Christ’s sake, she was almost thirty. She wasn’t supposed to have zits!
She stomped to her bathroom, grabbed the toothpaste and dabbed some on the zit. “Not fair. Not fair at all.”
After washing her hands, she went to her refrigerator, brought out her bottle of wine, and took it to the counter. Then she poured the merlot nearly to the rim of her glass.
“This might not be fit for a prince, but it suits me just fine. Dammit, Ria, you were supposed to marry someone from here.” Carly took a healthy drink, then topped it off again. This was going to be one of those nights, but right now, she didn’t care.
She armed herself with a carton of double-chocolate, fudge ice cream from the freezer, not bothering with a bowl, only a spoon. With her arms loaded, she went to the sofa.
“Life is so unfair,” she said as she curled up on the sofa. Ria was cute and sexy. Carly loved her friend. And Ria deserved to be a princess.
On the other hand, Carly was tall, five-eight and a half. And she still got zits. And now she was going to have a pity party, because she wanted to, and no one could stop her. Not that there was anyone around who would.
She dipped the spoon into the ice cream, and shoved it into her mouth, then squinched her eyes closed when she got cold throat. As soon as it was almost gone, she took a big gulp of the wine. Of course, she’d get cold throat. It was the story of her life.
Ria would leave. She’d be crazy not to. My God, look at Kristor. The guy was a walking, talking, in-the-flesh fantasy.
What did it feel like to be a princess? To have the fairy tale? Carly closed her eyes and tried to imagine a knight in shining armor rescuing her from her dull life. The vision didn’t come.
Ria hadn’t looked any different. At least, not like Carly imagined a princess would look like. She certainly hadn’t put on airs. Not that she ever would. No, Ria would always be Ria.
Carly frowned. Where the hell was New Symtaria? She didn’t know of it, and she was a travel agent. It was her job to know all the countries—big and small.
The spoon stopped halfway to her mouth. Her heart pounded like a big bass drum inside her chest.
She’d never heard of New Symtaria, in fact. That was strange. If anyone should know about the country, it would be her. Right? Apparently they had kings and queens there, too.
