#but Leo pulled me in with his whole Prince and showing MC around Greece thing | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

raleighcarrera · 4 years

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different

the royal romance | drake walker x mc (riley brooks)

~16.9K | mature language and themes/suggestive scenes (18+)

if we'd met somewhere else… anywhere else. at a club in new york, or in an airport, or at a party…

...do you think things would have been different?

drake and riley meet at a frat party in college. they’re not, like, dating dating, okay? they just... party together, and study together, and sleep together every night. and he thinks about her a lot. and then there’s an assassination attempt on his best friend, and drake has to go back to cordonia. a fluffy look at scenes from a drake x riley LDR that becomes just a plain old R when he invites her to spend the summer with him at the palace.

someone was banging on his door. impatiently, the knocks increased in volume and frequency, until it was an almost continuous stream of thump - thump - thump, ruining his morning. it was too early for this. it was sunday, for chrissakes, and they’d been out so very late the night before. resolving to ignore whoever it was, drake shoved his face further into his pillow, grimacing when the movement stuffed his mouth full of long, curled hair. from beside him, riley groaned loudly.

“i will kill whoever that is,” she threatened, elbowing him in the arm. drake winced; her voice was low and gravelly, but it still made his head throb. “if that’s fucking simmons and pierce trying to be funny i will kill them, drake, and i won’t feel bad. make it stop.”

he heaved a loud sigh and slowly sat up in bed. the movement made his head spin, and he wondered if riley felt as deathly hungover as he did. if she was suffering even half as badly as he was, it was a miracle she had the presence of mind to threaten anyone like that -- but that was his riley. a multitasker.

drake stumbled to the door in his boxers, flinging it open with irritation. “what?”

it wasn’t simmons and pierce. it wasn’t anyone who lived at the frat house.

it was leo.

drake gaped at him, completely in shock. “hello, drake,” he said, which, on its own, was already a lot to process. drake wondered what time it was, and if he’d managed to get more than four hours of sleep since the record-breaking keg stand he’d pulled off the night before.

before he could say anything, riley strolled up beside him, the sheet from his bed wrapped around her. her eyes were squeezed shut tightly, one hand holding up the sheet and the other fumbling for the door frame. “we don’t want any breakfast,” she huffed, “it’s not even eleven yet, what the fuck is wrong with --”

“riley.” drake put his arm out, stopping her from slamming the door in leo’s face. he glanced nervously at liam’s brother, flushing when he saw that leo was looking back and forth between the both of them, his grin wide with delight.

finally, she opened her eyes. her mouth dropped open into a round o of surprise, and drake grimaced as she adjusted the sheet under her arms. “what’s going on?”

this was not the conversation he wanted to have now, when it already felt like his head was going to split in two. “it’s kind of a long story...”

“indeed,” leo said grimly, stepping into drake’s bedroom and closing the door behind himself. riley managed to look both confused and pissed off as she walked to drake’s dresser and bent low towards the bottom drawer.

leo arched an eyebrow at him as she dug around inside of it and then stepped into the bathroom. drake was silent as she turned the shower on, feeling his whole face go red. “i didn’t give her the drawer,” he felt compelled to defend, “it was empty and she noticed and put her stuff in it. it wasn’t like -- i didn’t say, here, have a drawer.”

the expression on leo’s face looked as though he was doing everything he could to avoid smiling. “we can talk about that on the plane.”

plane? “is everything alright? what are you doing here, anyway?” his stomach sank as he considered all the reasons why leo, of all people, might show up at his college. “did something happen to liam?”

leo sighed, and for the first time, drake noticed how tired he looked. “everyone is fine. but... something did happen. look, you need to come back to cordonia. tonight.”

riley watched him shrewdly from his unmade bed as he frantically stuffed his suitcase full of clothes. she was eating a burrito, but for once, he couldn’t be bothered to tell her off for doing it in bed. it’s not like it mattered if she got crumbs in his sheets anyway, after today. “give it to me one more time,” she said between bites.

he sighed with obvious frustration. “liam is the crown prince of cordonia,” he explained, as though he were talking to a toddler. he looked at her over his shoulder and waited for her to nod before he continued. “cordonia is where i grew up. liam is my best friend.”

“and the guy who was here is his brother.”

“yes.”

“but he’s not important.”

“he’s -- leo abdicated awhile ago. he’s important enough.”

“so the person who got shot --”

“no one actually got shot,” he interjected, pulling out his sock drawer and emptying the entire thing into his suitcase in one go.

“then why do you have to go?”

drake turned and met her eyes. god did she look pretty, sitting in his unmade bed in just one of his t-shirts, her hair wet and curling over her shoulders. he could see the smooth skin of her thighs peeking out from beneath the hem and let himself yearn, for a moment, to stop what he was doing entirely and crawl back into bed with her.

was it so selfish, if he didn’t want to go?

“because liam needs me. he’s always been there for me, and now i need to be there for him.”

“okay -- sure,” she said, in a way that definitely meant that she didn’t agree with him, “but -- withdrawing from school? in the middle of midterms? so you can go do -- what, exactly? what’s your role over there?”

drake rubbed at his forehead with annoyance. “i don’t know, riley, professional best friend? does it matter?”

“don’t get mad at me,” she snapped, glaring at him, “you’re the one who never told me about any of this.”

“because i wanted to be normal!” riley frowned, her eyes still narrowed from her position on the bed. “i didn’t want to be prince liam’s friend. i didn’t want anyone here to know. and i didn’t realize i had to share my life secrets with every sorority girl i hook up with.”

his eyes shut as soon as the words left his mouth. he regretted them instantly, and he didn’t want to see what her face was doing. “riley...”

drake dared to let himself look at her. she’d stopped chewing, and she was staring at him as though she’d never seen him before. hurt flashed over her face lightning fast and then disappeared. “go to hell.”

“riley, listen --” she stood up and angrily started getting dressed in her own clothes, whipping his shirt over her shoulder so fast he had to duck out of the way. “i didn’t mean --”

riley turned around and threw what was left of her burrito at him, hitting him squarely in the chest. drake watched as it fell down into his open suitcase, sighing at the perfectly round circle of guacamole she left on his shirt. “have fun in budget greece.”

her voice sounded tight. drake winced as he jogged to follow her out of the room, racing down the stairs after her. several of his fraternity brothers politely averted their eyes as she rushed through the hallway and out the front door.

“riley!” she stomped off down the sidewalk without hesitation.

leo was waiting beside a black town car idling on the curb. he hung up his cell phone as drake slowed to a stop next to him. “ready to go?”

“yep,” he grit out, “just -- one second. i’ll be right back.”

he ran down the block to catch up to her, grabbing her arm to stop her from getting any farther. “okay, i deserved that,” he allowed, catching his breath, “i’m sorry. i didn’t mean that, i don’t know why i said it.”

“is that how you think of me?” she demanded, her eyes shining in the low light of the street lamps, “some sorority girl you hook up with?”

“no,” he answered emphatically, “this is just -- the weirdest day of my life. please cut me a break, i have no idea what i’m doing.”

she pursed her lips, and then nodded once. “you know, you don’t have to go back there if you don’t want to.”

drake sighed, running a hand through his hair. “yes, i do. i don’t expect you to understand.”

“well, i don’t.” she looked and sounded more upset than he’d ever known her to be, even after last semester when her favorite literature professor tore her critical analysis of great expectations to shreds. “i think it’s bullshit. of course i want you to stay.”

he reached out and put his hands on her arms. “hey, it’s not forever.” without realizing it, his voice had dropped to a reassuring timbre. “the semester will be over in eight weeks. you could come to cordonia for the summer.”

riley exhaled shakily, averting her eyes. fuck. “please don’t cry.”

“i’m not going to cry,” she insisted, sniffling dramatically. “but i just -- i don’t know. it’s going to be weird, not having you around.”

“it’s going to be weird not being around. but it’s barely two months, and then...” his hands rubbed slowly up and down her arms. “you could spend the summer at the palace with me. i’ll take you to the beach, teach you how to ride a horse... show you off to all of my friends...” he could see her softening. “you could work on your writing. think about what a good story it would be.”

riley sniffled again. “that’s true...”

“see? it’s not that bad. plus, you’ll be so busy with your schedule you’ll hardly notice i’m gone.”

she shot him a look that let him know he shouldn’t push his luck. “come on,” drake needled, “smile, brooks.”

she just bared her teeth at him. “a real smile.”

instead of doing what he’d asked, she threw herself at him for a hug, sudden and fierce. drake’s arms tightened around her, and he lifted her up off her feet. she always liked that.

predictably, riley laughed. when he set her back down, she was gripping his shirt tightly in her hands. “don’t be a stranger, okay? get the international cell phone plan.”

drake smiled back at her. “i promise.”

to his credit, leo waited until they were almost back to cordonia to ask about riley.

the trip felt longer than he remembered, even with all the comforts of flying private. it felt like he couldn’t get his thoughts in order -- he went from being worried for liam, to annoyed with the situation, to missing riley already so quickly it made him nauseous.

fortunately, leo had provided a distraction by going over every detail of the assassination attempt with him. drake had peppered him with questions until he’d heard everything twice, and then there was nothing left to do but dwell.

“i just can’t believe someone would do something like that,” he said again, for what must have been the fourth time. “i can’t imagine how liam must feel.”

“i know. it’s awful.” leo shook his head. a long moment of silence passed between them. drake stared out at the dark void of the sky through the airplane window, cringing when he heard leo start, “so...”

drake was pretty sure he knew exactly where that sentence was headed. “oh, we don’t have to do this.”

“we really do.” he grinned at drake from his seat across the plane. “come on, i was almost murdered earlier this week. indulge me.”

“fine, but you’re not allowed to do that again for the rest of the month. it’s... not that serious. honestly.”

leo looked at him in disbelief. “she has a drawer.”

“she pulled a hostile takeover of that drawer.” again, his voice was defensive. he sighed. “we met at a party in august, at the start of last semester. we were at the house, in the backyard... she bumped into me. we got to talking... stayed up all night...” he trailed off meaningfully, shrugging at nothing. he could feel his face turning red. “one thing led to another, and now it’s... seven months later and... she’s always around. in a good way.”

“then i’m happy for you, drake.” leo’s smile faltered. “i’m sorry it had to come to this.”

“don’t be. you know i’d do anything for liam. college is terrible, anyway.”

“mmmm.” leo seemed not to believe him. at any rate -- “looks like we’re landing.”

as the plane touched down on the tarmac, he pulled out his phone. his fraternity group text immediately rushed back to life with dozens of incoming text messages, but he ignored it in favor of his thread with riley. she’d texted him hours ago, after they’d already taken off. have a safe flight. don’t do anything stupid

he was already smiling. just landed. tonight’s probably going to be crazy. call me after class tomorrow

as she always did, riley answered nearly immediately. isn’t there a time difference?

he wondered what she was doing. riley always insisted on getting a good night’s sleep on sundays, and they usually parted ways after dinner so she could make her way back to her own apartment to get ready for the week. he’d often found himself blowing up her phone, pestering her for attention while she caught up on the homework she’d neglected over the weekend, holed up in the library or inside her bedroom.

privately, he let himself wish he were back in boston with her, just for a moment. i’ll wait up.

it was hours before he and liam were finally alone. despite the somber mood that filled the palace, everyone seemed... happy to see him, and he spent far too long letting liam get him reacquainted with everything, even though it hadn’t been that long since he’d been home in cordonia, last summer.

after a final security briefing and one last drink, bastien left them alone in drake’s old bedroom.

“it’s really... good to see you,” liam sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face. “i’m glad you’re here.”

suddenly, he felt guilty for ever missing boston -- for even entertaining the thought of not coming, for even one second. “of course. i came as soon as i heard, i... would never not be here during something like this.”

liam nodded, his gaze out the window and in the courtyard. “when do you have to go back?”

drake’s brows furrowed. “liam... i’m not going back.”

that startled him. “i thought you had another year before you could graduate?”

he did, but... “it doesn’t matter. i’m not leaving you.”

as he said it aloud, he realized it was the right decision. earlier, when he’d been talking to riley, he hadn’t been so sure, but after tonight... he knew it was his only option. he couldn’t believe things for liam at court had gotten so bad -- that everyone around him had let things get so bad. and now -- an attempt on his life? what kind of best friend would he be if he left liam now? drake knew instantly that if their roles were reversed, liam wouldn’t even hesitate to do what he was about to.

“you don’t have to do that.” drake watched him pretend like he wasn’t pleased. “i’m fine.”

“well, it’s too late,” drake shrugged simply, “because i already withdrew and moved out all my stuff.” liam still looked uncertain. “hey -- ride or die, right? what did you think i was going to do with a degree in world history, anyway?”

liam barked out a laugh just as drake’s phone buzzed in his hand. it was riley. just wanted to say goodnight

drake mentally tried to calculate the time difference between cordonia and boston, unable to stop himself from from picturing her burrowed into the twin bed in her apartment. there was nothing he loved to complain about more than that stupid, tiny bed, but at that moment, he would’ve given anything to be crammed in it with her.

liam smiled at him. “is that your girlfriend?”

drake flushed as he put his phone away. “she’s not my girlfriend.”

“that’s not what leo said. come on, i’ve seen her on your pictagram. dark hair? brown eyes?”

drake gave in and nodded. “her name’s riley.”

“i assume you told her... about all of this?”

drake hesitated, then slowly confirmed... “yeah. i invited her to spend the summer here.”

“drake, that’s amazing! i can’t wait to meet her.”

liam’s excitement was infectious. maybe it would be good to have brooks here, after all. she could be a distraction for... all of them, from this mess. she was good at that. she was the only person drake knew that could effortlessly pull him out of one of his sulking bad moods, just by being herself. so -- around this place? she’d be a welcome breath of fresh air.

he nodded, finding that he couldn’t wait, either.

remembering her text, he pulled out his phone again. night, brooks.

“drake,” maxwell practically screamed from the other side of the room, “get. off. the phone! we’re about to start a dance off.”

drake ignored him. riley had sent a photo of herself pouting at a sig chi pregame. i hate hanging out here without you

he bet she’d already had a few too many, despite the fact that it was still early in boston. below that text, she’d written, come homeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

miss me that much already? there was no denying how good that felt.

the party going on around him hardly interested him. he was only here for liam, after all, and at maxwell’s insistence -- drake hardly thought that something as chaotic as a beaumont bash was what his best friend needed right now, but liam had wanted to come, and so -- there they were.

the sight of riley’s downturned bottom lip in the photo was drawing him in. missing that hot bod, she’d written back. he snorted.

maxwell had jogged over to where he was standing. “come on, you can talk to her later. she’ll still be awake in a few hours. don’t you want to spend time with your friends, who’ve missed you?”

not really. he wanted to lock himself in the beaumont study and call riley before she left the house for a bar. he wanted to reach her now, before she was too drunk to know she was even talking to him.

“maxwell, i’m here, aren’t i?” with great self restraint, he slipped his phone into his pocket. “what do you want?”

maxwell slung his arm around drake’s shoulders. “i want you to take some shots with your friends. is that too much to ask?”

he heaved a heavy sigh, pretending to consider it. back in boston, at this hour, riley would already be slamming on the bartop wherever they’d wound up, demanding another round of tequila shots. his lips quirked. he should really have a drink or two in her honor. “alright, alright. lead the way.”

it wasn’t long before maxwell had him ridiculously, wonderfully drunk. “okay -- okay. one more.” maxwell had his chin on drake’s shoulder, looking down at the phone between them. “this is her at the a-e-pi luau after she won the hula hoop contest. it was on fire.”

maxwell gasped as he swiped left to the accompanying video of riley swinging her hips. “that’s so badass.”

there was pride in his voice. “i know, right? she’s the coolest. she’s so good at everything, it’s honestly annoying.”

“i want to meet her!” maxwell exclaimed, as drake continued to swipe through his camera roll. a majority of the photos he had were of riley doing something ridiculous, drunk and pulling silly faces at the camera. drake pointedly sped up as he reached the selfies of the two of them she’d insisted upon late one night on the roof of his house.

without thinking too much about it, he called her on facetime. it seemed simple enough, to his addled brain: maxwell wanted to meet her, and he wanted to talk to her. more than that, he wanted to look at her.

riley declined his call, though, making him frown. a second later, she’d texted one sec !! lemme go outside !!

her beautiful face came into view within moments. behind her, drake could see the main street lit up with activity, the college bars they’d used to frequent coming alive in the distance. riley was grinning -- she had glitter on her cheeks. “babyyyyyyyyy!” she exclaimed, throwing her arm up. she was drunk.

“hey, you.” maybe he was too drunk for this, too. “don’t you look nice.”

riley beamed, pulling the phone in close. “i miss you.”

from his shoulder, maxwell sighed. “awwww, stop it. i’m going to get a cavity.”

“riley, this is maxwell. maxwell, riley.” he angled the phone to let maxwell in frame. immediately, he waved wildly at her.

“hi! drake seriously does not stop talking about you. it’s so cool to finally see you!”

riley smiled widely at him. “he talks about me?”

“oh, yeah. every five minutes, he’s all -- riley would love hiking here. riley’s read that book, she said it was good. riley’s the reason i had to stop drinking vodka. it’s seriously --”

“okay, that’s enough.” he put the phone back on his face. “i might’ve mentioned you once or twice.”

maxwell scoffed loudly from beside him, but all of his focus was on the way riley giggled from the screen. his heart was pounding. they’d talked on the phone every night for the last four weeks, but this was the first time he was seeing her outside of photos or social media. for the life of himself, he couldn’t understand why they hadn’t done this sooner.

“you staying out of trouble, brooks?”

“well, duh! my partner in crime totally ditched me!”

maxwell was waving his arms beside him. “hey, liam! riley’s on the phone! drake’s girlfriend!”

drake reached his free hand out to push maxwell away. “shut up.”

riley was laughing wildly on the screen. “is that what you told them? that i’m your girlfriend?”

he rolled his eyes. “more like that’s what they told me.” his gaze softened. “i can’t wait until you get here.”

“me too, drake walker. you have no idea how much this place is starting to suck.”

suddenly, liam appeared behind him. “is this the riley we’ve heard so much about?”

she gasped theatrically. “you must be liam. you look like a liam.”

liam grinned, leaning down closer to the phone. “got it in one. it’s great to meet you. you’re every bit as pretty as drake said you were.”

riley laid a hand on her heart, miming like she was swooning. drake elbowed liam good-naturedly. “hello, i’m still here.”

riley winked at him. moments later, maxwell crowded in on drake’s other side, squishing into the frame. “riley, when you get here, we’re going to party so hard,” he promised. she seemed to like the sound of that.

“you guys are so lucky drake’s there hanging out with you,” she sighed, pouting into the camera again, “he’s the world’s best drinking buddy.”

maxwell’s eyes looked like they were going to bulge out of his head. “drake? our drake? this one right here?”

drake rolled his eyes, but riley didn’t seem to pick up on his sarcasm. “yeah! we’re unofficial beer pong champions at sig chi. and i’m not playing with anyone else until you come back. we’re not gonna be dethroned that easily.”

he winced, aware of the look maxwell and liam were exchanging behind his back. so -- he hadn’t exactly told her, yet, that he wasn’t planning on coming back for his senior year. but he was going to, okay? he just thought it was a conversation they’d be better off having in person.

he scoffed with false bravado. “as if any of those clowns could dethrone us, anyway.”

“i’m saying,” she agreed, spinning around on the sidewalk. he watched as she slowed to a stop at the corner, and then sighed. “will you walk me home?”

drake nodded, looking around the ballroom for a quiet corner. “you sure? it’s gotta be pretty early there.”

“i want us to be alone.” instantly, he could feel his face flushing. maxwell and liam laughed from beside him.

“i think that’s our cue,” liam said politely, reaching out to grab maxwell’s arm and pull him away. “nice to meet you, riley.”

“yeah -- get over here soon!” maxwell shouted, waving enthusiastically again.

drake was already heading off towards the study. he slipped inside, unnoticed, and closed the door behind him. riley was humming as she crossed the street, the signal and the darkness making her blurry on his screen. “did you have fun?” he asked, “where’d you guys go? sam’s?”

she nodded, the glitter on her cheek reflecting in the moonlight. “uh huh, but it was beat. the pregame was way better.” riley wrapped her free arm around herself, pulling her jacket in tighter. a moment of silence passed between them. “it’s weird not sleeping at the house.”

“i know. i think all the bruises i had from you kicking me in the shins every night have finally faded.”

riley laughed loudly as she ducked inside her building, tapping her id card to unlock the main door. “shut the fuck up. i only sleep-kicked you because you were a blanket hog.”

“we both know that’s honestly just not true.” her building was loud as groups of students prepared to go out, the night early enough that people were just now thundering down the stairs and heading for the door. he watched riley stab at the elevator button with amusement. “seriously? you live on the second floor.”

“mind your own business,” she snarked back at him as she slipped inside, “this elevator is for people in boston only. if you want to have an opinion, you’re going to have to leave europe.”

god, did he miss her. “you got your flight info, right? i gave liam your email so he could set it up.”

she nodded slowly as she stepped out into the hallway. drake watched her wobble adorably towards her front door, and heard her fumbling with her keys. “uh huh. m’already counting down the days. ‘til you pick me up at the airport and i can jump on you.”

drake sunk down into one of the leather armchairs in front of the bookshelves. “is that right?”

riley moved out of frame briefly as she struggled to get her jacket off. he heard the telltale sound of her kicking off her shoes, and then she bounced down onto her bed, making the old mattress creak. her face finally lit up as she leaned over and turned on her bedside lamp.

“yup.” her excitement was contagious. “i can’t wait to see you in person. ‘cause i can’t believe it’s been a month already and i haven’t gotten a single picture of you.”

“you want pictures, eh?” he grinned, mentally flipping through the catalog of images riley had been sending him. he’d hardly had time to wonder what she was doing, her selfies had been so thorough. “like the ones you’ve been sending me? because i’m a lot less exciting than you are, brooks. liam and i spend most of our time here doing nothing.”

“noooo...” she laid back against the bed, flopping down against the pillows. “i want you to be naked.”

drake barked out a laugh, shaking his head at her. “i am not sending you a nude from maxwell’s house.”

“why not?” she whined, batting her eyelashes. “i want to see your abs. i forget what they look like.”

he smirked at her, leaning back in the armchair. “now you know how i feel about your boobs.”

her eyes narrowed. drake swallowed hard -- he was very familiar with that particular glint in her eyes. deliberately, riley pulled her shirt up and over her head.

she was wearing a simple, lacy white bra. drake stared at her as she sat up and reached behind her back to unclasp it. “brooks...” he said warningly, his voice low. “i’m at a party.”

“so go home.” she mimicked his voice in a way that made him roll his eyes at her, just like every other time she busted out her winning impression of him that, in drake’s opinion, sounded nothing like him.

“i can’t, we’re all staying over.” and if she got him hard in the beaumont study he didn’t think he’d ever be able to come back in here again. he’d have to find a new place to hide out from the rest of court.

“then go to your room,” riley countered, shifting like she was going to wiggle out of her skirt.

drake averted his eyes desperately, trying to think about anything else. he was officially too drunk for this. “can’t we just talk about something else?”

riley groaned. when drake dared to look at her, she was frowning. “why?” she demanded, “why can’t we get each other off? don’t you miss me?”

“brooks, of course i miss you.” he sighed. sometimes it seemed like over the last few weeks he’d done nothing but miss her. he couldn’t help but to imagine every mundane detail of the summer ahead of them, from camping out under the stars to getting lost in the hedge maze together.

but riley still looked hurt. “well, it seems like you don’t.”

“riley...” he was trying not to stare at her. “come on. everyone here is fucking sick of me because i’m always either on my phone, talking about you, or annoyed because i didn’t get enough sleep because i was talking to you. these people know more about you than they know about me.”

that shut her up. after a moment, she asked, “...really?”

“really. and i can’t wait until you get here. i want to show you... everything. i want us to wake up in the same place again.”

riley smiled at him. it was the same soft, sleepy smile she used to give him just before their last kiss goodnight. “you should go back to your party. i bet your friends miss you, too.”

he nodded, making no move to hang up or stand from where he was sitting. “you’ll call me tomorrow?”

she yawned, her nose scrunching up childishly. “uh huh. goodnight, drake walker. cutest boy in cordonia. probably.”

the affection he felt for her in that moment was almost overwhelming. drake covered it up with a laugh. “sweet dreams, brooks.”

the next four weeks dragged on at an agonizingly slow pace. drake did everything he possibly could to fill his time, but he was hyperaware of every minute leading up to riley’s arrival. it only got worse as the end of the semester drew closer, and he knew that most of his friends were growing tired of him, but couldn’t seem to find it within himself to stop.

he needed to get it together. he had never been so hung up over a girl before, and definitely not one that he wasn’t even dating.

but... riley was riley, and if she wanted his attention, then she deserved all of it. for some reason, she’d decided to give up her summer for him, and drake wasn’t dumb enough to convince himself she was interested in being in cordonia for any reason other than spending time with him. as scary as it was to admit to himself, he knew the situation would be the same if he’d gone back to texas and she went back to new york at the end of the semester -- just with a cheaper cell phone plan.

so that meant he had to find a way to show her a good time.

...and let her know that he wouldn’t be going back to boston with her in the fall.

easy peasy. sure.

step one was simple enough: all he had to do was pick her up from the airport.

maxwell had volunteered to drive, which left him with idle hands as they rode out of the capital. he checked his phone restlessly, alternating between staring out the window and up at the ceiling of the car. after he’d sighed for what had to be the fifth or sixth time, maxwell finally said, “drake. relax.”

“i am totally -- relaxed.” he didn’t even sound convincing to himself. “this is... perfectly fine.”

“what could you possibly be nervous about?” maxwell asked. he sounded irritatingly amused. “you already know she likes you.”

“it’s complicated.” over the last two months, he’d done his best to avoid filling in all the gaps regarding their... relationship, if that was even what he would call it, despite maxwell and liam’s persistent questioning. “even if brooks was my girlfriend, or whatever... it’d still be weird, bringing her here.”

“why?”

he really didn’t want to get into it, especially not with maxwell. no one needed to know that he was wildly anxious about bringing a girl he liked around liam, who girls had always preferred over him for pretty much their entire lives. he was comfortable with harboring that insecurity alone until the end of time, thankyouverymuch.

“i just think that all of this is a lot for anyone to take in. i don’t want it to change things between us.”

there. that was vague and generic enough, while still not being an outright lie. he was worried about things changing between them. he wasn’t sure he could stand to watch riley grow to prefer liam to him.

shaking his head as if to clear it, he looked over at maxwell in time to catch him rolling his eyes at drake. “if anyone knows how to not let this change them, it’s you. i think you’ll be fine.”

drake shrugged silently. maxwell drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.

“besides, it’s too late now. she’s already here. so help me find a parking spot.”

drake let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. okay. he could do this. they were still only on step one.

he stared at maxwell when he got out of the car, too. “you’re coming in with me?”

maxwell looked at him like he was the biggest idiot on the face of the earth. “uh, duh.” he shot finger guns at drake from across the car. “moral support, baby. now come on, stop dragging your feet.”

she was taking an inordinately long amount of time to get off the plane.

drake watched as passenger after passenger filed out of the door and into the airport terminal, heading to their next destinations. surely, she was doing it on purpose.

maxwell kicked his ankle, jolting him out of his thoughts. “you need to calm down.”

what was happening to him? he couldn’t recall ever being this nervous, not even around any of the literal royalty or supermodels that seemed to be perpetually following liam (and by default, him) around. maxwell was right. he needed to get a grip.

but then he saw her.

she hadn’t noticed him, yet, so he had a moment to watch her as she stepped out into the airport and looked around curiously. she was struggling with a giant, overstuffed duffel bag, and the sight of her jacket tied around her waist and her hair pulled up off her face made him think that maybe he wasn’t alone in his nerves. she always overheated when she started to panic.

riley turned and saw him, and her face split into a brilliant grin. drake started to make his peace with the fact that it was the last thing he was going to see before he had a stroke and died. as far as untimely demises were concerned -- there were definitely worse ways to go.

“oh my god,” maxwell mumbled from beside him, “this is so cute, i’m going to cry.”

she pushed through the crowd and rushed the rest of the way up to them. without a word, she dropped her bag on the ground and, as promised, launched herself directly into his arms.

drake laughed as he caught her, lifting her off her feet. no one had ever told her to act like a lady in case there were photographers around before, so riley wrapped her legs around his waist and held on tight.

“you’re here,” he said dumbly, hugging her in close. the longest eight weeks of his life had officially come to an end. his throat felt suspiciously tight. “it’s really good to see you.”

riley’s hands were on his shoulders, and she pushed him back enough that she could look at him, still smiling that stupid, goofy grin. her eyes swept his face, and then she leaned in and caught his lips in a hungry, desperate kiss.

drake stumbled briefly, but recovered quickly enough. he squeezed her sides encouragingly, and riley shoved her hands into his hair, kissing him as though they were about to be ripped away for war at any moment.

maxwell coughed pointedly from beside him, breaking the spell. her legs dropped abruptly to the ground with a thud, and then she stood up straight and laughed. she didn’t look embarrassed in the slightest. she took both of drake’s hands in hers and squeezed them. “you have no idea how much i missed you.”

“i think everyone here has some idea,” maxwell mused. “it’s nice to finally meet you in person, riley.”

“likewise.” she turned her unabashed grin on him, then. to his credit, maxwell smiled right back at her. “thanks for taking care of drake while he’s been here.”

maxwell laughed. “trust me, no one here has been taking care of drake. we have a lot to fill you in on.”

drake rolled his eyes as he bent down and hoisted riley’s duffle bag onto his shoulder. he couldn’t quite bring himself to be bothered by maxwell’s remarks, now that she was here.

riley leaned over and laced her fingers through his as they headed towards the door. huh. she hadn’t done that in... awhile, even back in boston. fuzzy, alcohol-addled memories reminded him that it was halloween, the last time she’d slipped her hand into his, just to lead him around a party.

“this is freaking me out,” maxwell said, as they made their way back to the car. “riley, just so you know -- drake never smiles this much. i don’t think he’s smiled this much in all the time i’ve known him.”

“what? drake totally smiles,” she argued, squeezing his hand. “he smiles all the time.”

“it’s true,” he agreed, completely deadpan. “a man can smile if he wants to, maxwell.”

he opened the door for riley when they reached the car, and she took her bag and slid into the backseat. before he could close it, she reached out and grabbed his shirt, pulling him into another kiss. this time, her lips were much sweeter and softer, and she kissed him like they had all the time in the world to get reacquainted.

maxwell was pretending not to notice as he texted from the front seat. “you’re going to have to stop doing that,” drake murmured lowly, his lips still brushing hers with every word. “or we’re never going to make it back to the palace.”

“hey, you can’t blame me for finding you irresistible.” her fingers hooked in the belt loops of his jeans. “it was a long eight weeks. of course i’m hard up for it.”

he bit back a shiver, swallowing the groan that was threatening. “you can’t possibly imagine what i’m going to do to you later tonight,” he promised, the words spoken lowly into her ear.

riley’s eyelids fluttered prettily at the same time that maxwell started the car, the sound of the ignition turning over shattering the silence between them. drake shot her a smirk and closed the backseat door, joining maxwell in the front.

riley immediately slid into the space between the two front seats, leaning over the car’s center console. “so, what’d i miss? you guys have to tell me everything. maxwell, make sure he doesn’t leave anything out. drake is the worst storyteller.”

“liam, it was like something out of a movie. you should have seen him.” maxwell’s voice was insistent, and the only reason why drake was tolerating the direction the conversation was going in was because of the way riley was giggling beside him as she rotated her marshmallow over the fire. “it was like aliens replaced drake with a pod person. they made out at the airport.”

liam was laughing at him, too. drake leaned over and threw a marshmallow at him, sighing as he turned his attention back to riley. “look what you did. you’re ruining my reputation.”

she pulled her marshmallow from the fire, blowing on it to extinguish the tiny flame that’d caught on one of the charred edges. she didn’t look sorry when she slid her gaze over to him. “oops?”

he sighed again as he held a graham cracker out to her. it was worth the inevitable teasing that would follow when riley beamed as she slid her gooey marshmallow off the stick and onto the cracker, leaning over him to fish around for the chocolate on the far side of where he was sitting.

“riley, you have to tell us more about what drake is like at college. it’s honestly like you’re describing a totally different person.”

drake glared at maxwell as he set himself up with a new marshmallow. “it’s really not,” he said, though all three of them acted like he hadn’t spoken.

“well -- for the most part, he’s always been really nice to me,” she shrugged, “but he was pretty drunk when we met.”

“i wasn’t pretty drunk,” he argued, “i was... regular drunk.” again, the three of them ignored him.

“i bumped into him at a party -- like full-on smacked into him and spilled my drink -- and i remember exactly what he said. he looked me up and down and was like, i would remember if i’d ever seen you here before.”

“actually, i think it sounded a lot cooler than that.” his protest fell on deaf ears. liam and maxwell leaned in closer to the fire, hanging on her every word.

“and i was like, uh, i kind of make it a point not to hang around in gross frat house backyards, and i swear to god he actually said -- so what if we went upstairs instead?”

“i think i’d honestly be okay with dying right now,” drake said, though he doubted anyone heard him with the way liam and maxwell were howling with laughter.

“so -- did you go with him?”

“yeah.” her smile softened, and she shot drake a fond look that made him feel perfectly at peace, being the butt of the joke. “drake’s room has a really cool balcony. we stayed outside all night talking and watched the sunrise together. then in the morning it started raining, so we ran inside... and he asked if i wanted a towel but i just kissed him instead.”

“and then?”

“you really don’t need to --”

“honestly, i didn’t know if i’d see him again after that,” riley shrugged, glossing over the part he was desperate to keep private. “it’s a big campus, you know? and he didn’t even ask for my number. but i... kept thinking about him. so i asked around, and i figured out which of the girls in my sorority were dating guys in sig chi.”

that was news to him. “what? you did?”

“uh, yeah?” riley laughed, as though it should have been obvious. “how else would i have known about that pregame you had before the homecoming game?”

he was stunned. it’d never occurred to him before that seeing riley again might’ve been anything other than dumb luck. “i don’t know.”

“so -- that was what happened. i went to the pregame and it was pretty small so obviously he was there and we saw each other right away, and i couldn’t have cared less about the homecoming game so...” a grin spread slowly across her face. she shrugged. “we found something else to do with our time.”

his brain was still stuck on the part where she actively sought out seeing him again. when he first started hooking up with her on a semi-regular basis, drake had assumed riley was just killing time with him between classes and parties -- she was so obviously out of his league that it seemed ridiculous to think anything else. drake spent most of the time he was with her trying to make her laugh or come so he could convince her she had a reason to keep coming around.

but... she liked him. since the first time they’d met. she didn’t need any convincing.

“then i just kept bugging him and dragging him to stuff he didn’t want to go to -- study groups, movies on the quad, bar crawls in the city, red sox games. i kept waiting for him to say no, but -- he never did.”

she was staring at him in the moonlight, biting down on her bottom lip. riley looked suddenly... shy, or as shy as she could look with thready gobs of marshmallow stuck to her fingertips. he had no idea what to say.

“you and i remember that... very differently,” he settled on finally, hardly able to believe she was serious. she had to be embellishing, right? telling the story in a way that’d make it more interesting for liam and especially maxwell, whose eyes were so wide as she talked that drake was actually concerned for him.

“is that right?”

“yes,” he said emphatically. “first of all, i felt like an idiot for forgetting to get your number. i thought i totally blew it, and i couldn’t believe my luck when you showed up at the house again. i’d kind of just been hoping we’d have a class together or something and i could figure out how to talk to you then. and after homecoming i was the one to ask you out.”

“asking me to meet you at a bar you were already at is not asking me out,” she laughed. “you said ‘come to tri-bar, there’s a lot of people here.’ is that how you guys would ask a girl out?”

liam and maxwell both obligingly shook their heads no. traitors.

“i was the one who asked you to come home with me, and then when we got there, you were like -- ugh, a twin-sized bed? i didn’t even think you liked me. so then when i saw you at the student union and asked you to go to the marina... i thought you were going to say no, honestly.”

maxwell interrupted before he could think of something to say. “so you asked drake out? twice?”

“i asked him out, like, a hundred times,” she laughed, “most of the time i figured he just said yes because he was bored.”

“okay, you are out of your mind.” it felt like he was living in an alternate reality. “i mean, i was definitely trying to play it cool, but i couldn’t have been that cool.”

“it would be incredibly out of character for him,” maxwell mused.

drake ignored him. “i was always following you around. i couldn’t believe a girl like you would even look twice at me.”

riley frowned, like she didn’t understand what he was saying, either.

it was hard to pinpoint exactly when things started to change. gradually, they’d just become... two people who were always together, constantly in contact, never without their next outing on the horizon. she’d started to spend every weekend sleeping over at the house and he’d memorized her coffee order and her class schedule so he could have a few extra minutes of her time walking around campus together.

when he and savannah had gone to texas to spend christmas with his mom he’d made sure to text her every day over the holiday break. he’d gotten back to boston earlier in the day the sunday before the spring semester started, and went to pick her up from the train when she got in later that night. it was snowing, and she was freezing cold when she hugged him tight.

drake still remembered the way she’d said i was worried you would forget about me. at the time, he’d thought she was joking.

“so -- assuming that drake planned absolutely nothing for the entire summer, i have a list of everything you have to see in cordonia before you leave.” maxwell broke the silence, pulling out his phone. reluctantly, riley looked away from him and back across the fire. liam shot him a look before drake averted his eyes, too.

“sounds fun,” riley smiled. “i’m ready for a summer full of adventure.”

she stretched, making a show of giving the biggest, most fake-looking yawn he’d ever seen. he stifled a smile. “i’m pretty exhausted now, though. it was a long flight.” riley turned and looked directly at him. “will you walk me to my room?”

she held his hand as he walked her back up the stairs. “so,” she started, looking around at everything, “how come we don’t get to share?”

share a bedroom? as if. he snorted. “this isn’t exactly that kind of place. plus, i figured you’d want your own space. but you’re right across the hall from me, so... i’ll be close.”

she nodded. he couldn’t remember another time she was so quiet. “are you okay?”

riley squeezed his hand. “yeah. just taking it all in. i can’t believe you really grew up here. i mean, you’re so -- normal. is this weird for you?”

“very. but you get used to it. savannah adapted a lot better than i did.”

“you said she’s with her friends, right?”

“yeah -- a few of the girls from court went to paris for the weekend. i think it was one of their birthdays. they should be back in a couple of days, and then you can meet her. maxwell said something about having a big party.”

“i can’t believe i actually scored an invite to an infamous beaumont bash,” she mused playfully, “it’ll be nice to finally have some idea of what you’re talking about.”

“honestly, there’s tons of other things i want to show you first. tomorrow i’ll take you on a real tour of the palace -- show you all the secret spots i’ve found. stuff you’d never read about in history books.” he couldn’t wait to see her face when he showed her the view of the courtyard.

“that sounds nice.” but riley looked distracted, her thoughts somewhere else. he waited patiently for her to get around to it, and she did. “can i ask you something?”

“anything.”

“why did you invite me here?” he looked down in surprise and found that she was already staring at him. “i mean -- for the whole summer? aren’t you worried we might get sick of each other?”

he shook his head. of all the things he’d worried about and agonized over, that was one thought that had honestly never crossed his mind. “not at all.” he slowed to a stop as they reached the door that said ms. riley brooks in looping script.

“i invited you out here because i wanted to spend time with you,” he said honestly, for once unafraid of saying something that might scare her off. since the moment they’d met, it’d been an annoyance in the back of his mind, the thought that she might decide she’d had enough one day and walk away. tonight, it seemed like riley was doing everything she could to make him feel secure -- so he tried to let her, just this once. “honestly, when i knew i had to come back here... at first, i didn’t want to.”

he felt guilty to admit it, but pushed through anyway. “because of you. the thought of not being able to see you every day... made me not want to go. i didn’t -- i could never forgive myself if that’s how i left things with you. and i could see how you would think that maybe i just said you should come in the heat of the moment or whatever, but... that’s how i always feel when i’m with you, so. it was a no-brainer. i feel like if none of this ever happened, i still would’ve invited you out, or planned a trip to new york or... something. those three weeks i didn’t see you over christmas break were awful. i don’t know if i could do a whole -- woah!”

he cut off abruptly as riley shoved him hard into the wall beside her bedroom door. before he had time to ask what she was doing, she pushed up on her toes and kissed him forcefully, gripping his shirt tightly in her hands. drake tangled his hands in her long, dark hair, kissing her back just as aggressively.

god. had they really not done this in eight weeks?

drake heard riley fumble with the doorknob to her room and shuffled to help her get them both inside without breaking their kiss. the door to the hallway slammed shut as she pushed him back into it again.

on any other night, he might’ve teased her for her impatience -- reminded her that they had no where to be and then dragged it out for as long as possible. but tonight, he felt her urgency. he pushed forward and walked them both back towards her bed, leaning over her until she finally laid down onto it and dragged him on top of her.

in between kisses, he pulled off his shirt, doing his best not to actually rip any threads of riley’s clothes as he tugged at them in turn. once he’d slipped her out of her jeans, he almost choked on his own tongue when he saw what she was wearing underneath.

“did you have that on all day?” he demanded, his voice cracking in the middle of the sentence. her bra and panties were lacy and see-through, in matching dusty shades of pink.

she grinned at him, completely pleased with herself. “uh huh.”

he groaned as he looked her over, his gaze trailing down her body. “jesus christ, riley. warn a guy next time.”

she lifted one leg to hook around his waist, pressing him closer with her heel at his back. he exhaled slowly, giving into the urge to grind his hips forward against hers.

if it was at all possible for riley to look any more smug, she managed it. “where would be the fun in that?”

he was still panting as they laid side-by-side under the canopy of her bed. the sheet was pooled low over the both of them, but for as hot as he knew they both were riley still cuddled in as close as she could get, leaning her head on drake’s chest. his arm wrapped around her, stroking her shoulder mindlessly as he worked to get his actual thoughts back on track.

she was the one to speak up first. “i want you to sleep in here with me.” the tone of her voice implied she thought he might actually say no.

“okay,” he answered breathlessly, glancing around the room that would be hers for the next three months for the first time. she’d hardly had time to unpack before liam and maxwell had monopolized her afternoon, but her things were already scattered around the room in a way that reminded him of her apartment back in boston; riley had a few t-shirts already spilling out of her half-zipped duffle bag, and her curling iron sat on top of the vanity next to her phone charger.

for some reason, the sight of her things around here -- in a bedroom at the palace, where he’d grown up and spent so much time feeling completely alone and out of place -- made his heartbeat speed up arrhythmically.

“i really am so glad you’re here,” he murmured, feeling inexplicably tender towards her. “i know this has to be weird for you. but it means a lot that you’d do this just so we could hang out.”

“i would literally walk from new york to cordonia if it meant we could spend an hour together.” she nudged her nose against his sternum, and he wondered if she could feel how hard his heart was pounding.

he covered up the rush of affection he felt for her with a joke. “you would literally walk across the atlantic ocean?”

“i would figuratively do it just so i could literally kick your ass.”

drake chuckled, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes so he could smile down at her. “riley... seriously.”

“i’m being serious,” she insisted, “you always act like i don’t like you as much as you like me, but the truth is that i like you more. it’s like you haven’t noticed that i’ve been the one chasing you around since junior year started.”

he scoffed. “what? that’s not true.”

riley pushed up onto her elbow, frowning at him like he was a complete idiot. she usually reserved that look for what she considered to be ice cold takes of his, like meat lovers is objectively the best pizza in existence or they should have never cancelled heroes, the plot was just starting to get good. “drake -- it is true. if i weren’t always, you know -- showing up at your house or dragging you out to stuff we’d probably never see each other. i think you inviting me out here is the only time you’ve ever made a plan for us to do something.”

“no way,” he argued, racking his brain for an example of a time he planned a date. there had to be at least one. “what about when we went to that concert at fenway park?”

“i got the tickets from work,” she reminded him. he frowned.

“how about when we slept over on that houseboat in the marina?”

“that was daniel’s dad’s boat. i asked him if we could borrow it.”

“i took you to that early screening of the last most wanted movie.”

“you needed an american express card to access the pre-sale. i sent you the link and asked you to do it. drake -- it’s not a big deal. i’m just saying --”

“hang on, what about all those times i made you dinner? i invited you over, i cooked for you. those were dates, weren’t they?”

riley shrugged. “sure. look -- forget i said anything, okay? the point i was trying to make was that... i like you a lot. and you don’t have to worry about that.”

but he barely heard her, his thoughts somewhere else. “well, i did plan stuff for us to do this summer. there’s so much i want to show you. it’s going to take us the entire time to get through it all.”

“and that sounds great.” she smiled at him reassuringly, but he couldn’t help but feel like he’d somehow majorly fucked up.

there was so much more he wanted to say. he needed her to understand just how crazy about her he was -- how insane she made him feel, how he never stopped thinking about her. he’d never known anyone who single-handedly had the ability to make or break his day.

and he’d never had a girlfriend before. he’d never even wanted one. but... riley was different. she made every day so much better, just by being around.

so why were the words that would let her know that stuck in his throat?

“okay,” he mumbled finally, still frowning at the ceiling.

she was already dozing off against his chest, seemingly content, but he knew it would be a long time before he fell asleep, too.

it only took a day before they settled into a routine. riley always preferred running to being in the gym -- especially with him -- (“drake is so annoying about his workout” she’d not-whispered to liam when he’d invited her to train with them) so she’d spend the morning jogging laps around the palace grounds in an infuriatingly small sports bra and shorts while he and liam made use of the palace gym.

he tried valiantly not to stare at her when she ran past the bank of windows that looked out into the courtyard, but she drew his gaze every time without fail, to the point where he was mentally timing her laps, perking up when he figured she’d be coming around again.

he and liam were taking turns hitting one of the heavy bags lined up in the corner of the gym as he complained. “she thinks i’m not thoughtful,” drake insisted, even though riley had never said that -- at least not in so many words. “she said i’ve never planned a date for us. i didn’t even know that was something i was supposed to do.”

liam gave him the same look riley did when she thought he was being wildly out of pocket. “you didn’t think... you were supposed to take your girlfriend out on dates?”

“i didn’t even think she was my girlfriend,” he admitted helplessly. “we never said -- i mean, i never thought...” he sighed in frustration, and liam wordlessly switched positions with him so drake could be free to hit the punching bag they were sharing. “we’re always together. it wasn’t like -- we had a saturday where we weren’t hanging out and she was waiting around for me to ask her to do something. i swear i spent more time with her than i did in class.”

“look, she obviously likes you,” liam pointed out, holding the heavy bag steady as drake punched it again, hard enough to rattle the chain hooking it into the ceiling. “the way she talks about you... it seems clear she’s crazy about you just the way you are.”

“yeah,” he sighed, “i just want to make her feel special. she deserves it.”

while he’d definitely made a list of everything he wanted to show riley before she left cordonia, he knew then that he needed to translate it into solid plans. he was determined to show her how much she meant to him, so if riley wanted dates, then she would get them -- so many she’d be sick of him by the end of the summer.

riley popped her head in, then, grinning and flushed. “god, it’s hot out there. you didn’t tell me a cordonian summer would be this hot.”

“it’s been unseasonably warm,” liam agreed, moving to the cooler to grab riley a water. “you know you can always run in here with us, right? there’s plenty of treadmills.”

“thanks, but i like being outside. you two should try keeping up with me.” she drank deeply from the water bottle in her hands, eyeing drake’s shirtless torso with the same interest he was paying her.

they were just about ready for the next part of their routine --

“shower?” riley asked him, inclining her head towards the stairs. her lips quirked up into a grin.

“definitely.”

the three of them would have breakfast together before whatever adventure they’d decided upon for the day started. liam wasn’t always able to join them -- sometimes bastien put his foot down if drake suggested something too far or dangerous -- but maxwell would tag along on occasion, and sometimes they’d spend the day blissfully alone.

over the next few weeks, he showed her... everything. they went to the beach. to the woods. to the mountains. he took her to the stables and showed her how to ride a horse -- really ride, like when he first learned in texas -- and they broke into the kitchens late at night to make snacks together, sneaking around with whispered voices so they wouldn’t wake anyone else up.

he took her camping, and hiking, and fishing, and tried to teach her how to navigate the hedge maze. that one was still taking her a few tries, but riley took to everything else with natural grace, being as infuriatingly good at everything as she always was. drake showed her all the secret spots of the palace he’d always wanted to share with someone, and brought her into town, and stuffed her full of every single apple-related snack she could handle.

they had sex just about everywhere he thought they could manage to get away with it. as it turned out, that was... a lot of places.

he introduced her to savannah and the members of the king’s guard that felt like family to him, pleased when she charmed them as easily as she’d charmed everyone else. savannah thought she was just about the greatest thing she’d ever seen, and bothered her incessantly about everything from life in new york to what college in america was like to how riley braided her hair.

life felt pretty much... perfect. now that he knew what it felt like to have riley’s eyes light up when he brought her somewhere special, drake constantly found himself trying to outdo their last day out, chasing the high that came when she gave him her sunniest smile and bounced happily on the balls of her feet.

he found himself doing and saying things he never thought he’d do before, like talking about his dad, and growing up at the palace, and even opening up about how nervous he’d been to bring her around liam...

but riley never judged him. she never made him feel stupid, even though most of the time he thought he sounded pretty stupid.

she always listened. she was patient and thoughtful and she just got him, in a way he hadn’t even realized he’d been looking for until she made it happen so effortlessly. the more time he spent with her, the more he was amazed at how well they really seemed to mesh. in boston, they’d been friends who got along swimmingly, but here... they felt like a team. like partners. like something more... solid, and real.

they still drank and went to parties and snuck out early to find somewhere quiet to make out. by the third or so time, maxwell had started collecting bets on when they would make their leave together -- not that he cared, as long as they found that quiet spot.

but it felt like they had an understanding, now. so much so that he barely even noticed he’d started introducing her to anyone who looked their way as riley, my girlfriend.

eventually, things started to wind down. august snuck up on them before he had time to prepare, and drake found himself face-to-face with the reality of time and the guilt of knowing that he still hadn’t told riley he wouldn’t be flying back to boston with her at the end of the month.

it wasn’t like he hadn’t tried. it was just that... other things always seemed to come up. to take precedence.

he’d been lying on her bed while she flipped frantically through the clothes she’d brought along with her, whining, “i didn’t bring anything i could wear to a ball. you didn’t tell me there was going to be a ball.”

drake shrugged apathetically. “we don’t actually have to go. everyone will be in the ballroom, so -- the rest of the palace would be pretty much ours. or we could drive out to the beach... camp out under the stars again...”

“of course we have to go. in fact, your sister specifically said make sure drake doesn’t skip this one.”

“you know, i didn’t introduce you guys so you could team up against me.” riley smirked at him over her shoulder. “the end of summer ball is, like, the lamest one, anyway. we wouldn’t be missing anything.”

“we’re going,” she said firmly, “i just need to find a dress. maxwell said something about a boutique?”

drake nodded. “i can show you where it is.” he drew in a deep breath. now was as good a time as any, right? “actually, there was something i wanted to talk to you about...”

she hummed encouragingly from where she was still bent over her bag, rifling through her things.

“well... it’s about --”

“riley!” the door to her room banged open abruptly. drake sighed as savannah burst in. “you have to come with me to the boutique. i put three different dresses on hold for the ball this weekend and i need you to tell me which one i should go with.”

“you know, you could knock,” drake said pointedly, glaring at savannah from behind riley’s back. he was trying to let her know about the important talk she’d interrupted with just a look, but savannah didn’t seem to pick up on it, her brow furrowing at him with confusion.

“you can’t blame us if you walk in on something you don’t want to see,” riley teased, finally standing up and dusting her hands off. she smiled at savannah, and then turned back towards drake. “i’ll see you in a bit?”

as if it were possible to feel any guiltier, drake found that he was actually relieved they’d been interrupted. “yeah,” he answered weakly. you are the worst. she is going to freak out. “definitely.”

riley was adamant about getting ready on her own. she said something about wanting to surprise him when she’d shoved him out of her room and told him to meet her at the bottom of the staircase before the party. drake spent his newly discovered free time resigning himself to a night spent in his one suit, carefully avoiding the nobles he had no interest in talking to.

he was barely dressed before savannah came barging into his room, squealing and clapping her hands excitedly. “drake! come on, come on. it’s time to go downstairs.”

“savannah, the ball isn’t going anywhere.” neither was this little song-and-dance they somehow managed to perform before every single party. usually, she let him drag his feet for at least a few more minutes than she was tonight.

“i can’t wait to see the look on your face,” she grinned, reaching for his arm and dragging him out of his room. “you are going to die.”

“what are you even talking about?” they descended the stairs together and stopped at the bottom. the foyer was chaotic, with guests arriving and greeting each other, the doors to the ballroom open just beyond the hallway. he could already hear the music that was playing.

“riley, stupid,” savannah said, elbowing him in the side. “she looks amazing.”

he rolled his eyes at her. “riley always looks amazing.”

“i’ve never wanted my phone more than i do right now,” she sighed, “you’re going to look like a complete idiot in 3... 2...”

maybe she had a point. riley appeared suddenly at the top of the stairs looking like an angel, holding the long skirt of her dress in one hand. the gown she was wearing was grey and low-cut, with sequin detailing and a simple cinch at the waist. when she started to walk down the stairs, he could see that there was a high slit in the front, exposing flashes of her bare legs to him as she moved.

as she got closer, the dainty necklace that dipped tantalizingly into her cleavage caught his eye. his mouth felt very dry.

from beside him, he could distantly hear savannah say, “this is the best thing ever,” but she felt very far away.

it felt a lot like riley was walking towards him in slow-motion. she was like something out of a fantasy, and while he knew he was gaping, drake couldn’t quite bring himself to care. finally, she stopped at the bottom of the steps, right in front of him.

she shot him a wide, sunny smile. “hi.”

drake released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. his gaze slid down her body again. he couldn’t remember ever feeling so tongue-tied in his entire life, and riley had dressed as catwoman for halloween.

“hey. you look amazing.” there. that was more or less what he’d wanted to start with. “that dress...”

“yeah? you like it?” her grin let him know she already knew his answer.

“i think it’s going to look amazing on my floor later.”

“aaaand, that’s my cue,” savannah said abruptly from behind him, her face contorting with distaste. “i’ll see you in there.” he hardly noticed as she walked away.

“seriously, riley.” now that he’d found his voice, he wasn’t sure if he was capable of talking about anything else. “you’re gorgeous.”

and he was in love.

wait --

no, he was. he was certain. that feeling -- that thing that he always seemed to be overtaken by whenever riley was around, whenever she smiled at him or he made her laugh or she kissed him -- that feeling that made him want to tell her things, anything -- that was what it was. he was in love with her. oh, god.

he tried not to let his revelation show on his face as she inclined her head towards his own outfit. “thanks. you look really handsome, too. i didn’t even know you owned a suit.”

her teasing made him feel more like himself, and drake managed a genuine smile as he leaned down to press a brief kiss to her lips. the contact calmed him down enough to pretend like the earth hadn’t just completely shifted on its axis. “a man has to have some secrets.” he offered her his arm, and she stepped up to his side. “ready for the lion’s den?”

“it can’t be that bad.”

he snorted as they stepped into the ballroom. a quick glance of the room confirmed that riley had absolutely no idea what she was in for. the place was crawling with nobles and a majority of the faces he recognized were people he had absolutely no interest in talking to -- girls who were desperate to get on liam’s radar now, before he started courting for a queen, and pompous dukes and earls who’d want to pretend to be his friend for a spot in his inner circle once he became king. not a single one of them had ever had a polite word to say to him.

“let’s at least get a drink,” he settled on, resting his hand on her lower back to guide her towards the bar. hopefully he could keep most of the nastiest people here away from her.

unfortunately, riley was hardly dressed to lay low. drake noticed every eye in their path following them as they made their way across the room, whispers breaking out behind her back from both men and women. it hardly surprised him. if he had seen her for the first time tonight he was sure he would have been one of the people staring, too.

as they got in line at the bar, she swiped a glass of champagne from a passing tray, lifting it to her lips. drake glared at a man staring at her from over her shoulder until he held up his hands and walked away. “this is really fancy,” riley noted, looking around the room. “is this what your summers are usually like? all these balls and parties?”

drake shook his head. “honestly, i try to avoid stuff like this unless liam really needs my support. savannah likes it, but most of this... isn’t my scene. in a few years, when liam starts looking for a queen -- it’s going to be awful. there’ll be a ball like this every week, and an international tour, too.”

“oh, no,” riley said sarcastically, “a free trip to other beautiful countries? it sounds terrible.”

“traveling with the royal court is hardly a vacation,” he sighed. “the security alone makes it impossible to do anything fun. it’s basically exactly what we do here -- crowded dinners filled with pretentious people and tiny portions of fancy food -- except that you’re jet-lagged and tired on top of it.”

she shook her suddenly empty champagne flute at him before setting it down on the bar. “at least there’s alcohol.”

“that one, i’ll give you.” he gave both their drink orders to the bartender, passing riley her vodka soda -- three limes -- with one hand and drinking deeply from his whiskey with the other. riley leaned up against his side as they stepped away from the crowd, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders to pull her in closer.

she surveyed the people filling the ballroom with interest. “okay, so give me the rundown. who’s who?”

“most of the people here are cordonian nobility,” he explained, “their parents run duchies throughout the country. you know -- like how maxwell’s brother runs his?”

riley hummed, nodding her head. she took another sip of her drink. “and is being really, really pretty a requirement of coming to these things? because most of these girls look like supermodels.”

draked laughed. “most of the girls here are some of the meanest people you will ever meet.” his fingers drummed on her bare shoulder to catch her attention, and he lowered his voice as he inclined his head to the far right of the room. “that’s madeleine. she was engaged to leo before he abdicated. now that liam’s set to be king, she’ll be all over him.”

riley’s face displayed her disgust. “after she was engaged to his brother?”

“it was never really like that, for them. i’d be surprised if she and leo ever even kissed, outside of public obligations.”

“that’s kind of sad, don’t you think?”

“yeah. especially because she’s pretty much the favored choice for liam, and... not a very pleasant person to be around. i hope he picks anyone else, honestly.”

a flash of red hair caught his eye, and he looked across the room to see olivia and liam dancing together. he grimaced. “well... almost anyone.”

“who’s she?”

“olivia nevrakis, we grew up together. her family has a long history in cordonia. she’s been in love with liam for... pretty much our entire lives. ever since her parents died, she’s been running their duchy alone, in lythikos.”

“ahh.” recognition dawned on riley’s face. “that’s the place maxwell calls the elephant graveyard.”

“what? why?”

she looked at him like he was crazy. “from the lion king? it’s the place simba isn’t ever supposed to go. because... of the hyenas? have you seriously never seen the lion king?”

maxwell appeared beside them suddenly, two champagne flutes in his hands. he passed one to riley. “did i hear someone say the lion king?”

she clinked her glass against his with a grin. “drake’s never seen it! isn’t that insane?”

drake nodded at the glass in maxwell’s hands. “don’t worry, i didn’t want one.”

he scoffed. “you already have a drink! riley’s was looking low.”

“thanks, maxwell,” she said primly, leaning her head briefly on drake’s chest. “don’t be so grumpy, you.”

drake rolled his eyes. “i’m just saying -- we’re going to need about a thousand more of those, if we’re going to get through tonight.”

“aww, come on. this is pretty fun. i love that you have all the gossip.”

he sighed heavily, his gaze drawn back to where olivia seemed reluctant to release liam, even as the song changed. “i need to go rescue liam. will you be okay for a few minutes on your own?”

riley nodded, waving him off. she set both of her empty glasses down on a passing tray. “yeah, i’ll be fine. go save the day.”

“i’ll introduce you to some people,” maxwell offered, “maybe we can even teach you the corodnian waltz.”

it was longer than he would’ve liked before he made his way back to riley again. he’d seen her out of the corner of his eye, dancing with maxwell, talking to savannah, meeting some of the other ladies from court. whenever he glanced her way, she seemed to be handling herself remarkably well -- better than he ever had. he was impressed.

he came armed with another drink for her when he finally appeared to pull her away from maxwell and the girls she was talking to, assuming she’d need it. surprisingly enough, the small group that’d gathered around her actually complained when drake pulled her away.

drake led her out onto the balcony and handed her her drink. riley accepted it gratefully, laughing when he said, “it looks like you’ve made quite the impression.”

riley shrugged, holding the cool glass against her flushed cheek. she’d probably danced more tonight than he had in his entire life. “most of them aren’t so bad. but i do see what you mean about olivia. she’s a nightmare.”

he laughed. “what -- no way! american, commoner, here with me? you should have been her favorite person at this party.”

she grinned out at the courtyard below them, bracing her hands on the balcony’s railing. “she’s lucky we’re here and not at school, or i’d slap that stupid smirk off her face.”

drake whistled. “someone’s feeling feisty.”

riley shot him a sideline look. if he didn’t know any better, he’d almost think that she’d been out there defending him. after a beat, she said, “you didn’t tell me you had admirers here.”

his eyebrows arched high as he took a sip of his own drink. “probably because i don’t.”

“hmmm.” she pursed her lips and then turned around, leaning her back against the railing. drake followed her gaze back into the ballroom and found that she was looking at kiara. “she likes you.”

drake rolled his eyes. “that’s not funny.”

she folded her arms under her chest, turning back towards him. “i’m not laughing.”

“she doesn’t even know me. and i’m not interested in her.”

riley sighed. he wondered if there was something else he should say -- but before he could start to overthink things, she leaned in for a kiss.

drake pulled her close and kissed her deeply, the way he’d been wanting to all night. he’d been thinking of this moment and this moment alone since she’d descended the grand stairs, and he swept her into his chest, carefully weaving his hands into her hair so he could tilt her face up to kiss her harder.

riley wound her arms around him in turn and shivered as their bodies met, humming happily against his lips when his grip tightened. the muffled sound of the party behind them faded away as all of drake’s focus centered on her and the crazy way she made him feel.

when they finally broke apart, he tipped their foreheads together, staring down at her. riley was breathing hard, her lips swollen and her cheeks pink. she looked so happy.

before she could speak, he said, “i have to tell you something.”

she held his gaze. it was now or never. in a moment, she wasn’t going to look this happy anymore -- she was going to be so fucking mad at him.

he shut his eyes with a sigh. her hand was sweetly stroking his side under his jacket and over his shirt, her voice gentle and encouraging when she asked, “drake? what is it?”

“i’m not... going back to school with you, riley. i have to stay here.”

he could feel her freeze in his arms, tensing up. the words hung in the air between them, creating distance that was unavoidable, even though she didn’t move. he opened his eyes.

“you’re... what?”

“i’m not going back to boston,” he said again, his voice low. “i’m sorry... but i can’t. liam needs me here.”

predictably, she looked upset. drake watched as a series of emotions flickered across her face before her expression set into one of stony resolve. he didn’t try to stop her as she pulled away, taking a step back from him. “when did you decide that?”

he knew his answer wouldn’t be popular, but at least it was the truth. “as soon as i got back.”

she flinched. “and you didn’t think it was important to tell me before now?”

“riley -- i wanted to tell you,” he rushed to explain, hating that everything out of his mouth sounded like an excuse. “but it never felt like the right time, and --”

“that is such bullshit.” it felt like the ground was falling out from beneath him as angry tears sprang into her eyes. “you knew all fucking summer you were just going to ship me back there by myself and you acted like we were -- and then what? what was supposed to happen for us?”

“hey, no. that’s not what i -- riley, we can still... be in a relationship. of course i still want that. i know the long distance thing isn’t easy but i thought we could... try. and then after you graduated -- i don’t know, maybe -- you could move here, or... we could talk about it then? i don’t know. i didn’t get that far.”

“so those are my options?” she looked like she wanted to throw something at him. he couldn’t blame her. “move to cordonia, or break up with you?”

“no,” he emphasized again, trying to pinpoint where, exactly, this talk had gone horribly wrong, “that’s not what i want. i want you to be happy, riley. and these last few months... it seemed like you were really happy.”

“of course i was! because you were acting like -- like --”

“like what? help me out here, please.” he knew he sounded desperate, but if he could just understand what exactly was making her so upset, maybe there was still a chance they could fix this.

riley sighed. she looked devastated. “you’ve been acting like you’re in love with me. of course that made me happy, drake.”

the world slowed to a stop. he didn’t say anything -- he only stared at her in surprise. finally, he found his voice. “riley... i’ve never been ‘acting’ around you. everything i’ve said -- everything i’ve done... all of this has been because i am in love with you.”

that seemed to be the absolute last thing she ever thought he would say. “what?”

drake couldn’t hold back his laugh. “brooks -- riley. did you seriously not know?”

her eyes went wide. “no! how was i supposed to know?!”

“well --”

“oh my god. drake.”

he’d lost the ability to tell whether this conversation was going terribly well or just plain terribly. it felt like his grip on the situation was deteriorating rapidly. confusion clear in his voice, he asked, “are you still... mad at me?”

riley smacked his shoulder. “yes! i can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were staying here sooner.”

drake winced. “i know... and i’m sorry. you deserved to know as soon as you got here, but... i didn’t want it to ruin our summer. i wanted to give you the time of your life.”

she heaved a loud, long sigh. he watched as she looked out over the courtyard, and then up at the stars. before he could apologize to her again -- and really start groveling -- riley rushed forward and kissed him.

he held her waist to keep her steady, decidedly going with it. even though he still wasn’t exactly sure what was happening, he was cautiously optimistic that he hadn’t ruined everything beyond repair. it didn’t feel like a ‘goodbye’ kiss.

she was stroking his cheek when she pulled away, cupping his jaw in her hand. the warm glow from the party still going on behind the double doors lit her up like a dream. it felt like the only explanation for what the hell she was still doing here, with him -- he had to be dreaming.

“drake... i love you, too.”

he yanked her in and pressed their lips together again, crushing his mouth against hers. riley moaned as he lifted her up off her toes and held her as close as he possibly could, spinning around to press her against the balcony’s ledge. it felt like forever before he managed to drag himself away from her -- like maybe they kept kissing until the party ended or even beyond that, into the next morning.

riley was smiling widely at him. “you’re such an idiot.”

he nodded, still marveling down at her in wonder. somehow, the amazing girl in his arms loved him. him. the giant fuck-up that he was -- riley loved him. “i know. you’re gonna have to go easy on me sometimes.”

“oh, this isn’t going to be easy,” she promised, lifting her hands to his face. she seemed to be just as in awe as he was.

“that’s fine, too. you know i like a challenge, brooks.” his hands slid down her back, over the fabric of her gown. he hoped she wouldn’t be too angry with him for tearing it off of her as soon as they could make their way back upstairs, piece by piece. “and i promise i’m going to do everything i can to make you happy. not just next year. but forever.”

her fingers brushed softly through his hair. riley’s gaze was warm as it searched his face. whatever she found there kept her smiling. “you don’t have to try so hard. i’m happy with you just the way you are.”

the rest of august flew by in a flash.

in the blink of an eye, it was time for riley to leave. they stayed up all night on her last night in the palace, talking about everything and nothing, kissing until they were short of breath.

so she looked tired, when she finally started packing her things, even after they showered together for the last time -- something that usually filled her with seemingly boundless energy.

the mood was somber as she triple-checked her room for anything she might’ve forgotten. drake sat on the bed and watched her walk around in silence; the room looked bizarrely bare without her t-shirts and hair ties and underwear thrown all over it.

she stopped silently in front of the bed and cupped his face in her hands, tilting his chin up so he would look at her.

“you’re pouting.”

he was. “i’m not pouting. this just sucks.”

riley’s lips twitched. “you’re sulking.”

“no,” he answered petulantly, “i’m rightfully sad that the best summer of my life is coming to an end.”

she sighed, stepping closer in between his spread legs. “yeah.”

riley dropped one hand to his wrist, which she lifted to eye-level so she could look at his watch. “i should probably start saying goodbye, if i ever want to make my flight.”

she’d said a round of goodbyes last night, to everyone -- doling out hugs and then hugging everyone again, exchanging her number with anyone who hadn’t already gotten it and swapping social media handles, promising to visit at christmas break. but he knew they wouldn’t let her sneak out so easily. she was riley. she’d wormed her way into each and every last one of their hearts.

“i could just refuse to let you go,” he mused, balling his hands up in the back of her shirt tightly. “keep you stuck up here forever.”

she hummed as though she was actually considering the idea. “what would we eat?”

“i would bring snacks.”

“you would leave to go get them?”

he leaned forward and buried his face in her chest. “so i haven’t worked out all the kinks yet. but the core of the plan is solid: you stay here forever.”

riley ran her fingers through his hair. “it won’t be so bad, you know. christmas is only a couple of months away.”

“i feel like i should be the one doing this for you. when did you turn me into this?”

she laughed. it spoke volumes to how upset he was that it couldn’t lift his mood, not even a little. “you won’t even have time to miss me,” she murmured. he squeezed her tighter. “i’ll be texting and calling you constantly. and you’ll be busy being a professional best friend.”

he finally lifted his head, standing so he could hug her the way he wanted to. “riley, there isn’t going to be a single minute that i’m not thinking about you until you get back here. i think you’re seriously overestimating just how busy i actually am. i might do nothing but miss you.”

riley managed to look both surprised and delighted at the same time. “promise?”

“i promise.”

he carried her bag downstairs and stood around while she said one last goodbye to his friends. despite how sad he was, there was something he loved about seeing all the people he cared about -- liam, savannah and even maxwell -- hug her so hard, like they were going to miss her as much as he would.

drake drove her to the airport, trying to pretend like everything was fine. if he allowed himself not to think about it for a few moments, it was almost like they were back in boston and on their way to dinner or a movie or the grocery store -- though riley always drove when they were at school, because she was the one who had a car.

reality started to set in when he walked her inside. he found that he hardly wanted to hand her bag over to her -- if he did, then this was real. she’d be leaving.

he swallowed hard as she threw herself at him again for another big hug. drake squeezed his eyes shut tight and tried to memorize everything about her -- exactly the way she smelled and felt in his hands, the soft thump of her heart beat, the small noise she made into his ear. tomorrow morning he was going to wake up without her stupid hair in his mouth, for the first time in months.

when he set her back down on her feet, he was eternally grateful to find that she wasn’t crying. if she started, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to actually do it -- to say goodbye.

but her voice did wobble precariously when she said, “hey, i’ll be back before you know it.”

drake clenched his jaw, trying not to let himself get too emotional. he bent down and scooped her up into another tight hug. “i don’t think i can do this,” he admitted, tucking his face into the juncture between her neck and shoulder. “i’m sorry. you’re going to have to stay.”

she laughed, kicking her feet until he put her back down. he stared intently at her as she wound her arms around him. “thank you for the best summer of my life, drake walker.” the sad smile on her face was breaking his heart. she was so beautiful -- it wasn’t fair. none of this was fair. “don’t forget about me, okay?”

“it’s gonna take a lot more than this to get rid of me.” he reached out to stroke his fingers across her cheek, hardly able to stop touching her. this was the last time he would touch her for the next fifteen weeks.

riley reached up and wrapped her hand around his wrist. “i’ll hold you to that.”

he exhaled heavily. his chest felt tight. there was so much he wanted to say to her. he needed her to know how much she meant to him -- how he could never forget her, how he could never have even a hope of forgetting just one thing about her -- but he’d never been good with words. he’d always had much better luck showing riley what he meant than telling her.

drake pulled her in close and pressed their lips together. he meant for the kiss to be soft and sweet, but riley kissed him that same way she had when she first arrived in cordonia: desperate and hungry, passionately moving her lips against his. she kissed him like this was the last time they’d ever see each other -- like she wanted him to know the way she felt, too. without her having to say a word, he understood.

he was breathing hard when they broke apart, and he silently bent down and grabbed her duffel bag, helping riley hook it onto her shoulder.

“i love you,” he said, squeezing her free hand once before letting it drop. “have a safe flight. call me when you’re settled.”

“look!” riley’s voice was filled with wonder, as though this wasn’t already the fifth time she was exclaiming so. “mistletoe.”

drake’s eyes followed her pointing finger to the ceiling above their heads. sure enough, there it was. “you know, you didn’t need to plan this. i’ll kiss you whenever you want.”

“i don’t know what you’re talking about,” riley shrugged, like she and maxwell hadn’t been on ballroom decorating duty. he arched an eyebrow at her, but she stayed resolutely silent.

maxwell walked past them in a santa hat, a long rope of garland draped across his shoulders. “you know, it’s bad luck not to kiss.”

riley nodded solemnly at drake. “he’s right.”

“you’re acting like i didn’t let you bring me to all the other spots you hung it,” he huffed, but obligingly leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, anyway. riley hummed happily as he did so, winding her arms around his neck. seriously -- it was the fifth time he’d kissed her in the last ten minutes. “are you going to be able to make it through this party?”

she shook her head. “no. i almost didn’t even make it through my flight. or my finals. do you know how hard it was to make it through my finals?”

“you might’ve mentioned it once or twice.” that was an understatement. he was sure he had permanent hearing loss after listening to riley scream over the phone for the last month.

not that it mattered, since she was here, now. and he had her all to himself for the next three weeks.

it hardly felt like enough time, but it was better than nothing. he’d been hoping the distance would get easier, the longer they were apart, but he missed riley more and more every day, with everything he had.

“i can’t believe i get to wake up with you on christmas,” she beamed, pulling him out from under the mistletoe and continuing their walking tour of the room. “that’s going to be the best gift ever.”

“as long as you don’t let it slip in front of my mom that we’re not each staying in our own rooms.” because she’d be here, too. in just a few days, she’d be meeting riley for the first time -- and they’d all get to spend christmas together. everything he’d ever wanted would be in one place. it was hard not to feel tremendously lucky as he considered his good fortune.

“us? sleep together? in the same bed? no way,” she declared theatrically, her face twisting into an over-exaggerated grimace.

he was so distracted by the way she looked that he didn’t even notice where riley was leading him.

“drake, look!” she exclaimed again, prompting him to roll his eyes.

“let me guess. mistletoe?”

he swiveled his gaze upwards. sure enough, the sprig of mistletoe stared back at him.

he sighed. “you’re lucky i kind of like you.”

the look on her face spelled trouble. “like me?” she repeated, “you looooooooove --”

before she could finish teasing him, drake bent down and kissed her, hard enough to shut her up. he knew that when they broke apart she’d be dazed -- that she’d pull him right back in for another kiss.

not that he minded, since it was tradition and all. he assumed she wouldn’t, either.

just kissing her felt like an early present. having her here was the greatest thing to ever happen to him, and he couldn’t stop himself from picturing a series of christmases exactly like this one...

...and his mom would be bringing his grandma’s ring with her...

...and riley had no idea. she smiled at him when he pulled away, already tugging on his hand to lead him to the next sprig of mistletoe she and maxwell had hung up earlier.

drake spared a brief moment, as he followed her to the other end of the ballroom, to reflect on all the crazy events that had led them here. for once, it felt good not to think about something he would’ve done differently.

#drake walker #riley brooks #drake walker x mc #drake walker x riley brooks #the royal romance #drake x riley #drake x mc #myfic #jeez this got so long and out of hand #i know drake isn't a popular LI on here but i still like him okay !!#the idea for this got stuck in my head and wouldn't leave me alone :\#i hope some of you like it !!

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