that little body? Where did she put so much heart?
When she drew back, he found himself lost, again, in her eyes. And he forgot everything. He forgot everything that would come from his choosing her over his family or his kingdom. He remembered only her.
And, for a moment, he again felt the perfect happiness he had felt when he’d woke up that morning.
“So, have you defeated your mother? Is everything going to work out OK, now?”
With just those few words, everything was back. He looked around them for somewhere to sit where they would still be out of sight.
“What is it?” she asked, but he was already wandering down the alley.
“I have something tell you,” he said.
“So tell me.”
He spied the fire escape. “You’re going to want to sit down first.”
He jumped up and grabbed the ladder, pulling it down so they could climb up it, the way he’d seen it done in movies.
When he’d done it, he saw Anita had come close to him, and was clapping for him with a smile on her face.
“I’ve always wanted to do that,” he said, in response to her unasked question.
They climbed up to the fire escape just outside her bedroom window and sat down.
“So, what did you want to tell me?” Anita asked.
For just a moment, he didn’t want to tell her at all. From here he could catch a glimpse in at her bedroom. It was the bedroom of a woman who had grown up happy. There were pictures everywhere of a life that was probably better than his own, and certainly better than the life of a deposed, orphaned royal. The chef—the man that Anita thought of as her father—had given her a normal life. And with just a few words, he was about to destroy it all.
As he looked in her face, Hakim knew that he had no other choice but to tell her the truth about who she was, so he did.
She laughed at first, and didn’t believe him. Hakim took off his ring, and showed it to her. And he asked her to think about it.
Her acceptance of the fact came slowly. He saw anger flash across her face. And then sadness.
“I always knew my parents were dead. Fadi told me that much. But killed… murdered by their own people…”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, half expecting her to cry. But she didn’t.
“Thank you for telling me,” she said, in a slightly formal way.
Hakim felt a distance between them that he didn’t like. She would have to learn to accept this, he knew, and there was little he could do to help her.
But, still, there was more that he needed to tell her. Anita sensed it without him having to say so, and pushed him on it.
He told her of his mother’s suspicions—that she had known about her true identity before they’d even met—and she laughed.
“That isn’t true,” she said. “That’s absurd.”
“I know,” Hakim said, as he felt her take his hand. “But she won’t be easily convinced. And anyway, it isn’t just her—my father thinks the same. They told me I can never inherit the throne if I want to be with you.”
Again, he saw anger flash across her face. “So, you tell me this, only to leave me? Only to tell me that you can’t be with me?”
He brought his arm around her tighter. “No, Anita. I choose you. Now and always, I choose you. You’re a princess who has never lived the life of a princess… I’ll be a prince that isn’t a prince. We’ll do it somehow, but out best bet is to disappear. I’ll clean out as many of my accounts as I can, and we’ll just go somewhere. Somewhere with a beach, maybe. Or somewhere in the mountains. I don’t know, you choose. Choose anything you want, from here on out. Anything and anywhere, as long as we’re together.”
The next few seconds were the longest of Hakim’s life. Time seemed to slow down, and his heart seemed to beat louder than helicopter blades.
And then, she gave the slightest of nods.
“Really?” he
When she drew back, he found himself lost, again, in her eyes. And he forgot everything. He forgot everything that would come from his choosing her over his family or his kingdom. He remembered only her.
And, for a moment, he again felt the perfect happiness he had felt when he’d woke up that morning.
“So, have you defeated your mother? Is everything going to work out OK, now?”
With just those few words, everything was back. He looked around them for somewhere to sit where they would still be out of sight.
“What is it?” she asked, but he was already wandering down the alley.
“I have something tell you,” he said.
“So tell me.”
He spied the fire escape. “You’re going to want to sit down first.”
He jumped up and grabbed the ladder, pulling it down so they could climb up it, the way he’d seen it done in movies.
When he’d done it, he saw Anita had come close to him, and was clapping for him with a smile on her face.
“I’ve always wanted to do that,” he said, in response to her unasked question.
They climbed up to the fire escape just outside her bedroom window and sat down.
“So, what did you want to tell me?” Anita asked.
For just a moment, he didn’t want to tell her at all. From here he could catch a glimpse in at her bedroom. It was the bedroom of a woman who had grown up happy. There were pictures everywhere of a life that was probably better than his own, and certainly better than the life of a deposed, orphaned royal. The chef—the man that Anita thought of as her father—had given her a normal life. And with just a few words, he was about to destroy it all.
As he looked in her face, Hakim knew that he had no other choice but to tell her the truth about who she was, so he did.
She laughed at first, and didn’t believe him. Hakim took off his ring, and showed it to her. And he asked her to think about it.
Her acceptance of the fact came slowly. He saw anger flash across her face. And then sadness.
“I always knew my parents were dead. Fadi told me that much. But killed… murdered by their own people…”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, half expecting her to cry. But she didn’t.
“Thank you for telling me,” she said, in a slightly formal way.
Hakim felt a distance between them that he didn’t like. She would have to learn to accept this, he knew, and there was little he could do to help her.
But, still, there was more that he needed to tell her. Anita sensed it without him having to say so, and pushed him on it.
He told her of his mother’s suspicions—that she had known about her true identity before they’d even met—and she laughed.
“That isn’t true,” she said. “That’s absurd.”
“I know,” Hakim said, as he felt her take his hand. “But she won’t be easily convinced. And anyway, it isn’t just her—my father thinks the same. They told me I can never inherit the throne if I want to be with you.”
Again, he saw anger flash across her face. “So, you tell me this, only to leave me? Only to tell me that you can’t be with me?”
He brought his arm around her tighter. “No, Anita. I choose you. Now and always, I choose you. You’re a princess who has never lived the life of a princess… I’ll be a prince that isn’t a prince. We’ll do it somehow, but out best bet is to disappear. I’ll clean out as many of my accounts as I can, and we’ll just go somewhere. Somewhere with a beach, maybe. Or somewhere in the mountains. I don’t know, you choose. Choose anything you want, from here on out. Anything and anywhere, as long as we’re together.”
The next few seconds were the longest of Hakim’s life. Time seemed to slow down, and his heart seemed to beat louder than helicopter blades.
And then, she gave the slightest of nods.
“Really?” he
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