*

"Next question," I said, clicking the pen and turning the page. "You're on an island and can only bring one thing with you. Do you bring, a). A book, b). Your celebrity crush, or c). a knife."

Ava clicked her tongue. She was lying on the lounge in living room, taking up the whole couch with her legs as she cracked her knuckles. "I'm torn between b and c. Hugh Jackman is an actor ex-Broadway star singer, no clue how he would do on an island, but at least he's another person." She kicked her legs off the lounge and crossed her arms, "But a knife is a knife."

"What will she choose?" I announced dramatically.

Bonnie pulled away from the fridge, a stick of celery in her mouth and a jar of peanut b.u.t.ter on her lap. As she rolled towards us, Fritz emerged from her hair. "Maybe it's a tropical island," Bonnie stated, "With a resort and hot lifeguards. Bring a book."

Ava laughed. "If there are hot lifeguards, I'm not distracting myself with a book."

Bonnie shrugged, dipping the celery in the jar. "What's this quiz?"

I shrugged, looking to the front cover of the girl magazine. "Something about how much of a heartthrob you are." I raised a brow at the topic. "No clue how surviving on an island has anything to do with that."

"Heartthrobs are strange things," Ava said. "I pick the knife. Murder or survival, it'll be helpful. Next question."

I smirked as I circled the knife and looked to the next page. "It's a happy day! Your wedding day! But uh-oh the party-planner forgot what to release after you tie the knot."

"How dare they," Bonnie said.

"I should have them fired," Ava added.

"They give you five options: b.u.t.terflies, doves, streamers, glitter or rice. What do you choose?"

It was amusing how much thought both girls put into this. Ava's face rested on a focused expression, pulling at her fingers as she went into deep consideration. Bonnie was taking small bites of the celery, eating it so slowly Fritz was getting curious and was trying to nibble it himself.

"None of those are clean," Ava eventually stated, "Bird p.o.o.p and everything else leaves a big mess.'

Bonnie tilted her head, "You wouldn't have to clean it up."

"Yeah, but I'd feel bad," she slouched on the lounge.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "What's wrong with b.u.t.terflies?" I asked.

Ava gagged, "Airborne worms. So very romantic!" She pretended to vomit, "No thanks."

Bonnie hummed in thought. "I wouldn't want glitter or rice. That's a little too messy for my liking," she brushed her skirt, "So I'd pick doves."

Ava nodded, "Yeah, doves would be nice."

I nodded, ticking the box. That was the last question, so I needed to add up Ava's score. Little did I know, the girls were homing in on me. "What about you, Dawson?" Ava asked.

"What about me?" I flicked between pages to compare the numbers.

"What would you pick?" Bonnie asked.

I shrugged, "My celebrity crush is Emma Stone, so I'd probably pick the knife too."

"You know that's not what we meant," Bonnie said.

I paused. "I've never been to a wedding before. I don't know what any of those look like," I explained. And I hadn't. The closest thing to a wedding I had to look forward to was my parents or my own, whichever came first. My Father had an older brother who had a quick marriage in Vegas, and my Mother was an only child. The closest thing to a wedding I had ever experienced was Dr Rajesh's wedding in India. Doves, glitter, streamers and all this other stuff weren't even within the vicinity of the event.

"Well, take a guess then," Ava said.

"I honestly don't care," I informed, "I'd let my partner decide."

"Surely you have an opinion?" Bonnie chimed in, "Like are you gonna make it Disney themed? Is the cake going to be multi-tiered? Are you wearing black-tie?"

"I'm seventeen. I haven't thought about that kind of stuff. Have you?"

"Yes." Both girls said. Their tone of voice made it sound like it was obvious.

I sighed, dropping the magazine and taking out my phone. "Okay, fine." I started going through my contacts until I found Alexis. I put it on speaker and said when she picked up the phone, "Alexis, if we ever get married do you want b.u.t.terflies, glitter, streamers, rice or doves?"

Bonnie and Ava's eyes widened when they realised I had called Alexis. Alexis took a moment to answer, long enough for me to think she had hung up the phone, but then she said, "I couldn't care less. I wouldn't be able to see them anyway!" she exclaimed, "They can throw pen lids at us for all I care."

"What about cake? Is chocolate okay?" I asked.

"Fine. But I pick the topper," Alexis answered. "A little early to for wedding prep, isn't it, Landon?"

"I'm taking a quiz with Ava, and one of them was wedding based. I told her I didn't know what I wanted," I informed.

There was another pause, before Alexis added, "I'd pick b.u.t.terflies. I like the colour they give off." I found that fact about her endearing, but before I could tell her, she said goodbye and hung up.

I nodded, placing my phone on the table. "There we go, pen lids and b.u.t.terflies."

"You and Alexis are dating!" Ava blurted out.

The trill in her voice wasn't very promising, neither was the ecstatic expression on Bonnie's face. I nodded slowly, "Yes."

Both girls released an excited squeal, unable to contain themselves as they flailed their arms around with curled fists. "That's adorable!" Ava added.

"When? How long?" Bonnie asked.

I puffed out my cheeks in thought. "Umm… We decided to start dating maybe a week ago. At the end of the holidays."

Ava clapped her hands in excitement, her quick movement causing her bell to chime slightly on her wrist. "You two make a cute couple," she said.

"You haven't even seen them together," Bonnie reminded.

"I know, but just thinking it, it seems adorable," Ava explained.

Bonnie rolled her eyes, her excitement dimming. "You're gonna break some hearts, Landon," she informed, "What will I tell Amia? Or Mia? They won't know whether to be jealous or happy for you."

I raised an eyebrow, "What?"

Bonnie mimicked my brow raise. "Seriously?" she looked to Ava, "Are all boys this clueless or just him?"

"I think he's a special brand of clueless," Ava informed with a smile, "Don't you know Amia and Mia have crushes on you?"

I blinked. I had guessed Amia liked me, and perhaps Mia, but neither of them had overly acted on it. Just as I thought this, the incident in the boy's showers came to mind, with Mia's cheeky attempts to see past the curtain. I groaned as I pressed a hand to my forehead, "Oh G.o.d…"

The girls shared a giggle. The grandfather clock in the hallway started chiming, telling us it was 7:00 pm. "Well, we're off," Bonnie informed as Ava stood up.

"Remind me, where are you all going?" I asked scooping up the magazine.

"Bonnie and Mia's parents are in town," Ava informed, "Only for the night. Having a nice family dinner while they can."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "Nothing quite like sitting in front of my Mother in awkward silence while they express how proud they are of me that I'm sticking it out at a boarding school," she spoke with an exaggerated smile, "Can't wait."

"Their parents said they would drop me off at the dance studio where Robyn is. She's training late and wants some company," Ava explained.

I frowned. "Where're the twins?"

Ava paused for a moment, sharing a looked with Bonnie. "A movie…?" she didn't sound sure.

Bonnie nodded, "Amia's treating Amada to a fun evening since he made the track team," she informed, "Apparently Lila Dressed in Ash is playing at the cinema."

Ava tilted her head, "That's a horror movie. Amada hates horror." Bonnie shrugged.

I took in the information and widened my eyes. "Alexis is still at school doing artworks, you and Mia are going to dinner, you're going to see Robyn at the studio, and the twins are out for the evening." I shook my head in disbelief, "I have the dorm house to myself tonight."

Ava chuckled, "Looks like you do."

"I have so much power right now," I admitted, sitting in awe at the potential for my evening.

"You really don't," Bonnie answered with an amused grin, "Plus, what about Fritz?" She took the ferret off her shoulders and held him out to me. At the sight of each other, we both recoiled.

"Fritz hates me," I informed.

"He's a rodent. He can't hate you," Ava said taking the critter in her own hands.

"He does, and the feeling is mutual. I'll boil that's thing's bones," I snapped when he hissed at me.

"Don't even joke about that," Bonnie growled, taking back her pet and gently stroking his head. She spoke like he was a baby. "Don't worry, my dear. I won't let the bad man touch you." She turned in her chair and rolled towards the door, likely to put the animal in its cage in her room.

Ava chuckled as she picked up her brown bag, ruffled my hair and went to follow, "Goodnight, Bambi."

I scoffed, "Not even close!" I called.

"I don't care!" Her voice was m.u.f.fled by the walls as she left.

I looked back at the magazine and added, "By the way, apparently you're going to die alone!" I heard her laugh.

After a while, I heard the front door open and close, moments later the house was utterly silent. I stood up and peered down the hallway, able to see the stairwell from where I was and seeing no one.

I clicked my tongue as I leaned on the doorframe and started thinking about what I could do. I could walk around in my underwear or wearing no clothes at all. I thought about cooking far too much food for one person, thinking I could eat it all myself, and then immediately go into a food coma. I felt a sudden urge to go into all the bedrooms and jumping on the beds, just because I could. I considered inviting some friends from school over; we could watch movies, order pizza, maybe even throw a party, go crazy!

A few minutes later I stood by the microwave, waiting for the popcorn to finish since I had already prepared my orange drink and bowl of chocolate covered sweets. Sitting on the coffee table in the living room were four movies my sisters had sent me, but I hadn't gotten around to watching. My plan for my evening was underwhelming: movie-marathon until someone came home, and then I'd movie-marathon with them.

When the popcorn was done, I poured it into a bowl and flopped myself on the lounge, acquainting myself with the T.V remote and going to turn it on, when I heard the distinct sound of the front door opening and closing. I froze in my position as I waited for whoever entered the house to make themselves known. I heard wheels from a suitcase roll throughout the front room.

I placed my bowl of popcorn on the coffee table and stood up to investigate. When I got to the front room, I saw some suitcases piled at the door. I narrowed my brows as I looked around, "Estelle?" I called, "Estelle are you home?"

I twirled around in case she tried to surprise piggy-back me, but I was alone in the front room. "Estelle?" I yelled approaching the stairs and looked up to the balcony.

Estelle stopped before entering the hallway and looked down to me from the banister. She looked deflated, but her eyes lit up upon seeing me. "Landon!" With quick feet she shuffled down the steps and sprinted up to me, throwing her arms around my shoulders in a tight hug. "I missed you," she said, snuggling her cheek against the side of my head.

I laughed at her enthusiasm, "Missed you too."

A hug was a strange thing. Hugs can mean different things to different people. Most friendly hugs last a few seconds at the most, family ones maybe longer, and lovers embraced for the longest. I went to pull out of the hug, but Estelle's grip on my shoulders remained as she balanced on her tiptoes up against me. Slightly confused, I returned my hands to her waist and hugged her again, this time when I let her go she did too.

She sighed, "Where is everyone? I was expecting a parade!"

I chuckled, "Everyone's out. It's just me this evening."

Estelle blinked, "Seriously?" She turned on her heels, examining the front room for any signs of life. "That's rare."

I nodded, "I know. I'm having a mini movie marathon, care to join me?" I offered.

Estelle nodded, "Sounds lovely. But it's been a long day and an even longer flight. Just let me shower and stuff, and then I'll be right down."

Estelle's words sounded deflated, but I a.s.sumed it was because she was tired as she gave me a proud smile and flicked her hair around when she twirled and ascended the stairs.

I returned to the living room, now overwhelmed by the scent of popcorn, and stalled with some phone games while I waited for Estelle. Halfway through an intense game of Plants vs. Zombies, my phone came to life with Alexis' name. I answered, "Hey!"

"So, what was earlier about?" she asked, she sounded distracted, as if she was focused on something else.

"Like I said, magazine quiz for Ava," I informed leaning back against the couch, "Apparently she isn't a heartthrob."

I could almost hear her leering, "I could've told you that." I heard something rustle as she adjusted the phone, "What's on the agenda tonight?"

"Movies, popcorn and chocolate," I informed, "Thought I was by myself but, guess what? Estelle came home."

Alexis was surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah, like a few minutes ago. We're gonna have a movie marathon," I said.

Alexis sounded tired as we continued talking, even over the phone I found myself missing her. She was telling me about what she was working on, and how she was happy to be able to stay behind after school to binge work again. "Did you remember to bring food this time?" I asked, tossing some popcorn in the air and managing to catch a few in my mouth.

There was a long pause. I rolled my eyes as Alexis said, "Shut up." We shared a laugh. "This just gives me more of a reason to get back. I'll be about… half an hour, forty-five minutes. I'm catching a lift with Stella from my art cla.s.s."

I nodded, "Good. The more, the merrier. No clue what I'm doing for dinner though." I heard footsteps coming down the hallway, "Looks like Estelle's finished showering. See you when you get home?" We shared a prolonged goodbye before she hung up and Estelle walked into the living room.

She was wearing her signature lilac silk shorts and a white singlet. She was in the middle of plaiting her hair when she walked in, offering a slight yawn as she sat down next to me. "Movies?" she asked watching me examine one of our choices.

"Yep. I have four to choose from," I informed, "Tell you what, you've just got home, you can pick. Bit of a treat."

Estelle offered a small smile as she reached out and looked at the choices. "Where's Simmons?" I asked, "I didn't see her."

"I gave her the night off," Estelle said looking at the description of the disc. "My parents make her anxious. It seemed like she needed some time to recharge."

I nodded. "So, how was home?" I asked, "Must've been nice to see your parents and such."

Something about her tensed at the mention of her parents, her fingers turning white from how hard she was holding the movie case. "My parents are a bit strict for my liking," she confessed placing the disc back on the ground, "But it was nice to see them again."

I frowned at her sombre mood but chose to try and change the subject. "Did you do much when you went to visit? What was the meeting about?" I asked.

Estelle shrugged. "A lot of my time at home was spent with some etiquette teachers and…" her breath kinda trembled, "some dance instructors to prove to my Mother I'm well-mannered." She coughed, clearing her throat as she patted her chest. When her voice levelled out, she continued, "And they got worried about what happened on the holidays, wanted to discuss some things with me."

I continued doing trick shots with the popcorn, occasionally missing and getting poked in the eye. Estelle laughed when I winced and scratched my eye. "Can I ask what about? Did they want to talk to me or anything?"

Estelle shook her head. "No, they know it wasn't your fault," she a.s.sured, "They just wanted to discuss my future. My education, my coronation, what kind of Royal I want to be…" She sighed as she stretched her neck upwards, "A lot of social exhaustion."

I smiled as I held out my drink to her. "Well tonight, you don't have to worry about that," I informed as she took the cup, "Tonight, you are Estelle, Princess of Pastries, and my friend. We're just gonna chill, watch some T.V and eat some sweets until its way past our bedtimes."

Estelle's deflated demeanour disappeared for a moment, replaced by her usual bubbly self as she sipped from the cup. She cringed at the sweet taste, "G.o.d I haven't had a fizzy drink all week."

I laughed as she considered the rest of the films. "So what kinds of things did you have to do in your lessons?" I asked.

She sighed through her nose. "A Princess must be knowledgeable in most forms of social dances and graces to partic.i.p.ate or organise all potential social events." The way she recited made her sound tired. "It's nicer than it sounds. I got retaught some dances. It was a lot of fun actually."

"What kind of dances?" I wondered what sort of dances a Princess needed to know in this modern time. Square dancing? Waltz? Are four corners sophisticated enough for royalty?

She sucked in her lips as she arched her hip and head to the side and gave me a sensuous side smile. "I can show you one if you'd like," Estelle crooned standing. That sentence took me off guard, not the words per-say but the way she said it. The way she cooed each syllable was velvety, laced with a seductive tension that sent a s.h.i.+ver down my spine.

Without an answer, she approached the radio and fiddled with the dial. After some tuning, an instrumental started playing, a cla.s.sical mixture of harps, violins and pianos. She hummed in delight as she straightened, swaying with a sudden elegance that took me so off guard I thought I was staring at a completely different person. She rocked slowly from side to side, closing her eyes as she leisurely moved to the cla.s.sical beat. It was scarily mesmerising.

"This works well," she stated as she stalked around the coffee table towards me, she held her hand out for me to take. "A true gentleman kisses a girl's hand."

I felt like I wasn't allowed to feel awkward, due to her sudden brazen confidence, as I took her hand and placed a hesitated kiss on it. Her smile was enough to make my skin feel warm as she tugged me to my feet and guided me to a small s.p.a.ce in the room. "Okay," she took my hands and placed them on her hips, "Hands go here. And my hands go here." She interlocked her hands behind my head and smiled up to me. "Now, you just take small steps like this." Estelle showed me how to step, the dance itself simple enough to understand, but she quickly corrected me when I wanted to stare down at my feet.

"You're supposed to look at your partner," she informed placing a light touch on my chin to lift my eyes.

Estelle was a beautiful girl, with eyes I got lost in. I found small blue specs to stare at, her eyes appearing so full at one point I could see my own reflection. In a single moment, I caught a glimpse at everything that made Estelle… Estelle. There was a fragile aspect to the blue in her eye, overshadowed by confidence.

And when she spoke, it was smooth and captivating. "So, what's happened while I was away?" her voice was soft, almost meek, "Did you guys miss me?"

I didn't notice this straight away, but she was pulling herself closer and biting down on her lip. I found myself unable to stop talking to her, I got lost in her unblinking eyes and barely noticed how close she was getting to me. I could feel her heart beating against my chest as her arms wrapped around my shoulders and head. I was wafted by the intoxicating scent of strawberries, I was taken off guard and stopped talking.

"Something the matter?" she asked. She rolled her shoulders back, pus.h.i.+ng her b.r.e.a.s.t.s against me as she gained an inch or two in height.

I blinked away my daze. "What… what're you doing?" I asked.

She tilted her head, "Nothing, Landon." Estelle pulled away from me, adjusting the way we held each other and showing me a more spirited, energetic dance. It involved me twirling her, the two of us circling one another, and lifts. We shared a laugh when I stumbled a few times or when we ran into each other because I didn't know which way to walk.

"And to end the dance, it's a dip." Estelle rested her hand on mine and adjusted it to rest on her lower back. She leaned backwards, forcing me to keep her from falling to the ground, and arched her back away from me. I nearly fell over trying to hold her up. It just caused us both to laugh as I abandoned the form she had forced me in and just held her against me.

When she laughed she vibrated in my arms as she held me, burying the top of her head into my chest.

"Alright…" I hoisted her upright, but she threw her weight around and pulled both of us back onto the lounge.

The way we landed was less than awkward, Estelle falling on my front, her plait flicked over her shoulder and tickled my nose. It would've been just another thing to laugh at, but Estelle didn't get up. She moved so she was looking down at me, her smile slowly fading as she examined my face.

I got lost momentarily in her eyes again. They seemed to harden in thought when she found something new to look at, something to focus on. Despite this, I couldn't quite guess what she was thinking. Her aggressive flirting was almost amusing but equally off-putting. I had gotten used to Estelle's mild flirtations over the past few months, but they ended as quickly as they started. I could tell if I ever pursued it, she would run away from it.

But this was intense for mindless flirting, even for Estelle.

She reached a hand up to my face, her fingertips barely touching my cheekbone before I grabbed it to stop her. "Are you sure you're okay?" I asked, growing concerned.

Estelle's porcelain complexion reddened from a blush as she nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine." She used my chest as a push board, slowly sitting herself up and allowing me to sit up as well. She was still sitting on my legs though and, based on the weary way she rubbed her eye, didn't look like she was going to get off me. "You're a good guy Landon," she informed. Her sweet, flirtatious façade dropped, returning to her usual self. "You take good care of people."

I smiled, bashful to her words as I shrugged, "People I care about."

She tilted her head, resting her hand behind my head on the lounge's back in a touchless embrace. "It must be exhausting, having to look at so many people, having to worry about so many people." I didn't quite know how to respond, merely offering a smile and another shrug.

Quickly, Estelle came closer again, her nose and lips close to my ear as she whispered, "Let me take care of you, Landon." Her hand was cold against my chest as she slipped her hand under my s.h.i.+rt and blindly felt around my pecs. The low tone of her whisper and the cold touch of her wandering hand sending an involuntary s.h.i.+ver throughout my body. Stunned, I felt Estelle softly kiss the side of my head, travelling across my cheek and on my lips.

The moment took me by surprise when she kissed me. I pulled away, and, to my greater surprise, she seemed relieved. Despite this, she tried again, closing her eyes as her lips managed to brush against mine. I pulled my head away, putting a hand between our mouths as I stood up, out of her reach. "Estelle!" I tried not to raise my voice, but I was too shocked by this.

She was still wistfully oblivious. "Don't you like me, Landon?" Her eyes had a plastic doll look to them, not a trace of Estelle to be seen.

I shook my head. "What is this?"

She blinked, feigning ignorance as she got to my feet. "Landon, sweetheart," she approached me, placing her hands on my shoulders, "You're ruining a nice moment."

I threw her arms off me and walked to the other side of the coffee table to get away from her. "Good! I hope it's ruined! I hope I've murdered it!"

Estelle's hands came together, her eyes dropping to the floor as she bit her lip. "I really like you, Landon," she confessed with a soft, shy tone, "And being away for so long… kinda helped me realise it." She clasped her hands together and rested her chin against them.

I sighed, not so much freaking out as much as I didn't know what to do. The feeling of Estelle's lips on mine still lingered, but it felt wrong. It felt fake and disingenuous. "Estelle, I-"

"I know I might be a bit young," she blurted, hopping over the table and placing her hands against my chest again, quickly putting her lips close to my ears again as she whispered with a smile, "but we could have some fun." Her hand ran down my chest, her fingertips pressing against my stomach until it got to the band of my pants. "I've never done it before, but I know I'd do my best to please you."

I jerked away from her, putting the lounge between the two of us. She giggled, biting her tongue as she tutted, "You could be my prince, and I your damsel in distress." Estelle reached for my hands, but I quickly retracted, stepping away from her, stranding her on the lounge.

Estelle's flirty mask started to falter, her eyes immediately filling with tears as her voice trembled. "Please." When she breathed, her body shook, her mouth curving to a sobbing expression as she covered part of her face. "I… I'd rather you, then someone else."

Her sobs sent a sickness through me as if something was crus.h.i.+ng my heart.

I walked to her again and squatted before the lounge, so I was her height. "Estelle, what's wrong?"

She took short, sharp breaths, trying to calm herself so she could speak to me. "I have to get married," she spluttered.