Her Runaway Prince

Chapter 2

“I actually still have some soup left, would you like some? It should help warm you up,” Amanda smiled at Petro.

“I would absolutely love some, thank you so much,” Petro gleefully replied.

He’d settled in nicely in front of the fire. Amanda stood up from her own seat and made her way to the kitchen. She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something odd about this man.

Something inside her just wanted more from him. Wanted to know more, talk more, be more.

She quickly blocked the idea from her head. She only had one rule: don’t get involved, especially not with customers. She knew that when the next day came he’d probably be gone and she would never see him again. Plus, she had to admit he was gorgeous beyond comparison. His sharp jawline, oceanic blue eyes, curly blond hair. He looked like some movie star. She wondered if that was perhaps why he seemed so familiar to her. She could swear that she’d seen him somewhere before.

She shrugged off the idea. There was no way that somebody that important or famous would come to her little bed-and-breakfast. The cottage was a simple little place for average and easy-going folk, not big name Hollywood stars. And she’d already guessed that by the posh way he spoke along with the fancy suit and accessories he wore that he was definitely somebody important, but still wasn’t important enough to not get lost alone in the woods. She chuckled softly at the idea of this fancy and suave man stumbling through the trees, trying to make his way through the shrubs. She imagined an entire camera crew recording it, as if they were filming a new TV show where rich businessmen had to survive alone in the wilderness.

She often let herself get lost in thoughts and fantasies she would conjure up on the spot. She considered herself a bit of a scatterbrain because of it, yet it was a trait that she had come to enjoy. Being alone in the middle of the woods for so long with only her thoughts as company, she’d come to enjoy the entertaining fantasies her brain came up with. The smallest things would be massive events in her mind.

Perhaps the fact that she’d had to constantly be so focused and had had to keep her mind centred in her past now played into her love of fantasizing. Or perhaps it’s just who she’d always been and she just had to suppress it in the past.

She grabbed the ladle and a bowl as she moved towards the pot of soup. She switched on the stove to heat it up.

When she’d left behind her previous life, she’d also left behind a lot of the modern luxuries she felt had grown to be cancerous. One of those was microwaves.

She didn’t see the necessity for them when a stove did the job much better. She called it to her woken view of society. Microwaves functioned the same as every other modern thing; be it applications, work, or even relationships.They diluted the taste, spoiled the experience, dulled the result. yet everybody preferred easy way because it was quicker in a life that was moving forward at a thousand miles an hour.

That’s why she refused to use one. That’s why she refused most modern day luxuries that exist only for “convenience”. She would much rather heat up her food naturally, savor the smell, save the taste and enjoy the full experience. It was the same mindset she applied to most of her life as well.

She didn’t hire anyone to fix up the little cottage. Instead, she took her time and fixed it all up herself. She built herself up, she built her own home up, she built her business up, she built her life up. Everything she owned she’d built up herself from the ground, and she treasured it much more because of that.

She lifted up the lid of the pot and inhaled the scent of the boiling soup. She cherished the scent of every distinct flavor. She filled up the bowl with soup and walked back to the living area where Peter was cozying himself up to the fire.

“Sorry it took so long, had to heat it up first.” She handed him the soup, which he graciously accepted.

“Oh don’t worry about it. Judging by the smell, it will definitely be worth the wait,” Peter replied with a warm smile. Amanda felt her heart melt slightly as his smile drew her in. She quickly pulled back. She reasoned that it was just the loneliness and lack of human interaction. There was no way she could be attracted to someone she hadn’t even known for a day.

“Dear god this is delicious, you made this yourself?” Peter asked, As if it was the most delicious meal he’d ever tasted.

“Why yes, I did. Thank you. I put a lot of heart into my meals, as cliché as it sounds.” Amanda chuckled softly as she settled herself in on the couch.

“It is honestly amazing. Jesus, I can’t even describe it.” Peter eagerly went at his meal as if it was the first thing he’d ever eaten.

“If I may, mind the language please,” Amanda asked him trying to be stern, but gentle.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend, my apologies,” Peter quickly apologized.

“No, you didn’t offend, don’t worry,” she chuckled softly. “This used to be my grandmother’s place, you see. And she was a very devout and respectful woman. I’m not really a religious person myself, nor do I mind foul language. However, out of respect for her memory, I try to avoid language like that when I’m inside these walls,” she continued to explain.

“Oh, I see. That makes sense then, yeah. Your grandmother sounds like a good woman. Don’t worry, I’ll tone down the bad language.” Peter smiled as he gulped down his last bit of soup. He wiped his mouth with the hem of his shirt. This was the first sign Amanda had seen of him being a normal person. Due to past events, she found it difficult to trust any man with an expensive suit. Yet, more and more she’d started to realize that this one was different. Something about him was different than your typical business man. He spoke to her as if she was just a normal person. He acted like an average, run-of-the-mill guy. That was why it took her so by surprise when he burped before quickly covering his mouth, his eyes wide.

“Oh, crap, I’m so sorry.” His cheeks started to turn red.

Amanda looked at him and then burst out laughing. She couldn’t control herself. She didn’t even know what exactly it was that set her off, but she couldn’t stop.

“Oh. Oh, I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to laugh, but your face. It’s as if you thought that a single burp would summon the ghosts of every one of my ancestors to shame you. Oh boy. I’m so sorry.” She continued to laugh. Peter looked at her quizzically for a few seconds before joining in. First he let out a soft few chuckles before erupting into a full-blown laughter.

“Hey, maybe your ancestors are easily offend, how would I know? I’m just trying to make a good first impression,” Peter laughed wholeheartedly.

They laughed together for a few minutes even though it felt like hours. They weren’t even talking anymore, just laughing. And it seemed like they both needed it.

Amanda felt her loneliness fade, she felt so happy to be able to laugh with someone. They both simply enjoyed the small act of sharing a laugh with each other.

“You’re a funny guy, Peter. I really appreciate that in a person. Life is too serious not to have some humor here and there,” Amanda said as her laughter died down slowly. She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, still chucking softly. Peter just looked at her and smiled.

“Humor is what it’s all about. Life is so short yet there are so many responsibilities and stress. It passes you by so quickly. You have to find the humor in it, otherwise it’s just not worth it,” Peter said, a look of sadness nearly hiding itself behind his smile.

Amanda took note of his philosophical revelation. She suspected that there was experience behind his words, that they weren’t just read in some book or made up on the spot. She started to wonder, behind the charming facade and expensive suit, just what sadness this was man really hiding. How exactly had he ended up there?