"Is it cool that I said all that? Is it chill that you're in my head? 'Cause I know that it's delicate (delicate)" - Delicate, Taylor Swift

This ain't for the best. We went too far last night, I went too far last night. I was drunk enough not to notice it until it was too late, until she had backed up from me. Until she had left me there, on that field by the lake.

After I went home, I slept until midmorning. Then I drank some water and went to sleep again, missing lunch. I didn't care. I had kissed Arora last night, after which the golden-haired princess had run away from me. Like some sort of awful dream. I would do everything to get my mind away from Arora.

By the time I stepped out of my bed, I noticed last night's black dress on the ground. I chose that one to impress Arora, because I thought she would like the sexy silhouette it gave me. I kicked against the fabric, letting the dress fly through the room. I should not think of her. I should not think of last night.

I walked up to my dressing room and tied my hair back. I wore no clothes, but I didn't really feel like dressing. The only one that would enter my room was my personal maid and she was used to seeing my naked body. Better, she helped me bathe all the time. Speaking of her...

"You Highness," said a voice from my personal lounge, my maid. "A messenger just came for you," she said.

I walked out of my dressing room, into the lounge. There, I seated myself on a comfortable chair. "What did the message say?" I asked.

The girl did not even look twice at my naked body, did not let her eyes wander to my intimate parts. I had always respected her for that, I could never. "It was an invitation from Her Highness Princess Arora Aurum," she said. "She invites you over to the East Side bar for a drink."

I was sure my surprise was visible on my face. The last thing I thought was that Arora would invite me again after last night. And then for a drink, as if we hadn't drunk enough last night. Some part of me screamed that it was a trick, that she wanted to get me drunk again, play with my heart and embarrass me.

But I wouldn't put that past Arora. And if it was all some kind of trick, then she could have it. My reputation's never been worse, so I could have it. I would meet her, I would drink with her. It's not like I would have stayed sober today. Getting drunk was my coping mechanism.

"That's fine, I will meet her there. When will the arrangement take place?" I asked.

"At four in the afternoon," my maid said.

I looked at the clock in my lounge. It was four thirteen exactly. I had slept for that long. "Pass on the message that I will be there at five," I said. That left me enough time to clothe myself and get a carriage to the bar.

"As you wish, Your Highness," the maid said.

"And order my black carriage ready in twenty minutes," I ordered. "I don't need any assistance dressing myself."

My maid nodded and left the room. I got up from my chair and walked into my dressing room. I wasn't sure what to wear, so I looked around at all the beautiful dresses I owned. In the end, I chose a black dress. Simple, informal and one of the least sexy pieces of clothing I owned. I didn't want to suggest anything with my dress.

By the time I was dressed and my hair looked neat, my maid was waiting to escort me to my carriage. The cities lived in peace with each other, so it was not needed to be escorted by guards in the palace or the city. But it was expected that a princess was escorted wherever she went by a maid or guard.

"Her Highness Princess Arora is waiting for you at the East Side bar, Princess," the maid said.

"I expected nothing else," I said. "Please take me to my carriage."

The maid nodded and walked in front of me to the stables downstairs. For special occasions, we had a carriage station in front of the castle. But for occasions like this one, where a member of the royal family just wanted to go out, they would get on the carriage at the stables.

In the stables, I stroked my favorite horse on the nose before I got in the carriage. My maid stayed behind to do maid-things and I would be further escorted by the carriage driver.

It was a few minutes before five when I arrived at the East Side bar. I walked in and saw Arora already seated at a table by a window. She probably had been sitting there for an hour.

"Come here, you can meet me in the back," Arora said across the room.

I walked up to the table in the back of the bar, next to the window that looked onto the alley. A candle lit her up in the black, dark shoes and a dress. Look at her. And her dress, the same mesmerizing blue color as her eyes. Oh damn, I've never seen that color blue.

I sat down across from her. "This ain't for the best," I said to her. "My reputation's never been worse, so you must like me for me."

"I do," Arora said. "I like you for you, as a friend."

"You don't like what we did last night," I stated.

"I don't really know what to think of that. We were drunk, it went so fast, I couldn't think right." She shook her head.

"We can't make any promises now can we, babe?"

"No." She let out a sigh. "But you can make me a drink."

I nodded and walked up to the bar. "Two white wines, please," I said to the bartender.

He raised his eyebrows. He knew me, and knew my drinking habits. White wine was not something I usually ordered. But it was Arora's favorite, I knew. And I really didn't need something stronger right now. I needed to keep myself under control if I didn't want to ruin the friendship Arora and I had.

With the two glasses of wine in my hand, I walked back to our table. I sat down and passed one of the glasses down to Arora. She took a sip.

"I really shouldn't be surprised anymore that you remembered which wine I drank last night," she noted.

"I have a habit of recognising and remembering alcoholic beverages people drink," I said.

We both took a sip before Arora opened her mouth again. "I don't really know if everything I remember from last night is real," she said. "I think I was the drunkest I've ever been last night and all my memories are blurred by the alcohol."

"Are there memories you want to talk about with me?"

Her cheeks went red and she took another sip of her wine. "Yes."

"I will be completely truthful about what I remember," I assured her.

"I remember us kissing," she started.

"That was all real," I said.

"Yes, I know that," she said awkwardly. "But I- I remember you saying things. I remember you suggesting things and I'm really not sure what of that is right."

Now it was my time to blush. I had definitely suggested some things last night, and I wasn't sure which of them I said. "I think I told you that I'm yours," I said.

"I remember such things, yes."

I took a big sip of my wine before I continued. "Is it cool that I said all that? Is it chill that you're in my head? Because I know that it's delicate."

Arora waited before she answered. "Yes, that's cool," she ultimately said. "Because I like you."

"Really? Isn't it too soon to do this yet? I know that it's delicate."

"Yeah, I want you."

"Isn't it, isn't it," I started, completely confused. "Isn't it delicate?"

Arora shook her head. "Handsome, you're a mansion with a view. I hear echoes of your footsteps on the stairs. Stay here, honey, I don't want to share."

I stared at her. I was certain this was just a weird dream. This couldn't be real. This was absurd, I was still sleeping, still dreaming in my bed. I pinched myself and started counting to see if I would wake up. One, two, three...

"Let's go bitch, tell what you think," Arora said.

It was real, I wasn't sleeping. "Sometimes I wonder, when you sleep, are you ever dreaming of me?"

"I dream of long nights with your hands up in my hair."

"Is it chill that you're in my head?"

"Sometimes, when I look into your eyes, I pretend you're mine," Arora said. "All the damn time."

"Yeah, I want you," I said. "But I feel that it's delicate."

"But I like you," she said. "And you must like me for me."

"Sometimes I wonder, do the girls back home touch you like I do?"

She smiled. "No, they don't."

"We can't make any promises now, can we babe?"

Arora shook her head. "We can't. But you can get me a drink."

"I will," I said. I went to the bar and ordered two glasses of white wine again, because our glasses were already empty. I put them down for Arora.

"I like you," she said.

"I just want to be sure," I said. "Isn't it delicate?"