The Royal Contract

"I think I made a mistake." She said on the line. She began pacing her apartment, walking around her living room. 

It was her third call to him to cancel, but he would not let her. He kept insisting that they should continue seeing each other.

"No, you did not." He answered her.

He could hear the hesitation in her voice. She was having second thoughts about their second date. He believed that the first one went well. But that was his opinion.

"But I don't want to force you into this, Troy." She continued to reason out.

She did enjoy the first time that they went out. She found the man intriguing, funny, and charming. Physically, she could not find any fault in him.

But the circumstances of their first meeting did not sit well with her. She believed she only pressured Troy to agree with her insane idea. Now, she felt she should do the right thing and set him free from that responsibility.

"No one can force me to do something I don't like, Tyra. So, stop torturing yourself." He assured her.

He was not a child subjected to perform an act out of his free will. It was the exact reason he ended it with Cassie. He was not going to be her puppet, to use to play with other people's lives.

With Tyra, he did not feel like he was obligated to do anything for her. She did request something from him, but she did not force her will on him. She was not using him for another purpose but only for herself.

"But..." She was ready to argue with him again, but he stopped her.

"I'm already on my way to your apartment. Whether you like it or not, I will camp out on your hallway if you don't come out." He warned her.

He was not letting her back out from their current situation. It might not be an ideal match-up, but he was enjoying her company. She was helping him in getting over with Cassie and Dani.

He knew that it felt like he was using her as a rebound, but she was also using him for her benefit. As long as they were both honest about their intentions, he did not see any problem with their plans.

"Fine. But I already warned you." She said before ending the phone conversation. 

She was starting to learn that she could not easily dissuade Troy from his plans. Once he set his mind to something, he was determined to see through it.

She still had an hour to prepare for their second date. She already had a dress on her mind earlier, but she decided to change to something else because the first one was too seductive.

She was not trying to lure him into bed. The purpose of this date was to get to know more about him and vice versa. To see if they could click as a couple while they pretend to be married.

The buzzing on the door alerted her that it was time to face the music. She could ignore Troy and pretend that she was not home. But instinct was telling her that he would wait all night until she came out.

"I'm coming." She finally responded on the third buzz. She quickly opened the door, revealing the handsome man standing at her doorstep. "Please come in. I'll finish up."

"You look lovely." He complimented her as he moved inside her apartment and settled on the armchair near the door.

She had a cute apartment. A bit small from what Troy initially thought she might possess. But it was luxurious enough with the expensive decorations that litter the place.

"Thanks." She replied, used to hearing such compliments. 

In her line of work, being beautiful and having an hourglass body was her capital. She had to maintain her image to stay on top of her modeling career.

But somehow, hearing it coming from him felt different. He seemed to be honestly complimenting Tyra and not just saying it. It did give her some goosebumps, something she had never experienced for a long time.

"Take your time. I don't mind waiting." He told her, knowing that women take time to prepare themselves for a date.

He watched her disappear behind a door, thinking of finding something to do while he waited. But then again, she reappeared a few seconds later. 

"I'm ready. Where are we going anyway?" She asked, standing in front of him. She did not want him to wait for too long.

The sooner she got this date over with, the sooner she could decide what to do with their current situation. She was conflicted about whether she should proceed with the plan or abandon it entirely.

"I thought about dinner and a movie. Is that ok with you?" He asked, wanting to hear her opinion on his plans.

"Sounds good to me." Tyra suddenly felt excited about going to the movies. 

Having dinner was such a cliche that she felt she could skip it entirely, but it had been a long time since she went to see a movie. It sounded fun.

"Then, shall we go?" He offered his arm to her as they walked together out of her apartment.

She was glad that she had changed to more casual clothing compared to her initial dress. Troy was also in a plain shirt, a jacket, and denim jeans. She suddenly felt more comfortable around him.

"Are you sure you like to eat here? We can still move to another restaurant." He offered, suddenly remembering that she was a vegetarian.

He was thinking of impressing her with the delicious steak this restaurant served. It was one of the best, but he neglected to consider her diet.

On their first date, he took her into a Chinese restaurant that offered vegetarian meals. He did not notice that she only ate veggies at that time.

"No, it is ok. I am not a vegetarian. I still eat meat at times. But with my dietary requirement, I usually avoided too much protein and fats." She explained to him. "But for this night, I am willing to make an exception."

"Are you sure? I don't want to force you to eat something that you don't like." He insisted that they could still transfer to a nearby restaurant that might serve some vegetarian cuisine.

"Hey! It is ok. I think I have starved myself to death. I can indulge in a few pleasures for tonight." She assured him, ordering to the waiting server their best steak in the house.

In addition, she even ordered a sumptuous dessert that would make her manager cry if he saw her eat it. But everybody deserved a cheat day, and this was hers. Tonight, she would enjoy the food in front of her.

"Well, then I will also have what she is having." He told the waiter. "But I promise you. You won't regret tasting their steak. It is one of my favorites in this city."

"I believe you, and I can't wait." She told him, placing the napkin on her lap as the server placed their orders on the table.

She suddenly did not care about her diet or her figure. She was enjoying this night, and nothing was stopping her.. She was even looking forward to their movie night.