The Royal Contract

"Wow! Are all of this yours?" The boy shouted in awe upon seeing the various game consoles in the room.

He only had seen some of this on an electronic shop he hung out a few times. He had seen some kids play with it, but he had never touched one.

Although, he did remember playing with an old one back when he was still home with his actual parents. If he remembered correctly, his father bought him one on his birthday.

But that was a long time ago. It was just a fragment of memories that was starting to fade in time, Jeremy thought. Even the images of the faces of his parents were slowly slipping through his mind.

"Yes. Why don't you try this?" He showed him one of his favorites and played with him for a few minutes, showing him the rules.

Alex had collected them over the years, using them as a pastime during his college days. He still acquired updated versions and enjoyed playing once in a while.

But it had become almost negligible as his schedule got busier. And sometimes playing alone was not that exciting anymore. He and Marcus did use to compete in some of his games.

"This is great," Jeremy said excitedly, finding the experience extraordinary. The only game he had played since his parents died were toys he had dug from the trash.

Living in a foster home did not exactly equate to a home and a family. Although he had heard that some of the kids ended up in a good home, he had yet to experience it. He just had no such luck.

He would take advantage of this opportunity while it lasted. He was sure that at any moment, they would be sending him back to the system and would end up either in the same home or a different one.

However, he was not keeping his hope up. He was sure he would only land on the same fate. Then again, maybe he could escape before they could send him away.

"Do you mind if I leave you for a while? I need to talk to Dani. If you are hungry, there are snacks on the cabinets and sodas on the ref." He pointed to the other side of the room.

After showing Jeremy some of the things he could do in the room, he returned to the living room, where he would wait for Dani. He believed it was time for their long-overdue talk.

He had to clarify some matters about what happened yesterday. Before that, he had to make sure that Dani was ok. He had a scare earlier when he could not reach her and Ben.

"Hey!" Dani uttered as she walked back to the room, already changed into her work clothes.

She was already late, but she could not afford not to go to work today. But before she did, she had to think of what to do with Jeremy first.

"Hey!" He greeted back, feeling slightly awkward after their fight yesterday. "Are you sure you are ok?" Inspecting her physically, assuring himself that she was in one piece.

She might appear to have no bruises on the outside, but he could tell how sensitive she was about the child's condition. He could already tell that she was planning something for the boy.

"I was not hurt if that is what you are asking." She answered him, but she knew it was more than that. He was concerned with her whole wellbeing and not just the accident.

His question carried a lot of subjects. It was not just about the incident today but also about their miscommunication that was causing a slight rift in their relationship presently.

"I am glad." He was satisfied with that for now. The feeling of losing her did not sit well with him. He believed that he would not live without her in his world. "You scared me earlier." He finally admitted.

He sat down on the couch and cradled his face in his hands, releasing his anxiousness and frustration out of his system. It was a huge relief when he finally heard from Ben.

Ben apologized for not reporting the incident to him immediately. He did not deem it urgent since no harm happened to her in the accident. He prioritized assisting her in helping the boy. 

Ben only realized that his phone was missing when they had already reached the hospital. He was about to call his boss, seeing that it was late. But it was not in his pocket. He must have dropped it in the park.

"I did not mean to scare anybody, especially you." She was surprised by his reaction. She was not expecting that. 

She was not even aware that he was looking for her. Her attention was too focused on the boy that she momentarily forgot about her other problems.

"Well, you did. I was at your apartment earlier and when Jacky showed concern that you were not yet back." He started but paused a bit. 

"Just for the record, Ben did not call me. I only called him because Jacky was afraid something happened to you." He continued, clarifying the situation, not wanting her to accuse him of meddling with her affairs.

He did not want that kind of misunderstanding again.

"Ok." She could not hide the tiny smile that crept on her lips. She realized that he was trying to control his boundaries for her.

She knew that as a prince and a possible future king, he was the type of man who was born and raised to be always in control. He trained to be the leader, who should always tell everyone what to do.

She liked that, in a way, he was bending his rules a little to accommodate her wishes. It was her assumption. She hoped that he would finally listen to reason and allow her to live her life the way she saw fit.

"By the way, why are you at my apartment this morning?" She sat down beside him but angled herself until she was facing him. 

She was curious about his reason. Was he checking on her? Or did he have some other explanation? She suddenly could not wait for his answer. 

She was curious if he was there to demand an apology or say sorry, but she hoped for the latter.