The Royal Contract

A few more minutes to go. "Ahhh!" He knew he was pushing himself to his limits. It appeared that he was not exercising for health concerns, but he was running away from something.

Alex only stopped moving on the treadmill when he felt his lungs were about to collapse. He had to catch his breath, feeling the air being sucked out of his body every time he inhaled and exhaled.

But he knew he needed a distraction from where his thoughts were going. He had to release his frustration from talking with Edward and the pictures he saw earlier.

"Damn you, Edward!" He finally shouted in annoyance. He walked back to the bench on the side and sat down, grabbing his towel and canister of water to rehydrate.

He always tried to understand his cousin since they were young. He was family, after all. But right now, he had enough of his petty, envious, and selfish manners.

Since they were kids, he knew that Edward always had been more than average in intelligence and other skills. They had trained almost all their lives, together with Lance and the other kids in the palace.

But he noticed that the King and the Council members would not stop comparing Edward to him when he usually outdid everyone else on their challenges. It was rare that Edward beat him to a test and only by a small margin.

He pitied Edward for always being compared to him by everyone. He was the prince in line to the throne, so expectations were high that he should excel in all his endeavors. A big responsibility, Edward had to carry on his shoulder at a very young age.

"Dani," Noticing a figure sitting on the sofa with her feet up on the center table when he came. He immediately recognized her and moved next to her.

When she failed to respond to him, he knew that she must have dozed off. She must be exhausted to drop on the sofa just like that. She had been working hard on her cases and then, remembering the case of Jeremy as well.

She still looked so beautiful, even in her sleep. Alex observed as he stood in front of her sleeping form. But, he found her position awkward as her neck dropped down on her shoulders in a cramped posture.

"I'm just going to move you to our room." He told her, but she remained immobile, still unaware of his presence.

He decided to pick her up carefully, cradling her body and legs in his arms. She did stir a little, but not enough to wake her up. She only made incoherent words before she returned to sleep.

As soon as they reached the bed, he laid her down again. This time, he made sure that she was in a comfortable condition. He slowly removed her dress which he admired as soon as he saw it.

"Is this the dress you prepared for me?" He asked her as he slowly peeled the dress off her body. But the only response he got was a slight smile.

She did open her eyes a bit and tried to focus on him, but he quickly lulled her back to dreamland. "Hey, babe. Go, close your eyes. I'll take care of you." He softly whispered in her ears, not wanting to ruin her sleep.

Then, he covered her body and sat on the edge of the bed, just watching her for a few more minutes. He believed he would never be tired of staring at her face or when he woke up each morning.

"What is going on with you and Gerald?" He questioned, barely audible near her face as he leaned down to fix the blanket around her shoulders.

His mind returned to the image of her in the arms of a man. He recognized him as her boss in the project she had worked on these past weeks. 

He had noticed the unusual manners that Gerald was exhibiting in the rare times he saw him and Dani together. He did not want to put a label on it since he promised not to let his jealousy get the best of him.

"But, what did I see earlier?" He mumbled on, still confused about what the picture depicted. "Stop it!" He stopped his thoughts from wandering into things that might go out of his control.

He walked into the bathroom to shower and change. He had to clear his mind before going to bed. He did not want to cloud his judgment and unjustly accused Dani of wrongdoing.

He believed that by morning, Dani would clarify the matter. She would have a good explanation for everything. He did not want to jump to conclusions. Pictures could always be subjective and might have meant nothing to her.

"Good night!" He laid beside her, pulling her into his arms. He allowed her to subconsciously squirm into his body until half of her body was on top of his.

She always felt perfect in his arms. Her body fitted like a glove in his as her arms and legs entwined around him. She had become his other half. Without her, he felt he would never function the same way again.

He knew that sleeping without her would never be the same. He needed her like he required air to breathe. He never knew that he would ever feel this desire to be with someone, but he could not stop it.

"I love you, Dani." He whispered, kissing her on the top of her head and then closing his eyes with her tightly secured around his arms.

He could feel her steady heartbeat lulling him into a deeper sleep. Her scent was like an intoxicating substance that he could not get enough of as he breathed her in.

He knew that whatever explanation she would tell him by tomorrow or the morning, judging from the time, he would believe her. He would not let anything jeopardize their relationship and their upcoming wedding.

He also fell into a deep and peaceful sleep, even if his mind was in turmoil. He believed that Dani was the sole reason his mind and body calmed down even in the most stressful times.

She might not say it back to him verbally, but he felt it in the way she was holding him in her arms.. He believed that actions were better conveyors of emotions than words since it rarely lies.