A sequel of sorts to “Let’s Run Away Together”, but can stand alone.
Tried to knock out two birds with one stone; combined requests from @jbzxls and @aryn-choices : “I really enjoyed ‘Lets run away together’ as it was a big fantasy fulfillment. I would really enjoy a follow up fic where the other Royal romance characters react to finding out they’ve run off together😁.” + 153. “I’m flirting with you.” + 171. “I’m sorry, what were you saying? I keep getting lost in your eyes.”
“Lady Kara?” Liam pounds on the door nervously. “Lady Kara! Are you in there?” He tries the knob, frowning when the door clicks open. “Kara?”
He fidgets with his tie as he slowly steps into the room. Empty. For a moment, he’s tense, mind jumping to the worst conclusions. Could this be the work of whoever has it out for Kara? Is kidnapping the next step in their plan to get rid of her? What if she’s hurt? What if-
A glance around the room halts his panic, and the tension seeps away, only to be replaced with confusion. Not only are there no signs of a struggle, there are no signs of life at all. All of Kara’s things are gone. It’s as if she was never there at all. He’s about to check and make sure he has the correct room when his eyes latch onto a piece of paper lying on the pillow. He swallows past the lump in his throat and picks up the paper. A letter. With every word he reads, his heart drops further into his stomach.
“…Kara?”
Maxwell peeks his head in the doorway, Drake appearing behind him. “You rang?”
Liam is sat on the chaise, staring forlornly at the floor. His only response is to hold the letter out in his friends’ general direction.
Smile fading, Maxwell enters the room with Drake trailing after him silently. He waits a moment to see if Liam’s going to speak up, but when the king only continues moping, he takes the letter and begins reading aloud.
“Liam,
By the time you read this, I’ll be long gone. I would say that I wish things could’ve been different, but that would be a lie. I can’t regret what led me to this point. As I’m writing this, I feel happier and freer than I’ve ever been. The only thing I regret is not telling you the truth sooner.”
Maxwell pauses. “Wait, what? Dude, what is this?”
When Liam finally speaks, his voice is thick. “Keep reading.”
Maxwell locks eyes with Drake worriedly, but after a shrug from the other man, Maxwell continues on.
“I know you love me, Liam. Or, at least, you think you do. You’ve said so many times before. I can’t help but wonder – why? Did you never wonder why I never said it back? Why I consistently turned down your offers of alone time?
I’m in love with Hana, Liam. She’s the one I want to spend my life with. And that’s what I’m doing.
Hana and I left Cordonia. All the drama, the pressure, the plotting – I realized there was no point in any of it. I don’t care about the crown, and even though I think of you as a good friend, I could never marry you.
Please let the others know that we’re sorry for leaving without saying goodbye. It’s silly, but this just seemed easier. We didn’t want anyone trying to stop us.
I hope House Beaumont can be restored without me. Maybe, after all of the court and engagement nonsense blow over, we can all reconnect…if you can forgive us for leaving.
“Until then…Kara,” Maxwell finishes in shock. The three men sit in a shocked silence for a moment, trying to process what just happened. After a while, Drake finally speaks up.
“Well, shit.”
*Three Months Later*
“Kara, sweetheart, can you please hand me that strainer?”
I blink slowly as I stare at my girlfriend dreamily, not registering the words coming out of her mouth. “Mmmhmm.”
My eyes trail up and down her body, stopping on her face as I lean against the island counter. She turns to me expectantly, and I just stare deeply into her eyes.
“Kara, the strainer?”
“Mmm, sure babe,” I respond absentmindedly. She clears her throat loudly and I snap out of it with a smirk. “I’m sorry, what were you saying? I keep getting lost in your eyes.”
She raises a bemused eyebrow, faint blush dusting her cheeks as she nods to the full saucepan she’s holding. “Strainer, sweetie? This is really heavy.”
I move quickly at that, grabbing the strainer and placing it in the sink for her. “Right, sorry, here.” She gives me a small smile in thanks and goes back to cooking.
I take a sip of wine and reassume my position against the counter. “Are you sure I can’t help?” I whine. “I feel useless over here!”
She throws me a teasing glare over her shoulder. “I haven’t forgotten how badly you wrecked the kitchen last time!”
I circle around the island and wrap my arms around her waist, resting my chin on her shoulder. “Would you rather I wreck you instead?”
She tenses in my arms for a fraction of a second before shrugging. “I don’t feel like getting messy right now, Kar, I just showered.” I snicker but she seems completely oblivious to the double entendre.
With I sigh, I release her and head to the freezer, rooting around for something a little stronger. I cheer triumphantly as I pull out a bottle of gin, checking the fridge for soda water. She makes her way to the oven and is about to stick her dish in when she sees what I’m doing.
“Someone’s thirsty,” she jokes.
I snort. “You have no idea.” I throw in a wink for good measure, but she just closes the oven door, looking nonplussed.
I pour my drink and smile into it. Still innocent as the day I met her. We do our own things in silence until she finally relents.
“Okay, I guess you can help, but you have to follow my instructions, alright?”
I pump my fist obnoxiously. “Yes! What do you need me to do?”
She looks at me carefully and says very seriously, “Salad.”
I deflate a little at that, but quickly perk back up. “Yes, chef!”
She giggles cutely and waves me over to the sink. ”Fill the colander with lettuce-”
“How about I feel you up instead?” I whisper, wiggling my eyebrows suggestively. She stares at me suspiciously for a moment before continuing on.
“-and rinse all of it with water.”
I sigh and move to do as she says before my eyes are drawn to her chest. “Damn, too bad this recipe doesn’t call for two perfect melons.”
Her eyes widen and she gasps in shock, redirecting my attention. Maybe she finally caught on?
“Kara,” she stammers, flustered. “What is-what are you doing?”
I give her my best cheeky grin. “I’m flirting with you, Hana.” Her jaw drops slightly. “Really boldly,” I add, chuckling.
She looks down in embarrassment. “Oh.”
“Hey,” I coo. “Look at me.” When she doesn’t look up, I lift her chin with my finger. She looks everywhere but at me.
At my questioning gaze, she relents, meeting my eyes. “I’m sorry. I know I can be a little…”
“Adorable?” I finish with a smile.
She huffs, trying to fight a smile of her own. “Innocent,” she emphasizes.
“Hey,” I shake my head. “There’s nothing wrong with not understanding innuendos. I think it’s cute.”
She smiles a little at that. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I grin.
I pull her into a hug and she lets her head fall against my chest. We stand there for a long moment, enjoying the embrace, before my nose twitches.
“Um, Hana?”
“Mmm?”
“Is something burning?”
“…Oh, shoot.”
