Usually, the Derby was one of the few royal events that Drake looked forward to. Not only did he get to do some friendly gambling with Liam and even – occasionally – Bastien, but thanks to Liam’s private tent, he didn’t really have to deal with stuck-up nobles all day!
This year, however… I can’t believe I gotta spend the whole day looking after Riley. Everything would be so much easier if she’d just stayed where she belongs.
He sighed heavily. Come on, Liam asked you as a favor. Plus, you just have to make sure she gets to the tent and then she’ll be somebody else’s problem… probably Hana’s.
“Drake? You ready to go? Bastien interrupted his train of thought, poking his head into his room.
“I guess.”
“What are you upset about now? I thought you enjoyed the Derby? I might even let you talk me into a bet again.” Bastien smiled.
“Liam asked me to watch Riley.”
Bastien’s eyebrows furrowed. “Does he think she’s in danger?”
“Nah, you know Liam, he’s just worried.”
“Well, this will at least present an opportunity for you to work on your stealth.”
“I mean, I’m practically a ninja already, but sure.”
Bastien let out a laugh that he hastily turned into a cough in response.
“Shut up, let’s go.”
They filed out of the palace and caught up with Liam, who was already waiting inside the limousine that would be taking them to the race track.
“Hey, Drake,” he said with a grin. “Nice day to lose a bet, don’t you think?”
“Ha! Of course, you’d be the expert, I wouldn’t know.”
“We’ll see. As they say, ‘Revenge is a dish best served cold.’“
“Well, after 3 consecutive years of losing, it should be nice and frozen.”
Liam pushed him with his shoulder as the driver started the limo.
“So I thought about what you said yesterday…”
When Drake gave him a puzzled look, Liam clarified, “About Riley. And you’re right, I’m rushing into things. I believe I should give her some breathing room before I invite her out again, see if she seeks me out.”
“Solid plan.”
“Thanks. And thanks again for looking out for her today.”
“It’s nothing.”
“I’m sure she will be fine, but, well, you know me,” Liam bowed his head, a little embarrassed, “always worrying.”
“She’s arriving with Bertrand and Maxwell, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then maybe you’re not being that paranoid. There are just so many ways Maxwell can screw this up…”
“Lone Wolf to Dignified Eagle, Lone Wolf to Dignified Eagle, I’ve got eyes on Helpless Baby Deer. I repeat I–”
“I’ll take it away, Drake.”
“No! I’ll stop! I see Riley, is all I’m saying.”
“Fine. Don’t use this except for emergencies. Over and out.”
Drake laughed quietly to himself. He’d been having a little too much fun with the tiny bluetooth earbud Bastien had lent him for his task. If I’m gonna be on this stupid “mission” all day, the least they can do is let me be childish about it.
His eyes were on Riley, who was talking expertly to the press, or at least it looked that way from where he was standing a few feet away. So far, the whole thing had been uneventful to the point of tediousness. Riley was not very observant, so he didn’t even have to work on his “stealth”, as Bastien had put it.
A blur of bright blue caught his eye and he saw Lady Kiara making her grand entrance. She looked really good. This haute-couture crap isn’t my thing, but damn if that dress doesn’t cling to all the right places…
Lady Kiara talked to the press for a brief moment, then turned to follow the other ladies to their tent and spotted him.
“Drake!” she said with a wide smile. “It’s very nice to see you.” Her eyes swept over his body and he smirked without meaning to.
“You too, Lady Kiara. You look great!”
“Oh, this old thing?” she replied, twirling her hair. “You look très beau aussi.”
They were somehow standing closer together than they had been a few seconds ago.
Lady Kiara suddenly tilted her head in confusion, “Mais, what are you doing here? I thought you’d be in the Prince’s tent by now?”
“Oh, I’m here because–” Oh crap. “I’m sorry, Lady Kiara, I have to go. See you around!”
He strode away from her before she could reply, looking frantically through the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of Riley’s bright pink dress. Damn hats, I can’t see anything.
When he was reasonably certain he’d looked everywhere she was likely to be, he started getting worried. Nice going, jackass. You had one job, and you screwed it up just ‘cause of some pretty girl. Liam’s gonna kill me. He might even give me his disappointed look. He shuddered; those were devastating.
Okay, think, think. Imagine Maxwell gave you directions. You’d definitely be lost. So I guess I’d go this way…
He walked past the tents, the crowd thinned and their noise faded. He was coming up to the stables. It’s no use, why would she be here? He turned back when–
“Ahhhh!”
He ran into the stables without hesitation, only to find a chestnut horse running straight at Riley. He determinedly stepped between them.
“Whoa there. Whoa.” He put his hands up, making downward motions and then stroking the horse’s muzzle. It calmed down and leaned into his caresses.
“Nothin’ to worry about, big fella. I’ll get this girl outta here for you.” He gently led the horse back into its stall and secured the door carefully, making absolutely sure it couldn’t get back out. Then he finally turned towards the girl in question, who looked startled, leaning against the opposite wall.
“You okay, Riley?”
It took her a few seconds to find her voice. “Drake?! You saved me!” she gushed gratefully, taking a few steps towards him.
Is she gonna hug me? Please no.
“Really? I thought I was saving the horse… these Derby runners are like athletes. Can’t risk and injury tripping over a stray human,” he smirked at her.
She raised her eyebrows at him, the universal gesture for “not amused”. “Oh, charming. Did the horse knock the sense out of you?”
Drake chuckled and brushed imaginary dust off his shoulder. “Nah… In fact, I got away without a scratch.”
“What are you even doing here?” she crossed her arms and went back to leaning on the wall. Drake felt a flash of relief that hugging seemed to be off the table now and then a twinge of guilt. It had been his job to keep an eye on her, after all.
Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but be a little amused at her annoyance. He didn’t know what it was about her – maybe that little furrow between her eyebrows when she frowned at him – but something made him want to keep teasing her.
On the other hand, the more he did that, the longer this whole conversation would be, and he didn’t want to miss the race. He ran his fingers through his hair, deciding to go with the truth.
“Look… I… The truth is, Liam told me to keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t end up in the wrong place… exactly like now,” he explained ruefully.
“He told you that?” she seemed taken aback.
Seeing her expression, Drake realized how this could come across as weird or condescending, if you didn’t know Liam as well as he did. He thought about trying to explain, but figured Liam could do that himself. It was his idiotic idea anyway.
“Yeah, good thing I followed his instructions, huh? Speaking of which, you should get back to the racetrack and your adoring fans…”
She ignored his jab. How does she always take the high road? “I’d love to, but I’m lost. Maxwell told me to look for the pink tents?”
I knew it. “He’s wrong. You’re looking for the white tents next to the starting line… Can’t miss them. Good luck!” He turned his back, ready to finally go enjoy his day.
“You’re not coming with me?”
The question took him by surprise. Does she… want me to come with her? Why?
“No…” he replied cautiously, “I’m due to meet Liam. He has his own private tent. We usually just hang out there and get some drinks, watch the ceremonies, place our bets on the horses… It’s pretty sweet.” He grinned.
Riley got a determined look on her face. Uh oh. “In that case… I’m going with you.”
“What?” he asked, already planning to say no.
She shrugged, “It sounds more fun where you’re going. Take me with you.”
“I don’t think you’re supposed to…” he started, but even as he said it, he realized he didn’t care. Honestly, it would be nice to have somebody other than him breaking rules and protocols for a change.
“What are they going to do? Put me in Princess Jail?”
He smiled and shook his head. That was actually a good point and one he constantly thought himself. Not Princess Jail, obviously, just Commoner Jail for him, but still.
He led her out of the stables and towards Liam’s ostentatious purple and gold tent. Drake held the flap open for her to pass. She looked back at him.
“Here. You go ahead. I’m going to grab some beers for us.”
She smiled and nodded. He watched her go into the tent and caught himself thinking that her dress wasn’t half bad either. He shook his head as if to get rid of the thought and went up to the beer stand. He ordered three beers and returned to the tent with them.
Liam and Riley seemed to be talking normally; he’d half expected to walk in on them making out or something. Situations involving Liam and girls tended to escalate quickly, usually not because of Liam. He still wanted to make sure they didn’t mind him being the third wheel.
“Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
Riley turned in her seat and grinned at him. “Drake, of course not. We’re happy to see you.”
A “Why?” almost slipped out – he hadn’t exactly been the most polite to her – but that would’ve sounded too sad, so he changed it at the last second to, “You are?”
“Yeah, come join us.” Riley patted the seat next to her left, while Liam sat to her right.
“And you’re just in time. The last race is about to start! I say Twilight-Dash takes the crown.” Liam said confidently.
“That’s not a bad prediction,” Drake replied idly, “but I’ve been studying the stats. My money’s on Marabelle’s Dream.”
“Want to bet on that, Drake?” Liam arched an eyebrow.
“Sure. The usual?”
“What’s the usual?” asked Riley curiously.
“Ever since Drake and I were kids, we’d bet each other push-ups.”
“Not just any push-ups,” Drake interjected.
“Push-ups while the other person sits on your back.”
Riley snorted, “That’s… ridiculous.”
“Not my most dignified moment, true,” Liam conceded. “But it’s always fun. So do we have a bet?” he offered his hand to Drake.
“You’re on.” They shook hands.
“Except perhaps one change to the usual. I think we’d be incredibly rude to leave out Riley…” To be completely honest, Drake had all but forgotten she was there because this felt so much like old times. He still nodded, however; she was kind of starting to grow on him. “Maybe she should be the one to sit on the loser’s back…”
“Sit on your back while one of you does push-ups? I’m happy to help,” Riley smiled at them both, and it might have been Drake’s imagination but it looked somewhat predatory to him.
Liam clapped his hands, “There we have it, then.”
Loud trumpets announced the start of the race and the three of them turned to look at the track. The horses started galloping swiftly, almost in unison. For the first few seconds, that is; soon some started falling behind, while others gained on them. All three of them were leaning forward, absorbed. Liam, especially, was rapt.
“Twilight-Dash takes the lead.” The beautiful white horse had indeed managed to gain a shaky advantage; he was being closely tailed by Marabelle’s Dream and two other horses – chestnut and gray, respectively.
“Race isn’t over yet. Go, Marabelle!” Drake urged the horse with everything he had.
The horses reached the point that was further from their tent, making it hard to distinguish much. They could, however, see a white horse still in the lead.
“They’re rounding the third bend…” Liam said quietly, almost to himself. A nervous habit he’d always had during the races.
“Come one, Marabelle. You’re gaining…” She’d left the chestnut horse behind; now she only had to gain on one last horse and she’d catch up to Twilight-Dash.
“Catch them in the final furlong.” Drake’s hands were balled into tight fists.
“They’re neck-and-neck!” shouted Riley excitedly. Marabelle’s Dream had finally caught up to Twilight-Dash and they galloped together, their jokeys’ legs almost touching. They were coming around the bend and getting closer to where they sat.
“Come on…” Liam pushed.
At the very last moment, a mere foot from the finish line, Marabelle’s Dream’s jockey gave her one final push, and they broke the finish line seconds before Twilight-Dash crossed it.
“And there goes Marabelle! Ha! I knew it!” He pumped his arms triumphantly and gave Liam a gloating smile.
“Liam, I believe you’re up.”
“Well, here we go…” he said grudgingly.
Drake crossed his arms and fixed him with a stern look. “If you think I’m going to bow gracefully and let you out of the bet, you’re dead wrong.”
“Oh, I know. That’s one of my favorite things about you, Drake. You never let me get away with anything.” Leave it to Liam to turn a joke into a sweet moment. Drake rolled his eyes.
“Now, I can’t get these clothes all sweaty…” Liam stood up and took his shirt off in one fluid movement. Show off.
“Oh!” the exclamation escaped Riley involuntarily. Drake saw her eyes widen at Liam’s toned torso. Per usual.
“Riley, I believe I need your assistance here?” Liam gave her a charming smile.
Riley just about jumped from her seat. “I’m on it!”
Liam crouched into push-up position and Riley sat on his bare back gingerly, looking apprehensive.
“Is that all? I barely feel anything.” It could have sounded cocky, but coming from Liam, it merely sounded as a reassurance for Riley.
“Maybe I should get on there too…” Drake joked. There was no way Liam could do it with both of them sitting on him and even he was above embarrassing his friend in front of his schoolboy crush.
“One… two… three…” Liam was trying very hard to seem nonchalant as Riley went up and down, but push-ups are hard under the best of circumstances, let alone with a girl sitting on you.
“Pff. Too easy.” You can do this.
“And… Ten! Done.” Liam was wearing a self-satisfied smile when Riley got off his back. Drake handed him his shirt.
“Never let it be said that I’ve ever backed out of a bet,” said Liam as he buttoned his shirt back up.
Drake clapped him on the shoulder. “And you lose all the time so that’s really saying something.”
“I must’ve done something very wrong at some point for you to be my best friend,” Liam replied with a smile.
“I think it’s part of my job to keep you humble. Hard to do with all these gorgeous women chasing after you,” he gestured towards Riley and his easy smile froze as she raised her eyebrows. Shit, I guess I just called her gorgeous. He felt himself start to blush. Don’t be ridiculous. So you called her gorgeous, big deal, it’s not like she’s not attractive.
He felt like the pause had grown awkward, but Liam seemed oblivious. He was smiling fondly at Riley, no doubt agreeing with Drake’s assessment.
“Speaking of which… now that the races are over, it’s probably time to get back to the social barrage,” he said regretfully. “Next up is the lawn picnic…”
“I guess that means I should get back to where the girls are… Bertrand and Maxwell are probably looking for me,” Riley piped up.
Drake sighed heavily. Back to reality. Who would’ve thought that babysitting Riley could actually be fun?
“I’ll go see where they are,” he volunteered, as much to mentally prepare for the stupid picnic as to give Liam a last few moments with Riley. He exited the tent and walked towards the smaller, white tents meant for lesser nobles. He quickly came across Maxwell and Bertrand, who were indeed looking for Riley.
“Drake!” exclaimed Maxwell with a smile. “Have you seen–”
“Yep, she’s in the royal tent. I’ll take her to the ladies, don’t worry.”
“Did you say she was in the–? SCORE!” Maxwell grinned.
“While I normally disapprove of rule-breaking,” said Bertrand in his dry, formal voice, “I believe, in this instance, it may be to our advantage.”
Always thinking of themselves. Drake gave them a curt nod as they hastened to their limo. He walked back to the tent and, not wanting to scar himself, cleared his throat for good measure before going in.
“Ahem! I just saw Maxwell run out to bring the car around. The ladies are a few tents down, and they’re headed to the lawn picnic. I can show Riley over there.”
“If you must,” said Riley reluctantly. Drake didn’t blame her; he liked Hana and Penelope well enough, and Lord knows he didn’t mind spending time with Lady Kiara, but if the price was Olivia Nevrakis, they could count him out, always. The only person he could stomach her for was Liam, and even then he’d spend half the time daydreaming of her head exploding or something.
“Goodbye, Riley. Until we meet again,” Liam kissed her hand.
“Until then,” replied Riley with a small smile.
They walked towards the tents together in a surprisingly easy silence.
Right before they reached the correct tent, Riley spoke up, “Hey, Drake? Thanks for letting me break the rules.”
“It was nothing. I’m not exactly the rule-following type anyway.”
“So I’ve gathered. It was fun, hanging out with you and Liam. I can see why you guys are friends.”
He didn’t know how to respond to that. Firstly because she’d said “hanging out” and “you and Liam” like they were all friends. Drake was not exactly there with her, but he had to admit he’d enjoyed himself as much as he usually did with only Liam.
Secondly, most people were puzzled by their friendship, they couldn’t understand why the polite, charming prince spent so much time with the brusque, tactless commoner. He was perplexed that she seemed to think that Drake gave as much as he got.
He made a noncommittal noise in his throat, thankful that they arrived at the tent shortly after.
He heard an obnoxious voice say, “I can’t believe we didn’t get to see the Prince at all…” He felt a smile spread across his face. He couldn’t pretend not to relish in Olivia’s disappointment.
“He’s sure to be at the lawn party, though…” said Penelope hopefully.
He turned to Riley and noticed with amusement that she was wearing the same satisfied smirk he was. “I guess I leave you here. Good luck.”
Riley’s smirk faded, only to be replaced with a nervous smile. “Sometimes I feel like I’d rather face a rampaging horse than deal with the others…”
Drake snorted. “I don’t know… You didn’t fare so well in front of the horse…”
“Ha,” she chuckled. “I guess that’s true.” She paused for a moment, as if gathering her courage. “Hey, Drake. Thanks for saving me.”
He’d never heard her sound so earnest. It made him uncomfortable so he played it off with a joke.
“I know I can be a jerk, but I’d have to be a real low-life to let a horse trample a girl.” You could have just said, “You’re welcome”, you dick.
Riley’s face fell a little and he mentally kicked himself for his immaturity. “Well. Thanks anyway.”