The Prince and the Girl

Gillian had been brought up to be an independent girl, one who didn't wait around for life to happen. One of the results of her father's all-business approach to her upbringing was her consistent disguising of her feelings. However, she could not deny herself the feeling of disappointment when Harry didn't call. After two days, she gave up all hope of ever hearing from him again. He was a Prince, after all. Why would he even bother with her?

Any frustrations Gillian had were often worked out on the vines. She would spend whole days working out on the fields, coming inside only to sleep. She found that the feeling of the sun beating on her back and the smell of the grapes mixed with the soil was totally refreshing. She often sang, as she did now, to herself as she sat between the rows. Even after a half hour outside she could feel her frustrations with Harry washing away. She almost felt as if she never wanted to see him again.

These sentiments were quickly erased when she looked up to see Harry walking down the row towards her. Gillian felt her stomach contract. After a few hours' work, her white t shirt was soiled and her blue shorts were dust covered. Gillian was not one to care about her appearance, but she did not want Harry seeing her like this, no matter what her feelings towards him were.

"Hello Gillian." He waved when he was within her earshot.

"Harry; this is a surprise." Gillian answered jokingly.

"Yeah. I'm sorry I haven't called ... and I'm sorry for just showing up here unannounced. I don't know what I was thinking, just showing - "

"Hey." Gillian stopped him. "It's just fine. It's a nice surprise."

Harry, to Gillian's surprise, looked somewhat relieved.

"Well," Gillian continued, "Would his Royal Highness like a tour?"

Harry smiled and jokingly bowed. "It would give me the greatest of pleasures, Mademoiselle."

Gillian laughed. A great gust of wind blew as she straightened her back and inhaled the smell of her home. Her hair whipped about her neck and face. She continued walking down the row and Harry fell into stride beside her, their hands nearly touching.

•••

It was a gray day, but that did not stop them. It was not long before Gillian and Harry had walked to the farthest corners of her fields. She had acres and acres of vines, through which they walked while talking. This was one of the reasons why Gillian liked spending time with Harry; their conversation was so easy and light hearted. They covered everything, from Harry's favourite childhood activities to Gillian's education in Canada.

They had reached Gillian's favourite part of the vineyard. It was the last corner in which she had planted vines; as a result, the air smelt fresh and youthful. At the edge of her property, there was an old barn. It was in good condition, but she had never used it for anything but storage of equipment.

Upon seeing the barn, Harry's eyes lit up. "I didn't know you kept horses."

"Oh, I don't. I've never learned to ride, but I have always wanted to." Gillian responded.

"I'll have to teach you one day."

The two continued past the barn on the outskirts of the vines. They walked in comfortable silence now, looking over the fields of grapes. The sky was gray with clouds, but the property was still absolutely beautiful. Gillian later realised that that moment had been so perfect.

But it did not last for long. The sky suddenly darkened and there was an infernal roar of thunder. The rain hit the two of them so quickly that within a few seconds they were both soaked. Harry grabbed Gillian's hand and together they ran towards the barn. Harry managed to pull one of the doors open and quickly ushered Gillian inside. They stood together in the old wooden doorway, watching the rain fall over the fields.

"Well, we'll have to wait for this to let up." Harry remarked.

Gillian nodded in agreement and said, "These intense downpours generally don't last that long."

But Gillian was wrong. They waited about an hour, and the rain did not stop falling. The two of them had seated themselves next to each other on the straw covering of the ground. Gillian sighed in frustration. "I'll have to go get the car and drive out to pick you up."

She rose to stand, but Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "No. I can't let you go out there, you'll get sick .. or get a cold or something." He smirked sheepishly.

Gillian looked at him knowingly. "Okay, but if you try anything, mister ..."

He laughed and raised his hands in defense. "I won't, I promise."

Gillian stood and crossed the room to some shelves on the opposite wall. She knew that there were some old horse blankets that had been left behind when she had bought the place. She stood on her tip toes but she was not tall enough to reach the high shelf. As she was stretching her arms above her head, she felt a warmth against her back. Startled, she turned around and found herself inches from Harry's face. He grabbed the blankets and looked down at Gillian. His lustrous gaze pierced her eyes and she felt so beguiled.

Her emotions were obviously clear to Harry, as he tipped her chin up with his finger and said "I promised I wouldn't try anything."

He moved away and spread the blankets out on the floor before sitting down and crossing his legs. Gillian joined him, sitting a few feet away. It wasn't long before Harry was cracking jokes and the conversation between them was abounding. Hours passed in what seemed like minutes.

Darkness came quickly and the rain did not let up. Gillian threw the door of the barn open to see the rain still beating down on the soil. She pulled the door closed and turned to Harry.

"I guess we'll have to stay overnight." Harry said as a devilish look chased a sheepish grin across his face.

Gillian picked up on that devilish look of Harry's. "You know, it's suddenly so chilly in here." She sat down on the rough blanket with her back to him. She felt Harry's warm hands wrap around her waist from behind.

"Better?" He asked as Gillian turned her head parallel to Harry's shoulder.

"Much."

•••

Extreme brightness or noise were the only two things that could awaken Gillian if she had been sleeping for less than 12 hours. She was an extremely heavy sleeper. This was why she could not figure what might have possibly roused her from the peaceful slumber into which she had fallen last night. She and Harry had stayed up talking late into the night and, from what she could remember, she had fallen asleep with his arms wrapped around her.

And so they had remained; Gillian found herself with her face pressed into Harry's chest and his arms around her, his fingers twined into her hair. He was still sleeping and Gillian couldn't help but savour this moment. She could look upon his kind face for as long as she wanted and he would never know.

Gillian tore herself away from this idea. She slowly sat up and nudged Harry. He mumbled inaudibly and rolled onto his back. Gillian continued to nudge him to no avail. He did not wake up until she leaned in very close to his ear and whispered, "Good morning, your Royal Highness."

Harry jumped and awoke. He looked groggily up at Gillian. "What time is it?"

"Morning time." She replied and stood, stretching her arms and legs.

The jolted Harry awake. He sat up quickly and a worried look crossed his face. "I am going to be in some serious shit when I get home."

He and Gillian looked at each other before breaking out in laughter. Harry then stood and crossed to the barn door. He pushed the door open and the two of them were overcome by the fascination of the scene in front of them.

The sun had risen and the sky was gray with clouds. A loose fog creeped across the vineyard like a cat and it was spitting a light rain. Gillian had never seen her vineyard look so beautiful.

"Well," Gillian said as she turned to Harry, "We better get you home."

He laughed and shut the barn door behind them as they left. As they set out on a leisurely walk back to the house, Harry took her hand in his.