The Thrill Is Gone

The Walking With The Wounded event proved to be one of the most memorable that Paulina had ever accompanied Harry to. She was profoundly moved by the stories of the soldiers and their families, in awe of the heroism exhibited both at the front and at home. It was emotionally exhausting to hear them discuss their experiences in war, and she wasn’t just saying that because she was on her period, she was saying it because it was the truth. Hearing those men and women talk about their experiences in the front made her grow anxious. She’d never personally known anyone in the military. That is to say, she knew Harry and was acquainted with some of his fellow pilots, but other than them, there was no one else she knew. She didn’t have cousins or friends out at the front.

Thankfully for her, her friends and relatives had gone other routes. Once, she’d had a cousin that wanted to join the Marines, but his dad told him that he had to finish university before he could enlist, and by the time that Felipe graduated, he had a serious girlfriend and career lined up for him, so the Marines were no longer of interest to him. So Paulina never had anyone to worry about in the war. She didn’t stay up at night worrying if her boyfriend or friend or loved one was going to make it through the night. That hadn’t been a part of her life, but now, now she was hearing these heartbreaking stories. She was hearing wives and husbands discuss how they stood by their significant others throughout their physical rehabilitation. She listened as children, sweet innocent children, talked about how they helped their papas and mummies deal with the physical and emotional scars. She sat there in silence, listening to their heartbreaking stories and she was quite honestly stunned by what she heard. She couldn’t imagine the strength of the wives and husbands that looked after the children while simultaneously keeping up with their spouse’s physical therapy and tending to a full time job to make ends meet. She couldn’t imagine the pain that the wounded warriors felt, the helplessness, at being forced to relearn simple actions that they’d once taken for granted.

And as Paulina heard their stories, she couldn’t help but be afraid of what might happen once Harry was deployed. Would his helicopter be shot down? Would he be killed in action? Wounded? Or would he return in top physical health, but be utterly mentally crippled by the horrors of war he was sure to witness? She didn’t know what might come of it, there were so many possibilities, and all she could do was let out a mental prayer that Harry would never be sent back into harms way.

It was selfish of her, she knew it. He was working so hard at his training to get back out there, but the truth was that she wouldn’t know what to do with herself if he were to ever be sent back to the front. She put on a brave face for him, saying that she’d be fine so long as they could have a chat every so often and that she’d be there with a big smile to welcome him home, and while both those statements were true, she couldn’t help but think that she’d be sick to her stomach throughout his entire deployment and end up getting less sleep than she already did. She wanted him safe. She wanted him home. She wanted to know that terrorists wouldn’t be actively trying to find out his whereabouts to take him hostage or kill him to send a message. She just wanted him to be alright, but she also understood that she couldn’t force him to stay out of the fight. She wasn’t going to be one of those girlfriends that would stand in the way of their boyfriends doing what they were passionate about. If he was deployed, then it’d be her duty to him to stand by his side and support him no matter what, and that was precisely what she’d do, even if she wasn’t happy with his being in a war zone.

That night, when they returned from the event, she was more attentive than usual. Normally, whenever she was on her period, she became increasingly self centered, her needs took precedence against all others. If she had to nap, then she’d nap and push back whatever plans she’d already made, if she was hungry, she’d eat even if she was meeting up with someone for dinner in a half hour, whenever she was on her period, she was the person that she cared about most, but after hearing those people talk about losing loved ones and the mental/physical wounds of war, she couldn’t help but be aware of just how lucky Harry had been to return from his tour intact. In the months that she’d shared his bed, she’d never borne witness to war induced nightmares or panic attacks. There didn’t seem to be any lasting emotional wounds. He had been spared them. He’d been one of the lucky ones, and she was grateful for that.

So they spend the night lying in bed, alternating between talking and laughing and snogging like mad. It felt like old times, when they were barely getting to know each other. They used to spend hours upon hours just talking, eager to learn as much as they could and delighted when they were let in on secrets that no one else in the world knew. It was strange how great it felt to simply lay beside one another and talk. It was such a simple thing, really, nothing that grand about it, but it was fulfilling for them. And while others might have written it off as a boring night. They couldn’t help but think it a brilliant one. They’d basked in one another’s company, had some good laughs, snogged till their lips couldn’t take it anymore, and to them, nothing could’ve been better. Harry loved being able to rest his head on her chest so that she could gently stroke his hair as they spoke, that was heaven for him, and he was pleased to have had an opportunity to do just that, because soon enough, they weren’t going to have the chance to waste time in bed.

They were going to spend the following week and a half running around England. There was a long list of royal engagements that Harry had to attend, and to all of them, Paulina would be his companion. She was going to smile dutifully as he spoke to the crowds, walk beside him as they were led through tours of hospitals and schools and libraries and youth centers, and she was going to be amiable to the people that wished to speak to her. And there would be many conversations to be held with strangers. For each day was to bring three separate engagements. There’d be something to do in the morning, a gathering to attend in the evening, and dinners for various charities throughout the week. It was going to be an incredibly hectic time in her life, and as much as she wanted to stay locked away in the house with Harry, she knew that she couldn’t be so greedy with his time. He was a Prince with duties to carry out, and there was nothing that could change that.

And so, throughout the following week and a half, she stood at his side and smiled dutifully. She did everything to the best of her abilities and when she became overwhelmed by things, she opted to remind herself that it was simply practice for the future. She had to get used to the crowds, to holding conversations and posing for photographers, because regardless of whether she became a Duchess or a Senator, her life was going to revolve around that sort of thing, so she had to make the best of it. She had to push through the day, even when she was fed up with the engagements, it was something she had to take in stride.

When their week and a half mini tour through England ended, the young lovers embarked on another tour, except this time it was to Lesotho. They traveled to Mantsonyanye with Prince Seeiso. It was there that the two princes opened a new classroom at a local primary school, a classroom which Sentebale had built. It was a highly celebrated affair. The Princes and Paulina were welcomed by the village chief, and the local community turned out to celebrate the unveiling of the plaque of the new classroom. It was a daylong event, in which singing and dancing and a delicious spread of local dishes occupied everyone’s time. Although there was a language barrier, Paulina got on tolerably well. She spoke with the local women, ate whatever food was placed before her, and played with the children. She felt at ease among them, they weren’t scrutinizing her, they were just glad to have her there, and she was honored to have been welcomed into their community.

Early the following morning, Paulina accompanied Harry and Prince Seeiso to Semonkong, a village high in the mountains, though on that visit she wasn’t as front and center as she’d been on the previous one. The reason for that was the fact that Harry and Prince Seeiso were going to ride through town on horseback, in a procession with local herd boys. Since she refused to mount, she instead rode behind in the jeep with Kamal and Gethin. She didn’t mind though, it was much more comfortable and warmer than being outside on a horse. She was able to relax as they were drove to St Leonard’s Mission, and once there, Harry and Prince Seeiso opened the Good Shepherd Night School for her boys, another project that had been funded by their mutual charity.

As Paulina stood in the crowd, watching Harry and Prince Seeiso unveil the new school, her chest swelled with pride. She was in awe of Harry. He was an amazing man that worked tirelessly for his charities. Sure, he had his fun and partied a bit more than he probably should have, but at the end of the day, he kept up with his responsibilities and worked hard to make the lives of others somewhat more comfortable, and she was proud of him for that, and she was honored to be able to witness the unveiling of two of his projects. And Harry was glad that he was able to share the experience with her. He loved the fact that she was so genuinely interested in his charity work. Chelsy had never really been one for it, she humored it, but it never actually struck her interest, but Paulina was glad to hear the details of it, to hear how it was that they planned on going about things, and to have her there, smiling back at him in the crowd, was like something out of a dream.

It was during their time in Semonkong that they were joined by William, who arrived in the early evening to join in the tour. That evening, they attended the herd boy night schools. They sat in on lessons and then talked with the students. It was a long night that was made enjoyable by the stories the children shared. And on the following day, they traveled to Lesotho’s capital, where they met with politicians and local organizations that were tailored towards HIV positive children. After meeting with the Prime Minister and visiting with the various organizations, they returned to their hotel where they dressed for a Gala Dinner that was a fundraising dinner for Sentebale. Paulina was exhausted from having run around nonstop for the last two weeks. She would’ve much rather slept than put on heels and Spanx, but she pushed through it, because on the next day, she and Harry were going to fly back to England. And they were going to do absolutely nothing for the rest of the week. That is, nothing until they drove out to Torquay for the weekend.

That night, she went to sleep with the thought of returning to England in mind, and when she woke, she had a sleepy little smile on her lips. They were finally going to have some quiet, but when she woke that morning, she discovered that Harry hadn’t been entirely truthful to her.

“Güerito,” she spoke softly, hoping to wake him. “Mi amor, wake up . . .”

“What?” he mumbled, sleepily. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Is my family okay?”

“As far as I know, they are.”

“Is yours alright?” he asked, beginning to run out of reasons as to why she would’ve woken him up.

“Everyone’s fine,” she assured. “I was just waking you up, because I wanted to know what time our flight is.”

“Our flight?” he repeated, struggling to open his eyes.

“Yes, our flight.” She smiled. “We’re heading back to England today, remember?”

It was then that his eyes snapped open and a sly little smile played across his lips.

“You’re up to something,” she said knowingly.

“Me? Never!” he exclaimed, sitting up slightly.

“Yes, you are.” She tilted her head to the side, trying to figure out what he was up to. “Whenever you smile like that, it means you’re up to something.”

“Afraid that’s not the case, not this time, at least.”

“Lies . . .” she scrunched her nose at him. “You’re up to something, but you don’t want to tell me.”

“Not even.” He brushed it off. “Can’t a bloke just smile for no reason? And it’s not even like I’m actually smiling for no reason. I’ve a good bloody reason to be smiling. I’m in Africa with my bird, and we’ve nothing to do today, other than boarding a flight, of course.”

“And what time will we be boarding?”

“Later,” he mumbled and placed a hand on her hip. “So come on, let’s get back to sleep. No point in being up at this hour.”

“It’s not even that early.”

“It’s plenty early.” He said, closing his eyes. “Just look, there’s no light out.”

“That’s because we drew the curtains,” she pointed out. “You said you didn’t want the bloody sun to wake you in the morning, so I drew the thick ones so your gingery ass wouldn’t be bothered.”

“Fucking hell,” he groaned. “What time is it then?”

“A quarter to eleven,” she replied.

“A quarter to eleven?” His eyes snapped wide open. “Fucking hell!” he exclaimed. “I’d set my alarm for eight. Why the fuck didn’t it go off?” He quickly checked his phone. “What a daft wanker I am, I put the damn thing for night instead of day, just my luck.”

“Does this mean we’ve missed our flight?” she asked, cautiously.

“Not the flight, no.” He replied, sitting up. “But we did miss our breakfast reservations, and I reckon with the time we’ve left, we won’t have time to sit down for a proper one. S’alright, we’ll eat on the plane and then have a proper go of it when we land in Polokwane.”

“That’s in South Africa,” she said, having heard the name of that city on the sports programs. “Why are we flying south? England’s up north.”

“Because we’re not going to England,” he told her, the sly smile returning.

“We’re not?”

“No.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve, uh, made other arrangements.”

“Are we going to Botswana?” she asked, excitedly.

“Wish we could, but not this time around.” He told her. “Look, I’ve got to get something real quick and that’ll explain things.” He abandoned the bed and walked over to his luggage from which he pulled out a poorly wrapped gift box. “Here ya go, love.”

“Why are you being so sneaky about this?” she asked, genuinely intrigued.

“You’ll see, just go on. Open it.”

She hesitantly began to tear off the wrapping paper, unsure as to what she was going to find inside the box. It wasn’t heavy, which ruled out books or movies. He was fond of giving her both items since she loved to read, but whatever was inside, wasn’t a travel book that would’ve hinted as to where they were going or a film regarding their location. It felt like there were clothes inside, light clothing, and when she finished taking off the wrapping paper and pulled open the box, she discovered two soccer jerseys resting inside. The first was the latest style of the Mexican national soccer team, and when she saw the beautiful black jersey in the box, a massive grin swept across her face. Could it be? Could it actually be what she was thinking? Eager to find out more, she set the Mexican soccer aside, and tucked beneath it was a Wayne Rooney soccer jersey. By that point her entire face was engulfed by her smile, there was no room for it to stretch any further, and Harry watched in amusement as she clutched the two jerseys to her chest.

“I take it you approve then.” He said, casually.

“Approve?” she repeated, her smile never faltering. “I . . . I don’t know what to say!” she giggled in delight. “Are you serious? I mean, do these jerseys mean what I think they mean?”

“They do.” He replied with a smile. “They mean that we’ll be watching the World Cup from a hotel room in Polokwane. We won’t venture out often, since we won’t to be bothered by the tourist and – oh who am I kidding!” he said with a grin. “We’re to be at those matches. Mexico’s is tomorrow, and as soon as that’s over with, we’ll fly out to Cape Town to support our lads.”

“Fucking hell . . .” she mumbled, still grinning. “I can’t believe we’re actually gonna be at World Cup matches. That’s insane! I mean, just a little while ago, we were watching the opening ceremony and now we’re gonna be there and my brain’s still processing it all. And . . . you’re not messing about with me are you?” It was too good to be true. She couldn’t believe that they were seriously going to be there. “Because if you are, I swear I’ll –”

“Save your threats for some other time.” His eyes twinkled with amusement. “I’m sure you’ll have a good enough reason to be threatening me soon enough, but for now, there’s no point to them, because we’re going to the fucking World Cup. And we’re going to be off our faces at the Mexico match, and then we’ll be on our best behavior for the England match.”

“Why do we have to be on our best behavior?” she asked. “Aren’t we getting drunk and rowdy?”

“Wish I could.” Harry said. “But since I’m a Prince and all, I’ve got to be polite. Wills is gonna get most of the attention, of course, but even then, I’ll have to be alright enough, and you’ll have to be all lovely for when the cameras pan in on us.”

“Fuck, I’d forgotten about that.” She pursed her lips together. “Does this mean that I can’t wear my Rooney jersey? It’s really rad and it’d be a shame not to wear it. I mean, it is a present after all.”

“I wish ya could wear it, but you’ll have to be in a dress.”

“Is that why you told me to bring that red dress?” she asked him, suddenly realizing why he’d insisted so much on it.

He nodded. “It’s perfect for the occasion. Wills thought so as well.”

“He’s coming with us?” She was getting even more excited by the second.

“Yeah,” replied Harry, chuckling slightly. “He’ll be with us at the England match, but he’s going with us to the one for Mexico. Apparently, he’s some duties to tend to. You know how it is, he’s the heir so he’s got to be put to use wherever he goes, earn his keep and all that.” He ran a hand through his hair. “And the next day, we’re to go to some posh lunch being held by FIFA. There’ll be members from a few of the other royal families, and I mean to introduce you to them.”

“You don’t have to.” It’d been awkward enough meeting the members of his royal family, and she wasn’t so sure she was up to meeting ones from other countries. She didn’t how to address them, what was deemed appropriate by their cultures, and she was just really fucking nervous. “I’m fine with not being acquainted.”

“But I want to show you off.” Harry told her. “Carl’s been having a go at me for keeping you all to myself. So has his sister, now that I think about it. She’s always teasing me about it, says I don’t want to share you with the lot of them, which isn’t true, I just hadn’t had a chance to introduce you. I mean, it’s not like I see them often enough. They’re alright, I mean I like them well enough, but I’m not seeing them every bloody week. Well, sometimes I see Carl fairly frequently. He likes to come to London every once in awhile and unwind.”

“Carl?” she asked, unsure as to whom he was referring.

“From Sweden,” replied Harry. “He’s a Prince. Prince Carl, Duke of something that I can’t very well pronounce.”

“So I’m to meet him and his sister?” she asked, cautiously.

“And his sister’s husband,” said Harry. “And probably the Spanish royals, their Queen’s meant to be here, and Gran said that Wills and I had to go over there, have a chat with her, so you’ll be there and I’ll make the introduction. Oh, come on darling, don’t look so scared. It’ll be alright. If Gran’s keen on you, then there’s no reason to worry about the others. Everyone knows Gran’s the hardest to please.” He reached out and touched her hand. “If it makes you feel any better, Zara and Mike will be there as well. So she’ll be walking about, introducing him to other royals.”

“That does make me feel a lot better.” She admitted. She set down her gift box. “Oh shit.”

“Something the matter?” he asked, baffled by her outburst.

“No! I mean, yes.” She set down her gift. “I just realized I didn’t say thank you. I just went off on how excited I was, but I didn’t say thanks and ahh, I feel like such an ass.”

“Ya don’t have to thank me. I know how pleased you are by it. That’s all matters.”

“Still,” she gaze his hand a gentle squeeze. “Thank you so much for this. I . . . this is fucking awesome. And I’m not joking, this is fucking awesome. Going to the World Cup with you is amazing, but going to the World Cup with you and watching Mexico play a World Cup match is, uh, it’s a Balcázar dream come true. And thank you so much for spoiling me, you’re the best!” And she launched herself at him. She sent him falling backwards onto the mattress, and she proceeded to kiss every inch of his face, all the while muttering thank you. “You’re so fucking rad, güerito. You’ve no idea.”

“Well then why don’t you enlighten me?” He cocked his brow suggestively.

“What happened to us running late?”

“Hmm, now that I think about it, we’re not technically running late. We’ve only missed breakfast, and as for the flight, the airports not far from here, and . . . “

“How long do we have?”

He checked his watch. “Twenty minutes?”

“Twenty minutes?” she repeated, trailing her fingers along his lightly freckled chest. “Hmm, well I suppose we’ll just have to make do.”

They made do with the time at hand. It was quick morning shag that lacked foreplay, but still delivered that maddening release that they were both so keen on, and after all, that was what really mattered. After they regained their senses, they rushed to get themselves tidied and packed up to be on their way. Thankfully for them, Gethin had already pulled their vehicle out front and Kamal was quick to usher them and their luggage through the hotel. In no time at all, they were driving towards the airport, and as soon as they arrived, they were ushered through security and seen to their seats. All in all, it was a dreadfully hectic morning that proved to be a lot less exhausting than either had imagined it’d be.

The flight to Polokwane wasn’t a particularly long one, and shortly after having landed in South Africa, the pair made themselves at home in their hotel room. It was a spacious suite with plenty of room to lounge about and do nothing, and they were so comfortable and at home there, that they decided not to go out that evening. They were going to just lock themselves in there for the rest of the night. They’d had to deal with people nonstop for the last two weeks so those hours were a much welcomed vacation for them.

And early the next morning, they rose with the sun to get started on their day in Polokwane. Paulina had thought that the streets were going to be quiet at such an early hour, but at seven in the morning, they were already alive with fans from all over the world proudly sporting their soccer gear, though the most prominent gear was from Mexico and France, the two teams that were to face off at the match later in the evening. The crowd was so immense that Harry and Paulina easily lost themselves among it. The photographers that had camped outside their hotel couldn’t keep up with them, and it was fucking great to be able to walk around without being followed around by cameras. The people there didn’t give a damn if Harry was a Prince and Paulina was his girlfriend. The only thing they cared about was soccer. That was it. They were there because they were passionate about the sport and about their respective national teams. And Paulina loved it. She loved the energy coming from the crowd. It was like being in carnival. It was one huge outdoor party and everyone was in on it, everyone was enjoying themselves and having fun, and it was early in the morning, but some people were already drunk. It was outrageous, it was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before, and she was glad to be experiencing it alongside her güerito.

They spent their morning and part of their afternoon taking in the sights, and at three o’clock they returned to the hotel to rest for a couple hours before making the trip out to the stadium. Harry had initially been tempted to have them seated in the VIP section, but had decided against it when Alistair reminded him of how much Paulina would enjoy being in the thick of it. It was because of that advice that Harry had gone ahead and procured midfield seats. Kamal and Gethin weren’t pleased by Alistair having advised Harry against getting the safer seats. If he sat in the VIP section then they could’ve just sat off to the corner and enjoyed the match, but now they were going to have to be actively on watch at all times, covering the young prince. Alistair didn’t care though, he wanted Paulina to truly enjoy herself, and if that meant that they had to work a little harder, then so be it.

When the pair finally arrived at the stadium, they were pleased to find that their seats were right in the middle of a massive Mexico section. It seemed like a large field of green had sprouted in the middle of the stadium, and to be there among fellow supporters that were singing and laughing and making her feel as if she were at the Estadio Azteca (Aztec Stadium) watching the Mexican national team play in the heart of Mexico. It felt like she’d been transported from South Africa to Mexico, and it was amazing, truly and utterly amazing, how comfortable and at ease she felt in that massive crowd. She got rowdy with them, sang the Mexican national anthem and Cielito Lindo, she screamed out puto whenever the French goalie kicked the ball into play, and she laughed and kissed and celebrated Harry throughout the entire match, and to their delight, Mexico ended up beating France.

It was an outing unlike any other, and the following day, they boarded a plane to Cape Town where they attended another match, except that the England match was a lot more serious than the Mexico vs. France one had been. They didn’t go dressed in jeans and jerseys. They went in smart, sensible clothing. Harry wore a tailored suit. She wore a fitted red dress and white coat. They didn’t drink excessively and let out long slews of profanity. They sat up straight in their chairs and minded their manners. William, naturally, was given the place of importance, and to his right sat Harry, and to Harry’s right sat Paulina. It was hard for her to keep herself from screaming out at the players. She knew they would never hear her, not since she was in the VIP box, but whenever she watched games, she always screamed at the television and to see Rooney and some of her other favorites from the English team mess up, really tested her patience. She expected to watch the English team beat the Algerian team, but there was a zero-zero tie. She wished that she could’ve at least said it was a good match, a high packed energy one, but the British players hadn’t played as well as they could have, and Paulina shared Harry and William’s feelings of disappointment.

“Can’t bloody believe they didn’t score a goal!” bellowed Harry during the drive home. “You’d think that with all the talent on the fucking team, they’d at least manage that, but no. Not one bloody goal was made among the lot of them. And it’s not even understandable. I mean, they were up against Algeria!”

“Calm your arse, Harry.” William spoke up. “Scoring goals isn’t as easy as you seem to think it.”

“Scoring goals against Spain isn’t easy, scoring goals against Germany isn’t easy, scoring goals against Argentina isn’t easy, scoring goals against the fucking Netherlands isn’t easy, but Algeria? When have you heard anyone go on about how good the football teams from there are? Never!” cried an exasperated Harry. “So how is it that bloody wankers, couldn’t get a goal on them?”

“Well it is the World Cup, Harry. Players do put a bit more effort into it.” William reminded. “And it’s not like it matters, we’re still advancing to the next round.”

“Yes, but we’re tied in points with America.” Harry scrunched his nose in displeasure. “No offense to you, love.”

“None taken,” Paulina assured. “My country’s not really big on the whole soccer thing. I mean, there is a growing fan base and there are teams in major cities, but it’s not as obsessed over as it is everywhere else in the world, but no one beats us with our American football obsession. That’s where we’d kick your guys’ asses.”

“No arguing there,” said Harry, knowing very well that the Americans were superior in their particular brand of football. “But in proper football it’s embarrassing to tie. It’s just not right.”

“It’s not,” agreed Paulina. “But I think they’ll do better in the next match.”

“Let’s hope so,” said William, “Because I’d hate for them to not make it to the quarter finals.” He suppressed a yawn. “Well anyways, since we’ve had such a dreadful night at the match, what do you lot say to going out?”

“Do ya mean to dinner?” Harry inquired.

“Obviously to dinner,” stated William. “If you don’t have a proper meal, you’ll start being grouchy.”

“Jokes on you because I’ve already eaten,” said Harry, rather proudly.

“You have?” William raised his brow, questioningly.

“Well, not really eaten, it’s more along the lines of me having snacked. Paulin’s always carrying goodies about in her bag for me, so I won’t turn into a grouch, and I’m quite alright for the time being.” Harry told his brother.

William couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “That’s mental!” he said. “There’s no way that can be true. Do you honestly carry around food for him, Paulin?”

“I do,” she admitted, somewhat embarrassedly. “I know you’re gonna tease me and all, but your brother can’t go hungry or else he’ll get annoying. So it’s better to just carry around snacks for him.”

“What is he a toddler?” William managed to say between his laughter.

“Oi!” exclaimed Harry. “Don’t try to mess up what I’ve got going for me. You’re just jealous because no one carries around snacks for you.”

“Because I’m a grown man,” said William, still laughing.

“You’re a wanker, that’s what you are.” Harry stated. “And I’m a bloke that’s well seen to. Aren’t I, love?”

“Of course you are güerito.” Paulina smiled adoringly at him.

“Well even though you’re well seen to, the fact remains that I’m quite hungry. So what do you say to dinner and then we can go over to a nightclub for a bit?” William proposed. “What do you think, Paulin?”

“I think it’ll be fun,” she replied. “We haven’t gone out partying for awhile, so that’ll be rad. But can we stop by the hotel first? I really want to get out of these heels.”

“The dress coming off as well?” inquired Harry with a sly smirk. “Because I reckon I can help with that.”

“Don’t be a perv!” Paulina playfully smacked Harry’s shoulder. “There are other people here.”

“Awe, come on love. I was just trying to be helpful is all,” he said, still smirking. “Nothing wrong with that, not at all, I reckon."

She fought back a smile. “You’re so lame.”

“I’m afraid you’ve confused lame with brilliant again. S’alright though, I forgive you.” Harry scrunched his nose at her.

“A royal pardon?” she arched her brow. “You need to stop handing those out so liberally or else they won’t be worth anything anymore.”

“Seeing as how you’re the only the one that gets them, I reckon they’re still well valued by the public. It’s just your arse that’s unmoved by them, maybe I should stop handing them altogether and toss you in the dungeon for a few days.”

“As if you could get me in any dungeon,” Paulina stated.

“All I’d have to do is promise that David Tennant would be down there waiting for you.”

“I wouldn’t fall for that.”

“I’d say that he’s in his Doctor outfit, and that he means for you to be his Rose. How’d ya like that? I’m quite sure you’d fancy it. I remember those times you proposed we –”

“Finish that sentence and see what happens,” threatened Paulina, blushing furiously.

She had, at one point in the not so distant past, proposed that they do a bit of role playing in the bedroom. Harry had been completely up for it, and they’d gone ahead with some seriously satisfying Doctor Who inspired romps, but Paulina didn’t want William or the security details to hear about the time that Harry fucked her in a cramped closet while he wore a trench coat and converse. That was something that had to be kept private, and judging by the look on her face, Harry knew that if he said what he’d been planning on saying, he’d be a dead man.

“– dress like them and go to one of those Doctor Who conventions that the fans put on,” lied Harry. “She didn’t want me to say anything about it, because it’s bloody embarrassing for people our age to be dressing up like bloody five year old.”

“It would’ve been rad,” said Paulina, going along with his lie. “But enough about that, let’s get back to talking about tonight. Are we gonna be able to swing by the hotel?”

“Yeah, of course,” replied William. “It’s only right we change out of these clothes. We can’t show up to a club, dressed like we’re at a royal engagement. On second thought, we could, but its better not to. These suits are tiring enough as it is without having to keep ‘em on while we’re out having a laugh.”

“Agreed,” said Harry, who had cast aside his tie as soon as they were in the vehicle. “I wish we could’ve gone to the match in our jerseys and sat out with the supporters. That would’ve been fucking brilliant. Could’ve had a proper go of things and gotten off our faces.”

“Why don’t you just stay a few more days and get off your faces at the next match?” inquired William.

“Wish we could, but we’ve got to get back to England.”

“You’ve no duties for the next two weeks.” William reminded.

“I know I don’t.” Harry said. “But Aunt Jane’s invited Paulin to stay a few days, so we’ve got to get back in time for that, and then we’re off to Torquay for a long weekend.

“And then Balmoral,” added Paulina, nervously.

“And then Balmoral,” repeated Harry with a smile. “You don’t have to look so nervous about it, darling. All it is is hanging about the castle for a week.”

“And riding,” she reminded. “Whenever I see or talk to your grandmother, she reminds me that we’re meant to go on horseback.”

“It’s not as terrifying as you make it out to be.” William chirped in. “And it’ll be alright, especially since you’ll be with Granny. Her horses are exceedingly gentle and well trained.”

“I get that, but that doesn’t make me want to mount.” She shifted nervously in her seat. “I think I’m going to try to convince her that I can just watch while she goes for her ride.”

“She’s going to make you ride,” said William with an amused little smile. “When Granny wants something to happen, it happens.”

“That’s a very comforting thing to hear,” she mumbled. “But hopefully she’ll let it slide if I chicken out, which I probably will. But yeah, are you gonna stay some extra days?” she asked William.

“Wish I could, but I can’t. I’m meant to spend a few days with Kate and her family, so I’ll be flying out first thing tomorrow morning.” William responded.

“And you still want to go out?” she asked.

William nodded. “It’s not like I mean to get off my face. I’m only to have a few drinks. That’s it.”

“Still, you should be getting some sleep. It’s already late and –”

“Don’t try to be sensible, love.” Harry stated. “Wills doesn’t get out as much as he used to, so it’ll be alright for him to have a few drinks. And it’s only us, so it won’t be too bad since you don’t care for getting drunk in public.”

Harry was right. They had a sensible night out together, enjoying a fine meal and then several drinks in the VIP section of the nightclub. They laughed in their private booth, shielded from the prying eyes of those around them, and then, shortly before two in the morning, they were driven back to the hotel, where William fell asleep in his suite, and where Paulina and Harry had a somewhat mildly drunk go at each other in theirs.