6.0 The Story of The Prince and The Princess

Birds chirping could be heard when Eloise slowly woke up from sleep. The first person she saw as she woke up as Nikolai who was just staring at her. It took her a few seconds to realize what was going on. She immediately let go of his hand that she held for the night. She seemed rather awkward and did not know where to look nor what to say.

"You like my hand that much?" asked Nikolai in a teasing manner. She was still unable to construct her sentences and was just mumbling. "You should wash your face and head to class if you don't want to be late," he added as he smiled, looking at her being all disoriented. "Oh yes, I should go," said Eloise as she grabbed her bag in a hurry. Nikolai could not help but smile upon seeing her cuteness. "She is making it hard not to like her," murmured Nikolai as he looked at the hand she held all night.

After a long day, lecture was finally over. For some reason, more people were gossiping about Eloise . "What did they post on the homepage?" asked Eloise who was curious as to know the situation. "Here," said Katherine who showed Eloise the post. The headline was 'The Prince who saved The Princess' whereby Nikolai was the Prince and Eloise was the Princess. There were tons of comments as well, most were positive such as praises for Nikolai about him helping and saving Eloise . However, there were some negative comments that were condemning Eloise . For instance, some comments accused her of using this tactic and creating such a huge scene just to get Nikolai's attention or comments that were name-calling Eloise for being a drama queen and desperate for fame and attention. Such comments just made Eloise laugh. "Is it funny?" asked Katherine . "Well, it seems that I am an attention seeker and a drama queen. I find it rather amusing because one day they praise me for my beauty and personality and the next day they diss me," replied Eloise as she scrolled through the comments. "You know it's not true. You saved me. I'm sure many people who were there knows the truth," said Katherine . "It's fine. As long as you are safe and sound, that's all that matters. It is true I saved you but it is also true that Nikolai got hurt because of me," said Eloise so as to reassure Katherine who was feeling guilty.

Outside of the campus, there was a luxury car waiting. Casey waved to them and called for them. "I'm going to the hospital to check on Nikolai . I was wondering if you two want to come along," said Casey . "We are planning to go but we want to pick up some fruits and flowers on the way," replied Katherine . "I got them all prepared. Let's go together!" said Casey who pushed them into the car. At the hospital, Nikolai was listening to classical music while staring at the clear blue sky. A knock on the door was heard and Casey slid the door open. "Nikolai~ I am here! I brought your favorite waffles!" said Casey who was being as cheerful as he usually is. In went Katherine who held the fruit basket and Eloise who held the bouquet of roses. "Looks like we have a gathering," said Nikolai with a smile. "Nikolai, I am really sorry for what happened," apologized Katherine who felt guilty thinking she was the cause of this. "No worries. I did it because I wanted to. It's not your fault," he replied. Seeing Katherine still remorseful, he smiled and said "Don't look so depressed. This is not the Katherine Williams I know. Where is the girl who was brave and stands up for her friend?" Katherine smiled as his words were encouraging and melted her worries away.

That evening, only Eloise stayed behind to watch over Nikolai since Katherine needed to go home and Casey had to run some errands. There was an awkward silence in the ward since none of them talked. It was as if they were in their own worlds despite being in the same time and space. "Are you not going home?" asked Nikolai who had been silently staring at Eloise for hours. "I'll go home after you fall asleep," she replied as she read her lecture notes. "You planning to hold my hand again when I am unconscious?" he asked. His question made Eloise lose her composure just a little. She was already having inner conflicts thanks to him and here he was stirring up her emotions again. "Just go to sleep if you want me gone," she said after collecting herself. With a smirk, Nikolai said "If you keep coming, it will make me question your intentions." Eloise immediately replied "I am just repaying you for saving me. That's it. Nothing more." She did seem flustered and worked up.

"Remember what I told you back in the music room?" asked Nikolai as he stood up slowly. Eloise began to have flashbacks to the conversation they had that day. His exact words were "If you appear in front of me again, I will eat you…" and that made Eloise tremble. "Don't get me wrong. I told you I am here to repay your kindness," she said with her voice trembling from nervousness. Little did she know Nikolai was standing in front of her. "You-" she said. Before she could finish her sentence, Nikolai leaned in towards her making her speechless. With a distance of less than a fist between their faces, Eloise was starting to feel anxious and her heart was beating like crazy. "You clearly don't care about your own safety…" he spoke with his deep yet soft voice. Eloise tried to remain calm but her insides were already a mess as if hit by a typhoon. Nikolai then leaned towards her left ear and whispered "A little appetizer before the main course…" as he gave a peck on her neck before walking away.