1 Chapter 1 : The Bachelor Party

The choices we make define who we are – for the most part. I've lived almost my entire life under the shadows; never seen, never heard, never noticed, and never really wanting to. It wasn't until my twenty-first birthday that I realized I haven't done much living. When the New Year rung in, I decided, much like a majority of the Earth's population, that I needed to find a new resolution that will help me outgrow the spice-less life that I've led for so long.

Almost eight months into my resolution, you'll find me waitressing at Charlie Wilmer's in the heart of Manhattan, throwing out the trash with my queer, handsome friend. As I stepped out the backdoor, I couldn't help but stop dead in my tracks and breathe in the evening, fall breeze. Ricardo practically crashed into me. If I didn't already have good footing, we would've both tumbled on the greasy asphalt.

'Sorry', he fumbled, as he opened the lid and threw the bag of leftovers into the dumpster.

'What are you girls doing here? Get inside, we have customers waiting!', Tariq, the manager yelled at us.

'You asked us to throw out the trash!', I yelled back, but with my mousy voice, I hardly sounded threatening.

He completely ignored my comeback and went on with his rant, 'The bachelor party inside is made up of some wealthy, European people. I better not get any complaints tomorrow morning.'

The door slammed hard behind him, and I couldn't help but curse underneath my breath. He got one complaint about one drink that went to the wrong table, and we've been hearing about it ever since. Ricardo and I went inside to check out the fancy-shmancy party that Tariq was so worried about. They looked like they could easily fit in with the New York elite.

Ricardo grabbed my arm and pulled me behind the counter. 'Can you please waitress them, Emma? I know I owe you so much already, but I have a date with Sam tonight. Please, please, pretty please!'

'You want me to cover for you again?', I more of nagged than asked.

'Pretty please', he batted his unbelievably long lashes at me. Why men were born with lashes they absolutely don't deserve is beyond me!

I looked at the table where the party was seated. They all looked burly, handsome and could get a girl in trouble. Who was I to say no to that? Also, did I mention that they were European?

'Fine. Let the fun begin', I agreed, but Ricardo had already removed his apron and was making a run for it.

I went over to the party, who was bustling with laughter. One of them shushed the rest as he saw me make my way over.

'Good evening gentleman, I'm Emma and will be your waitress for tonight. What would you like to order?'

'I would like a fillet mignon with a side of asparagus and sweet potatoes please', one said with a heavy European accent. I couldn't help but smile sarcastically at his request. 'And we'll have a bottle of Pinot Noir for the table', he added. It took all the might in me not to laugh.

'The closest we have to what you asked is a deluxe burger and a bottle of Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz', I said, covering my laugh with a smile.

'I beg your pardon?', he genuinely sounded offended, and looked somewhat ashamed.

'Never mind Henrik, it's his first time in Manhattan. We'll have five deluxe burgers and a round of your finest whiskey', the guy who shushed them earlier ordered.

'Five?', I looked around and there was only four men seated.

'Sorry I'm late. It's hard to find a car-park in the city', a man said from behind me. I turned around to give room for the man to find his seat, but instead found myself locked into whimsical, grey eyes that seemed to have captured a galaxy in them.

'Nice to meet you, I'm Harper', he said as he offered his hand for a handshake. The gesture was both surprising and unexpected. No customer has ever offered to shake hands with me before; certainly not a handsome looking European.

'Emma', I reciprocated as I took his hand. Its warmth jolted me back from my trance as I realized I was being rude and unprofessional for making him stand for so long.

'Please have a seat, and your order will be right up', I said and left the men enjoy the rest of their evening. I cranked up the music and made sure they always had a full drink in their hands. Their laughter was infectious, and I couldn't help but laugh every now and then at their silly jokes.

I was busy checking my Instagram feed at the bar, my back momentarily to the party before I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around to find Harper looking at me with a smile on his face and a credit card in his hand. I immediately went over to the till to grab the check and hand it to him.

'So, Emma, are you from around here?', he asked, his voice raspy from the alcohol.

'Born and raised', I said proudly as I took back the check and card from him.

'A $200 tip?', I asked in amazement.

'Is that too little? I'm not sure how much I should tip. I always get it wrong', he said, concerned.

I chuckled and explained to him that he's supposed to double the tax. He then insisted that I better take the $200 because I was dainty.

'Wow, you sure know how to get a girl weak in her knees', I joked, and it earned me an honest laugh.

'So, since you're from around here, why don't you take us to a bar? The boys aren't done drinking, apparently', he said as he nodded at them.

'You want me to join your bachelor party? Isn't it against the rules for a girl to join?', I challenged him.

'Oh. I think you're right. Too bad we live in the twenty-first century, and breaking rules is kind of a big deal', he joked.

I couldn't help but chuckle, but then inspiration hit. I was already $200 richer this evening. Why not Carpe Diem the hell out of this situation?

'I have a better idea', I told him before I addressed the rest of the party. 'Boys, it's time to work some muscle.'

I handed every man, whose names I learned where Henrik, Sebastian, Peter and Isaac, bottles of wine until I made sure we covered $200 worth. I asked them to wait for me outside while I locked up and changed into a pair of fitted jeans and a black tank top. I let my hair loose, dabbed on some lip lacquer and was ready to hit the road.

'Wow. You clean up nice', exclaimed Sebastian.

'That's no way to talk to a lady', Harper chastised.

'I'm just saying the uniform and apron don't do her justice', Sebastian said shrugged. I couldn't help but roll my eyes and laugh.

We somehow managed to shimmy into Harper's rented sedan and I guided him to my favorite hang-out spot. It's a secret little beach, just outside of Manhattan where you can see the city lights, the moonlight and the stars twinkling bright in the sky.

'If anyone says we're going to be skinny-dipping, I will call the police', Henrik said stand-offishly. The rest of the gang ignored him as they took off their shoes and marched on into the sand.

'Let's start a bonfire', Isaac suggested.

'The only thing I'll be starting is a drink to calm my nerves', Henrik said as he popped the bottle open and started sipping on the wine.

'Fine. I'll start the bonfire', Isaac said and then started collecting twigs and other findings between the sand grains.

'Would you like to get into the water?', Harper asked shyly. He actually seemed like he was dreading the question.

'I have a better idea', I said and pointed at a nearby cliff.

'You want to go all the way up?', Harper gulped. He seemed larger than life but was afraid of heights. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

'It's not that high. Come on', I said and tugged him forward as I led the way.

I grabbed a bottle of wine and held it securely in my belt and headed towards the cliff. Once I made sure I had a good grip on both my hands and feet, I slowly started to ascend until I made it to the top. Harper soon followed and started dusting off his ridiculously expensive pants and shirt. I, on the other hand, settled at the edge of the cliff and motioned for Harper to come join me.

'Not a fan of heights?', I asked as he nervously fidgeted in his place before complying to my request.

'It just seems unsafe, that's all', he tried to hide his fear with reason.

'This is my happy place. Believe me, I've never felt safer anywhere else.'

We sat there quietly for a while, enjoying the late-night breeze and the splashing waves against the bottom of the cliff as we exchanged sips of wine. The men were running around by the water like little children, and Henrik was standing far off so that his leather shoes wouldn't get wet.

'So, what's your story?', Harper was first to break the silence.

'I don't really have much of a story, to be honest. I graduated from NYU about a year ago with a degree in American Literature. I started interning in a publishing house for three months before realizing it was the most boring job I could ever have, so I quit. And here I am now.'

'You're quiet the adventurer, aren't you?', Harper teased.

'Well, I've been trying to be lately. I decided on New Year's that I was going to be a Yes Woman.'

'Yes Woman?', he mused.

'Like Jim Carrey in the movie Yes Man. I'll say yes to anything that comes my way.'

'That's interesting. How has that been working for you?', Harper slightly shifted his body so that he would be facing me.

'Well, I'm a waitress in Manhattan with a boss who is a complete ass. On the other hand, I am sitting on a cliff with a handsome man, drinking wine and enjoying the moon. So, I think I'm doing great so far.'

'I think you are great, Miss Emma', he flirted.

'That's just the wine talking.'

'Maybe it is. Or maybe it's because I find you so refreshingly delightful', he went on flirting.

'You're good with the words. I'll give you that', I said as I took the wine bottle back from him and took a few sips.

I turned around to face him, made sure our eyes locked and really studied his features. He's no older than thirty-five, and his skin hasn't seen the sun much. His slicked back undercut hairstyle shows that there's a bad boy inside him that's hiding behind the façade of a gentleman.

'You have big responsibilities on your shoulders. Always taking care of everyone else but yourself. Your parents are high maintenance, probably because of your social status', I suddenly found myself saying.

His jaw dropped and looked stunned beyond belief. 'How did you do that?'

Bingo. I hit every detail on the head. 'I am good at reading people. It's like a gift, or a curse. Depends on your perspective', I explained.

The wind started to howl harder and it was getting chillier. I couldn't help but shiver and started rubbing my arms.

'Getting cold?', he asked.

'Just a little.'

'Let's go sit by the fire, then.'

He stood up and helped me on my feet. We slowly started descending, careful not to slip and fall, and made our way to the bonfire that Isaac had niftily started.

'The boys are really having a good time, aren't they?', he said as we enjoyed the men trying to drag Henrik into the water.

'Yeah, they're lucky to have a friend like you. It's turning out to be an amazing bachelor party', I complimented.

'I would know, considering I'm the groom', he said sarcastically.

I chocked on the wine I had sipped and wiped off the remnants with the back of my hands.

'This is your bachelor party?', I exclaimed.

'Yeah. I should've brought it up sooner. Sorry', he sheepishly apologized.

I sat stunned for a second before I found my voice again. 'Congratulations. Although for a committed guy, you're very flirty'

He chuckled. 'Thank you. Although I'm not exactly sure if congratulations are quiet in order. My situation… it's complicated.'

'Aren't all relationships', I added as I took a long sip.

'I'm not exactly in a relationship. I still don't know who my bride is going to be', he further explained.

That left me at sixes and sevens.

'You're joking right? Is this like an arranged marriage?'

'Yes and no.'

I placed the bottle on the sand and looked for any signs that he was joking. There was none. He was dead serious. He looked back at me and could see that I was struggling to understand his situation.

He grabbed the wine bottle and started playing around with it. 'I guess now is as good of a time to let you know that I am Prince Harper, future King of Monaco.'