Chapter 5 A Friend

• Annie
• "I'm going to change in the bathroom. Stay here."
• Oh god. I am so screwed.
• I am so fired.
• Good job Annie! It only took you two months to get fired. I watch the mysterious man disappear through the bathroom door to the left. I'm so nervous that when he closes it, I jump. My heart races at one hundred miles and hour and my face is still hot. In that moment I make an instant decision.
• I run.
• I grab my maids cart and quickly push it the hell out of there. I don't want to face the mysterious man when he comes out of the bathroom. I'm mortified. I'm completely embarrassed.
• I'm.... fired.
• Oh great!
• As I run out of the suite, I don't even bother shutting the door. When I'm finally safe back in the main hall I stop to catch my breath. I think back to that man. He was so handsome and... terrifying. Completely terrifying. His dark eyes bore into my soul but his body and his...
• No! Don't go there! I need to forget about him. He's going to fire me anyway. It doesn't matter if he looked incredibly hot.
• Because he did.
• I look around again and take my phone out of my apron.
• Me: ALINE HELP WHERE ARE YOU WE NEED TO TALK EMERGENCY
• I'm shaking so much that my fingers fumble with the buttons and I have to retype my text a few times. Almost immediately, Aline texts back.
• Aline: OMG WHAT HAPPENED
• I try to find the right way to describe what just happened and realize it isn't a conversation to have in text.
• Me: Meet me in the staff room. Now.
• I put my phone away and practically run through the castle to the staff room. I don't want to run into Mr. Shower again and I'm sure that by now he's looking for me. I don't want to see his face again. I just want the termination notice to show up in the mail like a normal situation or maybe be told by my employer.
• When I got there Aline practically jumps down my throat. She's nervously playing with her red hair and her green eyes are filled with concern and curiosity. "Annie! Oh my god. You ok, yes? What is the problem?" Her Verilian accent was sharp.
• I sigh. "No! I'm freaking out! I just walked in on a really hot almost naked guy in the West Wing and now I'm going crazy because I'm obviously going to be fired but I need this job because... what?" I'm rambling, but I stop when I see the look of absolute horror and shock on Aline's face. "I know, I know. I'm fired."
• "No."
• "What? Of course I am."
• She grabs my shoulders and looks me in the eyes. "Annie! No!"
• "Aline? What? Tell me?" Now I demand to know why she's freaking out.
• "Annie! Do you know who is staying in the West Wing?" Her stare is intense and she is dead serious. Now I feel like I had done something more wrong than walking in on an almost naked guy.
• "Oh I don't know, some stuck up noble? What does it even matter? I'm fired anyway!"
• "Prince Daniel is staying in the West Wing!" She shakes my shoulders more violently than a slip of a girl like her should be able to. "Annie! Oh my god! He's so hot! You saw everything, yes?" Aline's clearly excited. Prince Daniel is gorgeous and he's a celebrity in Verilia. He's also a player and a scandal in itself, Aline explained to me once. I don't much about the guy, but what I was told was that he slept with one hundred women and supposedly beat his ex girlfriend. It was never proven or taken to court, but there were rumors. He's hot shit and he knows it.
• He's also Mr. Shower. The man who I saw nearly naked.
• Oh shit! I'm no fired, I'm dead!
• My face flushes. "I..uh... he was in only a towel."
• Aline screams. "Tell. Me. Everything."
• I explain it all, telling Aline how I got to where I got and what happened after. She has a lot of questions about the man who I now know as Prince Daniel. She has even more questions about the "royal package". I'm mortified. Not only had I neglected to follow protocol, but I walked in on the most important person in Verilia. I should've known better and I sure as hell should've knocked. Without this job, I have to return to America, but the worst part is how Aline and her mother would be disappointed. They're counting on me to do this job and I failed them. After I was done explaining, Aline was extremely worked up. She was excited for some reason. The Prince was some celebrity and I didn't understand it. To be honest, he seemed like an ass.
• "Aline, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to get fired." I can't help but apologize.
• "No! No! It's okay. This is good yes? You met Prince Daniel. Not many are as fortunate." She's so excited and keeps shaking my shoulders and screaming. It reminds me of a teenage girl meeting some pop idol. Apparently, in Verilia, Prince Daniel has a fan girl following.
• "Yeah, and he's going to fire me."
• Aline waves her hand, dismissing my concerns. "So? You can find other job. You met the Prince, this is worth drinks!" Se smiles widely. I can't help but feeling a bit better.
• A moment later we're interrupted by one of the head maids. She yells at us in Verilian, Aline doesn't need to translate, I understand the basics. Before we part she gives me a comforting squeeze and tells me all will be well and that we will meet for drinks later. Talking with Aline definitely makes me feel a little better, but I'm still embarrassed and upset. I can't believe I went and got myself fired. And it's now a hundred times worse now that I know I walked in on the prince of the whole damn country when he was half naked.
• I try my best to concentrate on the rest of my work while I can still do it. I stay the hell away from the West Wing and keep my head down. I don't need to make anymore waves, and trust me, I made enough for the whole Atlantic Ocean already.
• I wheel my cart and continue to vacuum the fancy red and white carpets but I simply can't shake my thoughts. I really do love this job and I need it. I'm angry at myself for losing it so carelessly. What I wouldn't do to go back in time and knock on that damn door. All of my problems would disappear.
• Well, not all of them.
• I'm still broke.