An Unroyal Alliance

As the sun warmed away the chill of the night, Ayesha threw open her windows and leaned on the sill to watch the town below her. Her new home. Well, what she hoped she could turn to home. Every other place she had been before always felt like home at first, until she became restless, bored, lost, and then, moving would feel like the best reprieve for a place she believed would be more permanent. She didn't want that to happen here. Watford felt different.And to start her day, she had an entire list of items to pick up from the market. So she brushed her teeth, showered under bone-chilling water--she needed to get the heater fixed--and ran a comb through her hair. As she dressed, and hurried out of her room, she snatched her keys from the bowl she usually kept them in, and pulled the shopping list off the fridge, reading it briefly before stuffing it in her bag and heading out.A few appraising eyes swung her way as she stepped out, one of them she recognised as the man who had helped

Dimitri steered the car into the driveway of the apartment complex. It was still early in the evening, so he hoped to get one more errand run before his party. Dimitri was more than glad he had insisted on driving her home the day they met. It would have been a difficult process, combing through her purse for ID and making calls to find out where she lived.He parked in a decent spot and got out of the car, grabbing her bag from the passenger seat."Good evening." He said to the man at the desk. "I am looking for someone who lives in this building. Ayesha Hansley. Average height, shoulder-length dark hair, tanned, has an accent. I believe she shares the apartment with someone."He searched for the details on his computer. "Yes. She is a resident here. Are you family?""No. We met sometime back, but she left some personal items with me. I want to return them to her.""Can I see some ID, please?"Dimitri reached into his pocket to dig out his wallet. He handed over his driver's license.

The party started winding down around one, and by two, it was over. Guests trickled out of the house in small numbers, saying their goodbyes and complimenting his mother on the party.Dimitri left his sisters and Sofia conversing by the fire and went to look for his mother. He found her speaking with the staff they hired and stood by the door, watching until she was done. One by one, the workers began to leave, returning inside to finish the work that was left. Dimitri stepped aside to let them pass and walked over to the counter.“The party was lovely, mother.”She basked in the praise, smiling at him. “I am glad you liked it. As soon as this place is cleared, we can all get some sleep. I can’t believe it went on for as long as it did.”“You underestimate the power of gossip and alcohol. It’s typically what people go to parties for. At least, I think it is.”“It most certainly is not."His younger sister walked into the kitchen, waving her phone in the air. He lifted his arm and she c

After three hours of working, Ayesha still found herself smiling. Into the industrial trawler, she sorted out the next batch of towels and sheets she had as part of her quota for the day. She had her headphones over her ears, listening to music while she worked.Her mind travelled once in a while to the conversation she had with Dimitri earlier in the morning. In truth, it left her flustered as well as anxious. There was no doubt that she liked being around him. Three times they had met, and each time left her giddy and dosed with excitement. This time, she wondered if he thought or felt the same about her. Worse, today, when she asked to take him out for a drink.A drink!The simple invitation to go out for drinks brought about many facts. Facts that came to mind after he had left. Ayesha barely knew anything about the man apart from his name. What did she know about his life, that she was allowing herself to sink deeper and deeper into a hole of unknown depth? She had never considere

Dimitri drove her back to the apartment building after their night out ended. He walked her to the door, and they stood outside for a few minutes talking until he had to leave. This time, tucking away any awkwardness she felt, Ayesha perked up and asked for his number. With little hesitation, Dimitri typed it into her phone and made her call so she could see it ring, and he saved her name on his phone.They said goodbye, and he returned to his car. Ayesha remained outside, waved goodbye and only went in after his car took the turn and disappeared.Ayesha breezed past through the hall, not paying attention to anyone as she got into the elevator. Though they had not made plans to go out some other time, she was content with how the night went.No, it had not been a date. Yes, she was developing a bit of a crush on someone she had only met a handful of times. One of those times was when he ran her over, but she didn’t think much about those things. Dimitri was an easy person to like. At l