The Royal Contract

She sliced a big chunk of the pancake and tried to feed Jacob with a mouthful. He first declined, but eventually, he opened his mouth and gave in. He only ordered coffee since he was not hungry.

"You know I could have cooked you that in the safety of your place." Jacob still was apprehensive about her plans.

He wanted to regret agreeing to her plans, but seeing the smile on her lips made him feel guilty that it was his brother who was the cause of all her misery.

He knew it was not the food that was making her jolly. It had something to do with the feeling of being free. However, he could not help but fear that this little venture had a price at stake.

"But this is much more fun." She pointed at her surrounding, with the old tables and chairs and slightly dilapidated paintings on the wall.

She did pick a place that no one would suspect she would go to. It was a small, typical diner that the locals or those on a tight budget would go to.

She would have preferred to dine in an upscale restaurant. But many would recognize her in such a place, even in her disguise. Although she did make an extra effort on her makeup and hair to change how she looked.

"Fine." He conceded, seeing that she was genuinely having fun despite her situation. "Where else are we going after this?" He was curious about her plan.

He could not complain since he was used to this kind of scene. Before his brother showed an interest in taking him under his wings, he and his mother did not have much.

If not for his financial backing, he could never afford his education. He was indeed thankful for his brother for helping him out, but he was still curious about his motive for doing so.

"Let me see." Cassie tapped on her chin, appearing to be thinking of something. "Well, we better finish this so we can be on our way." Judging by her expression, she was able to come up with a plan.

She shoved a big chunk into his mouth and did the same with her, making them almost choke in her foolishness. Both grabbed the coffee in front of them and drank immediately.

But when she looked up, she could not help but laugh at his expression, which caused her to spill the coffee out of her mouth. Unluckily, it landed on Jacob. Hot coffee splattered all over his shirt and pants.

"What the heck?" Jacob yelped in surprise, quickly swallowing the food and beverage inside his mouth.

He was not expecting that from happening, but he had no time to dock out of the way when she blew the contents of her mouth on him.

"I am so sorry, Jacob. It was an accident." She immediately apologized, grabbing the tissue on the table to help him wipe the liquid and pieces of pancake out of his body.

"I did not mean it. I am sorry." She kept saying. But she could not keep the smile away from her lips, still finding the situation a bit funny.

"From the way you are smiling, it seems like you are not sorry at all." Jacob stopped her hands from rubbing his chest, especially when her hands were going dangerously low.

He did find Cassie beautiful, intelligent and sexy, very attractive if he was honest. In any other circumstance, he would have dated her.

But her past involvement with his brother prevented him from pursuing a deeper relationship with her. It would not seem right for him to take advantage of her vulnerability.

"Well, you can not blame me. You should have seen yourself earlier." Cassie chuckled, trying hard to suppress her laughter.

She took another tissue on the table and wiped a few droplets of coffee that were left on his cheeks. She did not want him to be angry at her. It was not her intention.

"Really? But have you seen yourself?" Jacob returned the question, mildly laughing at her.

He did find it funny how her facial expression turned from happy to complete horror with the following incident. Then, he was slightly shocked when she started to panic and had her fingers all over his shirt.

He did not mind what happened to his clothes. He could easily have it washed later, but they would have to go home to change if they were going anywhere else.

"Ok, ok, ok. You win. We both look ridiculous." She conceded, throwing away the napkins in her hands. "Shall we call it a truce?"

She offered her hand for a shake, glad that he seemed to be enjoying the situation himself. When he accepted her hand, she was relieved to know that everything seemed fine between them.

"How can I be mad at someone as adorable as you?" Jacob kept her hand in his, but instead of letting it go, he pulled her closer to him. "Wait."

He leaned forward, and with the tip of his finger, he wiped a syrup stuck at the side of her lips. Then, his eyes shifted from her lips to her eyes, finding himself fixated on them.

"What are you doing?" She was supposed to say that question. But the words got stuck in her throat as his eyes never wavered from hers.

She was suddenly unable to move, paralyzed on the spot as she felt the electricity that ran through her body with that single touch.

"We don\'t want you walking along the New York street looking like that. Don\'t we?" Jacob finally said as he pulled his hands away from her.

Suddenly, he realized the mistake he had just made with her. He should not have touched her or looked deeply into her eyes because it stirred something inside of him.

"Of course. Thanks." She finally snapped out of her own trance, retracting her hands back on her lap.

She was confused with the way she felt. She was not expecting that to happen. She liked Jacob. He was the closest she could call a friend. Since she associated herself with Nick, she had cut ties to the other people in her life.

"Anyway, I think we should go so we can explore more before the day ends." Cassie quickly stood up from her seat, grabbing her bag and eyeglasses.

"Where to?" He asked, still having no idea of her plans.

He placed a few bills on the table before walking with her outside the small establishment.

But she would not take advantage of his kindness and friendship by tagging him along with her insane life. He deserved more than what she could offer.. She was a wreck and riding a sinking ship.