But with Camilla...it feels completely different. Not like I have to try hard with her, and it bothers me; it's something else. It feels like Iwantto try hardforher; it gives me pleasure when she's happy, even though we’ve just met.
As I take off the protective cap and adjust the telescope lenses to the required range, I gesture to Camilla to look into it again.
"Oh my God," she whispers the second she looks into it. "I always knew it would be beautiful, but I would never imagine that it would bethismesmerizing. I’ve only looked at stars through my camera length."
"Do you have a good camera?"
"Yeah, I dreamed about being a photographer one day. I worked as a waitress last summer, and all the money I earned I spent on a camera."
She says it as if it's not something special, but for me it is. I love that she knows what she wants to do in life. Until last year, I couldn't say that I wanted to become my father's business heir. Only once I'd been to Edinburgh's business school for a year did I realise that business is my thing.
I smile, looking at how cute she is, admiring the stars. I think that is the trait I like the most: she doesn't pretend to be someone else and doesn't try to hide her real feelings. I've never seen anyone as genuine as Camilla.
I’ve met many different people in my life. It's one of the advantages of staying in hotels. In our Parisian hotel, for example, I met a German president and a king of Spain. Some workers I've talked to were African immigrants who ran to France for a better life; others were French natives who looked at the foreign guests as if they somehow had a lower social status.
And I can't even count how many celebrities I've seen through the years; there were thousands. Some movie stars even had personalized suites in some of our hotels. They always treated me like their relative, bringing me candies and pampering me as if we were relatives.
Such childhood and attention from the most popular and high-ranking people on the planet leave a specific imprint on the character of anyone, including me. When you come from a wealthy, famous family like mine, the list of women ready to spend time with you is huge. I never really needed to try hard to get a woman's attention; it all happened naturally.
Until this day. I’ve thought all day about what I should do for our date that Camilla would like. When she told me that her family doesn't allow her to date, the task became even more difficult but more enjoyable at the same time. Because for the first time, I care about what a woman will think of me. And this is no ordinary woman; she is completely different than everyone I've met before.
"I think I see the Big Dipper," Camilla exclaims happily, interrupting my thoughts, and I return to reality. I smile, admiring her enthusiasm, but say nothing. "Did you know that stars are located so far away that their light takes years to reach us?"
She pulls away from the telescope and turns to me. Her face expresses the delight I haven't seen before as if at this exact moment, she's truly happy. Happy for real.
No matter what has bothered her in the past, I want to always see her like this for the rest of our lives.
Our lives?I find myself rethinking those words in my head. Why did I use that expression? Why do I feel like I've known her forever? And, at the same time, why do I feel like I've been waiting for her all my life?
"Not exactly," I finally say after a long pause, reminding myself that she asked me a question. "The sun is the closest star to the Earth, and its light reaches us in about eight minutes." I continue, slightly flattered that I can surprise her in a good way.
Camilla's eyes widen in surprise, even though she tries not to show it. She didn't expect me to know anything about space, and now she looks impressed.
The only person I ever wanted to receive approval from was my father, but no matter how hard I tried, I never got it. I asked him once why his expectations of me were so high. He told me that I was his only son and a future heir of the family empire, which puts a huge responsibility on me.
I didn't believe him. He always played the good cop when Mom was still alive. I think he changed after she died, hardened, and I'm afraid it was because Mom passed away so young. I still don't think he unexpectedly decided to prepare me for the hard work of being his heir.
"I didn't expect you to know anything about stars," she murmurs with a satisfied smile, confirming my assumptions. A wave of delight travels through my body from that look.
"I hope I'll keep surprising you every single day." My voice is hoarse as I say it, peering into Camilla's eyes as if I want to find something in them.
She immediately blushes at my words and looks at the telescope again.
"Have you found Sirius?" I ask to change the subject. I love how she looks when she gets shy, but I want her to feel comfortable with me.
Camilla silently shakes her head, and I come closer, leaning toward the telescope to find the brightest star in the sky visible from the Earth.
"Here," I say when I see it, and Camilla leans closer. Her smell hits my nostrils, and my head starts slightly spinning.
She smells like coconut mixed with pineapple. I guess she loves those fruit shampoos, and her silky hair enjoys them, too, because it shines bright even in the dim light of the room.
I can't help but lean closer to inhale more of her. The heat of her skin feels fantastic, mixed with her intoxicating scent.
She doesn't use perfume, and I'm glad about that. I can smell her natural scent, which makes my heart beat faster and my pants become tighter with every breath.
"I can't..." Camilla starts but stops when she turns to face me and finds my lips inches from hers.
Our eyes lock, and I wonder if she'll get scared again.