I woke up just before seven the next morning; which was too early given my late night. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, stretched and went in search of coffee. It was time to put my plan into action. And for that, I needed eggs, flour, milk and butter.
A few minutes later, I was dropping my first pancake onto the heated griddle. I was about to flip it over when Caroline walked into the kitchen.
"You're up early," she said.
I smiled. "Well, we've got a long day ahead of us."
"We?"
I was about to explain when Liam roamed into the kitchen, looking like a pale zombie. His eyes were barely open, and he was wearing nothing but his underwear.
At least he managed to put something on this time.
"Mmmhm smells like pancakes," Liam yawned.
"Dude!" I shouted.
"What, bro?" He asked and slowly opened his eyes. "Oh!" He jumped back and tried to cover himself. "Caroline, I didn't see you-I'm gonna go get dressed. Excuse me," he bowed and bolted back to the bedroom.
I shook my head. "What a guy."
Caroline giggled. "He's definitely something else, I'll give him that."
"So," she said, "What were you saying before? Something about there being a long day ahead of us?"
I smirked. "Breakfast first."
Caroline tilted her head and stared at me, seemingly trying to figure out what I was planning. Just then, we heard a thud coming from my room.
"Sounds like Sofia's up," I said.
"Ow!"
"Or maybe she's down. You should go see if she's okay."
Caroline smiled and looked at me suspiciously before sauntering away.
Apparently, Sofia rolled off the bed. But she seemed okay when she finally came out of the bedroom. By then, Liam had returned, fully clothed this time. He had thrown on a dark green polo shirt along with a pair of black shorts. But his orange hair still had that just rolled out of bed look going for it.
He came over and started helping me get things set up outside.
"Where are you guys taking the food?" Sofia asked groggily.
"The deck," Liam replied, "where we have breakfast every morning."
"Will there be coffee on the deck?" she asked.
"I think you also need some water, Sofia," Caroline said.
Sofia rubbed her eyes. "There's water in coffee."
"There'll be coffee," Liam smiled.
"To the coffee!" Sofia shouted, raising her fist towards the deck.
The harbour was bustling with yachts and sailboats as the rays from the morning sun danced on the choppy, azure waters. It was a breathtaking scene. Caroline's hair looked golden in this light. I quickly averted my gaze when she turned her head. Hopefully, she didn't catch me staring.
Everyone was pretty quiet while we all stuffed our faces. But that changed when Liam and I started to take the dishes inside. I guess the food and the coffee had finally kicked in.
Caroline whispered something to Sofia, and they started fanning themselves with their saucers. Then Caroline called Liam over. He bent down as she whispered in his ear.
"Excuse me, waiter," Caroline said to Liam in a British accent.
"Yes, your grace," he replied, putting on his Irish accent.
"Was it the chef with the black hair and dark eyes who prepared our meal?"
"Why yes, your royal highness," he said.
I smiled and shook my head. "You know I can hear you guys, right?" But they kept talking like I wasn't there.
"Where did he study?" Caroline asked.
"Vancouver, your grace. His mother is a highly skilled chef. She specialises in Mexican and Canadian Cuisine," Liam added.
"She has taught him well," Caroline said. "He's a most excellent chef." Then turning to Sofia, she asked, "Wouldn't you agree, dearest?"
"Yes, of course. The pancakes were simply exquisite," Sofia added before sipping her coffee.
"Indeed," Caroline continued, "And the bacon was crisped to utter perfection. Please pay him our sincerest compliments."
"I will, your grace," Liam bowed.
Liam walked over to me, cleared his throat and said: "Her Majesty, Caroline Stormborn, the First of Her Name, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Protector of the Realm, Lady Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons, would like to thank you for a scrumptious meal."
I smiled and started clapping. "That was great. I think the waiter was overacting by this much," I showed a small gap between my thumb and index finger, "but overall an Oscar-worthy effort from the whole cast."
Then they all stood and bowed together.
"K," I began, "now that everyone's fed and awake, here's the plan: Breakfast in Monaco."
"Check," Liam cut in.
"Thank you," I said to him before continuing, "Lunch in Italy and dinner in France. Sound good?"
"I'm in," Liam said.
Sofia shook her head.
Caroline looked at me and smiled knowingly. "I'm in too."
"Lina!" Sofia gasped.
"What?"
"Are you insane?" Sofia began, "Your father's going to be furious-actually, my parents will be too if they get home, and I'm not there." She crossed her arms. "I'm not going, and neither should you."
"When are your parents getting back?" Liam asked.
"Why?" Sofia narrowed her eyes.
"They'll be back from Milan around seven," Caroline said.
"Lina!"
"Pretty sure we can make that work, right, Javi?"
"It'll be a little tight, but I'll figure it out."
Sofia shook her head. "Don't bother, I'm not going. Even if we get back before my parents, I don't want to be there when-"
"Come on, Belle," Caroline interrupted, "It'll be fun."
"Every time you call me Belle, it's because you want something. But it's not going to work this time."
"Okay," Caroline sighed, "Guess I'll just have to tell your dad about the Canadian boy you got drunk with last night. And how much you looooved making out with him, and getting lost is dreamy green eyes."
Sofia's mouth dropped open, and Liam smiled proudly.
"You wouldn't," Sofia said.
"I don't have to if you just come with us."
"Sofia," I said, "I'll take the heat for it. I'll say it was all my idea."
Sofia looked at Caroline, then to Liam (who winked at her), then to me.
"Okay, fine," she said, "I'll go."
Caroline hugged her, "Thank you!"
I smiled. "Alright, let's get this show on the road."
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