Royal obligations

The first official date

When Ella woke up the next day she found herself in Christian's arms. He was still sleeping so she didn't know what to do. All she knew was that she had never felt better or slept as soundly as she did that night. While she was contemplating how she could get out of his arms without waking him up, she felt him wake up as well. Feeling a blush form on her face she started to apologize but Christian cut her off by bidding her good morning saying he liked waking up with her.

All Ella could do was smile, while she looked around to find a clock to check the time. Christian seemed to know what she was looking for and told her that the time was 9.30, they had plenty of time to slowly wake up and get breakfast before they would need to go to meet Julia and Christopher. Again Ella just smiled, but she mustered up her courage and asked what it had meant for them to sleep in the same bed. What were they?

Christian smiled and told her that she meant the world to him and he would love nothing more than for them to be a couple but that was up to her. When Ella was about to reply, he asked her not to say anything until he had talked to her and told some things while they would be on their picnic date in the afternoon. She shouldn't be afraid even without knowing what to expect from the talk, but she couldn't help being nervous.

After breakfast with his parents that was offering the best food she had ever tasted his parents went to their car while Christian and Ella went to his. The drive to the lawn where the auction was to be held was silent. Once they were there, Christian looked at her and promised that he would not let anyone get even close to buy her basket. She just smiled and opened the door and reached in the back seat to get her basket.

After Julia and Christopher had met them the girls went to put their baskets in the mix to get auctioned. They just returned to the guys when the auction started and much to Ella surprise, her basket was the first on the list. Her nerves took over as she heard the mayor open the bids after describing what was inside the basket, asking for $5 as a starting price. Her heart sank when Christian, who knew perfectly well that this was her basket, didn't put his hand up straight away. She looked at him but he just smiled telling her not to worry.

Within minutes the bids for her basket had reached $90 and three guys were looking determined to be the one getting the basket. All of a sudden Christian raised his hand and yelled that he bid $200 for the basket, raising the bid up $80 in one bid. The three guys looked at each other disappointed and then at Christian who had a look on his face that seemed to scream 'just try and I'll make you regret it' which, to Ella's surprise, made all three guys back down making the mayor declare that the basket was sold to Christian for $200.

When Christian had paid for the basket he came back to them beaming. He looked at Ella 'you didn't honestly think I would let anyone else buy your basket? I just needed to give the other guys a chance to raise the price a little before I swooped in and let everyone know this was my basket and they would be vise to stay clear of it and you'. Ella just looked at him and asked why he had been so sure that no one would keep bidding against him to which he told her he would answer that and anything else on their picnic. That was good enough for Ella at that moment so she shifted her attention to the auction again. Seeing it was Christian's mother's basket up next she couldn't wait to see how that would turn out. When the mayor had described the contents of the basket and opened the bid at $5 she noticed no one was raising their hands. Ella looked at Christian with a huge question mark on her face. Christian and Christopher only chuckled saying no one was stupid enough to even try any more.

All of a sudden Christian's father raised his hand yelling he was bidding $250 on the basked. Every guy on the lawn seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and Ella and Julia just looked at each other with the same confusion on their face. When Julia's basket was up for auction Christopher leaned into her asking if she was sure she didn't want some of the guys who were bidding to get her basket. Julia looked at him with daggers in her eyes threatening him that if he ever wanted a repeat of his birthday present he better not let anyone else get it. Christopher looked really sheepish and put his hand up in the air as fast as he could yelling he was bidding $200 for the basket, raising the bid up $50. He had the same look on his face as Christian had when Ella's basket was on bid, getting the same results, every other guy backed down and Christopher won the basket.

When the auction was over the mayor asked the women to please find their basket and the man who bought it declared the festival open and bid everyone to have a good time during the week.

Ella and Christian said goodbye to Julia and Christopher, Ella giving Julia a look that told Julia she hadn't missed the thread she had made to Christopher and she would need Julia to tell her all about it when they were alone. Ella just wondered why, after a whole month, Julia hadn't told her about it and why she hadn't picked up on anything either. But before she could think any more of it, she felt Christian's arms on her back asking if she was ready? When she answered truthfully that she was, he just smiled and told her he knew about the perfect place they would be all alone at and could have the much needed talk. With that he looked over at Christopher and it seemed to Ella that the two of them were having a whole conversation without any words. Christopher just nodded and led Julia to his own car, separating the four of them for the day.

    When Christian and Ella had arrived at the spot Christian had chosen for them he put down a blanket and sat down looking at Ella as he waited for her to sit down as well. Once they were sitting Ella started to pick out their meal from the basket earning herself a huge smile and a moan from Christian as he looked at the buffet she was presenting to him. All he could say was 'it looks amazing, how did you manage to make all of this in one afternoon?' Ella just smiled and told him she had always loved to cook and bake, ever since she was little, and with her mom always working so hard and long hours she had taken it upon herself to cook for her mom every day.

    They started eating in silence until Christian told her that it pained him to know what she must have had to live through while growing up. Ella had told him about her childhood for the most part and of her father leaving her mom and her behind in his mess. Ella just shrugged her shoulders saying it was all she knew until she had met him and now life was so much easier than before so it didn't matter anymore. All she wanted now was to help her mom get out of the town and everything would be perfect.

    With that Christian cleared his throat and looked really uncomfortable. Ella just smiled at him trying to make him feel better. When Christian looked at her he asked if it was ok if he would hold her hand while he would tell her everything he needed to. When Ella took his hand he sighed of relief and smiled, asking her to please hear him out before she would make up her mind. When Ella had promised him she would he just nodded his head asking her if she wanted to ask him anything before he would start. Ella only nodded her head and asked him her first question, the one she had wanted an answer to since the first time their hands had touched. 'Why does it feel like electricity is going through me every time you hold my hand?' Christian just smiled and told her that it was their bond, and it would not only happen when they would hold hands. Every touch they would make would feel like that and it would be so much stronger when they would be intimate. Ella blushed really hard and asked her next question 'why does it feel like some days that you like me and want to take things further and others like you're pushing me away?' Instead of smiling he just frowned his eyebrows at her and told her that she was right that he liked her, but he was sometimes afraid to hope that she would accept him. Making the next question pop up in her head that moment 'why wouldn't I accept you? what haven't you told me about yourself?'

    With that as his queue he asked if she would let him finish talking without interrupting him so he wouldn't lose his courage like so many times before. Ella just nodded her head in agreement and waited for him to start talking. Once he prepared himself to start talking Ella found herself feeling nervous but wanting to comfort him since she could feel how scared he was. She desperately needed him to know that she was absolutely sure that there was nothing he could say that would make her reject him since knew she was completely in love with him. Once she had admitted that to herself she squeezed his hand and moved closer to him to be able to stroke his hair as well.

    What came out of his mouth when he finally spoke threw her into shock and then laughter since he started by asking her if she had ever heard about Lycans, as in werewolves. She nodded her head when she realized he was honestly asking her, telling him she had read the same children's stories as every other child in America but that was just fiction. When he shook his head telling her that werewolves were real but not like in the stories and fiction that she had been told all she could do was look at him and ask how he knew. Christian smiled at her saying he was relieved that she hadn't let go of him yet so he would explain it all to her.