MY ABOVE 'the' NORMAL PRINCE

Chapter Eleven: Heart Lock

Tori's POV

It was another new day for me and Rose—my babe blessed with boobie. Honestly, sometimes I can't believe she's the same best friend I used to know. She's so much beautiful now, from her face to her figure. I'm really happy for her, and I know I'll always be happy just seeing her shine.

"Rose," I asked as I adjusted my ID lanyard, "do you think I can speak in front of everyone later? I'm nervous. I'm really not used to talking in front of people."

She looked at me, holding her lipstick that she almost accidentally applied to my lips instead of hers.

"Hey, Tori—you're a woman! If you survived crying in front of the whole world because of your love life, you can definitely handle a simple speech."

I laughed, even though the nerves were twisting in my stomach.

"You look amazing, girl," she added. "And if you mess up later, just flip your hair and smile. That's it!"

We're in our freshman year, taking up a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication. I honestly don't even know why I thought of taking this in college course with Rose, when I'm actually scared to speak in front of people.

"Rose, I'm nervous," I said, pouting.

"When you're up there, just look at me. Don't look at anyone else. Just imagine it's only the two of us in the room."

"Okay," I replied.

"Oh my god, your hands are sweating, girl!"

The two of us went up, and when it was my turn to speak, I did exactly what Rose told me. I looked only at him and imagined that no one else was there—that it was just the two of us.

Thank goodness, I didn't stutter, I didn't make a mistake, and I didn't embarrass myself.

When it was just the two of us on the bench, I couldn't help but squeal.

"I thought I was going to faint!" He laughed too, "Just a little more practice, Tori. You'll gain that confidence."

I sighed. "Easy for you to say... I was supposed to take a different course. But of course, I chose this one—because I didn't want us to end up in different schools."

"You know what, Tori" He said, "I found out Ryan and Samantha are studying here too. I'm telling you so you won't be shocked if we bump into them."

"It's okay," I replied. "I've moved on. So, no need to worry about it."

My phone buzzed.

"Let's go out. Caius is already by the gate."

"Really! Tori, wait! I need a quick retouch!" Rose squealed.

"No need, you still look beautiful," I pulled her with me.

From a distance, I spotted Caius standing outside the gate.

Smiling, I waved and ran toward him.

"What's the occasion, Ice Prince?" I teased.

He just smiled and handed us two milk teas. Our faces lit up like kids getting candy.

"You know, I've been craving this all day. Thanks!"

"Thank you, my Ice Prince! You're really, really too sweet to us," Rose added.

"I didn't really have a choice," he replied playfully.

"By the way, Caius," I said, "your school and ours will be facing off in the basketball competition next week—it's part of the annual inter-college tournament. We won the last match, and this time, you guys are our next opponents."

"How sad," he said with a mock pout. "I'll be playing for my school, and now my two best friends will be cheering for the enemy? No one's going to cheer for me?"

Rose chimed in quickly, "I will, my prince. Always."

"Traitor!" I gasped, pretending to be offended. "Fine, you cheer for him, and I'll cheer for our school. That makes it fair."

"Let's go to a karaoke bar again!" I said with a grin.

They both shook their heads in sync.

"Okay, how about barbecue then?" I suggested.

"That's too unhygienic," Caius replied, wrinkling his nose a little.

I rolled my eyes. "You and your standards, Doctor Caius."

"Maybe we should eat a little healthier tonight," Caius said, eyeing us both. "You two always go for the unhealthy stuff."

"No, we're eating good food," I argued.

"Yeah, we do," Rose chimed in proudly. "Look at me and Tori—we're both healthy!"

Caius raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, right. I saw your kitchen cabinet. It's either junk food or something processed."

"You know, both of us really suck at cooking," I admitted with a smile. "But at least we know how to fry."

"Yeah!" Rose added. "And we only use oil that's healthy, right?"

I nodded in agreement. "Exactly. So don't judge us, okay?"

Caius let out a small laugh, shaking his head. "I'm not judging. Just... mildly concerned for your future."

"Well," Rose said dramatically, "as long as we don't burn the house down, we're doing fine."

"Barely," Caius muttered with a smirk.

"Let's go to your house, I'll cook tonight," Caius said casually.

Rose and I froze. "Woah, really?!" we both exclaimed in disbelief.

I narrowed my eyes playfully. "Since when did you learn how to cook? You're way too good to be our friend!"

Rose leaned in with a dramatic gasp. "Are you trying to make us fall for you? Because it's kind of working."

Caius just chuckled and shook his head. "Relax. I just don't want you two living off instant noodles and burnt eggs forever."

"Rude but fair," I muttered, already excited for real food.

As we walked, our first stop was a mini grocery store to buy ingredients. That's when Rose and I noticed how meticulous Caius was with everything he picked. He checked expiration dates, ingredients, and even compared brands like it was a life-or-death decision.

"Wow," I said, watching him scan a label. "It's too bad you're a man—if only you were a girl, you'd be the perfect wife."

"You should totally cook for me in the future," Rose added with a giggle.

Caius raised an eyebrow but didn't comment, just dropped a pack of noodles into the basket.

"Too bad, my prince in my room, even our rice cooker doesn't know how to cook properly."

We all laughed, the sound of it echoing lightly in the narrow aisles.

When we got home, I immediately plopped down on the couch and pulled out a book from the side table. It was another one Caius had given me. I smiled—I'd never heard of the author before, but the way he wrote fairy tales felt like they were crafted just for me. Every day I read it, and every time, it made me happy. It inspired me.

I suddenly stood up, striking a dramatic pose. "My prince, come down!" I called out toward the stairs.

Both Rose and Caius looked at me, then at the stairs.

"I'm just practicing," I said with a shrug. "Never mind."

I caught Caius shaking his head, amused.

I sat at the counter table while he moved around the kitchen, preparing ingredients.

"You look like my dad," I said. "He was always like that at home, too."

He glanced over and gave a soft smile. "You think so?"

I nodded. "Can I call you Daddy?"

He froze for a moment, then blushed and looked away.

Rose nearly choked on her water from laughing.

I looked at them innocently. "Did I say something wrong?"

Rose dramatically cleared her throat. "Girl, if you tell a guy he reminds you of your dad, that's already hinting he's husband material." Then, mimicking me with exaggerated flair, she said, "Can I call you Daddy?" complete with a flutter of lashes.

"It totally sounded like you two were already married and that was your pet name for him," she added, giggling.

My face turned red with embarrassment. I had no idea how to explain myself.

"If I didn't know you," Rose continued, "I'd seriously think you were hitting on him."

I covered my face with my hands, half-laughing, half-dying inside. "I swear I didn't mean it that way!"

Caius just let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head while continuing to slice vegetables like nothing happened.

"Great," I mumbled. "Now I'll never live this down."

When Caius finished cooking, we helped him set the table and sat down to eat.

"Oh my god, Caius, this tastes so good. It reminds me of Tori's dad's cooking," Rose said with wide eyes, already on her second bite.

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, this is amazing."

"Maybe you should be a chef," Rose added between mouthfuls.

"Hmmm, that's actually a good idea. Your cooking really is on another level," I said, impressed.

Caius smiled modestly. "Should I switch my course then?"

We both looked at him and immediately shook our heads.

"You're way too good to be just a chef," I said.

"Yeah," Rose agreed. "Your brain is made to be a surgeon. Save lives first, then feed us later."

We all laughed, but deep down, we meant every word.

After we finished eating, Caius stayed over to watch a movie with us. I wasn't exactly sure how we ended up choosing Frozen 2, but there it was playing on the screen.

"Caius, you can borrow my laptop and watch something else if you want," I suggested.

"This is only meant for girls," Rose added, giggling as she curled up with a pillow.

Caius, sitting calmly on the couch, glanced at us and asked, "I'm just wondering... if you reach old age, will you still watch cartoons or anything related to fairy tales?"

From where I sat cross-legged on the carpet, I tilted my head. "Hmmm... it depends."

"Depends on what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm not planning to get married anyway," I said casually. "I'll just live with my prince. If that happens, no one can stop me from doing what I love."

Caius looked a little surprised. "Isn't it too early to say you won't get married?"

"Maybe," I replied, leaning back against the couch. "But I think I'm sure. You know... the older I get, the more I realize that adulthood is complicated—it's full of heartbreaks."

"How so?" he asked gently.

"I see it with our other classmates—even people I barely know," I said, pausing the movie. "They cry over heartbreaks. One day they're happy, the next they're not. And worse, some get cheated on."

I turned to face Caius. "So I've decided—I won't fall in love with a real human."

He didn't respond. He didn't agree, but he didn't argue either. He just stared at me—silent, but listening.

Rose reached over and tapped my head lightly. "You know, Tori, getting hurt is part of loving someone. It's an emotion. It means you felt something real."

For a moment, everything went quiet—except the soft hum of the paused movie on the screen.

............................................

Hi-Yu