Page 33 of Prince of the Palisades

“Are you on break?” I ask Reiss.

“They made me take one.” He signals toward an older woman behind the register, rearranging coffee bags, and a tall, brawny man wiping down the espresso machine. His parents, I deduce. Both share little features I can see in Reiss. “Guess I’m making it hard to beat those social outcast allegations.”

I shrug. “Better than a pretentious prince.”

“Arrogant,” he corrects, biting on what I hope is the start of a smile. “And the jury’s still out on you.”

We go quiet. Like at the party, music settles between us. I’m not used to this. Wanting to fill the spaces with words. Worrying that my silence will be the reason someone walks away.

Loneliness and I are soulmates. The closest people to me, outside of my family, are the palace’s staff. Every interaction I had at Académie des Jeunes Dirigeants felt cursory. I was the prince to them, nothing more. No one wanted to put in the effort of getting to know the other sides of me.

Kofi was the exception, but even he walked away.

Sometimes, with Léon, I wondered if he stuck around out of obligation. Because of the connection our papas share. Not because he loved therealme.

Too many seconds pass before I realize I’m too far in my own head.

“So, His Royal Arrogance has a sweet tooth,” Reiss finally says. He stares at me, considering. “What else?”

I blurt out, “The Way He Looks.”

Deep, confused wrinkles form in his forehead.

“That’s my…” I pause, trying to sound a little less unhinged. “That’s my favorite film.”

He nods without saying anything else. I take that as a cue to continue.

“I watched it years ago. On a jet somewhere,” I say.

It popped up in myRecommended For Youlist on YouTube. I remember curling up in a soft leather seat. Earbuds in. Eyes glued to the screen as a sweet love story between a blind boy and the new student in his class bloomed.

“I don’t know.” I shrug. “I wanted that. To fall in love with someone who’ll walk me home. Who makes me dance. Who holds my hand when the world is mocking us.”

My face instantly heats.Why did I tell him all that?

Reiss’s lips slowly lift.

“There’s one scene,” I continue, smiling sheepishly. “The boys sneak out. To watch the eclipse. On the way home, Gabriel, the new boy, gives Leonardo a ride on the back of his bike. It’s this moment—” My breath catches. “Leonardo smiles. HetrustsGabriel. Nothing bad will happen as long as he’s with him. It’s…”

I trail off, barely able to swallow. I’m almost scared to look at Reiss.

But I do.

He’s grinning. “I’ve seen it,” he admits. “A prince with solid taste in films? Damn. Didn’t expect that.”

Something squeezes my chest. Pride? Happiness? I could never convince Léon to watchThe Way He Looks. To get him to see what it meant to me.

But something in Reiss’s expression tells me he understands.

I clear my throat. “What about you? I saw all those movie posters on your Instagram—”

The moment it’s out, I cringe hard.Well, shit.

I ignore Reiss’s sly grin to finish: “What’s your favorite film?”

He doesn’t hesitate. “God’s Own Country.”

“I don’t know it.”

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