Page 28 of Defying the Crown
I tugged at my sweater one last time, heart thundering against my ribs. This was it. No crown, no title, no royal protocol. Just me, about to meet someone who had somehow become incredibly important to me without ever seeing me in person.
Daniel glanced toward the window and I ducked back, not ready to be seen just yet. One more deep breath. One more moment of being just Harald before I walked through that door.
My hand trembled as I reached for the brass door handle. The metal felt cool against my palm, grounding me in this moment. A bell chimed overhead as I pulled, and warmth rushed out to meet me.
The rich aromaof coffee enveloped me - darker and more complex than the palace's carefully curated brews. Espresso machines hissed and whirred, their mechanical symphony mixing with the lazy weekend chatter of customers. A barista called out someone's elaborate drink order over the din.
My feet crossed the threshold, and suddenly the careful distance I'd maintained dissolved. The same air Daniel breathed now filled my lungs. The same wooden floors creaked under our feet. The same sunlight that caught his profile now warmed my skin.
Someone bumped past me with a muttered "sorry," jolting me from my trance. I shifted closer to the wall, my security training kicking in as I automatically scanned the room. Two exits. Seventeen customers. Three staff members. Window seats exposed, corner tables defensible.
Stop it, I commanded myself. This wasn't a state function. No one was watching. No one cared.
Except Daniel. He hadn't noticed me yet, still focused on his phone. From this angle, I could see the way his eyelashes cast tiny shadows on his cheeks. The corner of his mouth twitched upward as he typed - probably sending me another message wondering where I was.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. The Daniel I'd imagined while texting had been a sketch, an outline, even with the photos he'd sent me. The real person before me was painted in vibrant colors - the rich brown of his eyes, the soft pink of his lips, the warm caramel of his skin.
The coffee shop's sounds faded to white noise. My heart pounded so hard I was sure everyone could hear it over the espresso machines. Just a few more steps and I'd be close enough for him to notice me. Close enough for this dream to become reality.
Daniel's head snapped up at the sound of the door chime as another person entered behind me, and our eyes locked across the room.
Everything I'd planned to say evaporated. My carefully rehearsed "Hi, I'm Harald" dissolved on my tongue. The speech I'd practiced a hundred times on the flight vanished like morning mist.
Daniel's dark eyes widened with recognition. A smile bloomed across his face - not the polite, measured smiles I was used to receiving at formal functions, but something raw and genuine that crinkled the corners of his eyes. My heart stuttered in my chest.
He stood up from his chair, the movement sending his empty cappuccino cup rattling against its saucer. A faint blush colored his cheeks as he steadied it with quick fingers. That small moment of imperfection, of human awkwardness, made my own nervousness ease slightly.
I remained frozen in the doorway, drinking in the details our phone cameras hadn't captured. The way his curls caught the afternoon light streaming through the windows. How his blue sweater hung loose at his collar, revealing a hint of collarbone. The slight tremor in his hands that matched my own.
Our gazes remained connected across the cafe, neither of us speaking. The bustling sounds of coffee grinding and customers chatting faded to background noise. In that moment, it was just us - no crowns, no titles, no expectations. Just Harald and Daniel, finally sharing the same space after weeks of digital connection.
My feet felt leaden as I took a step forward. Then another. The distance between us shrank with each movement, but the words I needed still refused to come.
Chapter 12
Daniel
I drummed my fingers against the wooden table, checking my phone for what felt like the hundredth time. The coffee shop buzzed with its usual weekend crowd, but my mind kept drifting to Harald's last message before takeoff.
"See you at 3. Can't wait to meet you properly :)"
My stomach twisted into knots, churning with a nauseating mix of excitement and anxiety that made me regret those breakfast eggs. The barista - a girl with kind eyes and a nose ring - had already given me sympathetic looks as I ordered my third cappuccino, probably thinking I'd been stood up. I couldn't blame her; I must have looked pathetic, fidgeting in my corner seat for the past hour. The foam had long since dissolved, leaving just lukewarm coffee that I couldn't bring myself to finish, the bitter liquid a perfect match for the doubts creeping into my mind. What if this was another mistake? Another Alex waiting to happen? I pushed the nearly full cup away, its ceramic base scraping against the wooden tabletop with a sound that made me wince.
The bell above the door chimed and my head snapped up, but it was just another couple seeking their afternoon caffeine fix. I slumped back in my chair, tugging at the sleeve of my blue sweater - the one Jayda insisted brought out my eyes.My heart had done this same anxious little dance at least five times now, each false alarm making my stomach twist a bit tighter. I'd spent nearly thirty minutes this morning panicking over what to wear, and then another thirty minutes ironing my entire outfit to perfection. And now here I was, probably wrinkling it beyond repair as I fidgeted nervously with the cuffs.
"You're being ridiculous," I muttered to myself, scrolling through our earlier messages for what felt like the hundredth time today. My thumb trembled slightly as I traced over Harald's words, analyzing every dot and dash for hidden meaning like some desperate teenage boy. The screen's glow illuminated my face in the dimly lit coffee shop as I obsessed over whether his casual"can't wait"was genuine enthusiasm or just polite small talk. After Alex, I'd gotten too good at turning innocent phrases into warning signs.
The conversation flowed so naturally between us. Harald's wit, his genuine interest in my life, the way he actually listened instead of just waiting for his turn to speak. But what if the chemistry didn't translate in person? What if-
My phone buzzed.
"Just got out of the car. Walking to Bean There, Done That now. I'm wearing a gray sweater and black jeans."
My fingers wouldn't stop shaking as I twisted the fabric of my sleeve between them. The blue cotton was going to be permanently wrinkled at this rate, but I couldn't help it. The bell chimed again and this time my heart stopped.
A tall man in a perfectly fitted gray sweater stepped through the doorway. The afternoon sun caught his blonde hair, giving him an almost ethereal glow. His eyes scanned the coffee shop, and I forgot how to breathe.
My face broke into an uncontrollable grin, all my earlier anxiety melting away at the sight of him. Those photos he'd sent hadn't done him justice - he was gorgeous in a way that made my heart skip several beats. Before I could second-guess myself, I lifted my hand and called out:
