Bad Teacher

She shrugs. “I’m in good hands.” Both our eyes shift toward our hands, which are clasped together. I gently caress her with my fingers, wishing I could do more.

“You look worried,” she says.

I nod. “Snake bites … terrify me. It’s what killed Faiz.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have—”

“It’s okay,” I interrupt, smiling. I don’t want her to pity me. I want her to focus on her own health. It’s far more important to me.

“I can’t fix what happened to him. I can’t bring him back, but I can take care of you,” I say.

Her face turns strawberry red, and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in a long while. Everything fades when she’s around. This hospital. The fact that I’m a prince. Or that she’s not even from Dakai. None of it matters anymore.

All I know is that I want to be close to her. Now. Tomorrow. Any day is fine. As long as I get to be in her vicinity.

I know our time is limited, and that she’ll go back to her country someday, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the time we have right now. And I intend to enjoy it to the fullest.

* * *

Maya

When the doctor comes back and brings the good news that it wasn’t a venomous snake and that it was just a bite, I breathe a sigh of relief. They bandage my leg, and I thank them thoroughly for their hard work.

Amir hasn’t left my side, and he’s even helped me get out of bed and into a wheelchair. I never expected him to be this worried about me. He’s really attentive to people’s needs. Even though he’s buttery smooth toward the nurses, chatting them up, he always follows up with a gentle touch to the arm and a compliment. It’s not just to charm his way into people’s hearts. I get the feeling he genuinely cares about the people. His people.

He’s a prince, after all, and one day Dakai will probably be his.

And what am I? A random girl from America. I’m totally out of place here … and totally out of line for kissing him.

What if the paparazzi find us again? Or worse … his father?

I don’t have to wait long to find out, though, because the staff are already on high alert, bouncing around the hospital as though there’s a medical emergency.

Except there isn’t.

The king has just arrived.

My jaw drops the moment I spot him and his entourage as they barge through the doors. Everyone stops their work and bows or greets him with great enthusiasm. People seem to honor him like some kind of god, or maybe they’re terrified, but I have no way of knowing. They probably wouldn’t ever tell a stranger what they really think. It could be dangerous.

But what’s even more dangerous is the fact they’re coming straight toward my room.

My eyes widen, and I clutch my wheelchair tight as if that will help me escape faster. Not that I’d ever get out of here without a reprimand or worse. They might even throw me in jail for what I did with the prince.

Oh God, I hope not.

Sweat rolls down my back as the bearded man approaches me, his stature and way of walking making me feel small and unimportant. Especially when he sets his gaze on me after glaring at Amir for just a second.

Amir suddenly places himself between me and his father, standing in front of me so I can’t even see him look.

“Amir,” his father barks. “What are you doing here?”

“Taking care of someone,” Amir says, folding his arms.

“Who? This girl?” His father casually leans sideways to peek at me, but Amir follows his movements, blocking me from his sight again.

“She got injured.”

“That is not your business to deal with,” his father replies. “Have you any idea what kind of ruckus you’ve caused?”

Amir seems taken aback. “I apologize, Father, but the paparazzi were following us, so I had to act quickly.”

“You brought this upon yourself the moment you stepped outside the palace wearing that … that,” he hisses, eyeing him like a hawk. “Whatever that is.”

“They’re just clothes,” Amir replies.

“Why do you lower yourself so much?” his father gripes. “You are a prince. It’s time you started acting like one.”

“But I’m a human too, and I need fun too,” Amir says, a bit defeated.

Without thinking about the consequences, I grasp his hand. I want him to know I’m here. He doesn’t have to take on his father alone. And from the way he briefly glances over his shoulder at me, I know he can tell my intentions are sincere.

His father doesn’t seem too pleased. “It’s all over the newspapers … you and that girl over there. What is she doing with you anyway? I should have her thrown in jail for how she’s made you behave.”