Kiss Me Not

-UNEDITED-

The ceremony ended, but inside the palace, special guests from all over the world gathered in the function hall for an after-party simple cocktail celebration hosted by the new King and Queen of country B. Guests expressed their congratulatory greetings and gifts for Gavin, including Olivia. 

"That Olivia seems very famous, err! I heard many are in protests saying Olivia is much better to our Gavin that the royal family must give full authority in the government to the Prime Minister instead," Berry mumbled with a twitched face.

"Shhh. Someone might hear you. Since when did you get interested in Olivia, and where did you hear that info?" Mitch questioned suspiciously.

Berry did not answer but only pouted her lips. Where did she get the info? On the internet, of course! She searched Olivia's name and almost all about her since she noticed Will was too drawn to her. He never stopped looking and staring at Olivia, followed by his sighing.

Meanwhile, most of the royal family was very busy with all the guests except for Kimmy, who already preferred to go home. She was too lazy to attend such tedious ceremonies, but then she had to be present and support her cousin as part of the royal family. 

She might not know Gavin that well, yet she could feel that he was a good person. She also liked Gavin's wife, Brione, too much. Besides, she would always call Gavin before, who she thought was Cedric, for almost a year, to inform him that she was safe and sound so he could relay the same to her mother. 

'Where is that bastard?!' Kimmy grunted, wondering where Cain was. He should be present in the ceremony since he was the family doctor of the royal family.

Last night, she was almost inside her car when she got another call saying there was no need to pick up Cain, who passed out and slept in that Dino room, so she ended up going back to her room.

'Did she have a good night's sleep there with that woman?!' she inwardly grunted.

"Smile! Why are you pouting!" her mother, who was waving at the camera flashing towards them, whispered at her.

How could she smile when she was too annoyed? Kimmy forced a smile on the media, who took photos of the royal family nonstop, not to mention some interviews that they had to entertain for the sake of good publicity.

"Mom, I'll just go to the restroom," Kimmy whispered and excused herself to leave the crowded area in the function hall of the palace.

She walked towards the restroom when she heard a familiar voice calling her name, "Kimmy…"

She turned around and saw him… Harry was standing in front of her.

"Harry?" she whispered, almost a gasp.

Harry smiled at her and asked, "How are you?"

Kimmy blinked several times, wondering if she was hallucinating.

Reading Kimmy's expression, Harry whispered, "I'm real."

"What are you doing here?" Kimmy whispered, then she looked around before looking back at Harry and added, "Come follow me outside."

Harry did not move, so Kimmy grabbed his hand and pulled him outside the palace, at the garden, where there were no people around.

"What's going on?" Kimmy asked Harry with a creased forehead.

"I am… Uhm. I know someone from the media, and he helped me get inside as a substitute for his co-worker who got sick today." Harry confessed.

He honestly paid that co-worker of his friend so he could replace him and see Kimmy from a distance, but Harry could not get enough of just looking at her, so he walked towards her. He called her name without him knowing.

"You could have just called me, you know, and I can let you in the palace so easily. Besides, we are friends," Kimmy mumbled with crossed arms.

Harry chuckled and said, "Thank you. I'm actually nervous. I mean, I thought you would be angry or won't see me anymore after what happened."

"But I messaged you already saying I will meet you, right?" Kimmy asked.

"Yes, you did. Just that I'm a bit impatient to see you," Harry whispered, almost gasping. He came by Kimmy's apartment address that Kenzie gave as soon as he arrived at country B. But according to the front desk, Kimmy was not around. They asked him if he wanted to leave a message, but he did not since he did not wish Kimmy to find out that he had come by.

Kimmy couldn't help but smile at Harry and bluntly comment, "Why? Are you missing me now?"

Harry's face blushed. It was Kimmy's natural attitude to be blunt and brazen not only with words but also with actions, but he was still not used to it and would often blush like he used to.

"Tsk, look at your face still blushing like that, and yet you always insist you're not affected by my presence," Kimmy mumbled with amusement.

"I guess I'm good at lying, Kimmy. I'm sorry," Harry whispered.

"Yeah, you're good at lying. But please stop saying you're sorry! You are always sorry about everything!" Kimmy scolded. Harry never changed. He was like that before, always apologizing, and she hated it.

Harry ended up laughing, seeing the flaring nostrils of Kimmy.

"I missed that angry face of yours," Harry murmured, still laughing.

Kimmy ended up laughing as well. It had been a while since he last saw Harry laughing like this. It had been a while since they laughed together like this. 

Unknown to Kimmy and Harry, there were a pair of eyes throwing daggers in their direction.

Kimmy and Harry were still laughing when the rain suddenly poured.

"Oh!" Kimmy gasped, looking at the sky crying. She was all wet, and so was Harry. She was startled when Harry grabbed her wrist and said, "let's run back inside. It's pouring."

Harry pulled her, but Kimmy could not move as she felt a tight and firm grasp on her other wrist. She turned, and her lips parted as she mumbled in disbelief, "Cain?"

Cain smiled at her and said, "Where are you going, Kimberly?"

Kimmy looked at Harry and then at Cain alternately. Both men were glaring at each other. Kimmy gulped, feeling the tightening of the hands' grip on both her wrists.

"We got a tug of war or tug of love there sister…" Lucas whispered in a jest to his sister beside him who, like him, were looking in Kimmy's direction from the balcony of the function hall.

"That brat! She'll get sick more if she won't pull out from those two men and get back inside!!!" Leila barked as she quickly turned around to get her daughter.

Lucas laughed and shook his head as his eyes amusingly stared at Kimmy with two men holding her left and right wrists.

********

Author's Note: October 5, 2021

Kimmy's love story will continue on Volume 2: Kiss Me Not, My Princess. Which team are you rooting for? LOL