Cas paused when Iris brought up her healing leg. He’d been so caught up in all the fun they’d been having during the movie that he’d nearly forgotten she was still injured. It was hard not to, since her cheery mood hadn’t been dampened in the slightest, and the jumper she was wearing covered the bandages. He made a mental note to keep an eye on her if or when they went back into the city, just in case the strain of walking around made her leg worse. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her to be in pain longer than she needed to be. If she showed any sign of wincing or excessive limping, he would make sure they could get back to the house right away so she could rest.

[color=#b97703]“Just give them five minutes,”[/color] he insisted with conviction when she said she was sure his friends were harmless. [color=#b97703]“You’ll see why I warned you.”[/color] Honestly, it might only take them three. He was fond of Jay and Miles, but the two weren’t always great at making first impressions, especially with girls they thought were hot. His lip twitched as he repressed a grimace at the mental image of Miles trying a cheesy pick-up line and Jay egging him on for his own amusement. He would have liked to believe the other high borns would go easy on her since she didn’t even know who she was, but he knew them too well to be optimistic.

In hindsight, it might have been a good idea for him to tell them that he was trying to pursue her, if only to make the two think twice about causing her any trouble. He absently rested his hand over his jean pocket where he’d stowed his phone. It wasn’t too late to set precedence. All it would take was a few seconds for him to tell them he’d changed his mind. However, he was hesitant. If he warded them off by admitting his own interest in Iris—which he couldn’t even lie about, since the feelings were really there—the full force of their harassment would fall on his shoulders. He already knew they would pester him endlessly for details. They prided themselves on being the first to find out all the juicy gossip about the prince’s life. He suspected it was why they pushed him so hard to find out what had been going on since the night he’d found her.

[color=#b97703][i]At least they might lay off her,[/i][/color] he reasoned with an internal sigh. He could handle Jay and Miles, since he’d gotten used to their prodding, but he didn’t know how Iris would deal with them. As much as he disliked the thought of confessing his crush to his friends, he had to admit it was the safer option. He’d have to remember to text them back before the end of the day.

When Iris teased him about his bragging, Cas shrugged. [color=#b97703]“I think I’ve earned the right to be proud of [i]some[/i] parts of my life,”[/color] he retorted with a cheeky smile. Parting his lips to add another remark, he froze when she suddenly added a sarcastic “Your Highness” to the end of her phrase. The unexpectedness of it made his eyes widen, but he couldn’t hide the amusement in his visage.

[color=#b97703]“Since when did you get so cocky?”[/color] he teased, sauntering to her seat and leaning over her with his arms crossed in mock chastisement. It was impossible to keep up a serious façade when the sound of her giggles made him want to laugh as well. Instead, he smiled at her good-humoredly. [color=#b97703]“For the love of God, Iris, [i]please[/i] don’t call me that unless we’re at some formal event, and I’ll only let you do it then because you’d be arrested if you didn’t.”[/color] It was a dumb law that his grandfather had put into place to force respect from the citizens of Aspiria, but until he was king, there was nothing he could do to change it.

Realizing how close he was hovering in her space, he straightened his posture. [color=#b97703]“We’ve got about an hour left until dinner,”[/color] he said, changing the subject to get his mind off the fleeting moment that had nearly made him flustered again. He really needed to watch himself around her. [color=#b97703]“Here,”[/color] he offered his hand to help her up from her cushioned recliner. [color=#b97703]“Is there anything else you wanted to do before we eat, or do you just want to go back to your room to rest?”[/color]