[center][b]M: Hey, long time no see! …Or read.

J: How’s life as king? Are you kicking ass and taking names yet?[/b][/center]
It took all of five seconds for Caspian’s friends to shoot back replies to the text he’d sent. He smiled as their messages lit up the screen of his phone, always happy to hear from them when it seemed like their lives were headed in such opposite directions lately. Like Iris, he missed the days when he could see them in person pretty much whenever he wanted to. Even after only two weeks, he was feeling nostalgic, and whenever he had a rare moment alone, he found himself thinking about the parties they used to attend together and the games they used to watch in his in-home sports bar. Now, the best company he had around were the stoic guards that patrolled the palace.

[center][b]I’m pretty sure I’ve got guys to do the ass kicking for me. Things have been alright though. There’s a steep learning curve to running a whole country, so I’m just trying not to drown. How have you guys been?[/b][/center]
Sending the text back to them, he laid back on his bed with his cell phone resting on his stomach and his hands propped behind his head. The coffee had kicked in at least, so he wasn’t as dog tired as he had been the last two nights. When Iris called him later, he was hopeful that he’d be able to get through their entire conversation without passing out—or missing it completely like he had the night before. He winced at the memory. Waking up the next morning with the realization that he’d basically ghosted her had felt terrible.

After that humiliating performance, he had to wonder if there was any way for him to get away from the palace long enough to see her at the resort again. He wanted to make it up to her in a better way than just apologizing over the phone, but with a schedule packed from morning until night, he didn’t know how he would be able to pull it off. Just as he was mulling it over, he felt his phone vibrate, and he picked it up again to read the incoming texts:

[center][b]J: You must be doing something right, because everything’s basically been the same here. We went to a party last weekend at Diego’s place, hooked up with a couple chicks. The usual.

M: He’s leaving out the important part… After we hooked up, he asked out the girl he went home with to go on another date with him!

J: Okay, yeah. She was really cool, and we kind of hit it off. We’re going to the indoor skydiving room this Saturday.[/b][/center]
Cas blinked in surprise. In the years he’d known Jay, his friend hadn’t been the type to seriously date a girl. He always seemed to prefer one night stands over girlfriends. However, he was happy that the playboy had met someone he liked enough to see again, so he replied:

[center][b]Good for you, man. I hope the date goes well. Let me know what happens when it’s over![/b][/center]
Setting the phone aside again, he frowned up at his ceiling. While he was rooting for his friend’s potential new relationship, talking about girls only reminded him of his own trouble in paradise. Restlessly, he checked the time on his nightstand clock, only to see that it was five minutes until ten. Iris would be calling at any moment. He was just as nervous as he was excited to hear from her, and he hoped she wouldn’t be too mad at him for sleeping through their call the night before. He also hoped she didn’t take it to mean that he’d lost interest in talking with her every day. With a sigh to himself, he closed his eyes and tossed an arm over his face. Long distance was even harder than he’d expected it to be.