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I redirected sharply. “Literally, she caught his eyeball with her hand after it fell out of its socket because of his rambunctious behavior of following her around the world like a hyperactive puppy.”
Caleb laughed, then added, “Oh, but the princess had a soft spot for puppies, and since she was an agricultural expert, she concocted a special potion made from rare, magical herbs that could cure many eye problems, as well as the occasional bout of constipation.”
Daphne smirked. “His problems were behind him now.”
August leaned closer with a grin. “True, but nothing could deter him from his quest to win her heart—not even the occasional slip-up of an escaping eyeball.”
Refusing to give him any ground, I retorted sharply, “Except maybe his knack for disappearing just when she thought he might actually be royal material.”
August held up an index finger, even though it wasn’t his turn. “Funny how she did the same thing, running away from him when he tried to make things right because she could not handle the heat.”
“Hey, wait, I was supposed to go next,” Caleb said.
I ignored him and said, “At least, that’s what the prince thought. The princess could handle the heat just fine. She just didn’t want to get burned again.”
“Yet each misstep,” August shot back, “somehow brought them closer.”
“Or farther apart, depending on who you asked.”
“He thinks of her day and night.”
“He’s got way too much time on his hands,” I said.
August leaned closer. “And not enough harmonica.”
That one caught me off guard. I snort-laughed. Then, unfortunately, a drop of my spit flew out of my mouth and landed right on his cheek.
He blinked twice, looking a bit in shock.
I winced and wiped it off his face. “Sorry about that.”
August grasped my hand before I could drop it back down to my side. “The prince misses the princess so much his entire body physically aches.”
“That escalated quickly,” Caleb said, his gaze popping back and forth between the two of us.
I swallowed hard, at a loss for words.
This was exactly what I had wanted to avoid, being so close to August. It was just too much, too tempting. The room faded around us, the sounds of the bar, the people enjoying happy hour. My breath caught as I realized how much I wanted to lean forward and end our verbal spar with a kiss.
“Four more dawas,” the bartender called out with perfect timing.
I pulled my hand away from August’s, creating some much-needed distance between us.
“The game is over,” I said, then secured a drink and downed half of it in a single gulp. I wasn’t much of a drinker, but today felt like a day to make exceptions.
While Caleb and August talked to the bartender about the early-morning hot-air balloon rides they offered, Daphne and I finished our drinks, both of us silent since they were right next to us. I tried to signal her discreetly to let her know it was time to leave, widening my eyes and tilting my head in the direction of our tent suite.
She glanced at me, a puzzled look crossing her face. “You okay, Veronica?”
I shook my head, frustrated by her misunderstanding, and tried the signal again, more exaggerated this time.
Unfortunately, August caught my gestures this time and chuckled. “What exactly was that?”
“Nothing,” I said, realizing subtlety was getting me nowhere. I gripped Daphne’s hand and added, “We’re heading back to our tent suite to relax for a little.”
“Oh, okay …” August’s expression shifted to one of curiosity mixed with a hint of concern.
Before he could say another word, I pulled Daphne along and made a beeline for the exit. With any luck, we would be on our way to the airport before their first course plates hit the dinner table.
