The Royal Contract

"That is not funny." She found herself giggling at his corny joke. She could not help it. She had thought he was amusing, but she refused to admit it.

However, despite her misgivings, she could not deny that she enjoyed his company. She had to confess she liked his silly sense of humor.

The more she spent time with him, the more she felt closer to him. Was that bad? She hoped not. But her brain still advised caution.

"But you like it. Come on." He insisted while laughing himself. "Admit it. It was a bit funny." He gave her a charming smile that seemed to melt all her inhibitions. And indeed, she found his laughter infectious. Eventually, she grabbed a piece of bread and threw it at the man sitting opposite him at the counter.

"Stop it, David. You are going to give me a stomach ache." Rosella slightly bent on her stomach, finding him hilarious.

"Now, that is not funny." He put up his arms to fend off her attack, but the expression on his face was anything but entertained.

She watched him pick up the pieces of crumbs on his clothes. On the other hand, she grabbed the dirty plates and utensils, bringing them to the sink.

Truthfully, she only looked forward to a quiet morning. She never expected to have fun when she woke up this morning. But it was a welcome surprise.

"Let me do that since you already cooked." He said before she felt his presence behind her as he brought the empty glasses.

She turned slightly to see him standing on her other side with a friendly smile on his lips. She appreciated his offer but believed she could handle cleaning the dishes.

"There is no need." She refused to let him take over. She took the glasses from him and lined them up on the sink.

However, he also declined to give up as he tried to take the sponge from her hands. "Why don't you just rest and let me finish this?" He persisted. Then, she felt his fingers covering hers in their struggle.

Once again, the feeling of familiarity washed over her. She could not explain it, but somehow, her body appeared to remember something.

She knew she was not afraid of him, nor did she find his presence uncomfortable. On the contrary, she felt at ease when he was around.

"Ok. You win." She finally let go and backed away, pulling her fingers away from his touch.

Suddenly, she was afraid of what she felt about him. She was confused and could not understand what was going on.

How could she have a strong feeling for someone she hardly knew? Regardless of their past, this man was still a stranger.

"Why don't you go to the living room and wait for me there?" He suggested, turning to attend to the dishes.

She thought it would be wise to follow him. She believed it would give her space and time to evaluate her situation.

"Ok." She timidly replied as she could not think of anything else to say.

She moved toward the other side of the apartment and sat on the sofa. She refused to look in the kitchen, instead focused on the empty vase on the coffee table.

She wished to evaluate her relationship with him. She might not remember any memory of him, but deep inside, she sensed she could trust him.

Was that enough reason for her to give him a chance?

"Hey! Good morning!" Suddenly, a voice greeted her from the other door as it opened.

She found her sister yawning, rubbing her eyes, and then stretching her body. She still looked exhausted as dark circles surrounded her eyes.

"Or is it afternoon already?" Roseann suddenly questioned as her eyes focused on the window on her left.

She guessed her sister was still disoriented as she scrunched her eyes from the bright light. Then, she sat beside her on the couch, leaning her cheek on her shoulder.

"It is still morning, but a bit later," Rosella explained to her sister, who closed her eyes and relaxed on her side.

In instinct, her hand lifted to her sister's hair and caressed the long strands. The feeling was familiar. It was like she had done this many times before.

"Good. I have an afternoon shift I can't miss." Roseann answered but kept her eyes closed.

She looked at ease and comfortable as she inclined on her. And it appeared like she was not moving any time soon.

Nonetheless, she did not mind as her fingers continued to caress her hair. She liked the physical contact she had with her sister. She felt a stronger connection with her.

"You still have time to eat before going back to work." She reminded her, remembering how she was abusing her body with her schedule.

She believed her sister should get enough sustenance to help her body recover from working hard and the lack of sleep due to her late night shifts.

"Oh, crap! I just remembered that I burnt the food." Roseann mumbled, opening her eyes widely.

Rosella smiled at the younger version of her. She could see similarities in their appearance when she looked in the mirror. Therefore, she did not doubt that they had a blood relation.

"Don't worry about that. I already took care of it." She touched her sister's shoulder to reassure her as she straightened up in her seat. "And there is still a hot coffee and some food on the counter."

But before her sister could reply, her head snapped toward the kitchen. She must have finally noticed the sound coming from the sink.

"What is he doing here?" She asked, recognizing the man on the other side as she stepped toward the kitchen.

Then, David also turned to look at them, realizing that they had other company. But the look they exchanged was a bit surprising.

She could sense something was different. But neither said anything except exchanging some generic greetings. Then, David excused himself to go to the bathroom, leaving them in the kitchen.

"David came by to join me for breakfast." Rosella felt the need to explain when David did not say anything else.

Her sister seemed tightlipped when she did not say much as she took her place on the counter, checking the breakfast she had prepared.

"And he also asked me to go out with him," Rosella added when both hardly said more than two words to each other.

Her sister poured the hot coffee into her cup before taking a long sip. Then, she finally turned to her. Again, avoiding to look at their visitor, who disappeared in the corner.

"That sounds like fun. You two should go out." She encouraged her as she munched on her breakfast. But she could still see in her eyes that something was amiss.

She wanted to ask if something was wrong but was afraid to meddle with whatever was happening between the two. She could not help but feel like an outsider despite their reassurance.

Nevertheless, she could sense the coldness between the two of them despite their civility with each other. It was just not the same as the other times they were together.

"I..." She slightly hesitated, thinking about declining but decided otherwise. Maybe it was time that she searched for answers about her past.

And he seemed willing to help her get to the bottom of her questions. Therefore, why not take advantage of this opportunity? Maybe her sister was right.

"Do you think it is a good idea for me to go out with him?" She reluctantly asked, but she valued her opinion. She believed she could trust her.

Besides, she could use a breath of fresh air. She was tired of the four walls of the hospital. And she needed a break from the four corners of the apartment too.

"I think it will do you good to be out in the sun," Roseann recommended, looking concerned about her. This time, she finally looked at David, who walked back into the room with a look she could not understand.

"Besides, you are in good hands." Her sister added, whispering in her ears while nodding in David's direction.

She could only wonder what transpired between the two, but now was not the time to pry as she continued to watch the two's interaction, which was barely in the minimal.

"Ok. I will." She also whispered in her sister's ears before facing David. "So, where are we going?" She asked him.

She could see his eyes light up from her statement. It was clear he loved the news. Somehow, she felt excited by the idea too.

She felt like a child who was about to go on an adventure. She could not explain it, but her heart raced inside her chest at the prospect of spending more hours with him.

"Great!" He responded when he realized what she meant. "I am thinking of..." He stammered slightly, seemingly caught off guard before he could complete his answer.

"Maybe we can drive around or something." He came up with what seemed to enter his mind. "Do you have a particular place you want to go to or see?" He asked her as he tried to get her opinion.

She looked at David before shifting her eyes to her sister, wondering if an idea would pop into her head. But she was drawing a blank at the moment.

"I can't think of anything." She confessed, shaking her head as if something would jog her memory.

Unfortunately, she was still clueless. She was still an empty vessel that still needed filling up.