Chapter 26 — The Accident
The weekend at the resort eventually came to an end.
Mia and Nathan returned to the palace and, almost immediately, their peaceful days disappeared.
Royal duties filled Mia's schedule.
Nathan became buried in meetings concerning the family business, investments, and several projects that required his attention.
Some days, they barely saw each other.
Mia would leave early in the morning while Nathan was already in a meeting.
By the time she returned, he would still be working in his study.
Yet whenever they did cross paths, they always found a few minutes to talk.
Their relationship had changed quietly.
They weren't constantly arguing anymore.
They had become comfortable around each other.
Almost too comfortable.
Neither of them thought much about it.
Until one particular evening.
---
Dinner was served late that night.
Nathan had just returned from a long meeting, while Mia had finished her royal duties only a short while earlier.
They sat together at the long dining table.
The room was quiet except for the soft sounds of dinner being served.
Mia looked across the table.
"How was your meeting?"
"Long."
"That bad?"
Nathan sighed.
"Three hours of people arguing over numbers."
Mia laughed.
"Sounds exciting."
"You would've fallen asleep."
"I would not."
Nathan raised an eyebrow.
"You fell asleep during one of Father's meetings when we were younger."
Mia stared at him.
"I was twelve."
"You still fell asleep."
"Because he was talking about taxes!"
Nathan laughed.
Mia smiled.
They continued talking about their day.
Somehow, dinner became less about eating and more about catching up.
At one point, Mia leaned closer to Nathan so she could quietly tell him something.
Nathan leaned toward her at the same time.
Neither realized how close they had gotten.
Their faces were only inches apart.
Mia was still speaking when she stopped.
Nathan stopped too.
For a second, they simply looked at each other.
The conversation disappeared.
Neither moved.
Then Mia shifted slightly at the exact moment Nathan did.
Their lips accidentally met.
It lasted only a moment.
A brief, completely unexpected kiss.
They immediately pulled apart.
Silence.
Mia's eyes widened.
Nathan looked just as stunned.
Neither knew what to say.
Mia slowly touched her lips, almost as though she couldn't believe what had just happened.
"Nathan..."
"I know."
"You..."
"I know."
They stared at each other.
Mia's face grew warm.
"It was an accident."
Nathan nodded quickly.
"Yes."
"Completely accidental."
"Of course."
Neither looked particularly convincing.
Mia suddenly became very interested in her plate.
Nathan cleared his throat and reached for his glass.
Neither spoke for several seconds.
Then Mia quietly said,
"We should probably forget that happened."
Nathan paused.
"Yes."
"Good."
"Good."
They both nodded.
But neither of them actually seemed capable of forgetting it.
They continued eating, though the easy conversation from moments earlier had disappeared.
Every time Mia glanced at Nathan, she remembered the kiss.
Every time Nathan looked at Mia, he remembered it too.
And the strangest part was that neither of them was upset about it.
Confused?
Absolutely.
Embarrassed?
Definitely.
But upset?
No.
Eventually, Mia looked up.
Nathan was already looking at her.
Their eyes met.
This time, neither leaned closer.
Neither looked away immediately either.
Mia finally smiled awkwardly.
Nathan smiled back.
Then they both returned to their dinner.
Neither mentioned the kiss again that night.
But something had changed.
Not because they had planned it.
Not because either of them had confessed anything.
It had simply happened.
And now, for the first time, they couldn't pretend that the closeness between them was exactly the same as before.
The question Sofia had asked weeks ago suddenly didn't seem quite as easy to answer anymore.