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“Kate!”

Her jaw drops in shock seeing me dressed in Harry’s stuff. She and I both blush and she clears her throat.

“Well, I have always liked your Audrey Hepburn meets Grace Kelly look AJ, but I have to say the Harry Wales look works on you too,” she says trying to keep a straight face.

I shake my head.

“It’s not what it looks like.”

She raises her eyebrow at me I gulp.

“Ok, it’s exactly what it looks like but um…”

Harry strolls in not seeing Kate.

“Darlin, what do you want for lunch?”

My eyes widen and I shake my head at him. He pulls a face looking at me confused and I glance at Kate. He turns around and sees her.

“Oh, hello there Kate. Looking lovely today,” he smiles at her.

“And you too Harry,” she responds sweetly.

I pray that the ground opens up and I sink into it. I tug at the hem of Harry’s shirt that I am wearing and shift my weight around.

“AJ, I was wondering if tomorrow if you had any free time of you could accompany me to the shops,” Kate says casually.

“Um, let me check my schedule,” I answer and bend over my calendar.

“Harry!” I hear Kate hiss and the sound of her slapping his arm or something.

I look at them confused. Harry has a mischievous grin and Kate looks annoyed but is laughing.

“He was checking out your bum,” Kate explains.

I shoot Harry a dirty look again. He walks to me and wraps my hair around his hand pulling my head back and bites my neck.

“You can go with Kate shopping whenever you want babe, don’t worry about it,” he murmurs kissing along my neck.
“Harry stop it!”

He looks down at me with a smirk.

“It’s just Kate. What does it matter? She’s shagging my brother.”

I glare at him. He promised it would be a secret. I sigh. I guess I could trust Kate. We both stand and straighten up. I turn to Kate

“I’d love to go shopping with you,” I say in as calm of a voice as I can.

Kate grins.

“Excellent,”

I smile back at her and she leaves, then I face Harry.

“You bug me you know that?”

He looks thoughtful, and then he shrugs.

“Oh well, I can live with that.”

I roll my eyes. He was such a guy. I grab my book and head back to his room crawling into his bed. His apartment in Kensington Palace is so cozy. Harry flops next to me with a book of his own. His legs tangle with mine, my bare feet rest against his calves and the moment is so perfect that I almost wish I could stop time.


The next day Kate and I are at the shops, she seems smug and I dread what she will say.

“So you finally gave up resisting did you?” she asks smugly.

I roll my eyes at her trying on a pair of heels.

“I was drugged,” I respond with airs.

She giggles shaking her head. I know she doesn’t believe me. I groan softly. I don’t care for anything in the store. I put the shoes back and stand.

“Where to next?” Kate asks studying me.

“I don’t know. You are the one who wanted to shop. I don’t know London.”

“Right,” she says thoughtfully. “Ok, have you been to Fortnum & Mason’s?”
My eyes lit up. I have an obsession with the store. I was always on the website looking at the wonderful items.

“Piccadilly Circus!”

Kate laughs and linking arms with me, we make our way to the famous store.

“Have any idea what you want here?” she questions me, her eyes twinkling.

“A HAMPER!” I throw my arms out getting many alarmed glances.

She laughs again as I blush, which is such a bad habit. Her security guard trails behind us as excited whispers rise up. We enter Fortnum & Mason and I am breathless. I have no idea where to begin, as there is so much to see. Kate strolls confidently to the hampers. I catch my breath, there are so many!

“What’s your fancy? Tea hampers? Wine hampers…” she said moving her arms like a game show host.

Grinning, I walk over to the tea hampers and study them carefully. Getting into the spirit of things, Kate begins to examine hampers as well. Finally I pick out an English essentials hamper and make my purchase. Kate has it sent to the palace with a tea hamper she has chosen and we face each other suddenly as if we were going to duel.

“Now, we talk,” Kate says simply arms crossing.

I make a face at her. I don’t want to talk damnit!

“Oh look! Scarves!” I say heading to a display, stalling.

“AJ!” she cries exasperated.

I flinch.

“You know it isn’t very nice to invite someone shopping and then grill them…” I point out to her.

She raises and eyebrow at me.

“I planned on inviting you shopping before I knew you were keeping secrets.”

“Ok, ok I confess!” I threw up my hands. “I have a girl crush on Victoria Beckham ok?”

She bursts out laughing.

“What woman doesn’t?”

“Fashion challenged ones?” I reply cracking a bit of a smile.

We walk out of the store and I am lost in thought. Can this be my new life? Shopping, laughing, and joking with Kate Middleton? Picking out things like we are not two people being watched and criticized, me, complimented, her? I think of home. How at a charity ball, they had snapped a rare photo of me dancing with one Ethel Kennedy’s grandsons. They had slammed me for my outfit, for my make up. They had made fun of almost everything about me. I was not as glamorous as my starlit mom. I was the ugly duckling to her swan. I knew some how that it wouldn’t be different here. At home I did everything I could to stay out of the papers but here, with Harry, I’d be dead center.

“Yesterday was a mistake. One that will not be repeated,” I say breaking the silence.

“But why?” she asks baffled.

“This isn’t the life I want,” I answer simply.

“You don’t want a handsome, kind hearted guy loving you?” she asks dryly.

I sigh. There is no way to make her understand.

“You fit into this world Kate, I don’t,” I finally answer.

She laughs shaking her head.

“You think that people are so in love with me but haven’t you read the reports that I try too hard to be like Diana? That I am middle class to William’s blue blood? Not everyone likes me AJ,” she points out.

“I like being in the background Kate, it is where I belong,”

“You only belong there AJ because that is where you force yourself to be.”

I almost want to slap I am so frustrated but I don’t. Instead I take a deep breath and get into the car waiting for us.

“I am done shopping,” I tell her not looking at her.

She stands, unmoving for a moment then gets into the car. We head home in silence. I lean my head against the cold window and star into nothingness as a thousand thoughts cloud my vision.