"I don't wanna worry bout nothin for a while,
I just wanna play around livin' like a child
With old tunes jammin on my Walkman,
And some Sour Patch Kids and a Coke can"
Sour Patch Kids - Bryce Vine

oOoOo

"Welcome to Positano, your Highnesses," our driver says as he opens the car door for us.

Maeve and I step out of the car and walk up the path to the front door. Blair trails behind us, taking in the exterior of the house.

Earlier this morning, Blair, Maeve, and I left Carcalles for our mini-trip to Italy. Along with a few guards, we took the jet and began the two-hour journey to our vacation home.

I unlock the door and we go inside.

"The living room is this way," I tell Blair as we turn right. It's her first time in our Positano house since she typically doesn't accompany our family on vacation.

Maeve and the guards go ahead to drop the suitcases in the bedrooms. I continue with Blair's tour.

We enter the living room. It is set up with a brown l-shaped couch and a coffee table. There's a TV on the wall and massive windows that have a spectacular ocean view. You can see the azure water and the white sand beaches below. To the left, there is a beautiful view of the other Mediterranean style houses on the cliff.

"Wow, the view is amazing," Blair breathes, looking around. She snaps a few pictures on her camera.

"Wait until you see the view from the pool," I tell her.

I open the sliding glass doors that lead to the patio and pool area.

There is patio furniture and a grill under the verandah.

Just past the chaise lounge chairs, we have an infinity pool that goes to the edge of the cliff. The side of the pool is glass, so you have the feeling that you're hanging off the cliff when you're standing there. It's my favorite spot on the entire property.

"Here's the pool. Maybe we can hang outside later," I suggest.

"Sounds like a plan. I could definitely use a swim to cool off."

"Let's go back inside then."

I escort her through the sliding glass door that opens into the kitchen.

"So, clearly this is the kitchen. There's a bathroom right through that door." I point to the door to the right of the fridge.

"And the bedrooms are down this hallway."

We walk down the main hallway. I open the bedroom doors as we pass by so Blair can take a peek.

"This is the room you'll be staying in," I inform her as we enter her room. It's furnished with a queen-sized bed and a simple wooden dresser.

Seconds later, Maeve enters with Blair's luggage.

"Hey, we're going to relax by the pool this afternoon," I tell her.

"Sounds good. I'll find my bikini." With that, she disappears to get changed.

"Well, I'll leave you to get changed. I'll meet you by the pool in like fifteen minutes."

Blair unzips her suitcase and rifles through her clothing. I take it as my cue to leave.

I open the door into the adjacent room that I'll be sharing with Maeve. The house has five bedrooms and Maeve and I are going to share so the two guards can have their own rooms. It's the least we can do for dragging two middle-aged men to babysit a girls vacation right after Christmas.

I search through my suitcase for my navy bikini and get changed. After I put my blonde hair in a low ponytail, I meet Blair and Maeve outside.

oOoOo

"Want anything from the fridge?" I holler from the kitchen.

"Lemonade," they both shout.

I grab three cans of lemonade from the fridge and join the girls.

We tan on the lounge chairs, catching up on our lives.

"How was your Christmas?" Maeve asks Blair. We haven't seen her since the 23rd because she went home for the holiday.

"It was alright. I spent most of my time off with my mom and dad."

"How's your mom doing?" Her mom suffers from cancer, and it's unknown how much time she has left. The doctors have predicted that her mom has anywhere between a year and three more years.

"She says she's okay. I know the chemo is exhausting to her, and she's just putting on a brave face."

"I'm sorry," I say sincerely. "I can't even imagine how hard this is."

She nods and swallows thickly.

"On a lighter note, I at least got to FaceTime Marc for an hour on Christmas."

"Ooh, speaking of FaceTime, Kate talked to her boy-toy over FaceTime on Christmas too."

"Oh really?"

Maeve nods eagerly.

Why is she invested in my life? Doesn't she have her own to worry about?

"Yes, but we got interrupted by a certain blonde who decided to steal my phone and tell embarrassing stories," I tell Blair.

"What can I say except you're welcome?" Maeve sings.

"Okay, let's not talk about Kaden or Xander or any boy drama this vacation. It's supposed to be stress-free." I lay back in my chair.

"Why is talking about your boyfriend stressful?" Maeve questions, continuing to be a little brat.

"She has a point," Blair snorts.

"Just shut the fuck up." I pull my sunglasses over my eyes and tune her out.

oOoOo

The next day, we wake up bright and early to secure a spot at Fornillo Beach. Compared to the touristy beaches, it's a hidden gem. However, the beach sometimes gets crowded with locals, so it's best to arrive early.

"At two o'clock, we have to get to the marina for our snorkeling cruise," I tell the girls as we walk down the path to the beach. It's nine o'clock now, so we have plenty of time to tan and relax on the beach.

"That sounds like fun. Is the snorkeling good here?" Blair asks.

"It's alright. The snorkeling is definitely better in the Caribbean, but there are some pretty reefs here," Maeve tells her.

"We've seen dolphins and turtles before. Hopefully, we'll get lucky and see something interesting today," I add.

We reach the end of the path and put our bags and towels down. Since it's early in the day, we have the white sand beach to ourselves.

The guards hang back by about twenty feet and set their umbrella and chairs up.

I strip my t-shirt and shorts off and start to apply sunscreen. I got a mild sunburn on my back yesterday, and I definitely don't want to make it worse. I hate how easily my skin burns. I wish I tanned as effortlessly as Blair does.

After we apply our sunscreen, we make our way into the clear cerulean water.

"Ooh, it's so warm," Blair exclaims when the water reaches up to our chests.

"Yeah, it's surprisingly warm for December," I muse, splashing water around.

I accidentally splash Maeve in the face, causing her to shriek.

"Ugh, I was trying to keep my hair dry," she complains. "The salt always ruins it."

I accidentally splash her again.

Maeve shrieks again and retaliates by kicking water in my face.

The salt makes my eyes burn. I wipe my eyes, but then get hit with a surge of water from Blair.

I reciprocate by pushing water in her direction with both of my hands.

Our playful splashes rapidly turn into a full-on water fight.

A few minutes later, Maeve jumps on my back and almost drowns me.

I sink underwater from her weight and start inhaling water.

She instantly jumps off my back and helps me up.

"I'm so sorry."

I cough uncontrollably, unable to respond.

"It's okay," I rasp between coughs.

When I recover, I blindside Maeve.

I push on her back forcefully. She face-plants into the water.

"Payback's a bitch," I say smugly when she emerges.

oOoOo

Around lunchtime, we get out of the sea.

Blair rummages through the cooler to find our turkey sandwiches and the snacks we packed.

"So have you heard from Kaden at all?" Blair asks as she munches on a potato chip.

"We're not talking about Kaden, remember?"

"Have you heard from Xander?" Maeve smartly asks.

"We're not talking about Kaden or Xander," I correct myself.

"Why not?" She whines.

"We went over this yesterday," I say tiredly. "I don't want to worry about anything this vacation. We're going to relax and not talk about my mess of a love life."

"Ugh fine," she groans. "So, Blair, how's Marc?"

"He's good," Blair laughs.

"That's it? He's good?"

"Yeah, well what do you expect me to say?"

"I don't know," she says frustratedly. "Tell me some drama or something."

"What's up with you and drama?" I joke, taking a bite of my sandwich.

"My life is boring, so I need some form of entertainment. Since you're not talking about your love triangle, I have to settle for asking Blair about her boyfriend."

"Settle?" Blair asks in mock offense.

"Yes, you heard me correctly," she sasses. "C'mon, I want to hear the juicy and smutty details."

"Why the fuck do we always have to talk about guys?" I complain, but they don't hear me.

"No way I'm telling you that. You're sixteen!" She exclaims. "But, everything truly is good between us. Our relationship isn't a soap opera, like Kate's."

"Hey, I'm not that dramatic," I protest, earning incredulous looks.

Maeve spits her lemonade all over the sand. "That's like saying Chandler from Friends just a little sarcastic."

"You're calling me dramatic? Don't forget you're the girl who made a fucking PowerPoint presentation and held an intervention for me!" I throw a chip at her. "I think that defines dramatic."

"Don't hate on the PowerPoint. What did it do to you?" She flings the chip back at me.

"Yeah, we worked hard on it," Blair chimes in.

"Oh, shut up."

"Seriously, let's talk about something other than guys," I say.

"So, Maeve, how's school going?" Blair asks.

oOoOo

The rest of our vacation passes by in a blur.

On the second afternoon, we charter a private boat and snorkel in the vibrant coral reefs. As I fervently hoped, we spotted a few bottlenose dolphins and sea turtles.

We explore downtown Positano and go shopping the next day. I bought postcards and mini souvenir keychains for my parents and friends in Boston.

Blair brings her camera along to have a photoshoot in the picturesque streets.
We also relax under the sun by the pool. My sunburn worsens, but at least I'll be tan when it fades.

It was a nice three-day break from reality. I'm dreading going back to work and dealing with my mess of a life.

oOoOo

Thanks for reading chapter 20! Please vote and leave a comment if you are enjoying Royally Falling! <3

Sorry this chapter was so short. I wanted to write a fluffy chapter, but I also didn't want to make it drag on and super boring.