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“Asha, would you like to go out with me?”
Her eyes widened at Magnifico’s words. She froze.
A flutter of excitement bursts into her chest and now she’s flying, head over heels. She's souring through the castle, out into the blue sky outside and her heart is in her throat.
Asha can’t believe what she just heard.
Finally, after waiting patiently for months, she gets to go on her first date with King Magnifico.
Well…technically, it wasn't a real date.
Asha will be a plus-one. A stand-in since Queen Amaya was sick, unable to accompany him to Rosas’s new restaurant—a rare event that has the whole island excited.
Amaya was looking forward to the opening, but a nasty stomach flu caught her by the throat, banishing her bedridden for days.
A pity for sure...
But a victory for Asha.
When Magnifico asked her if she wanted to go instead, it turned the boring workday into a day she'll never forget.
Ever.
Asha was bursting with so much joy that she felt like she was going to explode, blasting up the walls of the laboratory as she listened to the king casually—
—ask her out on a date.
“Sure,” Asha shrugs, feigning a laid-back attitude and what color should she wear to the dinner? Blue or lavender?
The sun shines through the large windows and Magnifico leans against a pillar, thumbing through a book as he continues chatting. "The place is located near the shore. You might be able to hear the waves as we dine."
"Nice," Asha says and should she wear a dress or skirt? Probably the latter.
And what about heels? She didn't own any, but maybe could secretly steal her mother's shoes if Sakina didn't mind.
Magnifico is unaware of her fashion crisis and he continues speaking. "They say it's quite a large restaurant. Maybe the owner can take us on a tour if we arrive early…”
Maybe during dinner they can kiss and leave the restaurant early so he can tour her body...
Asha flusters at the thought and her fingers fidget—the potion she's holding swishes and some of the green liquid spills on her dress. She grimaces at the mess.
“I would love a tour,” she squeaks out.
"Oh? Really?" Magnifico closes his book. His cape swishes as he strides to her side at the work table. His slow footsteps echo against the laboratory walls, just as mighty as his presence. It booms.
Step...step...step...
He's close to her now. Her heart skips a beat as he smiles down, blue irises glittering.
“Glad to hear you're excited, Asha. You know...I’m surprised you're willing to waste a free night with your boss. Not a lot of people would be happy about that."
A pause. It's quiet until he speaks again, smirking.
"But I'm very much grateful you're happy about it.”
And Asha was grateful Amaya caught a virus—now she gets to dine out with her childhood crush. A fantasy she had for years.
Go stomach flu, go!
Magnifico peers over her shoulder to observe her work. Asha stills. His minty breath tickles her neck, goosebumps traveling the length.
Asha shudders.
“But no worries,” he whispers into her ear. “Dinner won’t be long. It will only last an hour...or two. Do you mind?”
Asha’s braids swing as she shakes her head—a bobblehead—and did he know she was willing to spend an eternity with him? Did he?
Maybe not.
After all, she was just a lowly apprentice to him; someone unimportant. But to Asha, he was her majesty, bathed in blue, a raging tsunami when things go wrong, and a calm, serene sea when the kingdom runs smoothly.
Right now he's a quiet lake as he drones on about who the restaurant owner is as if Asha gave two shits about “Nikolas, a kind devoted father who built the building from scratch.”
No, that didn’t matter at all.
The only thing that mattered was that in a couple of hours, Asha and Magnifico will be eating dinner over candles, buttered lobster on their plates.
Lust in his eyes.
He will grasp her hand and pull it towards him, gently pecking her palm as he boldly declares—
“I love you, darling. I do.”
Asha will bite her red lips, sultry. She will take his hand as well and lean in, giving him a view of her busty cleavage as she whispers back—
“I already knew, Your Majesty. I already knew. Now let's embark on a world tour in bed, shall we?”
"We shall."
They depart.
A couple hours later, there are no lobsters on their plates.
In fact, there isn't even candles between them.
There's only fake lanterns and hard wooden chairs to sit on as they waited for their food to arrive. Her ass hurt. Stale breadsticks stood on her plate and pink lemonade in her cup and wasn't this supposed to be a romantic date?
Where were the wine glasses? Red rose petals? Violins that were supposed to play in the background?
The only music playing right now was screaming children. High screeching sounds sounding across the place.
Asha closed her ears, wanting to vent to Magnifico but he was too busy signing autographs from customers and politely chatting with flirting waitresses who were supposed to be serving their food.
Go back to work, sluts.
“Refill?” A waiter asks her and Asha has no choice but to say yes. The waiter pours and leaves. She drinks her pink lemonade glumly
The bright, blue walls are anti-romantic. The chaotic atmosphere anti-sexual with scolding mothers blended with crying babies and loud children throwing food around, stuffing their tiny mouths with garlic bread—one of the worst foods to eat on a date.
Garlic stinks up your breath. It renders you unkissable.
Despite these two facts, Asha gobbles them up because she's starving and screwed—screwed because she wasted a nice dress on a trip to this family-friendly restaurant.
Purple sleeves, purple bodice, purple collar.
She's a walking Viola, a gentle flower she wished Magnifico would pick and sniff, spring aroma filling his scents—but no.
He is still talking to a group of girls who beg him to “Please grant our wishes? Please, please, please, with a cherry on top?”
Magnifico is a patient man.
He is also handsome, sporting a beige suit decorated in patterns of royal blue; an intriguing contrast to the gold medallion hanging around his neck.
Inside the suit lays detailed art of a dark, starry night, stars twinkling like the ones hanging above the restaurant—specks of gold across the sky.
Those stars are dull compared to the sparkle in his ocean eyes, the ones looking at the girls in patience as they continue to beg him to grant their wishes.
He politely declines, of course.
“What are you eating?” Magnifico asks after they finally leave. He runs a hand through his silver hair and Asha wishes she could run her fingers through his mane too.
“Anything you get,” she smiles, happy his attention is back on her. Jealous ladies glare at her and curious villagers stare, wondering how a young girl like her got the opportunity to dine with the king.
Well, the answer is simple: she's just lucky. She really is.
That thought puts her in a good mood and now she's bumping her shoe against Magnifico's feet. At first, he's confused, but then he teases back—he starts bumping his shoe back and now they’re playing footsies together, like a couple.
Dining together, like a couple.
Wearing fancy clothes together, like a couple.
Knocking lemonade over, like a couple.
Wait...what?
Magnifico gasps and maybe Asha should not have started leaning in: her drink got knocked over.
Juice pours into the table. Pink liquid grows. It's spreading like a disease that infects his suit, staining the beige pink and Asha will die right there.
Please, could lightning strike her through the restaurant?
“I’m–I’m so sorry!”
“It’s okay Asha—”
“No, it’s not!” Her hand trembles as she tries to get napkins. She grabs a handful, but life is ironic—she knocks down his drink this time. More liquid pours.
The whole table is a river now.
Asha’s face is on fire and the whole restaurant gathers around Magnifico as if he was on fire. As if he was a burning building that needed to be saved.
“Here’s a thousand towels, Your Majesty!”
“Want us to sew you a new suit, Your Majesty?”
“Here, take my suit, Your Majesty!”
He's patted down and dried and old ladies gasp, glaring at Asha for daring to ruin their precious king's outfit, and for goodness sake people:
Magnifico was not stabbed. A drink just spilled on him.
He waves everyone off and gives Asha a reassuring smile, letting her know that he isn’t mad at her. Phew. What a relief...she can breathe easier now.
She smiles back.
Magnifico asks her again what she really wants to eat, and Asha assures him again that she’ll eat whatever he orders.
“Just get whatever. I’ll try it too.”
Magnifico nods. “Very well then, but here's a warning—” He lifts his finger, a playful expression on his face.
“If you eat from my plate, then that gives me permission to eat yours out as well.”
Asha’s heart drops because it sounded like Magnifico said he was going to eat her out, not the food.
She flusters. She gulps and she really needs to get her head out of the gutter, so she distracts herself by pulling out her notepad. She jots down notes about the restaurant.
Helpful staff, quick service, cute kings , great customer service….
Their food arrives.
Spicy curries. Meaty stews. Sauteed spinach (AKA the second worst anti-kissing food). Asha avoids eating that.
The waiter sets the steaming dishes on the table and they dine like a fat married couple who’s been married for twenty years with kids. All the food is gobbled up as they discuss work, life, and c'mon—you can’t get more marital than talking about groceries.
Boring conversational subjects are a sign of true love.
Another dish comes. Magnifico scoops his spoon into the thick tomato and offers it to her. His smile is teasing, white.
“Have a taste.”
Asha opens her mouth and couples spoon-feed each other, they do. She sips the warm liquid.
It's salty. Sweet. It tastes good, but it tastes even better since it's from his utensil.
Magnifico brings the same spoon into his mouth and tastes the soup. His eyes glance to her lips as he nods.
“It is good.”
They continue to dine. He laughs at her bad jokes because husbands have to do that. Asha agrees with his bad opinions because wives have to do that—it's a neutral agreement.
They both complete each other and the meaty stew Asha's eating is really good. She asks Magnifico what's in it. He responds right away like the good partner he is.
“Chanfana.”
“Cha-what now?”
“It’s a traditional Portuguese dish,” Magnifico says.
“Huh?” Asha takes another bite from the stew, quietly thanking Portuguese people for making the dish. She blows on another spoonful as Magnifico listed out the ingredients.
“...red wine…paprika…”
Asha takes a bite.
“Bay leaves…”
She chews.
“...goat meat…”
She froze.
“…diced onions—”
“What did you just say?” Asha shrieks.
Magnifico startles at her raised voice. He quirks an eyebrow. “Um, onions?”
“No, before that.”
“Oh! Goat meat. It’s cooked inside clay pots traditionally, but you can also cook it in…”
Magnifico’s words blur as time stops. Her blood runs cold. The mushy meat sits in her mouth like a block of coal but she won’t dare swallow because...it’s goat meat.
Valentino meat.
Asha gags.
Concern flashes in his eyes. He drops his fork as he gasps, “Asha! Are–are you choking?!”
She shakes her head at him. No.
Magnifico looks like he doesn't believe her and she needs to get out before she ruins his suit further by puking on it (what a nightmare).
Asha holds up a finger. One second. She ignores his calls and dashes off to the bathroom. She barges through an empty stall.
She vomits.
Remnants of Valentino’s brother or sister come out. She heaves. Acid burns her throat—punishment for feasting on his relatives—and then she wipes her watery eyes, flushing.
Asha hobbles back to her table. She sits down.
“Asha? Where did you go?” Magnifico is staring at her as if she’s a zombie that's going to feast on his flesh. He furrows his eyebrows. "Are you okay?"
“Yup!” Asha lies. Her appetite is gone now, but she knows dinner isn't over yet—they're still being served. She wonders. How many how many more courses are left? Well, her quiet question is answered soon enough:
Several.
Dish after dish, the stench meat triggers bouts of nausea and at first, Asha gets away with not eating anything; but then Magnifico encourages her to try something out.
Fine then. She picks at a random dish, powering through her disgust.
Now she’s gagging whenever the fork meets her lips, so Magnifico gently nudges her to not “sound rude”—the chefs are watching.
Fine then. She gags in silence.
Now her face crinkles in revulsion as she chews, so Magnifico gently nudges her to not “look rude”—the chefs are watching them.
Fine then. She fixes her face.
Now she swallows and retches and the restaurant is growing louder and more crowded. It’s stuffy, hot. Her head pounds.
Asha wishes she was outside in the cool night air instead of inside, getting glares from jealous girls and side-eyes from waiters and she wants to go home now, away from it all.
Magnifico is reaching for his drink when he realizes that Asha is holding her head. Her eyes are squeezed shut–a flash of concern crosses his face.
He frowns. “Darling? Is the food making you that sick?”
A baby cries. Asha rubs her aching temples.
“Hm? Talk to me, Asha.”
A nearby waiter slams down a tray. Asha flinches.
“...Asha?”
A gentle touch on her shoulder. Asha flinches, backing away from Magnifico's touch. He backs away in surprise. Her head spins and the restaurant is too small, too loud, and she needs to get out. Now.
And that’s exactly what she does.
“Asha!?” Magnifico’s words fall on deaf ears.
She ignores him, opting to rush out of her seat but—life is ironic —she slips out at the same time another waiter walks by and knocks him down.
Bam!
Her forehead collides with his torso and she’s knocked down. He’s knocked down. The food he was carrying is knocked down. Spaghetti feeds the floor below.
“Look! Somebody just knocked down a server!” Someone cries out.
"Woah! Seriously?"
"Who?"
Asha did. Tomato sauce had splattered on a lady and now she’s wailing—red puree imitates blood all over her attire. It's a gruesome sight. Something straight out of a horror novel.
Asha is the victim, the main protagonist in the novel who needs to run away from the shouting and screaming and— isn’t that the king’s apprentice?
Well, not anymore.
Based on the horrified look on Magnifico's face, she will have to look for a new job tomorrow. But tonight, she’s working as a runway beauty, a professional escapist as she jumps from the messy floor and dashes out of the chaotic restaurant, back into the quiet night air.
She's free at last.
Heart pounding, she hunches over and leans down, catching her breath. A lull falls. It's quiet out here despite the streets still being full, lively, even at such a late hour.
Teenagers banter in groups. A dog barks. Couples admire the stars above and Asha blinks back tears. That couple was supposed to be her and Magnifico tonight, but that won't be happening anytime soon.
Especially after what just happened.
A knot forms in her stomach. Asha stands up and closes her eyes, breathing in cool air. Her chest rises. It falls. Then rises again as she expands her lungs.
Ah...refreshing.
She continues to hold that breath even as she sprints into the dark night, running through the cobblestoned streets of Rosas until reaching her destination, a spot she runs to whenever things go awry.
Solitude by the seashore.
Beaches are for lovers.
They’re for long walks on the beach and picnics. A soft ground for proposals, and a great wedding destination for a priest to say, “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
Beaches are for sandcastles and swimming. Sunbaths and sunburns. They're for snorkeling and surfing and everything except for what Asha was doing right now:
Crying while stargazing through blurry vision.
Stargazing. That was something she used to do with her father before he died—no, she shouldn’t think about that now....not while she’s still in her emotions.
Instead, she will force herself to think about when her father was alive, how he would name stars after her, pointing at the twinkling lights above.
"Which star do you wanna be this time, sweetie?"
“That one!” Asha would point up.
“The moon?”
“No Daddy! The one beside it!”
“Ah, that one. What a beautiful star! Just like you, my sweet Asha.”
Just like her, huh?
Well, she was far from beautiful now: she was soaked in sauce and sticky with lemonade and red-eyed and she screwed up tonight, she did.
Asha puts her head in her arms, wiggling her toes in the cool sand. It's quiet. Serene. Footsteps lurk near her, and she would have thought it was some robber trying to sneak up at her, had not the person spoken up. The deep voice is familiar.
“Asha,” Magnifico says and how long had he been standing there listening to her sob like a newborn baby?
“Yes?”
“The stars are shining bright tonight, aren't they?”
Oh, phew. Thank goodness.
So they were gonna do some small talk before he fired her. Good. That means she can emotionally prepare herself before he brings down the gauntlet and says to her—
“...Are you okay?”
Asha’s face crumbles up. She sniffs. She’s a crumbled-up paper and the fountain of youth, young, full of water, tears springing out of sockets.
She tries to hide her face, but Magnifico embraces the fountain.
He settles down and brings her closer—warm, his skin—and soaks in her tears with his suit—stained, her fault. He brushes her braids away with his fingers; they’re leathery rough.
“I can’t do anything right,” Asha whispers into his chest.
Magnifico traces the freckles on her cheeks, clucking his tongue in disagreement. “Don’t you dare say that, darling.”
“But why not?”
“Because it’s not true.”
Asha backs away from his touch. “It is true. I mean, remember when I helped you out during last year's Wish-granting ceremony? I accidentally fell off the stage and knocked down a bunch of villagers!"
Magnifico grimaces. “Well, at least there were no injuries..."
"And remember when you invited me to that royal banquet? I was congratulating the wrong woman for her pregnancy. Turns out, she was just fat! Not pregnant!”"
Magnifico bit back a smile. “Okay, you have to admit Asha...that was pretty funny.”
It was funny. But Asha is in a bad mood, so she doesn't admit it.
Instead, she continues to throw a pity party, huddling into a ball. “And now look at what happened tonight. Honestly, you shouldn’t have invited me…in fact, you shouldn’t invite me anywhere."
Magnifico shakes his head. "Bite your tongue, Asha."
"I'm serious. You should just get rid of me because—because I’m so terrible at being your apprentice and...maybe another girl would do a better job than me.”
The playful expression on his face fades. Magnifico stiffens.
“And you know what?” Asha blinks back more tears. “I think my clumsy body is trying to tell us something, that we’re not meant to work together. Because if we were meant to work together, then things would run smoothly. But they’re not so…I don’t know.”
Asha shrugs, tracing the sand.
Seagulls fly under the moonlight. The waves are loud. Tides crash into boulders, and a lone fly buzzes nearby.
For a split second, Asha thinks about stripping down and running into the salty air, skinny-dipping down, down, down until she reaches the bottom of the sea, where no humans have reached.
She wants to, badly.
But then again, she wants to know how Magnifico is going to respond before making such a rash decision. She glances up at him and he’s looking at her too. His stare is intense.
She gulps. “...Your Majesty?”
“Yes?”
“What are you thinking about?”
“Oh, well I was just thinking about how your mother gave you such pretty brown eyes. Very lovely.”
Asha flinches. Heat rises up her neck.
“And you know what else I think, darling?” Magnifico sings, head dipping lower as he tries to get level with her eyes. “I think that if your clumsy body were trying to keep us apart, then it’s doing a shitty job at that. Because otherwise, we wouldn’t be out here together.”
Her body heats up more, a boiling pot. “I–I wish we weren’t!”
“No, you don’t,” he says firmly.
“Yes, I do. I wish you never asked me out. I wish you never hired me and I wish that—”
Without warning, his mouth is on hers. He kisses her roughly. Completely unyielding.
His hands are on the back of her head, holding her in place. And for a long, suspending moment, she’s frozen, an ice cube.
Then, all at once, heat spreads through her, and she thaws.
She melts.
She kisses him back.
And, oh, it is as good as she fantasized.
They stay like that for a while, until suddenly, Magnifico pulls away and nudges his nose against hers. His eyes are even more blue than she realizes and he opens his mouth, whispering.
“I had to stop you from talking. You started wishing things you didn't mean...and that, my darling, can be dangerous."
"Oh..."
"Wishes are powerful. Don’t misuse them.”
She nods, her heart still pounding from the unexpected intimacy.
Magnifico boops her nose. He flashes that familiar dashing smile of his as he speaks again. “And no, I’m not firing you. Never. Not in a million years, darling.”
Relief floods her veins. She sighs, resting her forehead against his. It's warm compared to the cool night air and she's grateful. Grateful for his mercy.
Grateful for his kiss...her first kiss ever...
Asha's eyes widen.
A bolt of electricity strikes her and she sits up straight. She gasps. Her mouth opens wide and did he just kiss her? For real?
No...
Yes .
He did. He did!
...?
Why?
Her mind spun. She is so overwhelmed that she can barely hear him talking again, his voice faint background noise. Magnifico speaks slowly, cautiously.
“And…I would like to take you out again. There’s a new seafood place that opened somewhere along the boardwalk. I heard they serve the best shellfish in Rosas so...shall we go?”
Asha blinks. She stares. The waves are calm now but the air is getting colder by the minute and—
…huh?
What in the world was going on?
She just made herself a fool tonight and he still wanted to go out with her? Was think some kind of cruel joke where he wanted to watch her humiliate herself again?
Asha doesn’t know and she’s quiet. Thinking.
He could be just trying to make her feel better by asking her out again. Or maybe he was just making fun of her. Well, if he’s teasing her, then that’s straight-up cruel.
But if he was actually being serious…
“I'm serious,” Magnifico says as if he’s reading her mind. “I enjoyed spending time with you tonight and…” He clears his throat. “I would like to…get to know my apprentice better. Shall you accept my invitation or not?”
Asha continues to stare at him, aghast. Magnifico is still waiting for her to answer so she can’t leave him hanging. She forces herself to move.
She nods her head slowly. Then faster. Then even faster.
“Um, okay. Yeah! Sure. That sounds kinda fun. I’m sure we’ll have a–a blast over there!”
Have a blast. What kind of corny line was that?
Asha cringes at her words but relaxes once she sees a large smile stretch out on Magnifico’s handsome face. He claps his hands, elated.
“Wonderful. Then I shall see you next week after work, Asha.”
She smiles back. “Next week.”
“In the evening.” Magnifico’s blue eyes glint, a sparkling ocean, like the one in front of him.
Asha smiles even wider. “In the evening,” she repeats back and maybe today wasn’t so bad after all.
Yeah, things didn’t go as expected, but c'mon—what usually does? The sun shines after a storm and Magnifico just kissed her and asked her out again.
Another date!
A burst of excitement runs through Asha and the moon is bright, brighter than the sun. The glowing orb gleams down on them, shining down on the serene beach as Magnifico leans down for another kiss. Asha closes her eyes.
Their lips meet again and you know what?
Tonight's date wasn't a disaster after all.
