Why Not Us

Bailey's POV

When Bailey woke up it was already ten o'clock and the sun was brightly shining through the dusty blue curtains of his room. He felt happy about it being Saturday even if it meant being closer to the gala day. His phone got a notification in the midst of his scrolling on Instagram, examining the past posts the royal court made for him. Bailey smiled when he realized it was from Maisie.

"Do you want to come over for lunch?" She asked.

"Of course, what time? I'm free all day," He messaged back.

A moment later she responded with, "Twelve o'clock, wear something cozy,". He replied with an okay and climbed out of bed. Bailey slid into his slippers and walked out of his room not caring about being in pajamas. He nodded at any staff he saw on his way to his family's kitchen. He was greeted by his mother sitting at their round table, perfect for a family of four. It made him mentally wince every time he saw that unmoved chair, left in the same spot from five years ago.

"Good morning Lee, you're up late," She said smiling.

"Well I don't have any meetings today," He responded, "I'm going to Maisie's soon by the way,".

"Well that's nice," She grinned, "Are you interested in her? She's invited to all the galas right?" she asked.

"She'll be at them all, but she's just my friend mama," He said feeling somewhat offended. She nodded back at him with the grin still plastered on her face. She must've thought he was joking about Maisie being just a friend. It made him hurt on the inside realizing she only seemed to care about him getting a wife. He quickly grabbed a bottle of water and a piece of toast then rushed back to his room. On the way, he passed the staff hallway and couldn't help but check if the mystery boy was standing there but was let down only seeing a tall ginger man accompanied by a shorter brunette girl.

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It was eleven thirty when he pulled out of the palace in the black SUV paid for with tax dollars. Bailey watched downtown Stockholm pass by in a blur. He watched as people pointed at the car when stopped at an intersection letting out a slight laugh. It was weird to him how people always acted so different and shocked at the sight of royalty when they really were also regular people. The car slowly left the busy streets and got into a slightly more secluded area with more family homes. He slowly pulled up to the pale green cottage with a tremendous garden in front.

The driver got out and opened Bailey's door and he carefully stepped out to be greeted by Maisie at the door. Seeing her always made him feel better, especially when her dog Gus was with her. She closed the door behind him and Gus, the big white and brown Great Dane, waited at his hip for him to sit down. Bailey made sure to pat his head after taking his shoes off and made his way to the couch so Gus could hop on his lap. Gus was definitely a big dog, standing he was the same height as Bailey, and he was 6 '4. He rested his head on Bailey's knee and watched the TV.

"Do you want some coffee?" She asked.

"Sure, what do you want to eat? I'll order it," Bailey asked back.

"How about some pizza? Pesto with everything on it," She suggested. He was quick to agree and called up their favorite pizza place to have it delivered.

They decided to continue watching The Crown, it was always fun for Bailey to see what the public thought would happen behind closed doors. Sometimes it shocked him about how accurate things could be, and how far some things were from the truth. After a half hour, Gus barked at the door letting them know the pizza was there. Maisie grabbed it while Bailey brought some napkins over. They quickly opened the box and picked a slice to eat while shooing Gus from it.

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Bailey and Maisie were sitting on the sand in her backyard watching Gus run in the water of the lake. He glanced at Maisie but then got up to ask her something, "Why are you going to the galas?".

"I'm your friend, plus I could help you," She said. He thanked her and they went back to sitting in a peaceful silence until the sun started to set while on their phones. Bailey checked time quickly and got up messaging his driver that he was ready.

"Mais, I have to go but I'll see you on Friday alright," He warmly smiled.

"Alright let me walk you to the door at least," She responded. They made their way into the house and to the front door. She opened the door for them to step out. Bailey walked out and was greeted by the driver who opened the car door for him. He hugged her and then got in with the car door softly closing behind him and once his car was out of the drive she went back in.

What they didn't know was that there was something hidden in the bushes and that something was someone.