ADEBIMPE (Episode 19)

Prince Adewale (POV)

I had been thinking about her skin.

That was the most dangerous part not that it was soft, but that my mind returned to it without invitation. The brief contact from days ago lingered like a memory my body refused to forget.

If her skin was that soft…

How soft would her lips be?

I almost laughed at myself. Crazy, Adewale. Completely crazy.

She knocked and entered, greeting me properly before resuming her work. Adebimpe moved quietly, focused, careful as if the room itself might accuse her of something if she wasn’t.

I tried not to watch her.

I failed.

As she wiped near the window, her foot slipped on a patch of water she hadn’t noticed. Time slowed.

She gasped, body tilting backward.

I caught her.

My hand went straight to her waist.

That tiny waist.

The contact sent a sharp, unexpected jolt through me like lightning racing up my arm. I steadied her, but even when she found her balance, I didn’t let go.

I couldn’t.

Her waist was bare beneath my palm, warm, fragile. The beads around it pressed lightly against my fingers, and my breath caught.

Electric.

That was the only word.

Adebimpe stood still, frozen, her chest rising too fast. I should have released her immediately.

Instead, my hand stayed.

My thoughts scattered.

I leaned closer without thinking too close. Close enough to feel her breath. Close enough to forget the crown on my head, the rules carved into my bones.

I wanted to taste her lips.

The thought shocked me and yet it was already pulling me forward.

Then she moved.

She wrenched herself free, stepping back so fast she nearly stumbled again. Her eyes were wide, filled with fear and something like disappointment.

Without a word, she turned and ran out.

The door closed.

And with it, my sanity returned.

I stood there, staring at the space she had occupied, my hand still burning as if she were there.

What had I almost done?

That afternoon, when she came to serve my lunch, she avoided my eyes. Her movements were quick, distant. Professional in a way that hurt more than her fear.

I couldn’t let it end like that.

I stood up and gently caught her hand before she could leave.

She flinched but didn’t pull away.

“Adebimpe,” I said quietly. “Listen to me.”

She looked up, cautious.

“I will not pretend anymore,” I continued. “I think… I like you. More than I should. And I will speak to my parents about it.”

Silence.

Then she spoke, her voice steady but heavy.

“My prince… I am a maid. And you are the prince of this land.”

She shook her head slowly. “It is not possible.”

Her words struck deeper than I expected.

Adebimpe (POV)

When he caught me from falling, my heart forgot how to beat.

His hand on my waist felt like fire warm, dangerous, confusing. For a second, I couldn’t think. Couldn’t move.

Then I realized he wasn’t letting go.

That was when fear rushed in.

I saw it in his eyes the look I had been trying not to imagine. Not duty. Not authority.

Desire.

I freed myself and ran.

All the way back to the servants’ quarters, my chest burned. My thoughts were tangled.

A prince does not look at a maid like that.

And a maid must not allow herself to be seen.

When he later stopped me during lunch, my heart sank.

When he spoke honestly, boldly I almost cried.

“I think I like you…”

Those words were sweet.

They were also impossible.

“My prince,” I said, forcing strength into my voice, “this palace does not forgive dreams like this. I know my place.”

He looked at me like I had wounded him.

But I was protecting us both.

That night, I lay awake, touching my lips lightly, remembering how close he had been.

And I prayed for my heart to learn sense before it learned love 

Continue reading Episode 20