Royally Lost (4 page)

“Becca,” Dylan interrupted.

“One sec,” she said and turned back to Nikolai. “I wish I didn’t have to go.”

“Me too.” He pushed back his regret. “Enjoy the rest of your trip. You only have a couple dozen more churches and a few rambling old castles to visit. You’ll be on your way home before you know it.”

“Thank you again for the beautiful scarf.” She caressed the delicate fabric. “And enjoy the rest of your trip. I hope your parents don’t catch up to you for a while.”

Nikolai saw Dylan waiting. He turned back to Becca. “I guess this is good-bye.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek before he could overthink it.

Surprised, her eyes lit up. “I better go.”

He smiled, wishing for more time.

“Thanks again,” she said, joining her brother.

Nikolai nodded to Dylan. As they walked away, his heart sank, which seemed stupid, since he barely knew her. But something about Becca and this day were the best time he’d had in a long time. He’d like to think it was because she liked him. After all, she laughed at his lame jokes. And she didn’t even know about his royal title.

6

Becca
gazed back at Vienna from the top deck as the boat pulled away. She touched the soft scarf draped around her neck. She still couldn’t believe he’d bought it for her.

Today had turned out to be the best day ever. Nikolai had been the nicest, funniest guy she’d ever met. Suddenly all the pain she felt over Ethan dumping her for Kelly evaporated as if he’d never even mattered.

Unfortunately, the perfect guy had to be from some obscure European country. If she had been able to tell him their next stop, maybe he would have wanted to meet her there. Heck, she didn’t even know the name of the boat. She glanced across the deck and saw a decorative life ring with the ship name,
Bolero
, painted on it.

She should have asked for his email address or if he was on Facebook. But if he didn’t want to give his address, that would have been awkward. Maybe it was better this way. She leaned on the railing and watched the city grow distant. Either way, Nikolai had been so charming and nice, not to mention really good-looking. He was the best thing to happen in longer than she could remember.

“Oh no. Sulking over your European hottie?” Dylan joined her.

“Hardly. I just met the guy,” she said in a cheery voice, belying her real mood.

“Yeah, I saw how he looked at you.”

“How was that?” She hadn’t noticed him looking at her in any special way.

“The same way you were looking at him. Like he was a chocolate ice cream cone and you couldn’t wait to take a lick.”

“Dylan! Shut up!” She swatted him.

“I’m just saying, the guy was totally into you.”

Tingles fluttered in her stomach at Dylan’s comment. “I finally find a guy who’s interested and then I have to leave. What did I do to deserve such rotten luck?”

“Maybe it’s a sign that there are better guys out there, and you should stop settling for self-centered losers. Take me, for example. I am constantly testing the laws of attraction. The more you put yourself out there, the more awesome people you’ll cross paths with.”

Dylan might have a point, but the only person she wanted to cross paths with would be miles away by morning.

The next afternoon, surrounded by a mass of tourists who moved like zombies, Becca resigned herself to the fact that she’d have to tolerate having ancient history crammed down her throat for the rest of the trip. After that, she could go home to her familiar life of hanging with friends on State Street, boating on the lake, and getting ready for college. She couldn’t wait to escape the daily annoyance of spending time with her dad and Vicky. They were not a family unit and never would be.

Their tour group meandered through the quaint village of Melk, Austria, adorned with its shuttered windows, pastel-hued buildings, colored planters bursting with flowers, and the occasional sidewalk café. The sun glared brightly, so she pulled on a baseball cap along with her sunglasses. She wore a tank top and her hair up in a knot, in hopes of surviving the hot day. Small groups of tourists wandered in the opposite direction, having finished their tours of the abbey. Becca wished she belonged to the departing crowd.

The guide paused to point out an ancient fresco painted on the side of a building. As most of the group stared upward, mesmerized by the refurbished painting of a mythic God, Becca’s eyes wandered down the side street where a middle-aged man swept the cobblestones outside his shop. Across from the man she noticed a simple painted sign,
Hostel
.

That’s what Vicky had been talking about the other night, cheap lodging for students as they backpacked through Europe. At that moment, the door opened and a guy stepped out. His tall, lean frame reminded Becca of Nikolai, even though he faced the opposite direction. Then he turned and glanced in her direction, and she noticed that his blue baseball cap was embroidered with the word
Vienna
.
Nikolai!

But Nikolai looked away and began to walk in the other direction. Didn’t he see her? She could swear he looked right at her. She stepped away from her group. “Nikolai!”

He paused in his steps and turned. She removed her hat and sunglasses. Nikolai did a double take, and broke into his megawatt smile. Becca laughed and fought the urge to squeal her excitement. He shook his head in disbelief and headed toward her. The familiar gait of his step set her heart racing.

“I didn’t plan this. I swear it.” He grinned, looking as surprised as she.

“What are the odds?” She feasted upon his gorgeous face, broad shoulders, and the shorts that hugged his hips in an Abercrombie kind of way.

“A million to one. At least. Nice scarf,” he said.

“Thanks. It’s from an old friend.”

The tour started to move on without them. Becca desperately wished she could disappear with Nikolai, but what lame excuse could she give her dad for skipping the tour?

Nikolai gestured to the departing group. “Let’s go. We don’t want to be left behind.”

“You’re coming with?” she asked, still dumbfounded by his sudden appearance, and now thrilled he planned to stick around.

“Well, yeah. It’s a free country. I assume your tour is going to the Melk Abbey. I hear it’s the hottest ticket in town.”

“But you’re not part of our group,” she said, afraid he’d be discovered and land in trouble.

“Haven’t you heard? The abbey is open to anyone, not just American riverboat passengers who hate history.”

He winked and she thought she might self-combust right there.
Thank you, fate. I don’t know how you pulled this off, but I’m glad you did!

They followed the crowd to the huge open courtyard of the Melk Abbey. The massive building was painted the shade of straw at harvest time and looked like a combination of a Spanish hacienda and a castle.

Becca couldn’t help but wonder how Nikolai had ended up here. Had he somehow followed their boat up the river all through the night? “So, what made you stop in Melk?”

“Apparently, you.” His blue eyes twinkled. “After you left yesterday, Vienna wasn’t much fun, so I decided to head out. I planned on riding a lot farther, but I kept seeing signs for Melk. When I was a kid, my parents brought me here for a—a tour. I took the turnoff and spotted a sign for the hostel. And look, you’re here, too!”

As everyone gathered in the courtyard, Becca wondered how she’d explain Nikolai to her dad and Vicky. There were groups from several boats, so it was easy to stay out of their sight, but then Dylan appeared. When he spotted Nikolai at her side, he raised an eyebrow, smiled, and disappeared back into the crowd.

“So you’re really planning on taking the tour?” she asked.

“Of course, isn’t that why we’re here? And you obviously need some serious education in European history. You Americans are too ignorant about the rest of the world,” he teased.

“And you’re going to teach me?” she challenged.

“Yes, ma’am, I am.”

“But what if the guides figure out you’re not with our group?”

“What are you afraid of? That they’ll call the police?” He grinned as if relishing the idea.

“No. Maybe. I don’t know. I just don’t want you to get in trouble.”

“Becca, I have spent most of my whole life doing the right thing. I think breaking a few rules is exactly what I need. And it sounds like you could use a little rule breaking yourself.” He bumped her shoulder with his. She had to agree, since all she’d been doing lately was whatever her dad or Vicky said. Breaking rules sounded pretty good right now.

Their tour guide, Luis, a self-confessed professor of history with shaggy brown hair, round-rimmed glasses, and a rumpled wool jacket led them into the Melk Abbey. He spoke into a small microphone that relayed his voice to the audio boxes that each cruise passenger wore.

“Here, want to share?” Becca held out one of the tiny speakers.

Nikolai looked at the small device. “Sure.”

Becca pulled the earbuds farther apart so that his could reach him. He accepted the earpiece. In order to stay connected, they walked close together, which Becca didn’t mind at all.

They listened through the earbud to Luis’s fluent English tinged with a thick German accent.

“The abbey was founded in 1089 when Leopold II, Margrave of Austria, gave one of his castles to Benedictine monks from Lambach Abbey.”

Becca ignored Luis. She was only aware of Nikolai, who shuffled alongside her, his shoulder brushing hers as they tried to stay connected. She glanced over and found him listening intently. Was he really this into history?

Luis droned on. “Today’s impressive Baroque abbey was built between 1650 and 1700 to designs by Johann Prandtauer.”

Nikolai leaned down as they walked and whispered in her ear. “He’s wrong.”

“What?” she asked, noticing the bow shape of his mouth and his perfectly straight teeth.

“He’s wrong about the dates. They didn’t start building it until the early 1700s. And the designer wasn’t Johann; it was Jakob.”

Becca stopped short and the earbud pulled out of her ear. “How do you know that? Are you some sort of freak?”

Nikolai handed her earpiece back, grinning. “I wrote a term paper on the architectural design of Melk Abbey for school, and I have an excellent memory.”

“I’m impressed.” She placed the earbud back in her ear.

“Here, let’s stay together.” Nikolai put his arm around her shoulder, so they stood closer, and the earbuds had less chance of falling out again. Becca held back a grin as her stomach did a flip. She enjoyed the scent of Nikolai’s shaving cream or maybe it was his shampoo.

The tour led them down a long corridor and into a room different from the rest, lit in a neon-blue low light. A Plexiglas display case housed a suitcase-sized Bible, so old the relic could have been written by Jesus himself.

“This looks more like a New Age nightclub than an abbey,” Becca whispered. “I feel like a deejay’s going to start playing and monks are going to dance in.” Nikolai caressed her bare shoulder with his thumb, sending shivers through her. She hoped he didn’t stop.

Becca giggled. “Not too much history in here.”

“And I’m so disappointed. I really wanted to teach you a few things.” He whispered close to her ear, his breath tickled her neck.

“Did you now?”

“What? I’m talking about history. What are you thinking about?” he said, his blue eyes all wide and innocent, but she knew better.

They moved from the blue room into a green-hued room filled with centuries-old papal robes. The next room was lit bright yellow, and held encased gold crosses and Communion chalices. Nikolai appeared to be interested, but Becca wondered if he even listened to the guide dribble on about this eight-hundred-year-old trunk or that six-hundred-year-old rosary. Becca was tempted to turn the speaker off, but didn’t want to risk losing Nikolai’s arm, which he draped comfortably around her. He occasionally whispered something in her ear that made her laugh.

Next they entered a richly adorned library, so huge that it spanned two stories. Narrow walkways led to the books. Old tomes occupied every inch of the richly hued wooden shelves. The guide rattled on about how this was only a small percent of all the tens of thousands of books in the abbey collection, and that several other rooms hosted even more. Bringing up the rear, as the group shuffled over the marble floors, Becca and Nikolai passed a narrow winding staircase with a
No Admittance
sign blocking the entry. Becca leaned over and looked up. A spiral staircase went up several stories.

“Look at that. It’s amazing.” Becca leaned over the railing and pointed up. The staircase wound skyward and the banister created an artistic view leading to the painted ceiling several stories above.

“Let’s check it out.” Nikolai unhooked the velvet rope blocking the stairway.

“Are you out of your mind? We can’t go up there!”

“Sure we can. Come on.” He pulled her along and reattached the rope behind them.

“Oh my God. We are going to get in so much trouble.” And she never got in trouble, but she didn’t want to miss a moment of Nikolai.

“Only if we get caught.” He smirked.

7

They
heard the monotone voice of the next tour group entering the library.

“Someone’s coming! Hurry up!” Becca rushed up the stairs and out of the next group’s sight.

At the top of the first landing, they ducked into another room of books. Becca’s heart pounded. The dim light in the cozy study revealed a few old chairs, and tables with reading lamps. The room smelled dusty and musty, like old books.

“I like this room. It’s more personal, as if people actually came in here to read.” She stepped to a shelf and touched the spine of an ancient volume. “I can’t believe we’re in here.”

The edge of the bookshelf was intricately patterned with inlaid wood, and crystal lamps sparkled in the low light.

“Everything is so beautiful.” Her fingers glided over the age-old wood.

Nikolai appeared at her side, totally relaxed, as if trespassing in a foreign land was no big deal. “Yes, it is,” he answered with a playful glint in his eye, moving so close to Becca that the heat of his body warmed hers.

Nikolai took her hand and turned her toward him. He slid his hand under Becca’s hair and caressed her neck, causing little shivers of excitement to tingle up her spine.

Becca’s pulse raced. Nikolai leaned down and brushed his lips against hers, his kiss soft and intoxicating. He paused, then kissed her some more and gazed into her eyes.

“I couldn’t resist. You’re different from any other girl I’ve met.”

“Oh.” She didn’t know what to say. She’d never been kissed like that before and was ready for another.

“Come on, I want to show you something.” He took her hand and led her out of the room and down a long hallway.

“Where are we going now?” She stumbled after him, disappointed. Why not more kisses?

After two turns and another long hallway they approached an ancient door with a medieval-looking handle.

“Shh,” Nikolai whispered. It wasn’t like she was going to do anything to alert security. He turned the handle and slowly opened the door.

Becca wasn’t sure what she expected, maybe another library room or an office. But she was not prepared for the sight before her, as she shaded her eyes from the brightness.

“Oh my!” she uttered as they stepped onto a second level alcove and entered the most spectacular church she’d ever seen. Everything before her seemed to be dipped in gold: the cornices, statues, trim work, and window edging. What wasn’t gilded was creamy white. Becca glanced up to find the ceiling a massive fresco of cherubs and symbols she couldn’t begin to understand. Below, clusters of tourists meandered by gold columns that supported the high arches.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Nikolai said, guiding her along.

“How did you know about this?”

“It’s hard not to know about this when you live where I come from.”

“Is that real gold?” she asked, pointing to the massive golden pulpit that wound majestically around a column and overlooked the pews.

“Oh yeah, it’s all real.” He led her down narrow side stairs to the marble church floor worn with age.

“This is insane. I’ve never seen so much gold in my life. There must be millions of dollars’ worth in here.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it.”

“All this for a bunch of monks, and it’s been here all this time?”

“Yes, it’s been here for hundreds of years.”

“During all the wars and droughts and famines. The people must have hated this place. One gold leg from the altar would have probably fed the whole village.”

“I never thought of it that way before.” His brow furrowed.

“Oh no! There’s my dad,” Becca said.

“Where?”

“By the church doors. Hang on. I’ll be right back.” She headed over to her dad and Vicky. She preferred not to explain Nikolai. Vicky or her dad would ask annoying questions and it wasn’t any of their business who she talked to.

“There you are. I thought I told you not to wander off and get lost,” her dad said.

“I wasn’t lost.”

“We’re going to stop by the abbey restaurant and have a coffee and pastry with the Martins,” Vicky said, indicating the annoying couple they sat with at dinner last night.

“Where’s Dylan?” Becca scanned the area, but didn’t see him.

“He’s playing his disappearing act again. I swear, he better be back to the boat in an hour for departure or I’ll make him walk to the next port. Becca, you should join us and the Martins.”

Becca took a step back. “No. I’d rather not. I’ll look around on my own.”

“Nonsense. Let’s stay together. We’ve already lost Dylan. It will save time trying to meet up later,” her dad said.

“Dad, I’m eighteen, not four. I’ll be starting college soon and can handle getting back.”

He sighed in annoyance. “Fine, but don’t be late.”

“I won’t,” she answered as he walked away. She returned to Nikolai with a bounce in her step. “Guess what? I’ve got another hour before I have to be back at the boat. Let’s get out of here.”

He linked his fingers with hers in a way Becca wished would last for more than the next hour. As they passed through the abbey grounds, a string orchestra played in the courtyard. They took steep stairs away from the abbey and wound by homes with laundry waving from a clothesline in the breeze. She spied small vegetable gardens, and Nikolai pointed out a couple of backyard chickens.

They ended up in the village below the abbey on a cobblestone street lined by shops and cafés. It looked the same as most of the other cities she’d visited, except that Melk was much quieter and less populated. She noticed a lot of tourists pushing bicycles along the street.

“I don’t suppose you know where your boat will be tomorrow,” Nikolai asked.

She wanted to squeal like a little girl because he’d mentioned the next day, which meant he must want to see her again. “I do,” she said, trying to mask the fact that she actually read her itinerary.

Nikolai stopped suddenly, pulling her back. “Really? Look who’s paying attention to more than where the next McDonald’s is.”

Becca fought back her smile.

“So where will you be?”

“Some town called Passau. Do you know where it is?”

He smiled. “I do. It’s only a couple of hours away. In fact, it has a pretty Old Town with an amazing—” He paused, waiting for her to finish his sentence.

Becca rolled her eyes. “Church! I know! What would a day in Europe be without visiting another church?”

Nikolai laughed. “Sorry, you just can’t escape it here. But that’s not why I asked.” He leaned against the edge of a fence that overlooked a park. He took her hand gently in his. She loved the touch of his skin against hers. “I was hoping you might want to get together again. I don’t know how long you’re in port, but maybe we could take off for a while on my motorbike. See a little of the countryside.”

Becca tried to act cool.

After spending the past couple of hours together, Nikolai wanted to see her again!

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Good,” he said, seeming satisfied, and not making a big deal about it.

Becca’s insides churned with nervous joy.

“Let’s meet outside St. Stephen’s Cathedral at eleven. It’s at the top of the hill in Old Town and is the easiest place to find.”

“Isn’t that the name of the church in Vienna?”

“See, you are paying attention. Yes, there is a St. Stephen’s church in practically every town.”

“Well, in that case, meeting at St. Stephen’s sounds great.”

As their time ran short, Nikolai walked her back to the pier where the
Bolero
was docked next to two other riverboats. She hated to say good-bye.

“So how come it takes my boat all night to get to Passau, and you said it only takes you a couple of hours? I know the boat isn’t very fast, but still, that doesn’t seem right.”

“This section of the Danube River has a lot of locks. You’ll be going through quite a few from here on out. Boats get backed up waiting their turn. Your boat probably spends half the night idling until they get through lock after lock.”

They approached the pier, located next to a park with wooden benches and bright yellow playground equipment.

“Which cabin is yours?” he asked, looking at the giant boat.

“The last one on the top floor in the back. Right there.” She pointed to her cabin, wishing she didn’t have to go soon.

“Looks like you have a great view,” he said and tugged her behind a large tree, out of sight of the boarding
Bolero
passengers. “I’m so glad I ran into you today.” His gleaming eyes locked with hers.

Her heart beat with excitement. “Me too.” She couldn’t help stare at his mouth, and recall his amazing kiss at the abbey. She licked her lips. He slid his hand behind her neck, lowered his mouth to hers, and kissed her softly.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Nikolai’s gaze captivated her. She could stay like this all day, but then he released her.

“Tomorrow,” she said, not trusting herself to say more. She headed for the
Bolero
, surprised at how alone she felt as soon as she left his side. As she reached the gangway, she turned to find Nikolai watching as she boarded. She gave him one last wave.

Once on board, instead of returning to her small cabin, she bounded for the top deck.

The afternoon sun shone down and a swift breeze blew across the bow. At the railing, her eyes scanned the park for Nikolai.

He was gone.

Her heart sank. Foolishly, she had hoped he’d stay until the boat left.

“Have fun today?” Dylan appeared next to her.

She looked at him and grinned.

“That good?” He leaned his forearms on the railing and laughed.

“I’m going to meet him again tomorrow.”

Becca watched as the crew worked below and unhooked the giant ropes that anchored the boat to the dock. With a light rumble of the engines, the boat drifted smoothly away from land.

“Look at you! Hooking up with guys in Europe.”

“I’m not ‘hooking up.’ We’re just hanging out.”

“Well, watch out. He seems like a nice enough guy, but I don’t want some self-centered jerk using you. We’re only in Europe for another week. I swear if he hurts you, I’ll break his legs.”

“Like you could ever hurt a fly. Sounds to me like you’re talking about yourself,” she teased. The boat cruised upriver.

“You know what I mean. He seems pretty sure of himself and you still haven’t gotten over the last asshole that broke your heart.”

“Don’t worry, he’s not like that. Anyway, I can take care of myself.”

Dylan raised an eyebrow. Becca pushed thoughts of her recent breakup out of her mind. Nikolai was totally different. He carried himself with such confidence, yet was sweet and kind.

“Looks like this guy is as whipped as you are.”

“What do you mean?”

Dylan pointed to the hillside.

Nikolai sat on a grassy hillside as the boat passed by.

“Oh my God!” She waved frantically. He hadn’t left. He’d moved upriver to wave good-bye one last time.

Becca couldn’t believe her luck. Maybe she was supposed to come to Europe to find a decent guy.

She waved back as the boat went around a bend in the river. Until tomorrow.