Chapter Text
"Wait, what?" Everything seemed to grind to a halt for a moment.
"I own—"
"No, I heard what you said." I was stunned. Truly stunned. That was the last thing I expected him to reveal, and honestly, I couldn't fathom why I felt angry upon hearing it. Was it jealousy? I didn't think so.
"You bought your girlfriend a horse?" Who does that?
"Ex, but Yeah," he confirmed. He actually bought his ex-girlfriend a horse. That's like moving in with her after a year, that's like having a child together, that's practically marriage.
"How... why... when...?" I had so many questions, but I couldn't figure out which to ask first. I had entertained thoughts that perhaps Pin was interested in me, maybe there was a chance he wasn't as into his girlfriend as others assumed. They had forgotten to mention he bought her a horse out of deep love for her. You can't just buy your girl a horse and move on fater a few months of so. Houses are worth thousands of dollars, how did he even get that money? From what I've seen, Ted and him dont live very rich lives. I'd believe it more from Mia or Suzie. “Actully you dont have to awnsetr any of that?” I honestly didnt really want to know.
"It's a really long story. But she had Raven, and I don't want him back like that. He is hers," he said, trying to dismiss the topic. Yet, I couldn't get over the sheer expense of it all.
"How did you afford to just buy a horse and give it away so easily?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.
He looked at me with a tense smile, his eyes wide as if I'd just caught him red-handed. "Oh my God, did you steal it?"
"What? No!" he exclaimed, clearly taken aback.
"Well, no offense, Pin, but I've met you and your father," I replied. "Ted practically lives in the clearance section, and you can't convince him to walk into any store that isn't strictly for food or horse supplies. And if you do, he complains about how much prices have risen since he was a kid."
"It's complicated," he said with a sigh. I sensed that he really didn't want to tell me, no matter how much I wanted to know.
"It's fine. I shouldn't have asked. It's none of my business." I turned my attention back to the books I was organizing, trying to shake off my curiosity.
"No, it's just that when I tell you, I don't want you to look at me any differently." His voice was quiet, almost hesitant. I turned around slowly, trying to read his expression.
"What are you? Some kind of prince?" I joked, turning back around and giggling at my own comment.
"Duke," he said softly.
I froze, my laughter dying instantly. Did he just say Duke? I turned back around, my eyes wide with disbelief. Pin was looking anywhere but at me, his discomfort evident.
"What?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
He finally met my eyes, his expression serious. "My family, we're nobility. My grandfather was the late Duke. Last year, I found out that all his wealth and his castle were handed down to me. It's something we don't talk about much. I prefer to live simply and avoid the attention that comes with the title." He paused, taking a deep breath. "So no, not a prince, but a duke."
I was in shock. Pin Hawthorn was… is the Duke of Anglesey, Wales. I had been crushing on a duke for the past few weeks. No way, this has to be some kind of joke on me.
"You're joking, right?" I asked, searching his face for any hint of humor.
"No," he replied firmly.
"Haha, very funny, Pin, you got me!" I laughed, trying to brush off the seriousness of his expression. "Now, let's go back to the stables. I haven't seen Quest all day and I want to go for a ride." I placed the last book on the shelf and started making my way to the door.
"I'm not joking! I swear!" He called after me following close behind as I walked out the dorm and threw the campas streets to the stables.
"Yeah, right. You're telling me that you're a duke, have this whole fortune and castle, and that you spontaneously pull out ridiculous amounts of money to buy a horse for your girlfriend. Then you choose to keep it all a secret even though you have all this power that could literally do so much good for the island?" I turned and looked right at him, my skepticism clear.
"Well, when you put it like that," I found myself growing less shocked and more angry. I didn't care that he kept it a secret from me, I guess. But I kept running through all the things I had seen on this island since I arrived. The airports were practically empty, small businesses were struggling, and I had seen too many people roaming the streets looking for food and places to stay for the night. It did cost a fortune to live on this island, and for the most part, small business owners thrived on the money of tourists who were not coming here. All these issues kept swirling through my head as we made our way back to the stables.
"You haven't said anything in a while," Pin whispered. "This is why I don't like to tell people. They look at me like some kind of royalty."
"Because you are, Pin!" I blurted out, not sure what came over me. "You're the duke. You're the one who's supposed to help the people of the island. I'm sure the mayor has some influence but you're the literal duke!"
He flinched at my outburst, looking a bit hurt. "I know, but it's not that simple," he started. "There are so many expectations and so much pressure. I'm just one person. I can't solve all these problems on my own."
I shook my head, feeling the frustration boil over. "But you have the resources! You have the influence! People look up to royalty, whether you like it or not. For years, this island has been living under the assumption that the last living duke died without an heir, that all the money and resources that could help them—your inheritance—were lost to the government or whoever gets dead people's money if they don't sign a will. When in reality, it's sitting in my dorm room, complaining."
Pin just looked at me with a sulking pout. "Wait, does the island even know you're the duke?"
"Kind of," he admitted, looking sheepish.
"Oh my God, Pin, so the island knows there's an heir, but nothing has changed because you haven't stepped up?" I exclaimed, incredulous.
"I've just never really thought I could make a difference. How would I even start?" he asked, sounding overwhelmed and uncertain. I walked over to the chair he was sitting in. It sat on wheels, so I rolled the chair over to my desk.
I grabbed one of my blank notebooks and slammed it onto the desk in front of him. Picking up a pen, I placed it firmly in his hand. His face looked shocked, but as I met his gaze, the shock slowly faded into a smile.
"First, let's break it down," I said, pulling up a chair beside him. "Think about the biggest problems on this island?”
“Well the wild hor-” he begain
“For the people Pin! I know you love horses and I know there are alot of issues surrounding them but not everyone on the island's lives revolve around them. Think about the bigger issues that affect the residents, not just the riders." he nodded in understanding but he looked at the blank paper.
“I just can't think of anything, my life pretty much revolved around the stables.” I smiled, this boy just loved to ride didnt he.
“Ok, then think back to before you found out you were a duke, think back to when you were at home, remember all the small things that you might not have given much thought to but maybe your father, or sam might have been stressing about at the time.”
Pin thought for a moment. "I guess the biggest issue is restricted access to quality healthcare and insufficient or lack of health insurance coverage.”
“Perfect! How about geographic isolation?” I added.
“Lack of public transportation.”
“Poor infrastructure.”
“Poverty and unemployment.”
One by one, we listed off more and more issues that needed to be addressed, our ideas flowing freely as we brainstormed solutions for the island's most pressing problems.
"Exactly," I agreed. "That's what I was thinking too.” I watched as his face lit up in a soft smile. “Now, pick one big issue at a time. You're a duke, so you don't have to worry about being reelected or anything like that." I giggled. "New issues are gonna pop up, both small and big. If you jump around to different issues all the time, then nothing's gonna get done. You need to start with one and work towards the next."
He nodded in understanding “Poverty and unemployment seems to be pretty bad right about now.”
"That's what I was thinking too. Your next step is to do some research. You need to figure out who's affected, what went wrong, where it's most prevalent, when it started, why it's happening, and how to fix it,” I advised, watching as Pin's face shifted from uncertainty to determination.
“Small businesses hold a huge part of the unemployment issue.” He furrowed his brow in concentration. "They need financial support, better marketing, and maybe some kind of community initiative to draw more tourists and locals to their stores."
"Yes, exactly!" I said, feeling a spark of excitement. "You could start by creating a fund to provide loans or grants to struggling businesses. Use your influence to organize events that promote local shops. And with your family's resources, you could even set up workshops to help business owners with marketing and management skills."
He looked at me, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "You really think that could work?"
"I do," I affirmed. "You have the power and the means to make a real impact here, Pin. You just need to start small and build from there."
Pin took a deep breath, his shoulders straightening with newfound determination. “Thank you,” he said, looking at me with his beautiful eyes, a soft smile spreading across his face.
“For what?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“Ever since I found out about this title, I thought it was just a burden. I believed I didn't actually have any power and that it was only useful for popularity. The last time I tried to do anything really beneficial, it didn’t do anything but make me feel like a joke,” he admitted, his voice tinged with past frustration.
"Well, it doesn't have to be like that," I smiled back at him, standing from the chair next to him. I turned to grab my bag, which sat at the edge of my bed.
“I know that now. Because of you. How are you so good at all this type of stuff?” he asked, genuinely curious.
“I took a few leadership and business classes back in Cali. You know, you should invest in them too. There are tons of online courses that would really help you. Maybe even take some in political science as well,” I rambled on, eager to share my thoughts.
My voice grew quiet as I felt the warmth of a tall figure hovering behind me. One that could only belong to Pin. I took a deep breath, feeling my heart beating out of control at how close he stood to me.
“I'll look into it,” his voice was deep and resonant, and I caught a hint of his cologne. I turned around to look back at him. Pin was tall, towering over me. I had to tilt my head up to meet his gaze, feeling a soft blush spread across my face.
“You're the first person to actually help me, rather than throw me into the deep end with all this duke stuff. Thank you,” he said earnestly.
“It's really nothing,” I replied, trying to keep my composure despite the fluttering in my chest.
Pin smiled warmly, his blue eyes reflecting gratitude. “No, it means a lot to me. I feel like I can trust you.”
“I'm glad,” I managed to say, my voice slightly shaky.
We stood there for a moment, our gazes locked in a silent exchange of understanding and appreciation. The air between us seemed charged with unspoken words and the warmth of newfound camaraderie. With each passing second, he closed the distance between us, and I couldn't help but lean in as well. His presence felt magnetic, drawing me nearer, until we were just inches apart. I felt the gentle brush of his breath against my face, soft and warm, sending shivers down my spine.
In that suspended moment, the world around us faded away, leaving only the promise of what could be. My heart raced with anticipation, longing to close the gap between us and feel his lips on mine. The tension between us was palpable, a sweet ache of desire and possibility.
But just as I was about to lean in and savor the moment we had created, my phone rang. The sudden intrusion shattered the delicate bubble of intimacy, pulling us back to reality with an almost cruel abruptness.