Jamila
The party is ongoing, but Nicholas has disappeared, and I spend most of my time with Maximus. He's nice to me, but he stares… a lot.
"Jamila," Maximus says. "Such a lovely and uncommon name,"
"It's Swahili. It means beautiful or graceful," I tell him with a smile, and he repeats it silently.
We continue talking as we walk through the garden. "Are you close to the royal family?" I ask. Nicholas doesn't seem to like him.
"I was close to the late Luna. She and I were good friends," he informs me with a fond smile.
"I'm sorry," I say quietly. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. And something unexpected happens, and I stop in my tracks. I felt a pang of hurt momentarily, but it wasn't mine. Was it?
"Are you okay?" Maximus asks, concerned. I only nod my head and continue
