paul could feel his weight as it shifted from one foot to the other. she spoke of her home world, the food, agriculture, the exports, & finally, the weather. he would never say it out loud but keeping the conversation in the realm of what she possibly considered safe, was nothing short of boring.
it felt like she was walking on glass, waiting for the moment when she slipped and caused a scene. Instead, it was waiting for the wrong words to come out & ruin the conversation. or cause him to think less of her.
he turned, allowing himself to face her & read her expression. “ why are you doing that? ”
paul gave her a moment before he spoke again. “ i’m sorry. ” he quickly apologized as his tone softened. “ what i meant is … i don’t mind learning about your home world, but it doesn’t have to be all we talk about. just because i’m the son of a duke doesn’t mean you have to pick your words so carefully around me. ” but it does. the voice in the back of his mind reminded him of the painful reality that he would always be different.
people would always treat him differently because he was the son of a duke.
he never asked to be that person.
swallowing, paul motioned for her to follow as he started to walk. he needed to move to clear his head from the clouds which loomed over him.
