The ride back was a quiet one. Lena seemed to know better which direction she was heading in going back than she had heading to the paintball range.
She was still speeding just as much as she had been on the to the range as she was now heading away from it. This time however, it didn't make Samuel as nervous and in fact with the way the wind had picked up while they were inside, he found himself enjoying the ride more.
He had let the princess know that he had told her father they would be heading back now, but what he hadn't included was that he had sent him a photo of her during the match.
He was pretty sure that not even Lena knew he had taken the photo of her and wanted to keep it that way.
The picture had captured her expression the first time she had tagged someone with a paintball. It wasn't that big of a deal but the expression on her face said otherwise.
It was hard to see her whole face behind the protective gear that she was wearing and from the angle that Samuel took it from. But, if one looked closely, they would be able to see the mixture of surprise and delight that was shining in her eyes of the accomplishment.
He had liked the photo and had assumed that Lena's father might like a photo to see what she was up to since he wasn't able to join them or rather had respectfully agreed to give them space for the time being.
Samuel had asked him not tell to her that he had sent the photo as he was certain the little queen would get upset.
The only text back that he got was a 'thank you' which he hopped meant that he wouldn't bring up anything to Lena.
Looking over Lena's head, he enjoyed the view of how everything was blurring by so fast. He appreciated the speed. He had thought about asking her if she would teach him how to ride, but wasn't sure how that would go over.
"Don't forget you owe me lunch when we get back Sammy-boy!" Lena's unexpected raised voice broke him out of his thoughts.
"Don't we have to wait until after dinner for me to give it to you because of the time?" He asked back. He had to raise his voice quite a bit to be heard over the wind.
"I'm princess so of course we don't have to wait until then. Plus, it's the deal we agreed." She argued before revving the motorcycle as though she was getting ready to go even faster. This small action made Samuel grip her waist tighter. He was getting more comfortable, but he didn't want to get so relaxed that the grip he had on her waist was so loose he ended up getting thrown off the vehicle.
Perhaps her desire to speed faster had something to do with the fact that she had a feeling the other was right and if she wasn't home by a certain time, she would have to wait until after dinner to collect on the dessert she wanted.
It was a wonder that she wasn't pulled over by a police officer with how fast she was going, but Samuel also realized that with her family's position, she probably didn't have to worry about anything like that happening.
As it turned out, it was later then Lena had expected by the time that she got them back to the estate and indeed, she was going to have to wait for dessert as her father shouldn't be pleased for her to eat something before dinner, it wouldn't be good for her to do.
Samuel couldn't believe it when she actually gave him a glare and blamed him that she had to wait because of what he said.
"I didn't actually do anything though?" he tried to reason but it didn't improve her mood. She knew Ryan wouldn't even let her into the kitchen like he used to if she asked. A child could get away with far more than any adult could.
"If you hadn't said anything, we would've gotten here earlier." She replied with a huff. Her arms we crossed over her chest as she sat in one of the arm chairs in the lounge room. Her right leg was dangling over one arm as she leaned far back in it.
Usually Samuel would find her attitude to be intimidating, but in her current position, she very much looked like a child who was pouting over something they couldn't have. also with the slightly oversized clothes that she was wearing.
He wasn't sure if she enjoyed clothes that were slightly larger than she was or if there was a reason behind why she wore them, but they only added to making her look like more of a child.
He didn't realize he must've voiced some of his thoughts out loud until the little queen fixed him with a very dark glare.
"I'm sorry, but it's true. With your small height and all.." He trailed of when he realized that she had moved to a sitting-up position.
"Sammy-boy. You took me with you to play some game with fake guns and opponents that weren't even at half my level for over half day. I have not tried your dessert yet so I can't say if it's a disappointment. But, do you really want me to ask you to pay me back with something else while we're waiting for dinner. I can think of quite a few things that would make me happy."
Samuel didn't really want to think about what she meant by that so he just shook his head.
"I didn't mean it in a bad way, just thought it made you look kind of cute like that and less intimidating than normal."
The princess didn't seem that thrilled with his answer, and her glare in fact darkened over the use of the word 'cute'. However before she could do anything, a servant came in to late them know that it was time to eat dinner and that they shouldn't be late.
Lena thanked her and was the first one of the two to stand up. Samuel wasn't sure if it was better to stand up before or after her with her current.
"You better hope that dessert is worth waiting for after all this." He nodded his head mutely.
He knew that it was supposed to be a threat or a warning of what to expect if she wasn't pleased but he couldn't take her so seriously after he had gotten the image of how she had been sitting in the chair stuck in his head.
He still wasn't sure if he was ready to be engaged. As more time went by though, he could see more of the positive points that Lena had about her. Such as the fact that she could be cute if she wanted to be.