Free Princess, Without Cover by Courtney Cole

couldn’t even bring himself to ask how she was doing echoed over and over in her head. She couldn’t believe that she had wasted her virginity on him.
    Stephen reached over and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he drove and she dropped her head onto his broad shoulder.  As she stared absently at the scenery blurring past, she decided that the best thing to do was to try and file away her pain like a memory. Tucking it away in the farthest recesses of her mind- hiding it from herself- seemed like the smartest thing to do.
    The ride home passed in peaceful silence.  When they pulled up to the house, Stephen unloaded her bag from the trunk and helped her walk inside. She suddenly felt like a cripple as she hunched over her injuries and hobbled into the house. As he grasped her elbow, she turned to him with a smile.
    “I’m not an invalid, Stephen. I’m feeling much better.  My ribs are barely even sore now. Just don’t make me laugh.”
    She smiled again convincingly and followed Stephen as he walked toward her bedroom.  As they walked down the short hall, she gasped. A freshly painted door was hanging in her doorway. He barely even glanced at it as he opened it nonchalantly and waited for her to enter first.  She gasped again.
    Her room had a fresh coat of Robin’s Egg blue paint on the walls, her favorite color.  The bed in the center of the back wall had a new white eyelet bedspread, turned down at the top, topped with plump new pillows.  She could see fresh new linens poking out from underneath.  A lacy white throw was folded at the foot. She turned to Stephen, shock apparent on her face.
    “What?” he asked innocently, as he set her bag beside her refurbished bed. A small, self-satisfied smile tilted the corners of his lips.
    She looked around again in dumbfounded amazement. 
    “How did you…?”  She couldn’t seem to form a cohesive sentence. 
    This act of kindness had taken her completely off-guard.  It was ironic to her that once upon a time, she had the bedroom of a princess and hadn’t thought twice about it.  The thoughtfulness behind this tiny, simple redecorated room touched her more deeply than her old king-sized bedroom suite ever had.
    “I thought it might make you smile.” It was his turn to shrug lightly.
    “But how did you find time?  You were with me almost every minute!”  Her eyes were wide as she stared at him.
    “I do what every un-married male does when he needs help. I called my mom.” 
    He grinned widely as she continued to examine her new surroundings.  Her clothing was folded neatly on a stack of new dark wicker shelves in the corner.  There were even a couple of framed still-life prints hanging above the bed and crisp white eyelet curtains to match the bedspread. The crudded-over window had been washed and sparkled in the sun.
      The room had definitely felt a woman’s touch.  Sydney felt a surge of gratitude for the distant relative that she had never even met.  Stephen’s mother had clearly spent hours redecorating this space for her.
    “I’m sorry that I didn’t think of it before. I’m a guy.  I just don’t think of things like that.  But I called my mom to ask her what might cheer you up and she took over.  Do you like it?  Is it okay?” He eyed her anxiously, not sure if she would be upset that he had invaded her personal space.
    She rushed to him and hugged him as tightly as her wounded ribs would allow. 
    “Stephen, this is literally the sweetest thing that anyone has ever done for me.  Ever.”
    She hugged him again, ignoring the protesting twinges that came from her ribs.
    “Thank you so much! This is the most thoughtful birthday present anyone has ever given me!” Her eyes shone and he stared at her in shock. 
    “Your birthday?” 
    Color flooded his cheeks as he spoke. She nodded in response.
     “Sydney, I’m so sorry- I had no idea!”
    Sydney studied him curiously for the source of his embarrassment.  He had no way