Kit couldn't take it anymore. Without alarming anyone, he slowly retreated to a lonely corner, hiding behind a lovely potted vine with white flowers.

He powered his phone into action, punching open the Instagram app. A little red dot with a white 1 in the centre was sitting at the edge of his app screen. Kit hardly got DMs. His Instagram handle was filled with pictures of birds and sunsets and trees and water.

@the_clicking_prince was a whole different world for him, his own safe space away from his real identity. The online world is funny. No one knew anyone and yet somehow people connect over common interests and tastes.

He clicked on the DM icon and saw a glowing message sitting at the top of his private chats. @thegirlinglassslippers had texted him. A small smile lit up his face at the unique nature of the username. He had never interacted with that account. The message was short and crisp.

I love your clicks

No emoji, no excessive gushing, a simple message of approval.

Thanks. Kit typed back, his fingers hovering over the handful of emoji predictions. But he pressed send.

The text was seen almost immediately. Kit expected the conversation to end there, or at most an emoji reaction, but he was surprised to see her typing again. Kit took the time to quickly click on her profile icon. True to her name, her picture was a single glass slipper. The account was private and Kit's fingers ached to press that request button, but he didn't want to seem desperate, so he moved back to the DM.

Do you travel alone? She had asked.

You could say that. I don't like too many people.

But you've been to so many places. How do you get the time?

Kit had a habit of disappearing for a week. He would leave everything with his close confidant Max and go off the grid. Nobody would know where he was and he would always return in a week, much to the relief of his family. They never dared ask, and his mom had gotten used to his eccentric disappearances. Maybe that's why she wanted a girl more. A girl who would make him want to stay and to settle and settle was the last thing Kit wanted to do, besides the fact that he was too flustered around girls and he never felt anything around any lady that he could remotely call as an attraction.

He wanted to travel, to fly around the world and see places. Sunsets at Tuscany, tulips in Switzerland, seas of the Caribbean and mornings in Norway...Kit had been travelling, travelling solo and taking breaks from the daily humdrum of routines. And maybe that's why he didn't want a relationship. He didn't want love to chain him down and hold him back from exploring.

Just take a break and go off, fly away He typed.

The message was left unseen. She had probably taken his long pause as a sign that he had left her on read. In any other circumstances, he wouldn't have cared, but even as he killed the screen, he kept on powering it up and expecting a reply.

In five minutes, the little Instagram icon was sitting on his lock screen and he jumped like a child.

I wish I could She had written and added a cute little puppy-eyed emoji.

Why not? He asked immediately.

Because my stepmom is paying for my university. I need to graduate and get a job before I do anything else.

Oh! He left it at that, not knowing how to respond. Although a bit bolder online, still he had never been good at continuing conversations.

So, are you really a prince? She asked.

What do you think? A small smile was playing on his lips.

You won't believe how many 'princes' are waiting in line for their follow requests to be accepted She had added two laughing emojis.

Kit thanked himself for taking the right decision and not sending her a request outright.

You must be beautiful then He asked, regretting the message right after sending it

I don't have a single picture of me on my profile. These are princes of joblessness, just waiting for me to respond.

Kit didn't know how to respond to that, so he left a laughing emoji.

She was typing again.

By the way, Mr Prince, what are you doing chatting at this odd hour around midnight? Haven't you got a princess to cater to?

Kit laughed out aloud, getting a puzzled look from the servants manning the bar at the end of the hall. Kit moved further away from the hall and retreated to the back stairs, not wanting to be disturbed.

No princesses, fortunately

I think you meant 'un'fortunately

Nope, fortunately. I don't do the 'love' thing.

The 'love' thing is a nice way to put it. Why though? No girls out there worth His Majesty's attention?

His Majesty isn't worth any girl giving attention to him. He isn't the homely type Kit wondered why he was telling all these to a stranger but he did, anyway.

His Majesty is just being hard on himself. I'm sure some random girl like me would notice how beautiful His Majesty is.

Beautiful?

Kit was surprised at the unconventional words. He had been conferred with many adjectives, but nobody had ever called him beautiful.

Did I stir His majesty's big bad male ego by calling him beautiful? There was a silent reproaching tone in her text.

No...no...I didn't mean it like that. Just that it is not a traditional adjective one uses for men.

Why do men have to be chivalrous and dashing always? Why can't they be beautiful, pretty or soft? Adjectives don't have genders, neither does beauty.

At every single second, Kit was getting more and more attracted to this unknown girl who spoke with the conviction of someone who strongly believed in her own ideas.

I guess it's the expectations society has from men and women, putting them in conventional moulds. Anyone different is treated as an outcast.

Society sounds like a candy factory. All the same mould with different colours and flavours and you have an assortment of lozenges. Ha-ha.

Kit suddenly had an urge to hear how her laugh sounded like. Was it a little giggle or a big guffaw, was it just the curve of her lips or a wide grin?

Don't you have men running after you because you speak like this?

Ha-ha, even you won't like me if you see me.

How do you know that? Kit protested.

Again, society's stereotypical traits for belonging to a particular gender, nothing you or I could do anything about.

True that...

So if His majesty is not with a girl, what is he doing?

Hiding away from a party Kit said truthfully

There's a party?

My birthday party ha-ha

Wait, you mean to say you're hiding from your own birthday party???

Does it look that bad? Kit added a sad emoji to exaggerate it. He liked the emoji game.

I don't get invited to parties. I wouldn't know. Besides, my stepmom won't let me out of the house except for college.

Have any evil stepsisters too, Cinderella? Kit joked.

Evil stepbrother ha-ha She added a wink at the end

If he bothers you too much, the Prince can come to rescue you from your home

This person here isn't a damsel in distress, Your Majesty. Not as much as you seem to be at your party.

DJ gives me a headache he admitted

Same here. I am more into soft music.

Piano and flutes?

Symphonies she sent another emoji with starry eyes.

Yep...he waited for her to say something again

Need a lady in armour to come and save the Prince from the party? She joked.

A certain girl in glass slippers had already saved him He typed back

She sent a smirking emoji. Don't be too quick to jump to conclusions.

I enjoyed talking to you Kit said genuinely meaning it. The party evening didn't seem so boring at all. His clock showed 11.59 pm. The music was still in full swing. Didn't these people need sleep? Kit always liked to get up early to begin his day. Late night parties irritated him.

I enjoyed talking to you too Mr Prince

The huge grandfather clock somewhere in the house struck twelve with a loud gong.

I have to go now. Stepmom turns off the Wi-Fi at 12.00. Bye. She had sent a waving emoji.

Wait, what's your name? Kit asked. He waited a while, but his message sat there forlorn and lonely. A moment ago, the chat box was so lively and midnight deemed to have killed all the magic.

She will come online tomorrow, Kit thought to himself as he trudged back to his room, further away from the still blaring music.

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