Even before her alarm went off, Alex was on Paisley’s mind. Rolling over and killing the blaring coming from her phone, she sat up in bed and stretched. Soft morning light came through the crack in her curtains and the little water fountain in the corner bubbled gently. Another typical morning in the studio apartment she loved so much.

Her eyelids heavy, she took a quick shower and dressed. Normally, her morning routine involved coffee and either catching up on her favorite TV shows or taking a walk. Working in a restaurant meant she never had to be anywhere till ten at the earliest.

Today, though, she had breakfast with Nicole and Lauren, something that hardly happened anymore.

Twisting her hair into a loose bun, Paisley slipped on her aviator shades, grabbed her purse and keys, and jogged down the stairs. With each step, thoughts of Alex followed her.

They’d stayed at the diner long past midnight, talking about their college years and all the places they’d traveled. Paisley had seen her fair share of the world, but, not surprisingly, Alex had been to double the countries. They both had to agree, though: New York City was where it was at.

Smiling to herself, Paisley checked for traffic and crossed the street. She still couldn’t believe the night’s turn of events. Alex, the guy she’d been chatting with for months, was a prince!

And he wanted to keep being friends.

Butterflies fluttered in Paisley’s stomach, but she did her best to ignore them. Alex wasn’t interested in her in that way. He couldn’t be. She’d told him she wouldn’t date someone famous. Plus, why would he be into her? They geeked out over movies and fried appetizers. Nothing screamed ‘platonic’ more than that.

Since she had time, Paisley opted to walk from her neighborhood in Alphabet City to the brunch spot about twenty blocks away. After growing up in New Jersey, having the opportunity to walk almost everywhere was one of her favorite things about the city. Not that having subways and car services all around hurt.

A block from the restaurant, someone yelled her name.

“Hey!” Lauren called, waving. Next to her, Nicole had the baby in a front carrier, a light blanket shielding Silvi from the shade.

Paisley waved and jogged up to them. “Good morning,” she sang out.

Gently, she lifted a corner of the blanket and peeked at Silvi. Big blue eyes looked back up at her.

“Aw.” Paisley smoothed her hand over Silvi’s soft head and then kissed her forehead. “My little baby.” She looked at Nicole. “How did she do last night?”

Nicole sighed. “Good. I can’t say the same for myself. I almost had a panic attack, like, four times.”

“I think that’s normal,” Lauren said, pushing her sunglasses farther up her nose.

“I have a feeling I’m going to be like this even when she’s thirty,” Nicole said.

Paisley laughed. “That really gives me some perspective on my own mom.”

“Tell me about it,” Lauren said, leading the way for the restaurant. “I’m glad we’re going here. How long has it been?”

“Since we’ve eaten here?” Nicole asked. “At least a couple of years. I love their French toast. And their omelets. Yum.”

Paisley smiled to herself, thinking about dinner with Alex the night before. Every time he’d smiled, her heart had flipped. When they’d left the diner, he’d held the door for her and their hands had brushed for the briefest moment.

“Earth to Paisley.” Lauren waved her hand in front of Paisley’s face as they walked. “Did you hear me?”

“Um. Yeah. Um… you asked how long it’s been since we’ve been to this spot.”

“And then I asked you if you want to share some beignets. Where are you at?”

Nicole grinned knowingly. “I know where she’s at. She’s thinking about Prince Alessandro.”

“I bet,” Lauren grinned. “So when is the second date?”

“It wasn’t a date,” Paisley said.

Up ahead, some frantic movement caught her eye. A few men stepped away from the curb, their expensive cameras at the ready. Paisley sucked in a sharp breath.

“Lauren!” one of the paparazzi called. “How was your night last night?”

Lauren ducked her head. “Let’s walk fast.”

The three women sped past the small cluster of photographers, beelining for the restaurant’s front door.

“Nicole,” another paparazzo said, clicking away while he talked. “How is Aidan doing? Did he like the movie?”

Neither Nicole or Lauren responded and they hurried into the restaurant. None of the photographers followed and a few minutes later they were safely settled at a table in the back.

“Sorry about that,” Lauren said, taking off her sunglasses and looking at Paisley. Next to Lauren, Nicole patted Silvi on the back and grimaced.

“Was that normal?” Paisley asked. She leaned around to get a look at the front window. From what she could tell, the paparazzi had left, probably gone off in search of fresh prey.

“Not for me.” Nicole shook her head with a frown.

“Because you live in a small town,” Lauren said. “In Beverly Hills? Absolutely. When we come to New York? Yeah, sometimes.”

“How can you handle all that attention? It’s so stressful,” Paisley asked.

Lauren shrugged. “It’s not as bad as it seems. Just ignore them or be nice to them. The only bad thing to do is to get annoyed. If you do that, then they think they’ll be able to get a good picture of you freaking out and then they’ll never leave you alone.”

“I don’t know if I could live that way,” Paisley said.

Nicole and Lauren glanced at each other and suddenly Paisley realized: she wasn’t the only one who wanted to preserve her privacy and her anonymous lifestyle. Her best friends were just as low-key as she was.

“Every marriage has compromises,” Nicole said. “And it’s up to each person to decide which compromises are worth it to them.”

“And this one is?” Paisley asked. “Being mobbed by paparazzi?”

“Yeah.” Lauren smiled. “If you really love your husband, it is.”

Drinks arrived. Paisley poured cream into her coffee and took a long first sip. She couldn’t help glancing over her shoulder again, just to make sure the paparazzi had left.

“Okay.” Lauren laced her fingers around her mug. “Spill. Tell us everything about Prince Alessandro.”

Paisley sighed. “Well…”

“That’s not a good start.” Lauren’s face crumpled.

Paisley ran her finger along the coffee mug’s rim. “We were just meeting up as, you know, friends.”

Nicole frowned. “There wasn’t chemistry?”

Paisley ran her tongue across her front teeth, thinking. “Um…”

“There was chemistry,” Lauren said. “Don’t play.”

“You saw us together for, like, five minutes,” Paisley pointed out.

“Yeah, but I’m not a dummy. I saw the way you looked at him.”

“Okay.” Paisley rubbed the back of her neck. “So, I like him. How could I not?”

Lauren and Nicole both nodded eagerly and Silvi made a gurgling noise.

“She agrees.” Lauren grinned.

“But I told him a while ago that… well…” Paisley bit her lip, not sure how best to put it. “That I don’t want to date a famous man.”

Predictably, that made Nicole and Lauren share a glance.

Paisley hurried to explain. “I couldn’t stand being constantly under public scrutiny, with people tweeting about my bad hair day or blogging about my parenting choices… I like my life as it is. Anonymous. Don’t get me wrong. I know you found your happiness and it worked out just fine for you but—”

“It’s okay,” Nicole said. “I understand.”

“Yeah.” Lauren nodded.

Nicole kissed her baby’s head. “But, again. Compromises.”

“You can’t really know what sacrifices you’d be ready to make until you find the right person and—” Lauren clapped her hands. “Boom! Your whole life changes.”

Paisley stirred her coffee. There was a tightness in her core and she wanted to be busy doing something. “Even if I did change my mind… I don’t know.”

“You’re changing your mind?” Nicole asked.

“I said if.”

“She’s changing her mind.” Lauren smirked.

Nicole giggled. “He is a prince.”

Paisley’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t care that he’s a prince. I like him for him. Not because of some title.”

Nicole touched Paisley’s arm. “I know. I’m sorry. I was kidding.”

“I’m sorry too.” Paisley huffed. “Maybe I’m on edge.”

“You like him,” Lauren said. “So tell him that. Tell him you changed your mind about what you said before.”

“I don’t know…”

“Why not?” Nicole pressed.

“Because, even if I do change my mind, what does it matter?” Paisley asked. “This guy is out of my league.”

“Oh, come on.” Lauren rolled her eyes. “You’re talking to a person whose husband’s face is on billboards across the world. There’s no such things as leagues.”

“I think there is with this,” Paisley protested. “He’s a prince. I’m a waitress. And, besides, I didn’t get that vibe from him. I’m sure he just wants to be friends.”

“Now it sounds like you’re making excuses,” Lauren said. “What are you afraid of?”

Paisley stared back at her friends. She had no answer.

“Is it that you might open up only to be let down?” Nicole suggested.

Paisley sipped her coffee. “I don’t know,” she mumbled.

“I think you do,” Lauren said.

“Okay, fine.” Paisley spread her hands. “Here’s the thing. I know it's not even worth trying. No way would Alex go for a peon like me.”

“Peon?” Lauren snorted.

Nicole, however, nodded seriously. “Talk to him about it.”

“No,” Paisley clipped. “I can't. What we have going is good, and if I make it seem like I want more I might push him away, and… Look, guys. I’m not asking for your pity, but I don't have a lot of friends in the city. I miss you. Like, all the time. It would be nice to have more chill people to hang out with here.”

A short silence followed Paisley’s speech. Silvi’s sharp cry punctured the air and Nicole stood.

“I need to change her. Order me the omelet special if the waitress comes?”

She departed with the baby and Paisley and Lauren looked solemnly at each other.

“I get all your reasons,” Lauren said. “But I just want to say one thing.”

Paisley nodded, though she wasn't sure she wanted to hear whatever came next.

“Don’t let life pass you by,” Lauren said.

Paisley balked. “I… I'm not. I’m going to New Zealand this fall. I’m cycling Ireland next year. You know I don't sit around.”

“You're adventurous,” Lauren said, “but that's not what I was talking about.”

Paisley blinked. “I’m not afraid of guys.”

“But what about losing them? You just said you can't risk asking Alex for more.”

Paisley’s shoulders slumped. When Lauren was right, she was right.

“What do I do?” Paisley whispered.

“You’ve only just met him. Keep hanging out. See where it goes. It could be he's into you.”

Paisley shook her head, Lauren too busy flagging down the waitress to notice. Alex into her?

Yeah, maybe in her wildest dreams.