Page 17 of Club Royal: Calendar Collection

Kean watched Kendal splash into the waves, their cursing streaking the sky as blue as the ocean.

Then, with a deep breath, Andrew stripped off his own clothes and jogged down to join them.

Kean followed more sedately, wanting to see what they would do before he got to them.

He wasn’t disappointed. Kendal jumped into Andrew’s arms when he wasn’t expecting it, and they both disappeared under the surface for a brief second, reappearing with a laugh.

The water was cool as Kean waded in, but not unpleasantly so.

The heat of the day’s sun had warmed it enough to stop them from getting frostbite, and it wrapped around him like an embrace, washing away the last remnants of tension from his body.

Kendal swam up beside him, their eyes sparkling in the moonlight.

“See? I told you it was perfect,” Kendal said, leaning forward for a kiss.

Kean chuckled, wrapping an arm around Kendal’s waist and pulling them close. “You were right,” he admitted, pressing a kiss to Kendal’s forehead.

Andrew joined them, his blue eyes, usually the same colour as the ocean, glinting with amusement as he slid into Kean’s other side.

For a long time, they simply floated there, letting the water carry them, the stars above and the world far, far away.

It was in moments like these that Kean realised just how lucky he was—to have found love in the most unexpected of places. With the most unexpected of people.

Kendal broke the silence, their voice soft. “Do you think we’ll ever have another moment like this?”

Andrew smiled, tightening his hold on both Kean and Kendal. “I think…if we make the time for it, we can have as many moments like this as we want.”

Kean nodded, his hair plastered to his forehead, feeling contentment flowing through him. “Agreed. We may be rulers, but we’re also…us. And we need this, just as much as the commonwealth needs us.”

Kendal’s smile was soft, their fingers tracing patterns on Andrew’s chest. “Then let’s promise each other that we’ll make the time. No matter how busy things get. No matter how many responsibilities we have. We’ll make time for this—for us.”

Kean looked between his two partners. “I promise,” he said, firm and full of conviction. They had to do it. If they didn’t, he was afraid they would lose themselves.

Andrew and Kendal echoed the sentiment, and for a moment, the world felt small and simple, just the three of them in the water, holding onto each other and the promise of more moments like this to come.

Kendal

Eventually, they made their way back to the shore, their bodies chilled but their hearts warm. They dried off with towels the guards had kindly found for them and settled by the remains of the fire, wrapping themselves in blankets.

“We’ll sit for a few minutes and then we’ll head up to the house,” Andrew said. “We have another day here. We have time.”

Kendal curled up between Andrew and Kean, their head resting on Andrew’s chest, their hand intertwined with Kean’s. “This was the best day,” they murmured sleepily, their eyes already drifting shut.

Andrew pressed a kiss to the top of Kendal’s head, his hand gently stroking Kean’s arm. “It was,” he agreed softly. “And there will be more. I promise.”

Kean smiled, pressing his lips to Andrew’s cheek. “We’ll hold you to that.”

After several long moments, the three of them gathered their energy and rose, helping to put everything they used back into the cars, alongside their guards, for the quick trip to the house.

It was a beautiful cottage right on the edge of a cliff, which Kendal was a little concerned about.

Not because it might fall off at any given moment, but because eventually it would fall off, like so many others along the coastline. Such a sad state of affairs.

As the night deepened and the sound of the waves lulled them to sleep through the open windows, the curtains gently blowing in the breeze, Kendal found themselves more at peace than they had been in a long time, even including the time since he’d found Andrew and Kean.

The chores would still be there when they returned, but for now, this was enough.

Here, in this quiet cliffside cottage by the beach with the two people they loved most in the world, Kendal was someone who had found something beautiful. And in that moment, they knew that no matter what the future held, as long as they had each other, they could face anything.

And so, under the watchful eyes of the stars and the gentle lull of the sea, the three of them drifted off to sleep, wrapped in each other’s warmth, their hearts full and their spirits light.

Tomorrow, they would return to their duties, to the weight of the crown and the expectations of the country. But tonight, they were simply Andrew, Kean, and Kendal—three people in love, with the promise of more moments like this to come.

The following morning, Andrew held Kendal close, his hand gently tracing patterns across the small of their back while Kean lay beside them, one arm draped over Andrew’s chest as if he, too, wanted to hold on to this moment as long as possible.

The silence needed to be broken, but none of them seemed to want to do it.

Even Kean, with his usual energy, was more subdued.

A probing question held Kendal’s attention, and they weren’t sure if to voice it, not wanting to ruin the moment with what-ifs. But it wouldn’t be held back. “Do you ever wonder what it would be like,” they said softly, “if we didn’t have to go back? If this could just be our life?”

Andrew’s fingers stilled for a moment before resuming their gentle tracing.

“Sometimes,” he admitted, his voice low and thoughtful.

“I imagine a simpler life—away from the palace, away from the politics, away from the scrutiny. Just the three of us, living by the sea. But then I think about what we’ve built together.

Not only the Sutcliffes, but everyone who has joined us along the way. The crown is part of who we are now.”

Kendal looked up at Andrew, tracing his face with his gaze as they let that sink in.

“It is. As much as Kean and I have had more experience of regular life, it hasn’t taken long for the royal duties to feel part of me.

Even though I’ve only had this for a short time, I don’t think I’d feel right to live without it now. ”

Kean, who had been quietly listening, shifted slightly, propping himself up on one elbow. He held Kendal’s gaze. “We’re the ones who set the rules, too. If we wanted to make more time for ourselves, we could.”

Kendal considered their words. The country demanded a lot from them, but perhaps they had the opportunity to change how future generations see their royal roles.

If they could show their descendants how to live without letting the crown take their sanity, it would breathe a new, healthier life into the positions they had been born into.

Kendal’s hand slid up Andrew’s chest, coming to rest on his shoulder. “It’s not just about ruling, Andrew. It’s about living, too. If we’re not taking care of ourselves—of each other—how can we be at our best for the country and the family? For the future generations.”

Andrew nodded. “There are enough family members to spread the load. If we all do our bit, we will make it easier for everyone. Maybe we can lessen the burden the crown will be on Freddie when…”

Kendal’s heart skipped a beat, but they had faced this issue head-on before, and they would do it again. “When you die.”

Andrew nodded again, and Kean snuggled closer to them. “We know it’s going to happen. We’re not denying it, but we’re not letting you go yet.”

“I don’t intend to go yet.”

Kendal’s smile widened, and they pressed a kiss to Andrew’s chest. “I’m going to hold you to that, my liege.”

Kean chuckled softly, his fingers brushing against Andrew’s jawline as he leaned in to kiss him. “We’ll hold each other to it,” he said, his voice low and intimate. Kendal loved watching them kiss.

Andrew closed his eyes, looking like he was savouring the kiss. When Kean pulled back, there was a moment of quiet understanding between the three of them—a shared acknowledgement that they had made a promise, not just to each other, but to themselves and the future.

****