Chapter Twenty-Nine

But unluckily enough, she not only missed the point, but also aimed for the wrong area accidentally, and hit Evan on his forehead very hard.

"Agh!" The redhead yelped in pain as he got heavily knocked out, falling straight on the sand like a sack of potatoes hitting the ground.

"Evan!" Belle cried out, worried.

Everyone ran closer to the redhead in despair, trying to assist him and help him get up on his feet.

Luna barked and ran in Evan's direction, licking his face frantically and making him laugh with this sweet gesture.

"I'm so sorry, Sir! It wasn't my intention! I promise!" Adelyn begged for his forgiveness.

"It's okay, Ade… I'm fine… I promise… Ouch…" He groaned as Luna licked the hurt area on his forehead. "Don't worry, really." He smiled for Adelyn while feeling his head spinning around heavily, with birds and stars flying around it like in those old cartoons.

"I'll bring some ice." Said Madeline, rushing into the house.

"That's gonna be a huge bump on your forehead for a couple of days, Evie." Michel added, sounding just as worried as Belle did, looking even more worried than her.

"Yeah, can you stand up? We can help you get into the house, don't worry." Said André, grasping Evan's hand along with Michel and getting him up from the sand.

"Agh… Everything is spinning right now… It hurts a lot…" Evan complained, seeing everything blurry. "Can you guys hand me my glasses when we get in? I left them on top of the pile of shirts… Ugh… Woo… You are certainly strong, Ade…" He managed to let out some phrases despite the intense pain that he was experiencing by then.

"I'm really sorry, Sir… I promise to be more careful next time." Adelyn kept apologizing.

"I'm here! There wasn't any ice, but I found a frozen steak." Madeline said, getting back into the scene and pulling the steak closer to Evan's hurt and reddened forehead.

Evan let out a growl.

"I know it hurts, but it will help, I promise." She tried to reassure him.

Madeline looked at André with a glimpse of guilt in her bright blue eyes. André stared back at her with a condescending expression in his.

"Okay, I guess this means you are the winner and you make dinner…" Madeline uttered.

"Maddie! Please, Evan got hurt!" Michel complained, trying to make his friend understand the situation.

"Okay! Alright! I'm sorry, I went overboard this time. I'll try to think wiser before acting next time…" She added, shocked.

It was usually very rare for someone to get hurt very badly when she was the host at the event, but this time she crossed far beyond the line.

"Let's take him to my room and let him change his clothes, we can have some snacks after that." Michel suggested, plotting something romantic already. "Evie, how does that sound?"

"Sure thing, the clean change of clothes are on the bag we brought, if you could go look for it, I'd be forever glad." Evan flashed a weak smile for his beloved prince. His vision was improving rapidly, but the pain was still intense, unfortunately.

"Okay, let me take you upstairs." Michel replied, grabbing Evan by his hand and shoulders.

"Can I go with you?" Gabrielle asked suddenly, almost intrusively.

Michel got suddenly shocked, speechless. His love's fiancée was asking him if she could join them… Of course not… Evan was his… He wouldn't let her get in their way.

"Err…" He tried to make up a good enough excuse.

"I'll just get changed, Belle. You wouldn't feel comfortable with two guys in a bedroom and one of them half-naked." But Evan did it first.

Michel tried to suppress a smile. Evan was really into him, and he loved him so much for doing that…

"B-But…" Gabrielle tried to insist.

"I'll be fine, I promise." Evan reassured her, making use of the sweetest voice he could pull to keep her away from him and Michel.

Gabrielle let out a frustrated sigh.

"Don't worry, Belle, Evan will be in good hands. We can just chat and hang around on the first floor while he changes his clothes and gets some rest." André tried to reassure her, using a soft tone of voice.

"...Okay…" She finally gave in.

The six of them entered the house then. Except for Evan and Michel, everyone claimed their seats in the living room and made themselves comfortable. The secret lovers headed upstairs.

The beach house was smaller than how it looked like. Or at least felt smaller. It was still quaint and cozy, like a cluttered dollhouse, but there was something off…

The aura that the house evoked... It felt nostalgic, it emanated an emotion of comfort and belonging, of joy. But it also felt as though something was missing from it, something very important to everyone…

They reached Michel's bedroom on the second and final story. It had cute wallpapers with drawings of the Snoopy dog that were covered by old, fading light blue wooden planks. The antique floor was of a dark shade of brown wood, like the rest of the flooring in the house. There was a desk with some books, folders, and a planted cactus, an end table with a small and old TV on top of it, a cluttered bookshelf with miscellaneous decor, and a twin-sized bed.

The entire place felt so cozy and home-like, that Evan couldn't help wondering why Michel brought him to such a lovely place like this room.

"Please make yourself comfortable, sweetie." Michel whispered into his ear, and Evan couldn't help blushing. "I'll go look for your daily clothes, feel free to go through my things. I spent a lot of time in this room when I was a child, I would love you to get familiarized with my things." He added, with a low enough voice tone to not get heard by someone downstairs, but still loud enough for Evan to be able to hear him.

Then, he left, and Evan felt a strange feeling taking over his entire material being.

It was bleak, lonely, as if, for some reason, he were now feeling exactly the same as Michel felt when he was a little boy.

He felt content, he felt like he did his best at most things. But he didn't feel good enough… He didn't feel like something mattered…

It was an overwhelming feeling.

Wanting to get a better knowledge of Michel's childhood years, Evan left the frozen steak beside and went through his things, starting with the bookshelf.

He was able to recognize some of the titles, like 'The Little Prince', 'Great Expectations' or 'Huckleberry Finn', but the rest of them were unknown to him, some of them were in French, some others, in Spanish, and some others in languages he couldn't understand.

He wondered how many languages Michel was able to speak…

Then, he bent down to see the DVDs collection beneath the ancient television. He saw a lot of original copies of superheroes cartoons, and two entire collections of 'Pirates of The Caribbean' and 'The Lord of The Rings'. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

Was Michel so much of a fan of Orlando Bloom? Evan liked him a lot as well, and of course, not only because of his outstanding talent as an actor...

Then, he stopped by the desk and inspected one of the mysterious books: 'Journal Intime de Michel Beaumont - 2007'. Evan put it back in its place when he found out it was a private diary, he wasn't willing to read his love's most kept secrets… At least not right now.

He opened one of the folders this time, and his eyes lit up when he saw some old newspapers inside of it: Michel's mother, Queen Helena's photos were in the close-up of one of them.

He struggled to understand the French it was written in. 'The second Royal Baby on its way', or something like that. It was still comprehensible.

He didn't understand much of what it said, but, apparently, it was talking about Helena's second pregnancy, she had picked the name of 'Michelle' for the baby if it was a girl, or 'Michel' if it was a boy, to honor her father, 'Miguel Machado'.

The photo in the close-up featured a pregnant and very happy Helena, posing with a younger King Antoine and a toddler André. She had long ash blonde hair, mesmerizing teal eyes, and a gorgeous smile, she looked like a queen in every possible sense.

He then assumed Michel's mother was probably Spanish in origin.

There were two other newspaper's close-ups. He attempted to read the second one with the very little French he knew. He didn't understand the title, but he managed to read something from the article.

It talked about the construction of the house by the seashore, about it reminding her of her home in the Canary Islands and how much she wanted her sons to love the nature surrounding them, to love their French and Spanish heritage, but never forgetting they were still Avevian despite all and she wanted them to love the country they were born in and take good care of it when they grew up, with her and their father.

The photo featured her in casual clothes, holding a baby Michel with one arm and grasping the little André's hand with her free hand.

The third close-up managed to make the hair on Evan's arms stand on end: 'Rest in peace, Your Majesty Queen Helena of Avevia'. Evan got shocked, not entirely sure if he was ready to read the article yet… That piece of paper must have held a deep meaning to Michel.

The photo in the close-up showed Queen Helena in an opulent long coral pink-colored dress in front of a microphone.

"I'm back—

Evan got suddenly startled by Michel's voice resounding through the room. He couldn't help letting out a gasp.

Michel noticed the articles that Evan was reading and he opened his rare teal eyes widely. But then, he sighed.

He proceeded to slowly walk into his old bedroom with the bag of clothes and Evan's glasses in his hands.

"I guess you would have found those ones eventually… right?" He uttered, closing the door behind him and leaving the bag with clean clothes at the foot of the bed.

He then handed Evan his glasses as he smiled bitterly.

Evan put his glasses on and eyed Michel with concern.

"I didn't dare read the last article… I just…" He sighed heavily. "I just couldn't… I… I wanted you to tell me what happened to your mother personally." Evan confessed.

Michel let out a deep sigh. Then, he sat on the bed and patted it three times, inviting Evan to sit down next to him. The redhead heeded him, taking a seat beside his lover.

Michel opened his curvy mouth a couple of times, like trying to start telling the story and failing at it repeatedly. After another sigh, he finally began uttering some words.

"My mother was a singer, a lyrical one, she was very talented… She was born in the Canary Islands and used to tour all over Europe for concerts and operas. My father met her at a gala held in Viena in the autumn of 1994."

Michel looked Evan in the eye and smiled at him with sheer nostalgia. They were close, so close to each other… and this closeness made the moment feel more intimate.

"My father used to tell me about the first of her features that attracted him the most: her rare eyes…"

Both Michel and Evan chuckled.

"You have her eyes… They're beautiful, they're the eighth wonder in my eyes." Evan added, and Michel's cheeks blushed harshly.

"I like them, too, I confess I'm grateful for having inherited them. But…" He caressed Evan's cheek fondly. "In my eyes, yours are more beautiful."

Evan chuckled a bit as he enjoyed his lover's caresses.

"When did your parents get married?" He asked, and Michel drew his hand away from the redhead's cheek, taking and rubbing his hand this time.

"They got married in the spring of 1995, my brother was born a few months after the wedding." He answered. "I came two years after in 1997, but you must have already known that… They just really liked being parents to André and wanted to expand the family a bit." Michel explained, always smiling warmly while he remembered all of those treasured memories he had.

"Did your mother teach you how to play the piano?" Evan inquired with some curiosity in the way he spoke.

"Oh, no. I took piano lessons because I wanted to accompany her while she sang. In fact…" He stopped for a second, a mirthful, fleeting smile plowed through his angelic face as he seemed to remember something special to him in concrete. "I brought something to show you, but I guess you have one last question for me… don't you?"

Evan nodded and pursed his lips, not really liking the question he was about to ask… Maybe because of the nature of such a matter.

"How did she die?" He finally asked, feeling deeply sorry…

"She died in a bombing in the Sydney Opera House, back in 2003." Michel replied, dryly, as though he was prepared for such a question.

Then, he sighed with bitterness.

"No one knew why or how the person responsible for the attack did it. He simply… walked into the concert room and threw a grenade at the stage, right where my mother was…" He added, and his voice began cracking.

"I'm really sorry, Michel, I really shouldn't have asked that…"

"It's okay, Evie, don't worry. She died doing what she loved the most, that's how I like to see it…" Michel tried to reassure Evan. "Besides, I'm glad I wasn't with her at that moment, otherwise… I probably wouldn't have met you two years after." He added as he wrapped his arms around Evan lovingly.

Evan held him back and let out a content sound. He kissed Michel's cheek with steadiness, loving the warmth and soft texture of it, and then pushed him away gently.

"I love you." Evan muttered.

Michel smirked with pride and squeezed the redhead's cheek gently.

"I love you, too. I love you very much, Evie." The prince added, his voice slowly began to improve, sounding much less anguished right now. "I can show you something now if you don't have any other questions for me."

"Sure, what do you want to show me?" Evan inquired.

Michel stood up quickly and rummaged into one of the drawers of the desk. A few seconds later, he found what he was looking for.

He sat down next to Evan again and showed the device to him: an old S-DAT music player for cassettes.

"Do you know Björk, Evan?" Michel asked him, sounding enthused about showing him this memory

"I've heard of her, yes. But I never actually listened to any of her songs." Evan replied, there was some curiosity in his evergreen eyes as he watched Michel fidgeting a bit with the player.

"You're gonna listen to one of her songs right now, but covered by my mother." Michel chuckled and offered Evan the second earbud for him to plug it in his ear. "The song is called 'The Anchor Song', I'm one-hundred percent sure you'll love it."

Evan plugged the earbud in his left ear and waited. After a few seconds, music invaded his ears and his hand got brushed by Michel's.

A harmonica made a melody, sounding like one of those that old, toothless sailors used to play at the piers. He closed his eyes, enjoying the tranquil and nostalgic rhythm.

The hair on his forearms stood on end when he heard Helena's voice finally entering.

'I live by the ocean…'

He gasped, letting some tears slide down his reddened cheeks. For the first time in his life, Evan heard an angel sing, it was an ethereal, divine, and incomparable sound…

He looked at Michel, who was already staring at him with teary eyes and a melancholic smile. This was Michel's mother, a queen, an angel…

He curled his hand, wanting to intertwine his fingers with Michel's. The prince understood immediately, and then they grasped each other's hand tightly and amorously.

Evan rested his head on Michel's shoulder, and he could hear his heartbeat from there. It beat for his mother, for Evan, for the intimate moment that they were sharing…

Evan understood Michel's life now. It was really lonely and heartbreaking, how he felt his mother was the only one who could understand him completely. How he lost the person he adored the most abruptly...

But he also understood how strong he actually could be. He'd never get over it, that was for sure indeed. But as long as a part of Helena lived on, not only in Michel but also in André, in Antoine, in every citizen of Avevia, she'd never be entirely gone…

'And this is where I'm staying… This is my home.'

He squeezed Michel's hand tighter and nuzzled his neck fondly.

"I'm here, love of mine… I'm not going anywhere anymore." He muttered into his ear.

Michel brushed their cheeks together, and then he proceeded to kiss his beloved Evan's lips. Evan kissed him back with a bitter kind of joy, caressing his cheek with his free hand, giving him affection.

Evan fell in love with a man who loved him just as much as he loved his mother, and just as much as he loved the music he made. Michel made Evan happy, no one else could ever make him any happier than Michel did…

He had fallen head over heels with a perfectly imperfect man, with a broken family, just like Evan's was. With a secret yet to be told, like the one Evan kept. With a passion for music and life in general, just like Evan had it for the two of them…

Giving up on Michel would definitely be the worst decision he could ever make, he really needed to do something about it, and fast.

He was utterly, absurdly, and hopelessly in love with him, and he could do absolutely nothing to stop feeling that way...