Eline_huntsmith

River and Lily have been, or rather had been, friends for almost all their lives until a one nightstand ruined any semblance of a friendship between them.

Lily would strongly like to blame the fact that she was foolish on that night and River, well, he doesn't look like he has a lot to say or think about the night in question.

Now, four years down the line, after one isolating the other and another still being bitter hurt over the events that succeeded that particular night, Lily is called in for a royal favor.

With River's coronation as king drawing near, she has to keep his rather, messy, to be lightly put, record on a clean squeaky plate. How to do that you ask? Well, obviously by avoiding him and being professional to a fault.

But the ignorant blind fool doesn't get the memo. In fact, to her, it looks like River is doing anything other than being professional and distant.

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"I was going to ruin you!" he shouts in exasperation and I eye him for a moment, watching his chest rise and fall rapidly until he calms down.

"I was already ruined. I fail to see any sort of damage that could have outdone what I've gone through." I shrug and pick up my folder from the bed.

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Lily has no much to think about during the summer but if there's something she's certain of, it's that she is not ready to be the reason River's crown topples off his head no matter how much he wants to be the problem in her course.

Another Royal Frog

"Yeah," I reply with what I want to assume is a subtle sniffle but I know better than to count my luck.

I slowly turn to lay on my back so that I can meet his eyes and when I do, I almost regret it. His eyes are marred with concern, his eyebrows in a tight knot of worry.

His expression alone makes my heart hurt, because he is a beautiful human to look at. The reminder that I once had him in my life and that I could have had him for longer if I forced myself to be blunt about how hurt I was causes a lump to constrict my throat.

I swallow painfully, chastening my thoughts because I know better than to settle for less. The hurt never stops.

"Pain?" His words come out soft, as if pitying the expression on my face.

I shake my head and give him a small tired smile, sleep finally knocking at the edges of my vision.

Go figure! I would only get sleepy when the one person I've been waiting to visit me actually comes to visit.

chapter forty three