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

Two days after visiting Jacob my mind is still a warzone of contradictions and doubts.

My emotions are a whole different battle field altogether.

I have been in constant pressure to both flee and stay beside River like the therapist advised.

One huge problem, I have scars to prove that I'm not as strong as they both think I am.

The fact that remembering my name on River's torso makes me nauseous keeps reminding me of how hypocritical I am.

Whenever I watch him smile at me when he catches me staring, my heart drops a few inches lower.

He doesn't know it's not concern that I'm conveying with my eyes but fear and guilt.

What if he finds out that I once spiraled down that road too?

He even thanked me that day outside Jacob's office.

And Jacob wouldn't shut up about how much River trusted me.

chapter fifty one