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

I never thought that a look from someone could make me want to run.

But the broken spirited look in Lily's eyes makes me privy to such urges.

Anything to just be away from that look.

The ringing of my phone cuts off a moment later and I try to shrink myself away from her in an act of self preservation.

I hate that the first thing I want to say is an apology.

I know well enough that the look in her eyes is not judgemental. Or that the constant frown is not aimed towards me but part of me feels like it is.

She would never judge me for something like this.

Is what I tell myself every time I look at her.

"You were here when I left for college?"

Although it comes out as a question, it sounds more like an assessment and I wish she hadn't asked.

My fingers ball into fists at the reminder as I clear my throat and step back a little to prepare myself for what's to come next.

chapter sixty six