Page 116 of Scandalous Park Avenue Prince

Man, I had it bad. Reaaally fucking bad.

I moved in front of Rodney and said something that must’ve been deemed appropriate, because he laughed and looked to Archer, who was smiling with him. I needed a goddamn drink.

With a smile plastered on my face and Serena guiding me, I somehow made it through the rest of the line in a manner that pleased my parents, who were at the very end of it. Tonight was already stressful enough—the last thing I needed was for them to chide me for not being everything they’d raised me to be.

So to hear them gush over Serena and compliment me on my work with Mr. Carrington told me they were buying the lie, as always.

Lucky me.

“Hey.” Serena patted my arm as we made our way inside the huge ballroom. “Relax. We made it.”

I knew she meant that in a helpful way, but tonight our deception wasn’t sitting right. My stomach was tied in knots.

“Preston?” Serena led me past a massive ice sculpture that had been delivered this afternoon. But I wasn’t paying attention, my mind full of lies and what-ifs.

“He needs a drink.” Travis rocked up beside us, shaking his head. “Hell, I need a drink after that line. Why do I feel like it’ll be less judgmental trying to pass the pearly gates than getting into the Elysium?”

“You think you’re going through the pearly gates?” Serena grinned.

“Well, I attend Church as often as possible, and when I do, I make sure to get on my knees and…pray.”

“Uh huh.” Serena rolled her eyes. “And nowIneed a drink.”

“Then lead the way,” Travis suggested, hanging back beside me. “I think I saw the rest of the group heading toward the bar anyways.”

Serena started off ahead of us, her beautiful gown easy to keep track of as she made her way through the crowds of people chatting and laughing amongst one another.

Travis fell in step beside me, a thoughtful look on his face. “You okay?”

“Huh?” I hadn’t been paying attention to anything they’d said, but with our being the only two there now, I needed to switch my brain back on.

“You look like you want to throw up.”

With the way my stomach felt, he wasn’t far off.

“That had to be rough back there, seeing him with a date.”

Never had I appreciated the fact more that my friends knew about Archer. That Travis didn’t have to name thehimin question, because we all knew my big secret, was one less stressor in my life.

I shrugged and let out a sigh. “Not like I can do anything about it.”

“I know. But it still sucks.”

I saw a bone-deep understanding in his eyes that no one else in our group had, and felt the hopelessness more palpable than ever.

God, how did he do it? How did he exist in the same space as the one person he wanted more than anyone else, and not have him? It felt impossible.

These last two days, being near Archer and not knowing what we were to one another, had been torture. I would’ve done anything to be the one standing beside Archer in that line tonight. I would’ve sold everything I owned, promised anything in the world—I would’ve even told my parents the truth…

How did Travis do it?

“Let’s get you a drink. It’ll help.”

I grimaced when we spotted the rest of our group over by the bar laughing. “Okay, as long as East isn’t ordering.”

SEEING THE ROCKETTES perform a special number for the event was a highlight and, with it being the height of the holiday season, a seemingly impossible feat. Archer had somehow made that happen, though. He could make anything happen.

Stop thinking about him. Don’t even look?—

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