Page 60 of The Trophy

I explain it was a present from Tasha.

“Ah, I should have known.”

I take offense. “Why, would I not be able to choose something nice?”

Bay tries to backtrack to spare my feelings, but really I’m messing with her. She’s absolutely right that I wouldn’t have bought something with that much lace and so revealing.

We say our goodbyes and wish each other a good night.

I make a point of tidying the mess I made in my drawer looking for Tasha’s present.

I always get a little OCD when I’m nervous, I think, folding a little tank top I like to sleep in.

“What’s this?” I wonder when my fingers close over a piece of paper.

A midnight kiss will change everything.

Royal pain, royal gain.

Fire doesn’t always burn in a bad way.

Sharing is caring.

That’s the fortune I got from the Mouth of Truth at the pier, the night I went on my first date with Cash.

It’s been barely over a month since that night and yet my life has changed in so many ways.

I remember how hesitant I was to stick my hand into the mouth of the statue, just in case I got a bad prediction.

Cash and I laughed at the one liners that didn’t make sense and I guess the piece of paper must have somehow made its way into my dresser.

I read it again and this time, the words of the fortune give me pause.

Surely, I’m being ridiculous and reading too much into it. This stuff is vague on purpose, so anyone can think they resonate somehow.

And yet…

A midnight kiss will change everything …

That night, Cash kissed me when we got to the end of the pier, just as the Ferris Wheel closed at midnight.

That kiss changed everything for me. I realized how my relationship with my ex wasn’t something that had made me as happy as I thought, or that I even missed.

A realization that made me open my heart to someone new and made me decide to explore the attraction between me and Cash.

Royal pain, royal gain.

Could this refer to Luca? It seems even too obvious since he’s a real life royal. I thought he was a pain in the ass at first, when I judged him based on his reputation on campus and on the press and by our first meeting at the library.

But what could royal gain mean?

If we got married, I would gain a royal title…

The voice in my head sounds like Bay, like every time I think something that’s totally far fetched.

I guess it’s no surprise that Bay is the dreamer between us and I’m the more realistic twin.

But marrying Luca is just a fantasy for now, we just started dating for fuck’s sake.

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