Page 98 of Royal Fling
She looked well. She looked younger if that were even possible.
“I take it things with Paul are going well,” I said.
She smirked and that was all the answer I needed.
“Yes,” she added.
“I’m glad, Nonny. You deserve to be happy.”
“So do you, Auggie.”
I shrugged and looked away from the screen on the surface of my desk where there was a magazine, my picture right in the front with a big headline that read, “Lonely Prince: Where is Auggie?”
It was true, I hadn’t been very active in the last four weeks. There had been a whole kerfuffle about my arrival back to Elysia, but other than a few obligations, I’d stayed relatively out of the public eye.
It wasn’t just because I was so lonely without Luke but also part of the crisis management plan. Staying out of the limelight until the media forgot about the “scandal.”
And the peace and quiet suited me just fine. I wasn’t in the mood for parties, meetings, and official duties. I was in the mood for wallowing in my own misery.
I had no idea how Fisayo thought I was losing weight when I’d been eating so much junk food that I felt bloated most days.
Ginny had taken me under her wing, and we’d spent most nights in one of our rooms, watching movies. Some of the “classics”, according to her, and some of the newer stuff I’d missed.
However, no matter how many movies I watched, the gap was still there in my chest like a part of me had been yanked out and left a gaping hole that was too big to heal.
“How is he?” I asked.
She didn’t miss a beat when she said, “He misses you.”
I looked back at the screen and grimaced.
“He said that?”
“He didn’t need to. I can tell. So can the rest of his family.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s true,” I mumbled.
She was probably just saying that to make me feel better, but it didn’t. It made me feel worse.
“I think… I think he’s ready,” she said.
“Ready for what?”
Please don’t say to move on. Please don’t say to move on.
“To hear you out,” she said.
I tilted my head to the side and considered her statement.
“You really think so?”
“I do. He’s had time away to think about what happened. To consider everything.”
“What if he isn’t?” I asked.
“You’ll never know unless you try. And I’m not gonna do all the work for you, honey. If you want him, you’ve got to fight for him.”
I wanted to. I had wanted to after the gala. But she’d said he needed time. She’d been saying that every time we spoke. This was the first time she’d said he was ready, so I didn’t know if I should believe her.
