Eight missed calls.
Three voice mails.
Twelve text messages.
I opened the first three text messages that weren’t Henry’s first. One was from the Senator making sure I had a nice time. The other was from Gus making sure I was still okay and to let me know Henry had called him. The last was Jaqui saying Henry was looking for me. I answered them all that I was fine and then stared at my phone for a moment.
“Waiting won’t fix anything,” I told myself as I pressed open on Henry’s text messages first. If I didn’t listen to his voice, maybe I could get through this.
* * *
Aria, are you all right? Please let me see you.
* * *
I don’t know what happened. Please call me. I love you.
* * *
My eyes started to blur with tears and I had to set my phone aside. How was I going to survive this? I couldn’t even read his messages without tearing up. How the hell was I going to tell him it was over?
Just thinking of losing him made my chest clench. I hated it.
I left my phone on the table and went to make some food. Maybe what I needed was a full stomach. I wasn’t really hungry, but I wanted to find every way to put off reading those messages as long as possible.
I was half way through making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when someone knocked on my door.
I froze on the spot for a moment before tip-toeing to the peephole. I held my breath, not wanting to give away that I was home and looked out. The last person I wanted to see right now was Henry. Or my stepmother.
Luckily, it was neither. Gunner stood outside my door, his arms crossed and face impatient.
I let out a small sigh of relief and opened the door.
“So you are home,” Gunner said as I pulled open the door. “I was beginning to wonder.”
He walked inside with all the confidence of a peacock.
“What did you do to my dress?” he asked, hurrying over to the couch and touching the dirty hem.
“Um... it’s kind of a long story,” I replied, scratching my head.
“I’d be interested to hear it,” a soft voice that made my heart race and freeze at the same time said from the doorway.
I turned to see Henry standing in the door. He wore distressed jeans and a loose dress shirt. His golden-red hair was a mess and he looked exhausted. Like he’d been up all night. His blue eyes were laser focused on me.
“Henry,” I whispered. My feet suddenly grew roots to the floor and I couldn’t move.
Gunner turned to see who had spoken. His gray eyebrows went up into his hair.
“Your highness,” Gunner said, turning and bowing to the prince. He knew who Henry was. I felt like an idiot. I was an idiot.
The three of us stood without moving for a moment. My heart was racing so fast I couldn’t count the beats. I couldn’t read Henry’s expression. Was he angry? Hurt? Afraid?
Or was I those things?
Gunner took the dress and shoes into his arms. The blue satin and tulle poofed out everywhere, yet he still managed to look in control as he walked to the door.
“Excuse me, your highness,” Gunner said, dipping his head. He glanced back at me and gave me a wink before disappearing out the door. At least I was off the hook about the dress.
Henry and I both stood in silence, listening to Gunner’s footsteps fade down the hallway.
“Aria.” Henry’s accent still made my name sound like music and it broke the spell.
“Please come in,” I managed to say. If you don’t know what to say, just be polite, I told myself.
Henry took a step across the threshold and then closed the door softly behind him. The soft click filled the air. I realized my hands were shaking.
“You forgot your mask,” he said softly, holding out my silver mask in his hands. I looked from the mask to his bright blue eyes. He looked back at me with love and just enough pain to make my heart break. “I’m sorry I did this to you.”
Even now, he was kind. He didn’t blame me. I closed my eyes and tried to find strength. Now was the time to send him away. Now was the time to tell him that we could never be.
“I looked for you all night,” he said softly, still holding the mask in his hands. “I called your boss. I called the apartment manager. I even called Gus.”