60
“Said what?”
“I said you couldn’t have a boyfriend unless it was me, and you said you’d never want me as your boyfriend, and here you are, practically begging-”
“I am not!” I cried in denial.
He smirked. “I know.”
Grinding my teeth together, I marched toward the door. “You know what, forget it. We’re just friends with benefits.”
Vincent easily grabbed my elbow, pulling me to a stop. “Emily, wait.”
“Okay,” I breathed, my heart skipping a beat at the use of my real name.
“Will you be my girlfriend?”
My mouth nearly dropped to the floor. All I could do was goggle at him. That was the least expected thing I’d imagined he’d say. To my ongoing amazement, a small blush spread across his cheeks. “Stop staring like that!” he snapped, turning his head away. “You’re annoying.”
“You’re blushing!”
“No I’m not!”
“You so are!”
“Shut up!”
“It’s so cute!”
“I will kill you.”
I grinned giddily at him. “Well, I suppose if you went through all that embarrassment just to ask that, I should say yes.”
He shot daggers at me. “Seriously.”
“I’m kidding,” I responded with a laugh. “Of course I’ll be your, um, girlfriend.”
The smug expression returned to his face. “Now who’s embarrassed?”
“S-Sebastian and Fiona are waiting for us,” I said quickly, turning my back to him. “We should go.”
He picked up his pace to keep up with me. “Now look who’s blushing.”
“Go away.”
“Aw, look,” he said teasingly, pulling at my cheek. “So pink!”
I slapped his hand away. “Stop it! Of course I’m embarrassed! I didn’t expect anything like that from you! It’s almost like Sebastian…” I trailed off, my eyes widening. “Almost like Sebastian put you up to it.”
Vincent kept his face impassive. “He did not.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You liar! He did! What did he say? What did he promise you? Ugh, that guy!”
“He didn’t put me up to anything,” Vincent growled, turning to give me a dirty look. “Now stop shouting.”
“No! What did he promise you?”
“Nothing.”
“I know you’re lying.”
Vincent stopped, causing me to bump into him. “He might have requested I do it, but I figured I’d have to do it sooner or later.”
“Have to?” I repeated skeptically.
“I didn’t want you feeling like I was just using you,” he told me, crossing his arms. “I just assumed you’d think we were… like that… but Sebastian said you didn’t think that and I wanted to clear things up.”
I relaxed a little bit, easing up on my glare. “Really?”
“Really.”
“That’s okay then,” I told him. “As long as you mean it.”
“I mean it. Now stop making me say it.”
Smiling again, I snatched up his hand. He jerked it back. “Hey,” I protested.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, shyly taking my hand up in his. “I’m not used to hand holding. It feels weird.”
“It’ll feel good eventually,” I told him.
Another smirk spread across his face.
“What?”
“Nothing,” he replied casually, speeding his pace up. “Come on, we’ve gotta get to the car so we can leave before anyone arrives.”
I frowned at him, but allowed the conversation to drop as he led me through the maze of hallways. Going out to dinner would be fun… I grimaced. I was going out to dinner with vampires… This was going to be an experience.
__________________________________
“Center of attention… We’re the center of attention,” I murmured as we entered the restaurant Fiona had chosen to eat at. “Or should I say you guys are.”
Literally every customer glanced up from his or her table at us as we passed. It felt like I was walking around with a group of famous people. I was actually expecting someone to jump up and ask for our autographs. So much for vampires not being ostentatious. Vincent and Sebastian trailed a few feet behind Fiona and myself, Vincent with a moody expression on his face, Sebastian taking in his surroundings. Every few seconds he’d wrinkle his nose and make a face. I figured it was due to the thousands of aromas lingering around the restaurant from the dishes.
Fiona, who looked like she was having the time of her life, smiled flirtatiously at a few of the men we passed. “Come on, Em! Flirt a little bit!”
I shook my head at once. “No way! I wouldn’t flirt when I already have a guy I like. It makes me feel like I’m betraying him.”
“Ah,” she responded, the smile slipping off her face. “Do you really think that?”
“How would you feel if Sebastian started flirting with other girls?”
She did a double take at me, but because she moved her head so fast it seemed like she only spared me a quick glance. “S-Seb?”
I grinned evilly. “Are you blushing?”
“I’m not!” she cried, her cheeks blossoming with color, betraying her words. “W-what are you even talking about?”
“Oh, come on, Fiona. Don’t act so innocent. I know you like him-”
“Shh!” she silenced me, pressing a soft hand over my mouth.
I blinked at her.
“He can hear you,” she whispered, removing her hand.
“Oh, yeah, oops,” I responded, scratching the back of my head in embarrassment. “Sorry, Fiona.”
She suddenly snatched up my hand, dragging me in the opposite direction we were headed. “Come with me.”
“H-hey!” I protested, stumbling over my feet. “I thought we were eating?”
“Where are you going?” Sebastian questioned as Fiona tried to move by him. He easily blocked her way.
“Lady’s room,” she answered easily, “Emily said she had to pee really bad.”
My eyes widened. “What I-”
“Right?” she interjected sharply.
“I-I… Yeah, guess so,” I muttered, lowering my gaze to my feet. “S’pose I have a bad bladder or something.
Vincent snorted and I quickly shot him a glare. “We’ll meet you guys at the table. Order our drinks. I want a Coke.”
“I’ll have a Sprite,” Fiona added, hooking her arm through mine. “Our table says Rutherford.”NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.
“Eh? We have reservations?”
“You didn’t know what?” Sebastian inquired, furrowing his eyebrows.
I shook my head. “Nope.”
“Does this restaurant seem like a place you can eat at without one?” Vincent asked, smirking at me.
I puffed out my cheeks. “Whatever. I don’t know if I brought enough money for this-”
“You’re not paying at all,” Sebastian cut me off. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle your bill.”
.
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“No, I will,” Vincent told me, crossing his arms. “You pay for Fiona.”
Sebastian frowned a tiny bit, but shrugged. “Okay, sure.”
“We’ll be back then,” Fiona stated, dragging me forward. “Have a nice conversation while you wait.”
I sent Vincent a helpless look to which he replied with a smirk. After narrowing my eyes at him, I turned myself around so I wouldn’t stumble over my feet while Fiona was towing me toward the restroom. A few people gave us amused glances as we hastened between tables at an unusually quick pace. Instead of having a multi-stalled bathroom like most restaurants, it only had single person one. Fiona grabbed the handle, ready to wing it open.
“Wait, it might be-”
“Hey!”
“Oops, sorry!”
“-Occupied,” I finished, grimacing as she shut the door again, a silly grin crossing her face. Sighing, I covered my face with my hand. “Don’t just walk into bathrooms like that, Fiona. You’re supposed to knock.”
She sniffed. “I’m a Princess. I don’t have to.”
My jaw nearly dropped. “Fiona,” I started in a scolding voice. “You-”
“I’m kidding,” she laughed, waving her hand in my face. “You actually believed me? I’m not that awful.”
Just then the bathroom door opened and an elderly gentleman came out of the room, avoiding all eye contact with Fiona. It was an awkward moment. Fiona briskly swept me into the room and closed the door behind us. Swallowing nervously, I eyed her as she locked it. Somewhere in the back of my mind I felt like she was about to murder me.
“What am I going to do, Emily?”
“Huh?”
Fiona was wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand, sniffling quietly. Completely thrown off guard, I could only stand in my spot and gawk at her. Her change of emotion had happened way too fast! Awkwardly, I moved a little closer to her and put my hand on her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
“On Friday,” she snuffled. “Sebastian…”
Realization dawned on me. Sebastian was going to find a wife. “Fiona…”
“It’s not fair!” she exclaimed, her eyes catching mine. Even with tears in them, she still managed to look stunning. “I didn’t even hear of this until a few days ago! No one told me! Even Sebastian! Why would they keep something like that a secret?”
“You do still have feelings for him!”
“I’ve never stopped loving him!” she confessed, gesticulating wildly. “Why else do you think I’ve stayed with the Rutherfords? I don’t belong there at all, Emily. No one likes me in that family aside from the immediate family- Luella, Solomon, Sebastian, and Vincent. The only reason I’ve stayed is to be close to Sebastian!”
Still a little bit shocked, it took me a second to respond. “Have you told him this?”
“No! I couldn’t! Because of me… Everything that’s happened with Vincent… I couldn’t put him in such a position, Emily. But with the marriage…” Tears spilled over the edges of her eyelids again, rolling down her cheeks. “Why didn’t he tell me?”
“Fiona, I think-”
“Is he going to marry someone else?” she cut me off. “I can’t live in that house anymore, Emily.”
“Fiona, calm down,” I demanded, putting both my hands on her shoulders. “Sebastian won’t marry someone else.”
She shook her head. “He has to, Emily! He’s the next king!”
.
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“No, Fiona-”
“Yes, Emily! You don’t understand! Do you know who I am? I was human. It’s impossible for me to become queen!”
“Fiona!”
“You don’t get it! Even if we tried-”
” Fiona! ”
She flinched back at the sound of my voice. “W-what?”
“What is with you vampires?” I demanded, scowling at her. “You and Sebastian! You’re so negative all the time! What if this? What if that? Guess what? Have you ever watched the Princess Diaries? What’s-Her-Face was supposed to get married to a man, but she didn’t! She ran the country on her own! Sebastian could do that too! You guys can start something new! Screw the rest of the world! You haven’t been waiting this whole damn time for nothing, Fiona! Don’t give up so easily! Stop crying!”
With wide eyes, she nodded her head, wiping her eyes again. “O-okay.”
Breathing a little heavier than usual, I could feel my cheeks starting to heat up from my words. “Honestly, Fiona. If you’re in love, don’t let anything stop you. I don’t know much about your world, but you can’t just give up so easily. Sebastian loves you too- don’t give up so easily! ”
“How do you know?” she whispered.
“Sebastian and I are really close,” I answered with a wink. “But both of you two are so… so meek . Stop being pushed around by those above you. If Sebastian is going to be king, he can do something about this. King is higher than Court, right?”
She slowly nodded her head. “Y-yeah, I guess.”
“Don’t worry about the ball. Sebastian won’t enjoy it one bit,” I told her confidently. “Just get on the dance floor and make him jealous.”
A grin broke across her face. “Isn’t that evil?”
“Well I think it’s a fair trade. Him being forced to dance with women he doesn’t have feelings for… You have to watch it.”
She laughed. “That doesn’t sound very fair to him.”
“Make sure to tell him you love him.”
Her eyes widened. “What? No way! I told you I can’t do that!”
“He needs to hear it, Fiona. He doesn’t believe me when I tell him you still have feelings for him.”
“How did you know I did?”
I rolled my eyes. “I can just tell. It’s not that hard. Well, actually, it’s a little more difficult with you than Sebastian, but you have signs.”
“Signs?”
“The way you still call him Seb is one,” I informed her, pursing my lips. “And how you’ve never dated any of the guys at my school…”
She blushed. “I-It’s not like I rejected everyone because of him…”
“Yes you did. Just say it.”
“Say what?”
“Say you love him.”
“No way!” she cried, waving her hands in front of her body. “I can’t do that! Emily, that’s too embarrassing-”
I gave her a flat look. “Don’t you think it’ll be harder saying it to his face?”
She became more flustered, whipping her head back and forth. “It’s impossible to say that to his face!”
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