A Thief's Kiss

37| Manipulator

Chapter 37: Manipulator (Aria's POV)

"And I'll come over the day after, okay? I'll see you then," Eric said to Alex while walking the two of us out. "Bye," he said to Alexander and then turned to me. "It was great to meet you, you're perfect for him," he chuckled. 

I smiled, glancing at Alex. 

"I'll see you soon, bye." 

"Bye," I grinned. Alex and I headed to the car and we slipped in after that, ready to head back to the palace. We stayed back pretty late, so his parents had already gone back and we were leaving just now. 

"Are you tired?" he asked, grabbing my hand. 

"A little, yes," I sighed, leaning my head back. I turned to face him and kept staring at him. 

"What?" he chuckled, shifting closer. 

"I just want to ask you something. Will you answer honestly?" 

"I will try," he nodded. 

"Why do you hate Adrian and Eleanor so much?" 

He blinked at me. 

"You don't seem to hate their parents. Just the two of them." 

"I hate Adrian because of his attitude towards things. And the way he thinks he's the only one in the world. He never considers anyone else's point of view." 

"And Eleanor?" 

He thought for a second. "I hate her because she's a manipulator." 

"Manipulator?" I frowned in confusion. 

"I've known her a lot longer than I've known Adrian." 

I nodded in understanding. 

"And all the experiences I've had with her have done nothing but torture me. I've gotten in a lot of trouble. Especially with Adrian. And it's all because of her. She's a liar. And she manipulated people and situations too. And ultimately, she got out of it unscathed." 

"Are you saying you and Adrian hate each other because of her? Because of a problem she created?" 

He nodded, looking into my eyes. 

I fell into thought, staring out of the window. The only thing that makes sense is... if there was something going on between Alex and Eleanor. And because of her, he got in trouble and she got out of it by manipulating the situation and throwing him under the bus. 

"Aria." 

"Hmm?" I turned to him. 

"You still owe me a kiss." 

I chuckled, turning away. "We're nearly at the palace and I'm tired, okay?" 

"So? A kiss doesn't take so long," he scoffed. 

"Alex!" I scolded. This is not an appropriate conversation to have right now. At all. He opened his mouth to say something else but I clamped my hand over his mouth. "Later," I mumbled. He smiled as I pulled my hand away. 

After ten minutes, the car slowed down to a stop at the palace. We stepped out and then quietly entered the palace, making our way up to our room, trying to make sure we didn't wake his parents accidentally. He opened the door for me and then closed it once I stepped inside with him right behind me. 

I sat down on the edge of the bed and kicked my heels off. I put them aside and walked into the bathroom where I started taking my earrings off. I left them on the counter and then threw my hair up in a bun. I grabbed the earrings and left them in the jewelry box that I brought from home. "Can't I get a vanity or something in this room?" I asked.