Uncharted - A My Sweet Prince Novel (2)

Uncertainties

I stutter out a whole lot of nothing and shake my head. "Me?" I ask. "Why?"

"I cannot allow you to see Chezem until tonight," Mel tells me, setting me on my feet, though he does not release my hand. "Trust me. There is a method to my madness." He sends me a cheeky smile, and I scowl.

"Mel, what is this about? Why can't I see Chezem?" I ask, looking around as we walk.

"Because," Melchiorre says simply. "He is an idiot." He blows out a sigh and pushes his hair back with his free hand, sliding a glance at me. "I wonder," I murmurs.

"What?" I ask nervously.

"I just wonder how much I should tell you," Mel admits. He sighs. "Yes, perhaps." After a long moment of silence, Melchiorre pulls me to a stop. "Lina, Chezem is blind," he says. "Of course, not literally. He has grown used to your presence. I was only jesting, but I told Chezem that I was going to seduce you. You know, to see what his reaction would be. And he went off the deep end. So I asked what he planned to do about it and he had no answer to give. So I am simply giving him time to think on it."

He begins walking again, and I follow silently. "Why did you say that?" I ask.

Mel rubs his jaw. "I know how you feel about Chezem, but he is harder to read. I simply wished to...well, to make him see how he feels about you. Chezem has never been in love," he tells me. "He probably wouldn't even know what it feels like."

I stare at Melchiorre as we walk. "Are you saying you think Chezem is in love with me?" I ask.

"I don't know," Mel says swiftly. "Only he knows that. This whole ordeal is very spur of the moment," he sighs.

***

The rehearsal looms over my head as I dress. Melchiorre has kept me company all day, swiftly keeping me away from Chezem as he promised. Though he remains the perfect gentleman the entire time, my stomach still twists in knots. What must Chezem think? I'll simply have to explain everything to him tonight, when we dance for the last time before the real thing.

Plan in mind, I sweep my hair into a ponytail and exit my room, startled to find Chezem standing there. He looks annoyed and I give a small smile. "Hi," I say.

He flicks a look at me. "Hello."

We stand there awkwardly for several long seconds. "Do you...want to come in?" I ask uncertainty.

That seems to snap Chezem out of it, and he nods once, forcefully. I step aside and let him into the room and I don't miss how he scans the entirety before turning to face me. "Well?" he asks, folding his arms across his chest.

I stare. "Well, what?" I ask, frowning. "Chezem, what's wrong?" I know exactly what's wrong. Melchiorre. He just had to put his nose in our business and now he's messed everything up. Logically, I know he thinks he was helping, but he's made a mess of things.

"Did he?" Chezem asks tightly, refusing to look at me.

I am silent for several seconds, my brain trying to process his question. "Did...who...what?" I ask, shaking my head.

Chezem whirls away from me and motions toward the bed. "Was Mel successful in his attempt to seduce you?" he asks, voice low. "You spent all day with him."

"Chezem," I say, stepping toward him. He moves away from me.

"No," he says. "Answer the question, Lina."

"No, Chezem. He never even tried to seduce me. And even if he had, you think I would let him?" I ball my hands into fists, anger bubbling to the surface. "Is that what you think of me?" I step forward and shove his chest hard. "You think that because I wouldn't sleep with you, I would sleep with Mel? Or Alvah? Lambert even? Hell, might as well steal my best friend's fiance while I'm at it, huh?" Tears sting my eyes. "Is that what this is about?" My voice comes out a whisper.

I see Chezem's anger falter. "No," he says quietly. "I would never be angry at you for not sleeping with me, Lina. God, no." He reaches for me and I push his hand away.

"Then what?" I ask, spreading my arms wide. "What did you come here for?"

Chezem groans and presses the heels of his hands to his eyes. "I don't know," he admits.

"Well, you'd better figure it out," I fairly shout. "Because we aren't leaving until whatever this is gets resolved. What happened?" I demand.

"I don't know!" Chezem explodes, throwing his hands up. "Melchiorre got under my skin. I thought..."

"You thought what?" I snap. "That he said something stupid and it must have been true? God, Chezem. I thought you were smarter than that. Have I spent my time falling in love with Melchiorre?" I shove his chest again. "No!" I whirl away and swipe angrily at my tears. I stalk to the bed and crawl into the middle, lying on my back, staring up at the ceiling for a long moment. When Chezem doesn't speak, I continue. "If my virtue is of such importance to you, if you are so fucking worried about it, then take it," I mutter. "Be like everyone else and just take what you want." My words come out barely above a whisper, but I know he hears them.

The silence stretches between us for an agonizing moment before the bed shifts, and I glance over to see Chezem sitting with his back to me. "No," he says softly.

"No?" I demand.

"No," he says again, firmer. "I would never." He glances at me. "I'm sorry, Lina. I just...Mel got in my head and I got worried that this...wasn't what I thought it was."

I sit up and grit my teeth. "Tell me what you want," I say tightly. "No more games. No more talking around it." I glance at the clock and sigh, rubbing a hand down my tear-stained face. "When you figure it out, let me know. I have a rehearsal to go to." I stand and brush the wrinkles from my dress and stride from the room, my throat burning with the words I want to say.