Catch

Chapter 13

"You're in love with me, aren't you?" I said, marching into Nicholas's room after throwing the doors open.

"Which one of us is the conceited one again?" He asked, pulling his shirt over his head. I walked in on him while he was in the process of getting dressed. I should have waited, but it's too late to change that now.

"You told me that I was in love with you last night. Accused me of lying, if I'm recalling correctly. You are in love with me."

"Simply because you carry deep feelings for me does not mean that I reciprocate."

"Or is it vice versa?"

"You are being dilutional." 

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Believe me, if there is one thing I excel at, it is male emotions towards me. You are in love with me."

"So what if I was?!" He suddenly yelled, marching towards me angrily. "What will you do then?! Run?! Hide?! Do what you do with every man who dares to get close to the infamous Rosalie?! You run and you hide from every chance at love that you get because you are scared of being turned down, so you turn everyone else down!"

"You think you know me so well!" I scoffed. "You know nothing of me."

"I believe I know everything there is to know about you, and that makes you mad. It makes you mad that you let someone in without realizing the proximity at which they were at."

"No," I said, shaking my head in disbelief. 

"Yes. Did you think I didn't notice you earlier? I saw you at all of those meaningless balls over the years. I saw how you charmed men and discarded them shortly afterwards, and it intrigued me. I've never seen a woman so uncaring about marital prospects, so I wanted to know more of you. I paid attention to your plays and your little tricks. The way you flutter your lashes at the latest conquest across the room. The way you are not afraid to stare them straight into their eyes as you dance. That is why when my parents announced that I was to search for a wife, the image of you appeared in my head. No, Rosalie, I did not fall in love with you. I was already in love with you before our game even began. Go ahead. Run."

I cannot explain why, but the only words that appeared in my brain and made the journey to my mouth were "You lost." 

I turned around and began to walk away. 

"No. You did." He said behind me. 

I turned back around and started at him. "Is there a way to win, then?! Please, explain to me how I can win this game?! I lose if I walk away because then you are right and I lose if I stay because I would be going against everything that I've believed quite strongly my entire life. I will not marry and live a life confined to a man and I've decided on that long ago."

"Is that how you truly perceive me? As a ball on a chain?!"

"Yes, just as any man is if you let them be."

"Then don't marry me."

"You are the prince," I scoffed. "You cannot not marry."

He stayed silent. 

"Then me my mistress."

I let out another scoff. "Much better, thank you." 

"Then be my queen. My equal."

"You don't want that."

"Yes, I do."

"Who is to say that I'd like to be with you, anyways?"

He rolled his eyes. "Not back to this again."

"We only established your feelings for me," I reminded him.

"So do the same. The game is obviously over." 

I stayed silent, unsure of what to say. 

"I'll take your lack of a witty remark as a reciprocation of my feelings."

I rolled my eyes. 

"So what do we do now?"

"Now we are engaged," he said with a wide grin on his face. "I'll make you my queen."