The Devil is in the Details (Book 3)

Insufferable

-Prince-

I was used to coming home exhausted. That's what my usual timetable was, adding to the fact that I came home at 3 a.m., the city fast asleep, mostly unaware of the beating I just enjoyed despite its painful nature. 

This time was a little different though. I was exhausted still but there was a surge in my chest when I closed the door to my home. A wave I had never felt regardless of how many times I felt excited to be in the ring or ecstatic to meet my idols. No, this was different. And of course, I knew why. 

Amelia was mine. 

Just thinking of that sentence made me smile to myself. 

I could hold her whenever I wanted, see her whenever I wanted. She was mine and I would make sure she forever would be so. 

I had pictures of our future swirling in my head for a while, slightly distracting me as I trained but as much as I enjoyed every part of it, I told myself to slow down. Because there was a part of me that was still scared. 

There was a small fear that would creep up on me whenever I was with her, when I thought of the years to come and although I have no regret about choosing her or being with her, the fear keeps me a step further away than I'd like to be. 

I walk into my house, getting ready to change and lie in bed when I catch a glimpse of something from the corner of my eye. I knew what it was, I walked past it every day and yet every day it bothered me, this time significantly more because of this fear I had in me. 

I stopped next to it, picking up the picture frame in my hands and staring at the faces within it. 

It was one of the only family photos we had, in a time when things weren't half as unrestful as they are now. I almost wanted to smile back at my parents who looked happy, at my sister who was just excited to be able to be snuggled in between us all. Francis and I were actually in the same room without some sort of weird tension that never went away. We were happy there. 

The fact that we aren't like now is the fear that I had with Amelia too. I was able to disappoint my own parents to the point where they don't talk to me anymore, I let my sister down and tore my brother away- would I end up doing something to harm Amelia too? Would I be able to live with myself if I knew I did? 

I told myself it was too late for fears like that but they were there nonetheless, a feeling and thought that whispered in the back of my head. 

"You're home,"

I quickly turned to the voice I wasn't used to hearing. I was sure Francis would be asleep by now, as would any of his guests. When I saw the face that the voice belonged to, I could hide an eye roll. 

"What are you doing here Isabella?" I didn't like the way she seemed to light up at the fact that I gave her the honour of using her name. She treated any attention she received from me as a blessing and it made me incredibly uncomfortable. 

She grinned at me and walked forward which only made my instincts want to run away. "It isn't unusual for a girlfriend to spend a night over at her boyfriend's house, right?" Her grin faltered heavily as she continued, "I'm glad to see yours isn't here too," 

I'm sure she was glad but that didn't take away from the fact that I did have a girlfriend, one I wished I could take home with me every night but Isabella was exactly the reason I didn't want to bring Amelia here. Amelia didn't deserve to always be on guard because of her and neither did I. 

"Yeah, I prefer staying at her's. You're a good reminder that I should do just that once I get a change of clothes." I put the frame in my hand back on the shelf and was about to turn away from her when she groaned, grabbing the frame while in a sidestep motion to stay in front of me. 

"Oh come on, I was just making conversation, don't be mean," I sighed, "hey, I haven't seen your sister and your parents in a while, have they gone on a trip somewhere?" She's really looking into the photo now and I took that opportunity to move away. 

"Maybe you should ask Francis, it ought to be a story you'd want to tell your girlfriend," my mood is dampened quite a bit now, the subject being one I definitely wanted to stay away from. 

As I tried walking away again, Isabella put the frame down and moved in front of me once more, putting a hand on my chest to stop me with all the weak force she had. "I can't sleep and he won't be up for a long time, can't you just keep me company? It won't kill you." 

I laughed at her which caught her off guard, "Oh darlin', listening to your voice has already chewed away at my soul. I would rather die than provide any company to you,"

This time she huffed, truly insulted enough not to be able to say anything back and I took that time to jog up the stairs to get to the safety of my room but before I could get all the way up, I heard her ask,

"Is she really worth all that much more than me?" 

I smirked as that surge found itself in my chest again and I decided to be generous enough to give her an answer, "Infinitely!" 

---

I didn't get much sleep after that encounter. I wanted to go see Amelia as soon as the sky was blue so it was somewhat appropriate for me to wake her up. I would have felt bad if I disturbed her, that too because of Isabella. But thankfully, being in my room for the last few hours had proven peaceful and without a sound from her. She must have gotten the message this time, or at least I hope she had. 

After freshening up and getting ready to leave, I suddenly got a knock on my bedroom door. I couldn't hold in my puzzled face because I was sure Francis was awake by now and there was no way Isabella would try talking to me now, right? 

When I opened the door I was left surprised though. It wasn't Isabella but Francis himself at my door. 

"I'm not interested in whatever accusation you have for me right now brother, I was just about to leave to go to Amelia's so I won't be in your way," I tell him, somewhere in my voice telling him not to push me after what he tried to pull last time. 

I expected him to give me an offended look but that wasn't what I found in his eyes. It was different, maybe apologetic?

"That's not it," he began, "can I come in?" 

I looked at him quizzically but let him in any way. He walked in, looking as if he was trying to find his words as he sat on my bed. 

"What's up?" I asked, surprised to find myself so casual about all this but maybe it was because he didn't give me the feeling that he was here to fight. Maybe it was because there was a part of me that didn't want to fight him anymore. 

The picture frame flashed in my head for a moment and I gave him the time he needed. 

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," 

I put my hands in my pockets, trying to figure out where he was going with this. He seemed to take that action as me not believing him though so he continued, my lack of reply probably not helping him but I wanted to see where this would go. 

He ran a hand through his hair, "Look, I don't want us to have this bad blood between us for the rest of our lives. I've fucked up, I know, and so have you! But I don't want my fuck ups to be the reason we're like this. I know you do it for a living but I can't keep fighting you!" 

A part of me was really amused at this now, unable to hide a smirk forming on my face. "What brought all this on?" I had to ask, that fear that I had deep within me seeing this as a chance to do something, anything, to fix what I've screwed up but a part of me was happy to hear him acknowledge his fuck ups too.

"Isabella asked me about the photo downstairs." I didn't expect her to take my words to heart like that, "and I hadn't looked at that picture in a long time but once I did," 

I watched as he lifted his head to meet my eyes,

"I wanted my family back."