No Explanations - ONC24

Chapter 9 - This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

"It was so nice being friends again. There I was, giving you a second chance. But you stabbed me in the back while shaking my hand." - This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Taylor Swift

This is why I can't have nice things. I woke up naked and alone in Ebony's bed. I stretched my arm to the side of the bed where Ebony had fallen asleep the night before. But there was nothing, not even a blanket because we fell asleep without those. The alcohol and sex had made us warm enough.

The other side of the bed was not yet completely cold, so Ebony wasn't up for that long. However, she was nowhere to see. Slowly, I pushed myself up so I was sitting upright.

The morning light shone through the open curtains. It wasn't even that late, I wondered how much sleep I had gotten that night. Carefully, I got up from the bed and walked through the room. I felt uncomfortable walking around naked, so I quickly grabbed a blanket from the floor and wrapped it around my body.

Now at least feeling like I had clothes on, I peeked in the bathroom and closet, but Ebony was nowhere to be found. Only a bathtub halfway filled with something that was definitely not just water, probably more than half of the liquid was wine going from the smell.

The living room was a mess. It seemed like Ebony had cleaned up the empty wine bottles, because those were nowhere to be found. But all of the chairs and couches seemed to be moved, one curtain had come down and on the floor lay the remains of our dresses. I really wondered where Ebony had taken me the night before, how many times. The only things I could recollect were small memories, glazed over by the alcohol.

Speaking of the alcohol, I was very thirsty. The hangover had already arrived and I really wanted to go to my room, drink and sleep it all off. But I felt like I should do something in the room, because Ebony definitely wasn't there and would want to come back to a decently neat room.

So I put the couch and chairs back in their places, covered a pile of vomit with one of the chairs - I had no idea which one of us left that there, but noting the amount of alcohol we had consumed, I was surprised I only found one pile - and shoved the scraps of our ruined dresses under the couch.

After that, my headache had become so bad I needed to sit down for a minute. So I let myself sink into the couch. I wondered why Ebony would leave me alone in her room, and the only reason I could imagine was that she didn't want me. That she ultimately decided she didn't want me and this love and left me. I knew that it was a risk for both of us, but I was hoping that it would be worth the risk. Now it seemed like it hadn't been, because I would have to deal with everyone in the ballroom that saw our kiss, and I didn't have Ebony. I only had one single night with her.

After a minute or so, I decided that I didn't have anything to do in Ebony's rooms and left. With the blanket still wrapped around my body, I walked to my own rooms. Where I could hopefully fall asleep and only wake up when times were better.

However, when I arrived at my rooms, I noticed that I wasn't alone. My parents were waiting for me in the living room I was assigned. Unlike me, they were fully clothed and they looked quite serious. I could already imagine how this talk was going to go.

"So, you haven't slept in your own room tonight, I see?" my father asked. I knew he knew exactly where I spent the night. He just liked to play dumb in these situations.

"What happened to your dress, sweetheart?" my mother asked worriedly, while looking at the blanket that covered my naked body.

I said nothing, only let myself collapse on the couch in front of them. I was so thirsty, so tired. I didn't want to have this conversation.

"Arora, my little gem, please listen to us," my father said. I needed all my concentration to keep hearing him.

"We know you remember the talk we had with you and Feyla about dating. We want you to know that we really want to be supportive towards your choices in love and your sexuality," my mother began. She tried to bring it so nicely, but I could already hear where the story was headed.

"So why did you have to rain on my parade?" I shook my head. "You're just saying you want to be supportive, but I already know the conversation isn't going to stay that way."

"We specifically told you not to date Princess Ebony Keeling," my father said. "But yesterday we all saw you kissing her in the middle of the ballroom and ran away. Now, you appear to not have slept in your own bed and arrive in your rooms naked and wrapped in one of Ebony's blankets."

"I really don't know why you still hold a grudge against their family," I said, my filter gone. I could only say what I was thinking.

"I know it's an old fight, but they still keep it up," my mother defended.

"They literally do nothing, you only make it worse yourself!" I called out. "This is why we can't have nice things."

"That's not true!" my mother exclaimed.

"Mind your words, Arora," my father said.

"Did you think I wouldn't hear all the things you said about me? What you said about them? It's unreasonable to still be mad at the rulers of this city, to make me not follow my heart. I can't even have nice things."

"It is completely reasonable if they still awaken this fight," my father tried to explain.

I sighed. "Here's a toast to my real friends," I said sarcastically. "They don't care about that he-said, she-said. I ain't hearing what they call me lately."

"Arora, stop it," my mother said.

But I continued. "And here's to my mama, had to make all this unnecessary drama," I said. "And here's to you," I pointed to my father, "because forgiveness is a nice thing to do."

"What do you want to say with this?" my father asked.

"You should stop your grudge against the Keeling family. You should resolve this as real adults and you shouldn't say you support me in my love life if you don't let me follow my heart. You should support me in my love life," I told them.

"Arora, sweetheart, you have had too much alcohol. Sleep a bit and think about it," my mother said.

"I don't think I need to think about it. I think I see it clearly," I said. "I know what I want and I'm going to get it."

"No, Arora," my mother said.

"Arora Aurum!" my father called while I got up from the couch.

"I don't want to hear any more excuses from you. I know exactly why I can't have nice things, and it's because of you. A person can forgive, you know?"

"Arora, please, listen up. It's not that easy," my father said.

"Well, I think it is. I think we should just love who we want to love. I think you should just accept that I will love who I want. Act like an adult and support me in that."

"We will accept you," my mother tried. "We don't care that you love girls, we will gladly accept your homosexuality, we made sure the law allows two queens. We really don't mind who you love."

"Only if it's not Ebony Keeling," I finished.

"You have to understand that we have a difficult relationship with that family. We can't easily resolve those problems," my father tried.

"Well," I started. "I don't have any problems with the Keeling family, the City of Night or Ebony, so I don't think I care." I started to walk to the door of my bedchamber. I would love Ebony, whatever my parents tried to tell me. And I would give up everything to be with her, even my crown.

"If I were you, I would not get seen with Princess Ebony Keeling again," my mother called after me.

"If we ever get to hear about another affair with the Keeling princess, we will disown you. You wouldn't be Princess of the city again and the crown and the land will go to Feyla," my father said.

"Do whatever the fuck you want," I said and I closed the door behind me. Now I could only hope I made the right decision.