Royal Obligations

Chapter 48: Deaths and Threats

"Round three was pretty fantastic. Best round yet, in fact." Forrest breathes out as we both look up at the ceiling of his bedroom. "You were an animal."

"Shut up," I roll my eyes as I grab one of his many pillows and hit him with it. "You weren't complaining."

"Oh no, I am not complaining at all." Forrest smirks as he rolls over to his side. I still remain on my back, looking up at the ceiling.

"Forrest, do you think your mom will react well to us getting married? She doesn't seem to like me too much." I frown.

Forrest sighs loudly as he runs his fingertips up and down my arm. He was trying to distract me, which wasn't a good sign.

"It's not that she doesn't like you." Forrest says carefully. "She just thinks you're corrupting me."

She just thinks I'm corrupting him? That's not something to belittle.

I tense at his words and I see Forrest push himself up from the corner of my eye. "Lila, listen to me. My mother is very over protective of me and my brother. Especially over me because of the way I am. She just wants what is best for me. And you, Lila, are the absolute best."

"I don't think I am." I say sadly. I turn my head in his direction so I'm looking over at him. "You could do better. Way better."

This seems to really upset him because he shoots up from his spot in the bed and puts his head in his hands. "Do you think I'm with you because I believe I can't do any better than you?"

"Forrest-"

"Answer honestly." He snaps and I'm surprised by his sudden outburst, but I answer honestly like he has asked of me.

"I think that because of your condition you think that settling for me is all you can do."

Forrest whips his head around to glare at me. "I'm not settling." He keeps his glare on me, unwavering. "Why do you think so low of yourself? Just because of what you did? Of what you made yourself become? Why haven't you realized you're my world and I practically revolve around you? I can't do better because you're the best as it can possibly get." He shakes his head.

"Forrest." I say softly and push myself up against the headboard. "Calm down."

"No. I don't understand you. Are you just making up excuses because you actually don't want to marry me? Maybe you love Romeo now, I wouldn't know."

"I love you." I reassure him, but he just shakes his head again. I knew what was happening, but even though I've experienced it before I still had no idea how to handle it.

"Sometimes I wonder. Because you've been around him so much the past couple of weeks. You've been with Harlan then with Romeo. You probably think you love me because I'm the first guy to ever believe in you, but you've probably realized by now that I'm not the best out there."

"Stop it." I try to say harshly but my voice just cracks instead. Is that what he really believed? I knew he was having another episode but he was probably telling me his real thoughts this way. "How could you even say that? Romeo? Seriously?"

"I never can tell with you." Forrest says harshly and I flinch.

I guess my reaction seems to snap him out of his trance because his face falls and he turns his head around so all I see is the back of it. "Dammit." He says in a strangled whisper. Forrest bunches his hair up in his fists as he shakes. "I didn't mean it. I meant none of that. Please don't hate me."

"Forrest," I say quietly, the hurt evident in my voice, but that couldn't be helped. "Do you really think that? Do you really think I'm playing you?"