The Lonely King | Ongoing [New Edition]

33 | Broken Pieces

"When you see my face,
Hope it gives you hell,
Hope it gives you hell.
When you walk my way,
Hope it gives you hell,
Hope it gives you hell."

❁❁❁

"HE CALLED OFF our engagement."

Emily's words rang in my ears, as if there were a thousand bees buzzing around in my head. I stared at her, unable to comprehend what she had just said to me.

Asher called off their engagement.

"W-What?" I finally managed to utter, blinking slowly. How could he call of their engagement? On her birthday, no less? I knew they were in a tough spot, but surely...surely he wouldn't call their engagement off, right?

Even though Asher Dane was rude and angry most of the time, he always seemed different around Emily. As much as he tried to hide it, there were times I could swear his eyes shined when he looked at her. Even when he tried to act nonchalant or deny his feelings, he always tried to protect her and keep her safe. So why? What has gotten into his thick head the past couple of weeks?

"Can I please come in?" she whimpered, wiping away her tears again. It seemed like she couldn't stop crying since she began just moments ago. I snapped out of my daze and nodded quickly, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and escorting her into my room.

"Who was th—"

Robin was perched on the couch, completely unaware of what was happening. That is, until he caught sight of Emily's tear-stained face. His stoic expression softened.

With a small sigh, I pulled Emily into a tight embrace and allowed her to break down freely. She buried her face into my shoulder, her small frame shaking as she tried to catch her breath in between sobs.  

"Asher?" Robin mouthed, his eyebrows creasing into a concerned frown. I nodded gravely, patting Emily's back gently. Robin nodded, getting up from the couch and gesturing for me to sit her down. He shuffled into the kitchen and out of sight.

When Emily and I settled into the couch, she was snuggled up into a ball by my side. I offered her tissues and watched her silently as she sniffled and blew her nose until it was pink. When Robin reappeared from the kitchen, he had two mugs in hand. He passed the two cups of hot chocolate to us and shot Emily a look of concern.

"I should take my leave," Robin said softly. I nodded, shooting him a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Robin," Emily sniffed, sipping her hot chocolate slowly. Her eyes were swollen and bloodshot, but at least she had stopped crying for now. Robin's hand hovered over her shoulder, but he thought better of it and let it fall back to his side.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Robin said to me as he shrugged his coat on. "Take care of Emily."

I nodded and watched as he walked out of the dorm, closing the door gently behind him. Then, I turned to my best friend, who was still shedding tears as she balanced her mug of hot chocolate on her lap.

"Oh, Em," I whispered, pulling her into another hug. "What on earth happened to the both of you?"

❁❁❁

WHEN I WOKE up, Emily was still snoring away, tucked under a mountain of blankets. She was curled into a small ball, cheeks still puffy from crying. We had both fallen asleep on my bed after we cried our hearts out last night. Though I didn't mean to, watching Emily sob over her engagement and Asher made me cry too.

Even though Emily never said it outright, I knew that she liked Asher. Maybe she was even in love with him. And for a couple of weeks, I truly believed that Asher was sincerely trying to make things work between them. Everyone could see how hard Asher was trying to get out of his comfort zone and be...nice. To Emily.