Shh.. Secret Princess ;) (Under Major Heavy Re-Construction)

Part 18 - He Confesses

Dun dun dun dun... Dun dun dun. DUUn..

XD Sorry, was physically and mentally exhausted while writing this.. But this is where things get good.. :D

Oh, yeah, haven't had time to choose the title for the last chappie yet. And no one guessed what's about to happen right, so this is dedicated to all the ones against Chance and Anna getting together. XD

Part 18 - He Confesses

Chance's POV

It was noon, and we had finished lunch. I was in my room, lying down and staring at the ceiling. My hands were shaking on my sides, and I felt queasy. The only sounds were that from the air conditioner and the frantic beating of my heart.

I have to do this. I have to. It's now or never.

I heard my phone ring from beside me, and I read the caller ID; Jonathan. I answered it and held the phone to my ear, my hands slightly normal again.

"Good noon, Your Highness. Ms. Gilligan is calling for you," he said, and I knew I was ending it now.

"Patch her through, Jonathan," I said and stood up, pacing around my room.

There was a beep, then I heard a loud sigh on the other end.

"Chancey!" she said, and I cringed.

"Amanda, stop calling me that," I said, my tone low and serious.

"But, why?" she said, her voice whiny.

I ran my free hand through my hair and continued my pacing.

"I am ending this, Amanda," I said, my voice sounding tired even to my ears.

"Wha-a-t are you talking about?" she said, and I winced.

She had this coming.

"The meet-ups and you thinking I'd actually fall for you instead," I said softly, hating hurting a girl.

I heard a crash in the background, and I groaned internally.

"But.. But. You can't," she said, her tone almost pleading.

I sighed.

"You do know this never meant anything to me, right?" I said, not wanting to beat around the bush.

"I will tell her then," she said.

I scoffed and shook my head.

"Not if I'm telling her," I said, making my stomach twist.

I heard her laugh.

"Yeah. What do you think will happen? She'll love you, too, and you'll live happily ever after?" she said, and I shut my eyes briefly and stopped my pacing.

"No. But I'm not keeping this up. Plus, you won't be telling anybody about all of this; your father's not gonna like it one bit," I said, making sure my mistake wouldn't leak into the media.

I heard heavy breathing, and I sighed again.

"Listen. You know you blackmailed me, and that was the only reason why I even talked to you. I didn't want anything to change between me and Annie, but this is just out of hand. I am telling her today, and I was foolish not to have done so earlier. If you stopped with your facade, a lot of people would love to be your real friend. Be who you are, not what people expect or fear. Goodbye, Amanda," I said and sat on the edge of my bed.

"You know nothing," she said and laughed a little, and I hung up.

"What did she mean by that?" I muttered.

I'm not sure what to expect, but I've been a coward. I couldn't let Amanda stand in the way of my friendship with Annie. I at least have to try telling her, even if there's a chance that things wouldn't be the same. I just can't take it anymore. I groaned and messed up my hair. I've been suppressing all my feelings, but they never did change. I looked at the digital clock on my wall, and it read 2:13 PM.

I stood up, changed into a plain black t-shirt and board shorts. My hands felt cold, but I wasn't backing out. I went out back, to the gazebo in the middle of Mom's garden. I talked to one of the servants, and I checked that everything was set for tonight. Mom and Dad were ecstatic when I told them what I was going to do, but I didn't tell my brother yet. I already told Mary to get Annie out here at dinner time, so I just had to calm my nerves once and for all.

***Anna's POV***

I looked up from my bucket list when I heard a knock on the door, and I said,"Come in."

Mary came in, smiling widely. I raised both my eyebrows and closed my notebook, setting the pen to the side.

"Good evening, Anna. Her Majesty is asking for you in the garden," she said, but I didn't believe her.

"What's going on?" I said with a suspicious tone, making her smile falter and shake her head.

"Your presence was requested. I don't know either, but go to the gazebo out back. And, I suggest you change your clothes. It's not exactly warm outside," she said.

I looked down at my clothes. I was wearing a green tank top and house shorts with star patterns. I shrugged and jumped out of the bed, stretching when I landed.

"I'll be there in a sec.," I said, and Mary nodded and excused herself.

I looked down at my attire again and shrugged. I wore my flip-flops and headed down, wondering what Mary was not telling me and what was waiting for me. For a reason unknown to me, my stomach clenched as I neared. There were little lights scattered around the garden, and the path to the gazeebo was illuminated. The scent of flowers filled my nose, and I smiled. A cool breeze swept through the garden, and I suppressed a shudder. When I got to the gazebo, it wasn't lit. It usually was. It was white and spacious. The faint light slightly illuminated it, and I wondered who was actually waiting for me here.

Then, the gazebo suddenly lit up with red fairy lights, illuminating a single red rose in the middle of it. I scrunched my eyebrows and stared at it. When I was wondering whether to leave or stay, a shadow jumped over the edge of the gazebo, opposite to me. The lights barely illuminated him, being in a black shirt and blue board shorts. His eyes looked purple-ish as he stared at me, making me wonder what the flip sauce was going on. He bent down and picked up the rose, and he slowly stood up. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew what was happening, but I didn't want to acknowledge it.

"Umm. C, what's going on?" I said, watching him take steps towards me.

I shifted my feet repeatedly, and he stopped a feet away from me, his hand very slightly shaking as he held out the beautiful red rose. I looked him in the eye, then I looked at the rose and frowned.

"Why did Mary tell me to come here?" I said, feeling the cold wind hit me.

The sounds of crickets and trees making swishing noises filled the silence. The moon was nowhere to be seen, probably hid behind the clouds.

"Annie, I.." he said, looking me in the eye.

No. No, no, no, no, no, no. I stared at him, trying not to show how anxious I was.

"Annie, I know you don't believe in love. I know you don't want to open your heart for romance. But, I..." he trailed off, making me stare at him, wide-eyed.

"Annie, I.." he trailed off again, lowering his hand.

I looked around, looking for something to distract me. When I looked back at him, he was scratching the back of his neck. Sweat was beading his forehead even though it was cold. My heart was beating frantically in my chest, waiting for what he had to say. But I knew I wouldn't like it one bit.

"Annie, you know the whole Amanda thing?" he said, making me look at him dead in the eye.

He nodded and looked uneasy.

"Well, she was blackmailing me, Nie. She was going to tell you what I'm going to tell you now if I didn't umm.. get along with her," he said, not sure how to phrase it.

I raised both my eyebrows, waiting for him to go on. This had bad news written all over it.

"What I didn't tell you, Nie, was that I.. I.. I love you," he said, looking me in the eye.

My heart stopped, and my eyes grew wide. I shook my head frantically and took a step back.


"No. No, no, no, no, no, no. Chancey, you cannot do this to me. No. No, no, no," I said as I took a few steps back. (How I Met Your Mother reference.. XD Robin thinking Ted was proposing ROLMFAO)

I could see the barely illuminated pain in his eyes, but I had to go.

"Annie, please. I really do love you. I didn't want it to ruin our relationship, and I didn't want to lose you at all. But I couldn't take Amanda anymore," he said, taking steps towards me.

I shook my head and kept backing away, my heart pounding.

"I'm sorry, C. But that's stupid. Really. Don't say things which you only think are real," I said, stopping in my backing away.

He stopped a foot away from me, frowning.

"I mean it, Nie. I know it. I don't just think it," he said, and there was truth in his eyes.

I shook my head and whispered,"You should've left things the way they were. They were a whole lot better."

I saw his whole face fall, and the rose fell from his hand. I couldn't take the look in his eyes, all the pain that I had no choice but to give. That was what Amanda had on him? I turned and fled, dodging everything I passed. Instead of going up to my room, I ran towards the garage, where my baby was parked.

When I got there, the valet guy was walking out. He caught sight of me, and I smiled at him as real as I could and kindly asked for the copy of my keys. He hesitated a little, but he did give my key copies. I went into my car, and I sped out, through the side entrance. Lucky for me, they didn't stop me from going out, and I drove out, not sure where to go.

My heart was pounding profusely, and it didn't seem like the best time to drive, especially at night. I didn't know if my guards were following since I didn't see them. Dad would kill me and my guards if they let me out of their sight, but I couldn't stay there now. I eventually parked beside a lesser-known park that was near my old school, and I went out seeing a few people passing. I looked down at my self and face-palmed. I was still in my house clothes, but I shrugged it off and walked to the bench.

The chilly night air made the hairs on my hands stand. The path to the fountain in the middle was illuminated, and I was sitting near it. People stared at me curiously as they spotted me, but they minded their own businesses. My hands were shaking, and the swing sets across the park creaked with the wind. I ducked my head low and played with my hands, not wanting to believe what Chancey was saying.

He can't think he's in love with me; he just can't. That would make all this awkward. Only if you want it to.

I sighed and shook my head, making my hair cover my face. If that was what Amanda black-mailed him for, he should've stuck with it. My stomach clenched, and I squeezed my eyes shut. I hate how naive most people are when it comes to love these days. They believe their 'the ones' are every person they think they love. I groaned and put my head in my hands.

I felt a leather thing drape around my shoulders, and I looked behind me to see Thanee. He had a frown on his face, and his blonde hair was being swept by the wind.

"Anna, what are you doing here? It's cold out, and you're only," he said, pausing, looking at me worriedly.

I gladly wore the jacket, loving the warmth it gave me. it was bigger than me, and it smelled like, uhh, leather. Thane came beside me and sat there, staring at me. I fidgeted in my seat and played with my fingers.

"I.. uhh.." I trailed off, looking around to see we were the only ones here.

"What happened?" he said, looking me in the eye.

"What are you doing here?" I said.

"I happened to pass by and saw your car parked outside. Now, don't change the topic. What are you doing here?" he said and frowned.

I looked up at him, the light slightly illuminating his features. His eyes were a darker shade of blue now, and I hugged the jacket to me.

"I. Umm. I just needed to get out," I said, sounding pathetic to my own ears.

Thane raised an eyebrow and abruptly got up from his seat. He held a hand out to me, and I stood up, too, cocking my head questioningly.

"Let's go to some cafe and get you a warm drink," he said, and I smiled gratefully.

As we walked out, I remembered something.

"You can't just go out and not be noticed," I said, walking beside him.

"I'm always prepared," he said and winked at me from the corner of my eye.

I smiled a little and rode in the passenger's seat, a wig and sunglasses on Thane's head. We decided to use my car---'cause there was no way in hell that I was leaving it there-- him thinking I wasn't capable of driving in my 'state' as he calls it. We were silent the whole ride, lost in our own thoughts. I didn't have a problem being seen in my house shorts, but it didn't mean people wouldn't give me weird glances. I kept Thane's jacket on as we entered a little cafe, and it dinged.

The place wasn't big, just right. There were booths with brown seating and white tables all around. The smell of coffee wafted in the air, and the sound of a classical song played in the background. The waitress that came up to us was wearing a buttoned up black dress with a white apron over it with the cafe logo. She looked at what I wore when she saw me, but her face brightened when her eyes caught sight of my face.

"Ms. Annalisa Caprione, right?" she said, but she was obviously sure it was me.

 I just nodded. She beamed at me and moved her gaze to Thanee, scrutinizing him with his sunglasses and brown wig.

"You look familiar," she said and frowned.

Thanee shrugged.

"Well, good evening, both. I am Felice, and I will be you waitress for this lovely evening," she said and led us to the booth at the back, where we requested.

We got looks from the other staff members, but we ignored them. After ordering hot chocolate and cream horns, Thanee stared at me.

"What?" I muttered, looking at the table.

"Don't you wanna talk about it?" he said.

I shook my head, and he sighed.

"Okay then," he said.

I felt at ease here, and I didn't have to worry about Chancey thinking he was in love with me yet. Sure, Thane said he was in love with me, but I could clearly tell he wasn't. It was just a phase for him, I guess. He treats me like a younger sister, no strings attached.

____________________________________________________________

A/N

He's always known his feelings, but he shunned them away to keep their friendship. O.O You now know why he even put up with Amanda. Amanda found out that C loved Annie, so she got cooking. XD Eeep! I've been waiting to write these chapters for forever.. Especially the upcoming ones. XD

Put a ♥ if you still hope C and A would get together. XD

Vote/Comment/Like.. :D

I'm tired.. Haha.. Good night... And I know I'm going to be smiling when I read your comments in the morning. XD