Mystic Messenger: Losing the Script (Zen x OC)

Chapter 13: A Royal Dilemma

As soon as she opened her eyes the next morning, a sense of dread and unease washed over Amy, confusing her.

"Why do I feel so on edge-"

Immediately, the kiss flashed across her mind, making her face go scarlet with embarrassment. Now that she had had a good night's sleep and time to recover, the weight of her actions from the day prior slammed down onto her shoulders, as did thoughts of all the possible negative outcomes that could manifest from it. As her heart hammered forcefully against the walls of her chest, Amy raised her fingers to gently brush along her lip as the memory of Zen's lips replayed so vividly in her head that she could practically feel them all over again. However, along with the sweet memories in crept the doubts born of years of being on the defensive.

"He just kissed me to get me back, right? He didn't actually mean it. He could have any girl in the world; he wouldn't settle for a moody, prissy, broken girl like me. No, he would go for someone more like Echo. He had to just been doing it to get me back...but what if he wasn't?"

Amy was shocked by the uncharacteristic hint of optimism that had interjected itself amongst her pessimistic thoughts. Where was this coming from? This wasn't her normal thinking pattern. Life had groomed her from an early age to expect the worse and nothing less, so where was this positivity coming from? Only one answer made sense to her: Zen.

Sighing loudly, Amy flopped back down and stared up at the ceiling as she debated with herself.

"Why me though? What do I have to offer him?"

"You have your sharp tongue, your sincere heart, your wits, your lovely shape, and your common interests. Plus, there are probably things you don't see in yourself that he does and he loves."

"Is that enough though? Is that enough of a reason for him to actually love me?"

"I don't know. I am just an extension of you after all."

Groaning, Amy rolled onto her side and grabbed her phone. Opening it, she began to absentmindedly scroll through all of the pictures from the last week. In each photo, Zen's beaming smile and dazzling eyes stared back at her, making her heart thump loudly.

"I hate this. I hate all this uncertainty." Amy thought to herself as she brought her phone to her chest and held it close. "Should I just ask him about it? What if I freak him out? It would make everything awkward between us from now on.....I need to know though."

Setting her phone aside and swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Amy quietly shuffled out of her room and towards the kitchen. There, she found Zen cooking breakfast just as he had been the day before, although today he wasn't in his pajamas; instead, the actor was already dressed and groomed, the scent of soap and fresh cologne wafting off of him.

"Zen?" Amy called quietly.

Zen immediately looked up and locked eyes with her. "Ah, Amy! Good morning! Are you hungry?"

"Zen...are you going somewhere?" Amy asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. I have a photoshoot today for a commercial I'm doing for C&R. Trust me, I would much rather stay home with you but I made a promise to MC to do it." Zen sighed.

"N-No, it's okay. Don't worry about it! It's fine!"

Zen's lips curved into a frown when he detected the hint of unease in his friend's voice. "Amy, is something bothering you?"

"Y-Yeah, kind of."

"What is it?"

"Zen...I'm sorry."