In Between

Chapter 6 - Almost There

Jasper was about to give up because staring at Eleanor's back, as beautiful she was, gave him a feeling of loss. This was how he always thought of her these days, turning her back on him and leaving. Before he could turn his own back on her and leave the room she asked him, "Why did you want to come in here?"

All the thoughts floating in his mind disappeared momentarily, it felt so good hearing her voice, even if he could sense some kind of roughness on her.

"I just wanted to thank you for coming!"

"It's my brother Jasper! I'm the one that has to thank you for calling!"

He nodded and to a step to enter the room but she stopped him. "Although that doesn't mean I want to spend my time here in your presence!"

Her words were like knives to him. But he could not expect that all of a sudden she would forgive him, just like that, so he made a gesture to excuse himself and prepared to leave but before he even crossed the bedroom threshold she spoke again.

"I'm sorry! I didn't intend to be so hard on you! It's just... I don't... well it's better if we stay as we are don't you think?"

Turning back around to face her he offered her a sad smile. "As you wish Princess!" He said and finally left the room.

Eleanor let herself drop on the bed. She had spent every single day that they were apart thinking of him, dream with him, having nightmares with him, picturing him in every place she went and now that she had him right there in front of her she treated him like crap. Why she did that to herself was always a question in her head. She liked to mutilate herself, make herself suffer, most of the time for no reason.

She was indeed disappointed and mad with Jasper. She felt like their relationship wasn't real because he didn't trust her once again but she thought this time away from him had made her change her mind about it. Apparently the anger was still there though and once again she'd spoken with her head and not her heart.

His words couldn't seem to let her be. "I love you! You are my girl! Happily ever after is real and we will find it!" He really wanted to make amends with her, he really wanted her back. She knew that. But was she able to let him in again? Based on the reaction that she had at his presence, it was something that maybe would take awhile. But she missed him like crazy! She would give everything for one of his healing hugs right now.

Jasper left her room disappointed. He really believed that maybe she had a more friendly welcome to give him but he did not blame her. After all the situation between the was because of one thing, him. But seeing her left him even more vulnerable than he thought he would be. When he saw her there in her bedroom again, the urge to hug her and feel her again took over him. Even with her closed face and with her hard words to him she looked beautiful, maybe even more beautiful that he could remember.

The radio shook him from his thoughts and lead him to the King's chambers once again. At least he had something to focus on, even if this meant another crazy move from the king.

Eleanor decided to talk to James again. She needed to know what was going on around the Palace. Maybe was her imagination, but Jasper was looking beat and tired.

James ended up showing her a reality that she was not ready for. Her older brother had taken the king's job maybe a bit too enthusiastically and the list of crazy decisions that he made really made her question her brother's mental health. For the first time she began to think that all the nonsense that Liam had told her before the coronation was not such a nonsense at all. She was informed too that Liam and her Uncle Cyrus had some kind of agreement that no one was happy about and that her mother seemed powerless around King Robert.

"Mainly Jasper spends his days trying to put out fires around the Palace that the King manages to create and following Liam at night to be sure that he comes home in one piece." Mr. Hill finished trying to show Eleanor how bad the situation was.

She nodded and sat trying to absorb all that she had listened to. "So that's why he looks so beat!"

"Who? Jasper? I think he doesn't sleep much since your highness left, if I may say!"

"James please don't try to protect him!"

"I'm not your highness. It's the truth and you know I fired him, and I'm still not happy about the way he handled the journalist situation, but let's face it, the man is the King's security detail and the prince's bodyguard and babysits Sarah Alice in between. I think he deserves a break and he has regret written on his face every time he talks about you!"

Eleanor tilted her head to the side questing. "He talks about me?"

"I'm sorry I mentioned it and the matchmaker here is Sarah Alice, but of course he talks about you!" James added, smiling.

Eleanor listened to him in silence and when she spoke she tried to change the subject. "And Liam? Jasper didn't talk to him about the fights?"

"I did!" Jasper answered, entering the room and making her jump in surprise when she heard his voice. "But he simply doesn't want to hear me. He usually says that I'm not his security detail and that I don't have to follow him around! And that is on the good days because most of the days he simply ignores my presence."

Eleanor got up and informed them that she would be talking to him and that she preferer that nobody knew about this conversation. The two security men nodded at her, assuring that they would not mention her presence.

But Jasper couldn't control himself and on an impulse he tried to catch her in the corridor. "Len? Wait!"

She hesitated but ended up stopping and faced him, felling her heart pumping high in her ear. She was desperately trying to not say anything that she would regret later. "What do you want Jasper?"

"Do you think we could talk before you leave?" He asked trying to reach her hand unsuccessfully.

"About what?" She asked calmly.

Jasper shrugged and tried not to show how nervous he was. "About us! I know that you still think of me, I saw the emojis on Sarah Alice message!" He spelled it out because he had to, if not he would explode and he needed to know if he had read things right or if he was just fooling himself.

Eleanor faced the floor, he had understood her message after all. And now what? What was she going to do? Could she tell him that she missed him and that she wanted him back but she was not ready to trust him yet? She couldn't tell him that. She just couldn't. "I... Well... How can you be sure that the emojis were a message to you?"

"Because that was our way of communication for a long time and because I know you!" Jasper took a step closer to her but the radio buzzed and they both listened to him to be called to the King's chambers again.

"You better go! I have to talk to Liam anyway!" She said, already turning her back on him.

"You didn't answer me. Can we talk before you go?" He asked again.

His tone made her shiver, the sweet husky voice that he had for her, almost without his pretended accent always got to her.

"Maybe... If I have time... I have to go now!"

He couldn't resist again and now that he was closer to her, he took her hand gently, making her turn to face him. "I said to you a while ago that I will not give up on you and recently I said that you were my girl and I will fight whatever fight you want me to fight. But please, you have to at least give the chance for us to talk face to face one more time." He ended his statement with a choked voice but he managed to keep it together. Her, on the other side, let a single tear drop on her cheek and squeezed his hand hard.

"I don't know if I can Jasper! I'm sorry!" She said while he came close to her and cleaned the tear with his finger. He caressed her face in an away that she had to bring all her strength to not drop herself in his arms, but she ended up placing her hand on his chest gently. "I.. Let me talk to Liam and... Maybe..."

But Liam cut her off. "Len, you're home!" He said, greeting her and hugging her and making her walk with him back to his room.