Regiphobia

The Song

Arial stepped out of her limo, walking beside her sister, her advisor, Liam, and her two guards. She was being led to a private jet. Again. She was going home. She looked back over her shoulder one more time. The king waved her off with two guards. One was José. She just hoped her staring wasn't too obvious. Maybe it was, because José was staring right back. She turned to hide the growing blush on her face.

She stepped on the plane, just hoping he'd call.

Goda woke up that morning with a looming sense of dread. Well, he had always dealt with anxiety, so that wasn't new. He sat up, running a hand through his hair. His head still ached from the day before. He stood, grabbing his crutches and moving to the door. Gabe was gone, but he didn't care. He'd left a note for Juan the night before, and he was excited to go see him. This time, he told the other to meet him on the roof. For some reason, Gabe didn't put cameras there. It did give him another place to be with Juan, so it didn't matter much.

He went up the elevator to the roof, then found a spot to stand and wait. He looked around a bit, glad it was such a peaceful day so far. No rebels, no fear. The castle was mostly cleaned up from the day before. It wasn't the first attack he'd lived through, but it was one of the more terrifying. 

He hummed a small tune to himself as the minutes ticked by. Eventually, the door to the roof opened. He straightened up and looked over. Juan walked over, a smile on his face. "Goda! How are you doing?"

"I'm OK," Goda smiled back, setting his crutches off to the side as he hugged Juan, "How about you?"

"I'm great, now that you're here," Juan grinned. Goda laughed, a light red blush coming to his cheeks. He moved his arms around Juan's neck, pulling him down so he could kiss him. Neither of their smiles faded as they held each other close.

Juan eventually pulled back, cupping a hand around his cheek. As they looked into each other's eyes, Juan's smile fell. "What's wrong?" Goda asked.

"Just..." Juan hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I feel awful, doing this while you're engaged to the king."

"Juan, I t-told you, I love you, not-"

"Then why are you getting married in a month?" Juan asked. Goda looked over his face as he continued, "Why don't you just leave? We could be together without having to sneak around all the time! All you'd have to do is tell him you're calling it off, right? It can't-"

When Goda looked down and lowered his hands to Juan's chest, Juan's gaze changed. It went from confused and slightly annoyed to worried. "Is something stopping you?"

"It's not th-that simple..." Goda mumbled, head down.

"What's going on? What aren't you telling me?"

Goda pulled away, grabbing his crutches and mumbling an apology. Juan reached out for him, but he was already leaving. "Wait, Goda, I-"

He was at the door, going back inside. Juan stood there, hand outstretched, mind racing.

Goda made his way down to the second floor and straight into his room. He sat down on his bed, pulling his legs against his chest. Tears welled up in his eyes that he quickly wiped away. He couldn't tell Juan. He couldn't tell anyone. No one could know what was happening. If he told...

He didn't want to imagine what would become of him.

There was a knock at his door. He limped over, pulling it open. Gabe stood there. He looked... cold. Goda's eyes widened at seeing his expression. He moved back, leaning against the foot of his bed. Gabe walked after him, staying only a few feet away.