𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 ✔

Chapter Twenty-Two

When I left him that evening, he was a mess. He did not attend dinner, and I felt guilty because I thought maybe I had pushed him too hard. Not only that, but he also canceled his meeting with Lottie the next day.

It gave me time to really think it all over, to let it all sink in. I was unsure if I should have told Alveary about what had happened to the others, and what had happened to Adam. But for some reason it felt wrong to tell her his truth. He had only just told me, and it seemed to have genuinely hurt him as he did.

Inside, I was a mess too. I did not know whether I should have been afraid of him or not, but even if I wanted to, I could not bring myself to feel as such. He had already been going through so much, adding the only person that he could have been close to, that he could touch without fear, also being afraid of him would have only made things worse.

I also feared that him becoming too upset might cause him to snap, and if he did, I could not have lived with myself if he ended up hurting Alveary because of me. However, I did not want to admit it to myself at the time, but Adam had grown on me, and I had started to become quite fond of him.

"That's the first time he had canceled on any of us yet. However, I think it hilarious that Lottie was the one who did not get to see him." Alveary had been laying in my room for a few hours after dinner drawing me once again.

"It is rather ironic isn't it. She had been going on and on about how she had been the one who spent the most time with him not too many weeks ago. I think it serves her right." My back had started to hurt from sitting in the same position for a while. "Why is it that you are drawing me again?"

"Oh, I had decided to draw a picture of you and give it to Adam." She looked pleased with herself and her plan.

I nearly fell off of the love seat. "Alveary, why would you do that?"

"Well, seeing as to how your face is beet red right now, I think I made the right choice." She giggled. "I told you your opinion of him would change, didn't I?

"It is not that, he and I are genuinely just good friends." I was not lying, yet I knew deep down that the term friends did not quite describe what was going on between me and him.

"Sure, we will agree to disagree." She stood up, "But, lying to yourself will only cause you grief. I will see you tomorrow, Goodnight."

She intentionally left me confused. Alveary was dangerous when it came to matchmaking.

The next day he did not meet Alveary nor show up for dinner. I had started to worry that I had caused more damage than I had thought previously. Though, I was not avoiding him this time, it was he who must have been avoiding me.

"Garna?" I called to her after seeing her in the hall outside the drawing room.

"Yes Mademoiselle Lafleur, what is it you need?" She gave me a small smile.

"Is something wrong with the Prince?" I almost called him Adam in front of her, though I did not think she would have reprimanded me for it.

She looked around and lowered her voice, "He has been in a terrible state since you left him Saturday. Though, do not blame yourself. He gets like this after, well, after the girls are gone. I know what the two of you talked about and I think it was good for him to say it all out loud for once. He has not spoken about what he has been going through for four years. It may hurt him right now, but I assure you he will come back around and this time he will be all the stronger for it."

"I did not know that he did not talk about it at all with you. I thought he would have at least opened up every once in a while, but to have held it in for four years." I let out a shaky breath, "I feel terrible for forcing it out of him like that. It must have taken a lot for him to let it all out, especially all at once."