~ {|} The Royal Charm Academy {|} ~ A Novel ~ {|} On Going

❦ Chapter Seventeen ❦

As soon as dance class ended, Thea had lost eyes on Darius as soon as the class was over and she had bid her goodbyes to her dance partner, Witty.

'Where is he?' She asked herself as she walked the hallway and towards the lockers where her eyes locked on to the soon-to-be baron. "Darius!" She greeted him with a smile.

Darius inhaled sharply as he turned to Thea, putting on a forced polite smile. "Hello, Thea." He greeted curtly, bowing to her before straightening up and pulling down his vest.

Thea could tell he was a bit annoyed so she needed to tread lightly. "I haven't seen you since school started. Where have you been?" She asked, her voice soft as she played with her finger on her finger.

"I've been around, we never really cross paths." Darius turned towards his locker and reached in, fiddling with random books. "We don't have any classes together and the only time I think we will see each other is in etiquette and dance class." He passively replied, avoiding her gaze.

Thea chewed on her lip as she listened to him. "What about breakfast, lunch, and dinner?" She insisted, stepping a few steps to the side to catch his eye.

Darius turned his head away, rubbing the nape of his neck awkwardly. "Oh, right, I uh, I normally eat in my room. My mom has placed me on a strict diet and doesn't want me to waver." He hesitantly replied, making sure he didn't trip over his words.

Thea didn't buy that lie for a minute. His mom was the last person to ever go all health conscious, even if it was between life or death. "Darius, you know you don't have to lie to me. Why have you been avoiding me?" She asked softly, her expression softening.

Darius sighed heavily and closed his locker, twisting his body towards her. "Look, I don't feel the same way I did a few years ago. Yeah, we were best friends, but things are changing. I'm not saying I grew out of our friendship but I'm in a different place than I was then." He bluntly explained, not dancing around the question.

Thea felt a twinge of pain in her heart at his words as she rubbed her arm. "I understand. I'm not the same person I was either and I am ashamed to admit that. Things haven't been easy, for any of us, especially with me being Crown Princess at the end of the school year." She looked off to the side.

Darius relaxed his body as he truly listened to her words and took them in. "You're still picking me as your land manager, right?" He asked, realizing that maybe his avoiding her could jeopardize things

"Of course," Thea nodded, a small smile gracing her lips. "It's between you or your cousin and there is no way on this earth that I would ever pick your cousin." She replied, pushing a lock of hair from her face.

Darius felt relieved. "Yeah, I wouldn't trust him with the kingdom's land either. Plus he doesn't like Mia and you have to be on good terms with Mia since she's taking over the kingdom's finances." He shuddered at all the chaos that could create.

Thea took a deep breath, reminding herself she needed to have confidence as she spoke. "Just because we've grown apart doesn't mean we can still be friends and rekindle the friendship over the rest of the school year." She quipped, bouncing on her feet.

Darius didn't need any time to think about her words. "I don't see any problem with that. I do miss the chaotic times we spent together. Then Mia came in and did the most random thing to join in even if she didn't understand what we were doing." He responded without hesitation.

Thea softly laughed, recalling those memories too well. "Ah, those were some good times." She then became more serious and found more confidence to be bold. "I was beginning to think you were avoiding me and didn't like me anymore."