The Vampire Prince returns to High School (Book 2)

Dodging Questions

After dinner, I went straight to my room. My body felt sore and my head felt heavy. All these lies were finally catching up to me.

I dragged my feet across the floor and somehow made it to my bedroom. A few more steps and I reached my bed. I collapsed upon it face first.

Someone chuckled. "You sound like a dying ghost."

I turned my head and saw a silhouette sitting at the foot of my bed.

"Haha, that's exactly what I want to hear my boyfriend say."

Even in the darkness, I knew Alexander was smirking. I heard the door close behind me.  One of my lamps turned on. 

"Rough day?" he asked.

Groaning, I managed to sit up. As he sat there, I couldn't help but think that he wasn't at 100% either. 

"Yeah," I told him. "It was rough but not too bad. You?"

There was a small smile. "I don't like politics. So, distract me. Tell me about your day."

The queasiness in my stomach was back. "I - I went window shopping today," I said. "I didn't buy anything but it was um, fun. It was just very exhausting." I cleared my throat. "You had a rough day too, right? Want to talk about it? It might make you feel better."

Alexander looked away. "It's always the same thing," he responded. "So, I've been thinking about the Ball . . ."

"Yeah?" Did I sound as squeaky as I thought I did?

"Once it's over, I'm going to have a lot of time. We should go on another date."

"Definitely," I quickly said. "I miss you."

"You always say the right things."

Embarrassed, I looked away. He knew the right things to say too. 

"Rin," he suddenly said. 

"Hmm?"

"You know I care about you, right?"

"I know."

He nodded to himself and went quiet. That scared me a little bit. Something was definitely on his mind. 

"Has your dad told you anything more about your date for the Ball?" I asked. 

Alexander stood and walked toward the window. "I haven't talked to him lately," he said with his back towards me. "He always has messengers like it's too much trouble to talk to his heir."

I stood and wrapped my arms around him. He placed his hands on mine.

"You of all people should know that Royalty is always busy," I said, resting my head on his back. "But, I'm sorry you don't have time with your dad. I mean, maybe we can have our parents meet or something."

He chuckled. "I don't think your parents are ready for that. They don't even know who I am."

Guilt stabbed me in the heart. "Sorry," I murmured. 

Alexander turned around. "Oh, no," he said. "I didn't mean - that's not what I -" He trailed off. "I'm not blaming you."

"I know what you meant," I assured him. "But we've made progress though."

Alexander squeezed my hands. "That we did."

"Who is all invited to the Ball?" I asked.

He turned. "What made you ask that?"

Play it cool. Play it cool.

"I mean, I know your family is going. So, obviously royalty but are like celebrities invited? Or only politicians and all that? Can regular people from the public be invited?"

"Well, you have to be invited to attend. You need to have your invitation in hand when you enter. They'll ask for it. Some do bring guests like friends so, regular people, as you put it, can attend. Why?"

The way he said that question, almost made it seem like he didn't want me to be there. Or maybe I was just reading too much into it. 

"No reason," I quickly answered. "Just wondering. I can be curious about these sorts of things. As your girlfriend, I feel like I need to learn about what goes on at these events and who is invited, don't you think?"

"Uh, yeah. No. You're right."

An unasked question floated between us. Technically, I only needed to know this information if we had gone public with our relationship. Since we hadn't, no one would ever ask me to know who attended an event and everything that was associated with that event.

Another question remained unanswered. Would I be willing to go public as Alexander's girlfriend? It would be nice not to hide anymore but if the last few months taught me anything, people were not ready for that. I might not be ready for that. 

Alexander pulled me into a tight hug. "About my partner for the Ball," he began.

"It's okay," I said. "I know."

"You know?" he asked.

"You can't help it, right? I mean, your dad set you up with a date and you have to be around her. All I'm asking is that you're nice. Sure, I don't like it but it's unavoidable. Pretend she's me or something."

"I'll be civil," he promised. "Just know that I don't like it either. I rather have you at my side than anyone else."

"Who knows? I might just crash the Ball."

Alexander looked at me in the eyes. "Please don't crash the Ball. I don't think your charms will work on my dad if you do."

I swallowed thickly and forced myself to laugh. "I'm joking.  I won't crash the Ball, okay?" I cleared my throat. "Would it be that bad if you saw me there?"

He bit his lip. "No," he said, choosing his words carefully, "but I won't be able to help myself and I might tell everyone you're my girlfriend. Plus, you said it yourself. You don't like being in the spotlight."

I had to admit, I was a little disappointed. He also wasn't wrong. Should I just tell him that I was going to attend the Ball? Was I ready to tell him I made a deal with the mafia to keep him out of jail? No. I wasn't.

"Can you stay with me tonight?" I asked. 

"The day I refuse an invitation like that is the day I need to get hit by a truck."

I rolled my eyes. "We're going to sleep."

"I didn't mean it in any other way."

I shook my head. Of course, he didn't.

Chuckling, Alexander kissed my forehead.

"Let's get you in bed."

Before I could react, he scooped me up. I yelped and clung to him.

"I won't drop you," he assured me.

He laid me in bed and turned off the lamp before snuggling up beside me.

"I'm not turning into a kitten tonight," he said.

I blushed. "I'm not asking you to," I whispered.

He pulled me closer. "You just made my night." He kissed my nose. "Don't worry, I won't keep you up. Get some sleep."

Smiling, I snuggled closer. Tonight, I didn't want to worry about anything.