The Royal Spare (COMPLETED)

38-Of Meeting The "Girlfriend"

Did I get hurt when he said he was ready to let me go? Terribly.

Was my heart broken when he mentioned Tasha in the middle of a very important conversation? Shattered.

Did I show that to him? Never.

Never because aside from getting hurt, I also wanted to smack him in the head. Never because I was never one to just crouch down in pain and give up without a fight.

That was why I wanted to go with him to see her that day. I needed to know what I was up against so that I would know how much ammunition I had to bring to the war.

I knew he would always wonder about what happened to her and their relationship that had no proper closure. He was too honorable to just dismiss a woman he once committed to without properly speaking to her. I knew that he would go see her anyway so I decided that we should go as soon as possible so we could all move forward.

As it was, we were confronted with the uncertainty and hopelessness of a future together, we didn't need a vampire from his past to continue sucking out our joy and terrorize our already challenging relationship.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he looked at me. I must've been too quiet as we walked hand in hand down the street from the docks.

I smiled at him under the bucket hat which he adjusted earlier to hide my face more. "Yes. How much farther?" I asked.

"We're here." He said and stopped walking right in front of an old apartment building. I looked up and admired the well-maintained neoclassical facade. "4th floor."

I suddenly felt self-conscious. I somewhat regretted trading my dress and heels for the oversized sweater and sneakers that I was wearing. I wondered if my makeup was still okay after our boat ride and walk. I unconsciously touched my hair and worried how it would look like when I remove my hat.

He held my hand tighter as we entered the building. The doorman and the receptionist recognized him and let us proceed to the elevator.

The cabin was pretty full. We were pushed to the back of the elevator so Aidan turned to face me, pressed his hands to the wall on either side of my face and used his body to shield me. He also moved his head down to cover my face to prevent anyone from recognizing me in that small space. I felt heat on my cheeks at his proximity. And as if to prove we can get even nearer, he leaned closer to whisper in my ear. "You are beautiful." He smiled and tucked my hair behind my ear. My racing heart was about ready to burst out of my chest.

Finally, the elevator reached the fourth floor in what I felt was the longest 60 seconds of my life.

We got off while he kept a protective arm over my shoulders. We walked past a few doors until he stopped again. He then turned to face me and held my hands tightly then looked into my eyes.

"What is it?" I asked. I forced a smile to mask my unexplainable anxiety on meeting Tasha.

"I'm not sure." He sighed. "I guess I wanted you to know that I met Tasha after the court welcomed your first suitor. I was heartbroken and hopeless and she was a very kind woman." He explained.

My heart sank. I sort of hoped he would say, she was just a beauty that captivated him for a while until he found out that she was a horrible person. Knowing that she's a nice person just made the fight harder to win.

"You don't have to explain." I told him.  "Nothing about anything that's going on between us and our love for each other makes sense anyway." I chuckled but deep inside, my heart was heavy with the possibility of losing Aidan to the woman on the other side of the door.