Captivation

19: Self - Preservation

Self – preservation (noun): the protection of oneself from harm or death, especially regarded as basic instinct in human beings and animals.

“I assume that you two won’t have a problem staying in the same room…” Jane says to Henry and I.

I almost spit out the wine that was in my mouth and Henry chokes on his chicken.

“Oh uh…” Henry looks at me and then at his mother.

Jane looks between us, confused.

“It’s fine.” I fill in. Smiling tightly and nodding. Henry looks at me for confirmation that I am actually okay.

Alina looks physically pained.

For six years Henry never brought a girl with him, though she never knew how he felt about her, she never had a reason to believe that he couldn’t match her feelings. But now she does, and the reason isn’t even real.

So after another hour we file to our rooms.

“Don’t look at me.” I tell Henry. We got our boxes of clothes a few hours ago.

“I won’t.” He says turning around. I get changed.

“So, what’s up with Alina? Was she a girlfriend?” I ask.

“No, she was a friend.” Henry pauses. “Can I turn around now?”

“You can.” I tell him.

He turns as I brush my hair out. “She’s nice.”

“She is.”

“You don’t like her?” I raise my eyebrows.

Henry sits down on the bed. “Maybe once, when I was sixteen. But once you leave a place, you realize that the best your town had to offer you was not the best the world had to offer you.”

“Ouch.” I give him a look.

“Alina will be someone’s best.” Henry tells me.

I give Henry a look and try not to laugh.

“You’re the best.” Henry smiles, and it reaches his eyes.

I look away from him, smiling myself. He’s joking, I tell myself, and I’m blushing because that’s ridiculous.

“I’m going to head out and talk to my mother for a little bit.” Henry tells me. “Goodnight, Lady Madelyn.”

He walks out leaving me alone. It’s been a long time since he’s called me Lady Madelyn.

And so I fall asleep.

***

A trill of laughter wakes me up, and I sit up, wondering where I am. The door is cracked open and I see Henry and Alina sitting on the couch in the living room right across from Henry’s room. I am sure that it is very late; I’m guessing that his mother has long gone to sleep.

I watch Alina as she looks at him through her laughter. Henry smiles and looks out at something else.

“How long are you staying?” She asks him after she stops laughing.

“Two weeks. The same as always.” Henry tells her.

“Do you ever get tired of moving?” She asks, curious, not judging.

“No.” Henry shakes his head. “It’s always exciting.”

Alina is quiet at that.

My head hurts from the light in the door and I get up, trying to close it as quietly as possible, not wanting to interrupt their conversation, but needing the light out of my eyes.