chapter three

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It was 1AM and I was beyond furious. The lights were off as I yanked open the door to the apartment and Bella was standing at the window in the dark sipping... was that coffee?

"Aster ! Where were you" Bella asked turning around, her eyes glittering along with the lights of Paris. The coffee must really be hitting her judging by her boundless energy. Or maybe that was just Bella...

"D'you know Ruel?" I seethed throwing the keys on the small coffee table. Bella looked on in amusement, her brows flicking up at the name. A small laugh escaped her.

"Yeah everyone knows Ruel. You don't like him?"

"I- Bella I've never met anyone who's that cruel, that COLD, THAT CALLOUS " My voice escalated. 

"But everybody likes Ruel Vandijk" Belle whined in faint confusion.

"Well sorry to swim against the tide but here you go" I yelled throwing my arms up "I'll be the odd one out". Clearly Bella was rubbing off on me, as my gestures only seemed to become increasingly dramatic as I delved deeper into my rant of curses and randomly flung insults.

"I swear to God that prick is insufferable. And his lips are just as fake as him. He's a lying, impertinent, fucking little shi-"

I was in the middle of cursing Ruel's unfairly perfect lips when Bella passed me her cup of coffee urging me to drink from it. The bitter taste of Italian expresso stung as I tipped the liquid down my throat as if it were a shot. I winced. Bella's features were set in amusement at my look of  instant regret. But I couldn't complain, as my head became clearer and my thoughts eddied to their usual steady flow.

"I don't even wanna know what drugs you took tonight that fired you up like that" Bella cackled. I glared at her, throwing myself onto the couch. She lay down next to me lying her head on my lap. 

"How was Paris" I murmured looking out over the flickering lights of the city from our window

"Obviously not as eventful as your party"

"I should've gone with you" 

"Yes you should've. I'm always right, I'm telling you, you should listen to me" Bella lifted her head, her words spoken in a torrent of mocking determination. I rolled my eyes with a smile.  We lapsed back into silence, both looking out of the window. The flowers surrounding our window frame filled the air with a bittersweet smell.

"A bittersweet ending to an era" I whispered to myself the words coming to me out of the blue. Bella hummed her approval, the escaped curls of her bun tickling my nose. I swatted her hair out of my face grimacing. 

"So, what's Ruel's story?" I asked unable to get his perfect smile and empty eyes out of my mind. It was as if he was acting, as if it were all a mask. 

"Someone's head over heels" Bella quirked grinning. I wacked her shoulder.

"Shut up or someone's getting pushed off the sofa" 

In response, Bella dug her elbow into my ribs causing me to squirm in pain. 

"Well he's the cousin of the Prince of France but they was brought up as siblings " Bell began, fiddling with the fraying sides of the couch.

"I'm not sure if it's rumours but the King and Queen actually raised him as if he were their own child" 

That would explain his unnaturally perfect smile always pinned in place and the mask he so securely hid under. 

"I don't know why though... I suspect something happened to his own parents but you'll have to ask around to find out" Bella said thoughtfully. I bit my lip thinking it over. 

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