Surprisingly Royal

👸Chapter 16: Making up

Chapter dedicated to Poetic-reviver

I unlock the door and step into the house only to find Emily sitting in the living room with my mum.

Without thinking, I blurt out, "What are you doing here?"

She stands up quickly.

"I mean... how come you're here?" I repeat, this time a little softer.

"I came to talk to you," she says.

"Why don't you drop your things in your room and join us," Mum suggests.

"Alright... I'll be right back," I say, heading to my room.

Once I get in, I drop the shopping bag on my bed, kick off my boots, and take off my jacket. I slide into my slippers and pause for a second, wondering why Emily's really here.
Still, it's probably a good thing since there's something I've been meaning to talk to her about too.

I take a quick sip of juice from the kitchen before walking back to the living room.

"I'll leave you two to talk," Mum says, excusing herself.

I nod and sit across from Emily.

We sit in silence for a moment. It's awkward. Neither of us knows what to say.

She finally speaks up first ,thank goodness because I had no idea how to start.

"Like I said, I came to talk to you," she begins. "When I came earlier and you weren't home, I ended up talking to your mum while I waited."

"Oh... sorry you had to wait. I was out with some friends," I explain.

"No worries."

She takes a breath. "I wanted to apologize for what happened last time. I should've tried to understand things from your perspective. I was so caught up in what was happening with my sister that I pushed you away."

I stay quiet. Her words hit me harder than she probably realizes.

It feels like a weight is being lifted off my chest. I never expected her to come all the way here let alone wait for me just to apologize.

"When you looked back that day after I told you to leave... I felt horrible," she continues, her voice almost breaking. "I destroyed our friendship without even giving it a chance. I let what Dad said get to me about our friendship, about Melanie's arranged marriage. I didn't want to make things worse for her. I'm so sorry, Ciara. I shouldn't have said those things to you. You were only trying to help, and I misunderstood everything just like my parents did."

I get up and sit beside her, reaching for her hand.

"Hey, Em... it's okay. It's not your fault all this happened," I tell her gently. "I get why you acted the way you did. You were just trying to protect someone you love. That's not easy."

"You mean so much to me, Ciara. I shouldn't have treated you like that."

"It's alright. I'm not mad . So... how are things back at home?"

"Well... Melanie stood up to everyone yesterday. She refused the marriage proposal in front of the whole family. Told them she wasn't going to marry someone she barely knows."

"That's honestly so brave of her. How did your parents take it?"

"My dad wasn't happy about it. But Melanie wouldn't budge. She kept saying no until he finally gave up since he didn't want to ruin his image any further. The only condition he gave was that she can't see Samuel again."

"Ugh, can't your dad just get it? Melanie and Samuel are meant to be. Why's he trying to destroy that?"

"My dad's the most stubborn person I know. Once he's against something, it's almost impossible to get him to change his mind. But Melanie's done playing nice. She sees Samuel in secret now, whenever our parents are out."

"Where did she even get the courage to do that?" I laugh a little. The Melanie I know is sweet and quite not the type to rebel.

"She overheard our conversation the last time," Emily says, grinning. "It inspired her. We even planned to play along with Dad's wishes until all the family was together, just so she could speak up and take a stand."

"Genius plan... Do your parents even know you're here right now?"

"They probably do by now. But I don't care. I've been waiting for the chance to come here and fix things with you. I'm not letting anything ruin this moment," she says, flashing a warm smile.

I squeeze her hand and smile back.

"I've missed you, Em. I wish we'd spent the whole day together getting ready for the ball."

"I missed you more. I wanted that too... but I was so scared to come. I thought you'd kick me out like I did to you."

"You should know I'd never do that. I'll always hear you out, even if I'm mad. So how did you end up coming anyway?"

"Well... Melanie literally locked me out of the house," she laughs. "She told me to come and apologize, and when I hesitated, she tricked me into stepping outside and shut the door behind me. I had no choice but to come here."

"I owe her a thank-you. If it were up to your chicken attitude, I'd probably still be sulking alone this evening," I tease.

"Yeah, yeah," she laughs. "Let's stop dwelling on the past. We've got a ball to prepare for! And by the way your hair and nails look absolutely gorgeous. I'm seriously jealous of your new look."

"Thanks, babe. I was beginning to think you hadn't noticed! Oh, and what's that big bag doing in my living room?"

"Oh, your mum asked me to bring my outfit so we could get ready together. And guess what I brought stuff for both of us to use tonight. That's if you're okay with me dressing here?"

"Of course! I could really use an extra pair of hands to help me get ready. I'm a total mess right now. And this ball is making me anxious."

"Don't worry. You've got me. You'll be fine."

"If you say so..."

We spend the next twenty minutes catching up. I tell her all about Matilda and Carlos.
She swoons over everything involving Carlos, no surprise there. She's always been the romantic, sentimental one in our friendship.

"Dinner's ready, girls!" Mum calls from the kitchen.

I grab Emily's bag and carry it to my room, then join them both for dinner.

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Thanks for reading.

Till next time,
Beryl ☺
@iamnanaserwaa8