The Royal Trip

Fifteen

*Two and a Half Years Ago*

Ainsley was walking down the street on the phone with her sister as she complained about how Ainsley spent her time. All Astrid ever did when she called her sister was complain and tell her how she needed to spend her time. Ainsley had no intention of listening. "Astrid, I don't have time to listen to you complain." Ainsley stated, rolling her eyes.

"Stop being a bitch and start thinking about dad." Astrid said before letting out a deep breath. "Ainsley, he went to the doctors and the doctor says he's too stressed."

"What do you want?" Ainsley asked, rubbing her forehead.

"I want you to get out of this funk, so he will stop worrying so much about you. He doesn't sleep at night thinking you're going to end up dead one day. You're reckless and everyone can see that."

Ainsley let out a deep breath. "I have to go." Ainsley hung up the phone walking into the coffee shop.

Ainsley sat at a table with her coffee sitting on the table in front of her. She let out a deep breath. She didn't want to hurt her dad. Maybe she needed to finally listen to her sister. Maybe she needed to find a way to change her life around. "You okay?" Ainsley heard a man's voice looking up. He was dressed in a nice suit, his hair was cut short, and he was far from someone Ainsley normally hooked up with. He was...put together.

"Yeah, I feel like I just won the lottery." Ainsley spoke sarcastically.

"Makes since. Most people who win the lottery look miserable." He said and Ainsley nodded. "Can I sit?"

Ainsley shrugged her shoulders. "Sure."

"I'm Zach Patrick."

"Aisnley Pierce." Ainsley paused letting out a deep breath. "So, Zack, if I look so miserable why are you talking to me?"

"Maybe misery likes company." He said and Ainsley gave him a questioning look. He gave a smile that said the opposite, but hidden in his eyes was something sad.

"What makes you so miserable?" Ainsley asked.

"I have a reservation for two and no one to go with."

Ainsley scoffed slightly, smiling at him. "Oh really? That's terrible."

"Yeah, I just need a pretty girl, single, and sweet."

"How do you know I'm not sour?" Ainsley asked, taking a drink of her coffee.

"How do you know I don't like sour?" Zach asked, taking a drink of his coffee.

Ainsley found herself in a whirl-wind romance. Zach seemed to have everything that she wanted. He was everything that she wanted to be. He had his life together, he was going somewhere, and that's what she wanted. She wanted to have her life put together. She wanted someone who could make her better. Zach made all the most sense.

Two years. Ainsley found herself building a home with someone she could trust. She moved into his apartment and the only bed she shared was with the man she loves. He was the core to everything stable in her life.

She was crazy. There was no way he was seeing anyone else. After two years, she had to have been trying to ruin a good thing. There was no way that he was lying to her face. She was just trying to ruin a good thing. She was creating a problem when there wasn't one.

The question was; if that was true, why did she tell him she was working late again. Why didn't she just let herself believe she was overreacting? Why did she follow him? Once she saw him pull into a parking lot of the strip club, why didn't she leave? Why didn't she just call him? Why didn't she stop him from going inside?

When she saw him walk out holding her hand, why didn't she get out of the car? Why didn't she stop him? Why did she let him get into her car? Why did she watch the car move in his parking spot? Why didn't she get out of the car then? Why didn't she break them up? Why did she watch him get out with his clothes looking a mess?

She just started her car and drove away from the strip club. She drove back to the apartment. She felt numb. She felt stupid. She felt humiliated. She felt weak. She felt...broken. She let herself fall in love with him. She fell and didn't think twice about it. She thought he was safe and good. She thought he would never hurt her. She thought he would be good for her. She thought he was loyal to her.

He was supposed to be different, but maybe he was worse. Every other guy would spend time inside of her and be gone without any attachment. But he was embedded in her life before destroying it all for moments with another woman. He was supposed to do better than that.

But maybe she hoped for too much. Maybe she shouldn't have fallen so hard. Maybe she should have listened to her sister, her dad, her brother in law. Maybe if she thought about it, she wouldn't be hurt. Maybe she wouldn't have let herself get too close. Maybe she would have seen it coming and it wouldn't have hurt her as much. Maybe this was all her fault for believing it would be this easy for her. Maybe...just maybe love wasn't in the cards for her.

She wanted to lie to herself. She wanted to tell herself it wasn't happening. She wanted to say there was a good excuse. Maybe they were just friends. Maybe they were just talking in the shaking car. Maybe they are related. But the more that she thought about it and the more excuses she wanted to come up with, the more realization started to kick in. The man she brought into her life was spending his nights with someone else. Maybe she should have seen it coming. Maybe it was all there right in front of her and she just ignored it. Maybe she should continue to ignore it.

Her thoughts were cut off when the front door of the apartment opened and Zach walked right through. He was shocked to see her sitting there knowing she was supposed to be working late. She quickly wiped away her tears praying he would ignore all the questions he certainly had. "I thought you were at work?" Zach said.

"You should go shower. You smell like her." Ainsley stated, not looking back at him.

"Ainsley-"

"Go shower." Ainsley demanded again.

She heard him let out a deep breath before walking away to the bedroom. She waited, not moving from her spot on the couch, and when Zach finally did walk into the room, he kept his distance from her. "I'm sorry." Zach broke the silence between them and Ainsley shook her head.

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am."

"Would you have stopped?" Ainsley asked. "Would you have stopped if I was at work tonight?" The silence was all Ainsley needed.

"It won't happen again."

Ainsley nodded. "You're right. It won't." Ainsley finally stood up from the couch. "I'm leaving." Ainsley started walking towards the door.

"Ainsley please." He tried to grab her arm and Ainsley quickly pulled away from him.

"Don't touch me!" Ainsley snapped. "Don't touch me. Don't talk to me. Ever again." Ainsley walked out of the door.

She couldn't go to her dad and explain that she left everything because her boyfriend was having sex with a stripper. She didn't want to give her sister the chance to say 'I told you do'. She didn't know where she was going to go. She didn't know where to go until one thing popped in her head. Something from a long time ago.

'You know where to find me, when you need me.'

Ainsley stood in front of an apartment door and it opened showing Katie holding a piece of pizza in her hand. "Ainsley, you okay?"

"I don't know where else to go." Ainsley said falling apart in front of her best friend.

"Come in." Katie said, pulling her inside and shutting the door. Her world was falling apart, but she knew she had a choice to make. She could become the person she was before she met Zach or she could be better. If only she knew what better was.