“Goodnight, Braxton.” I walk past him with my head held high. I don’t need to hear anything he has to say. He told me to use him, and that’s exactly what I did.
Still, as I leave the library, I don’t know who I hate more in this moment. Him or myself.
41
Azalea
“Zel!”Rhodenpracticallyscreechesas I bury my face in my hands.
“I know! Tell me I’m a bad person. I need to hear someone say it because me telling myself clearly isn’t enough.”
“You’re not a bad person.” Rhoden scoots closer to me and places her hand on my forearm.
I just finished telling her the full truth of everything that happened in the library. It was easy to write off the first kiss when it happened while I was piss drunk, but I was completely sober in that library, and we did far worse things than kiss.
“Rho, I have a fiance. Afiancé.A man who loves me and is waiting for me to break this curse and come back to him.”
Rhoden pulls her upper lip between her teeth and nods.
“What’s that face?”
“I’m not making a face.”
“Yes, you are.”
“I am not. This is just my face.”
“Rhoden,” I push, sitting up straighter.
“Alright, fine! I wasn’t going to say anything, but I always thought it was weird how a man who is as in love with you as you say Phillip is has been idly sitting back and waiting for you to figure a way out of this.”
“As opposed to?”
“I don’t know, storming the castle, challenging Braxton to a duel, fighting for you.”
“You’re a romantic. And a dramatic one at that.”
“I’m a friend who’s pointing out what you deserve.”
I huff. I’d be lying if I said those thoughts hadn’t crossed my mind once or twice. Recently, I hadn’t even gotten a letter from him, so I didn’t anticipate him storming the castle or fighting for my honor anytime soon. Not that it feels like I have much honor left after what I did tonight.
“However, Phillip not coming to storm the castle doesn’t make Braxton the better man.”
I wrinkle my nose at her. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying they both suck. Braxton is a pompous, monsterous asshole, and Phillip is a coward.”
“Harsh.” I wince at her words even though they aren’t about me.
“It’s the truth, and the truth sometimes is painful and ugly.”
I let out a sigh before lying back on my bed and draping my arm over my face. I want to sink into my mattress and never come out of it. I feel a tentative soft touch on my elbow, and peek my eye out from under my arm. Luna is nuzzling me softly, and I can’t help but smile and give her an appreciative pat in response.
“Be careful,” Rhoden continues. “You have a bigger heart than you let people see, and sometimes big hearts break the hardest.”
“Ugh,” I groan. “I can’t believe at 32 years of age, I’m sitting here discussing boys. BOYS Rhoden! I’m being a child.”
Rhoden giggles. “It does feel mildly juvenile, doesn’t it?”
