“I don’t know if it was sticky…” I try, squirming. It’s hard to dispute the nose-to-nose bit, which evidently has been immortalized on social media too. Just wait till the pap dig their teeth into that one and gnaw that down to the bone. “Date night was cancelled yesterday since Aidan dumped me by text. So, I went out with friends instead.”
“Right.” Ethan looks startled, downing some more wine. He reaches for the cheese, cutting a few more slices. He puts an olive wood cutting board between us, laden with charcuterie offerings. “So the breakup was before Prince Stefanos. Not because of.”
“No! God no!” Alarmed, I straighten fully. “Is that what you think? Give me some credit.”
“It matters less what I think and more like what the press and socials think. And popular media with footage from your club night is not going with your narrative, but that you had an affair with Stefanos.”
“What? Fuck me.” I groan, running a hand through my hair again. “I’m done for. How did they spin that bullshit so quickly?”
“Cheer up, mate. At least you weren’t caught shagging sheep.” Ethan’s grin is irrepressible.
“They’ll deepfake that for next week’s episode,” I say darkly as he laughs.
We set into demolishing the spread of food, sharing the bottle of wine. His golden retriever pads into the room and flops on the floor between us on the tiles.
“It’ll pass, Theo. But maybe you need to think more on what happened.”
“Yeah, and I can give myself a lobotomy, too, while I’m at it.”
“Seriously.”
“What part of me doesn’t seem serious about the lobotomy?”
He shifts the board closer to me. “Eat something. And we can order in a curry.”
We do. And I’ll leave further reflections about Aidan and our relationship for the dead of night when I can’t sleep.
Chapter Six
Around 8:00 p.m., I return home. I kick off my shoes in the entry and hang up my coat, then proceed to flop on the sofa in front of the fire. Flames dance, giving the room a warm glow. Finally, I let out a deep breath, which feels like I’ve been holding since last night. My phone’s in my hand, and I’m about to start swiping through the stack of messages I’ve been successfully avoiding until now.
Which is when my phone rings, startling me. Some twisted part of me still hopes it’s Aidan for a brief moment. Then, Freja’s name appears on the screen.
Shit. I forgot to call her back earlier. I answer.
“Hi, sorry I didn’t get back to you earlier… it’s been a bit of a day.” My lips twitch.
“Hi.” She’s unusually curt, a slight edge to her voice.
Father’s passing last summer also meant my sister, Freja, moved from Crown Princess to Queen, with a large public celebration of her coronation scheduled this summer, following last year’s Proclamation. I promised I wouldn’t do anything to embarrass her in the months running up to the coronation event. That I’d be a model of comportment and dignified behavior. To my credit, everything had been fairly smooth the last few months, thanks to falling for Aidan. And now, Aidan’s unraveled everything.
“Is everything alright?” I try breezily, gazing at the pale ceiling, the white coving trim that encircles the room. “You don’t usually call. Is Mamma okay?”
“She’s fine.” Still curt. There’s some strain to her voice.
“Are you fine?”
There’s no way this debacle with Aidan would have hit the Danish press yet. Or news of my alleged affair with Stefanos the cherry on top of Aidan’s tell-alls, like we’re on an episode of Renaissance Man.
“Yes. No. It’s why I’m calling.” Freja falters. I can envision her fidgeting with her long blonde hair. She doesn’t sound angry, at least. Maybe she hasn’t seen the news about me after all. Or maybe it’s not about me. My shoulders relax a little. Ethan’s called me out before for acting like the world revolves around me. James’ counterpoint is that I just need a bigger orbit.
I draw in a deep breath, sitting up. “You’re pregnant?” Bit of a scandal, seeing as she’s unmarried.
“Theo! No. Of course not.”
“Sorry.” I’m not entirely sorry for this, because getting a rise out of her is a thrill as her pesky younger brother. “Well? Out with it.”
“I… I wish we could talk in person. Are you coming home soon?” She sounds nervous.
