Page 70 of Forbidden Heart

“This is it,” Angela says, pulling to a stop in front of a one-floor bungalow that has seen better days. The mailbox is tilted at an angle, one of the windows is boarded up, and the garage door moans and groans when Angela puts her bike away.

“Look, there’s something you should know,” she says as she’s about to unlock the front door. She looks worried, which makes me worry, too.

“What is it?” I ask, a bunch of worst-case scenarios going through my head. Her father is actually still alive, and he’s no better than mine. She has a drunk boyfriend, and I’ll never feel safe living here. She changed her mind, and she doesn’t want me to stay here after all.

Angela hesitates, and just as I start to really panic, she finally says, “I may have forgotten to pay the power bill.”

“That’s it?” I ask in relief.

“Yeah, that’s it.” Angela grins and unlocks the front door. “There’s no hot water, and the lights and heat and stuff are out, but we can pretend we’re camping.”

She seems so excited at the prospect that I can’t help smiling. Plus, I really don’t mind if there isn’t any power or hot water, as long as we’re safe and I have somewhere to spend the night.

Angela gives me a quick tour of the place, and though the house is old, it’s neat and clean. It’s also empty and silent and a little sad.

The master bedroom is locked—untouched since the day her parents died—and her sister’s room is pretty bare since she’s staying with a friend. The kitchen has some bread and peanut butter, but not much else, and we scarf down sandwiches in the waning light.

“I’m going to grab a quick shower,” Angela says once we’re done. She rushes into the bathroom, but then she’s out again five minutes later, her hair soaked and her teeth chattering. “Your turn.”

I rush through my dark, ice-cold shower and then snuggle in a pile of blankets Angela set out for me on the living room couch.

“Think you’ll be okay here?” she asks, and I nod gratefully.

Once she leaves me alone, the seconds seem to tick by endlessly. All I can think about are the guys, and those precious moments we shared since the day we met.

Tate, carrying me out of the forest and onto LUV Academy grounds. Taking me to the doctor and not minding that I flooded the apartment. Kissing me in the kitchen and then later, in the rain. Teasing me with his lips and always leaving me wanting more.

Charles, reading that awful book of dark fairy tales, looking all tall and beast-like on the living room couch. Kissing me, setting my body on fire, then pouring brandy on Silas’s head. Taking me to Nigel’s, speaking beautiful fluent French, and then helping me work on my song.

JJ, stumbling into the apartment drunk, then apologizing and helping me find my courage. Letting me kiss him, so I can explore and take control. Teaching me to kick Silas in the balls and then helping me find the process I’d needed to create an amazing competition song.

Tears stream down my face and every thought of Silas fills me with regret. I never should have kissed him, no matter how drawn I’ve felt toward him since day one. Silas has always hated me, and even if he didn’t, nothing is worth losing Tate, Charles, and JJ over.

I can’t imagine living life without them, knowing I’ll never see them again. But the sad part is, I know they don’t feel the same way.

They’re probably hanging out in their warm, brightly-lit apartment on campus, enjoying Chez Caviar or Pizza al Volo or burgers with extra jalapenos. I bet Silas is with them, eating a bit of this and that like some vulture, glad to finally be rid of me. All four of them must be glad I’m finally gone.

I bury my face in my pillow and sob until there aren’t any tears left. Then I try to lose myself in sleep. Maybe, if I can just pretend I’m a hermit princess living out her fairy tale in this dark, cold house, I’ll start to believe that everything will be okay.

I squeeze my eyes tightly shut and try to picture it, but my fairy tales turn out all wrong. I’m Cinderella, no longer a servant, but rejected by Prince Charming nonetheless. I’m Beauty, dancing on my own with no sign of the Beast. I’m Sleeping Beauty, but my Knight in Shining Armor never comes to kiss me awake. I’m the Little Mermaid, and I find my voice but lose my prince.

Chapter 29

I must doze off at some point, because I find myself lost in the most wonderful dream. I’m back at Bailando and all four of my princes are there, walking out on stage to perform their competition song.

Unlike at rehearsal, their rendition is absolutely perfect, their voices melding beautifully as they hit every note. Charles, with his deep and sexy beast-like voice, chants an underlying beat. Tate and Silas sing the opening notes, intentionally a fraction of a second off so that they create a magical echo worthy of a fairy tale.

All I ever wanted

Was an honest love

Didn’t think I’d get

What I was dreaming of

My lyrics sound absolutely perfect on their lips, the song exactly as I’d intended.

Then JJ swoops in, raising his voice like a mighty eagle soaring over the castle gates. He provides a bird’s eye view of the princess and her men, and I’m so enraptured I forget to breathe.