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“What?” What did that have to do with anything?

“Have you seen it? Because Axel is always working on it when we hang out. At least, he has been now that I know the truth.”

I shook my head. Axel always finished the assignments without asking for my help.

“Open up the portal on your computer, Scarlett.”

I had no idea why Jacob wanted me to see this. I turned on my computer and pulled up the last assignment. The assignment was to work on making the characters look more real. The submission was a short video pulled from the videogame Axel had been working on alone. I hit play.

There was a character with red hair that looked a lot like me. And a character that looked like Axel. We were standing in the middle of a dance floor. He pulled off his crown and put it on my head. There was no text. But there didn’t need to be. Because this had already happened in real life. At homecoming. When he said I was still the prettiest princess he’d ever seen.

I thought I’d been reading into it. Because he wanted that stupid vow of singledom. But he’d only wanted that because he didn’t want me to date anyone else. Since he couldn’t ask me out until my 18th birthday because my dad was a psycho.

I clicked back on another assignment. And another. I’d hardly call it a videogame. It was more of a game of memories. I clicked back to the very first assignment. The characters were much younger in this one. I watched as a stupid Ava character pulled Axel into the closet.

Not because he wanted to kiss her. But because I told him to do it. I told him it was okay, when I should have just been honest and told him it wasn’t.

I felt tears welling in my eyes again. Axel had been working on this to show me at some point. Maybe my birthday. I had no idea. I stared at the title of the videogame. Princess Scarlett: And the Quest to Find Her Prince Charming.

When Axel first got down on his knee, I thought it was some terrible prank. But he loved me. He was my Prince Charming.

Jacob cleared his throat.

I turned to look at him.

He smiled. “My feelings for you haven’t changed either. But it’s you and Axel,” he said firmly. “It always has been. And I’m not going to stand in the way like your father. I’ll see you at the dance, okay?”

I nodded. Even though I wasn’t sure if I agreed or not. Jacob was walking away. Because he wanted me to be happy. There was no better guy than that. And I was worried that I was about to make the biggest mistake of my life by letting him leave.

He leaned down and hugged me.

I let his arms envelop me as I breathed in his familiar smell. And I think I knew Jacob was right at that moment. Him touching me didn’t feel the same way it did when my kiss thief touched me. The way Axel touched me. Hugging Jacob felt like...home. Like being with the world’s best friend. Where everything was safe.

I clung to him for a moment as I tried my best to hold back my tears. I wasn’t sure love was meant to feel this safe. I think it was meant to be exciting. Maybe my mom was right. Maybe love hurt. Maybe that was what made it worth fighting for. And maybe fairytale happy endings did still exist.

Jacob released me from his hug. He walked over to the trapdoor and disappeared down the steps.

I still loved Jacob. I did. I always would. But I didn’t think I was in love with him. I turned back to the videogame and saw Axel’s homecoming crown on my desk.

My head was scrambled, trying to remember all the things I’d talked about with the kiss thief. We’d stayed up late so many nights texting.

He knew me.

And he’d loved every side of me. Just like Jacob had said Axel did.

Even when maybe I didn’t love myself all that much.

Axel loved me back.

I’d waited my whole life for that. What the heck was I doing crying in my room?

I grabbed Axel’s homecoming crown, threw open my door, and ran out into the hallway. I needed to get to the dance. When I reached the living room, the big group of people was gone. It was just Liam, my mom, and my dad sitting there.

My dad lifted his head. “Pumpkin...”

“Can I get a ride to the dance? No, scratch that. I’ll just get an Uber.” I didn’t want to be in the car with my dad right now. If I was in a fairytale and Axel was my Prince Charming, that meant my dad was the evil king trying to keep us apart. Screw him.

I pulled out my phone and couldn’t unlock it. I laughed as I grabbed my glasses from my purse. Axel had loved me even with my thick glasses. He loved me when I was just...me.