Just A Girl

26-Recovery

previously

I never let her out of my sight. not once. nothing can happen to her again or my heart will break and so will the attackers body.

Her POV, overlapping with the past chapter

I feel like the days have gone so slowly. I was recovering, but not as fast as I would like. my first priority right now is preparation. preparation for the wedding, for being a posh princess, for everything, and Alex just surprised me with a surprise trip to my hometown. I have no idea why, but he just said It was important, but at that moment, something dawned on me. Sammy. my old boyfriend. I hadn't quite broken things off with him. I told him I would come back for him. I flinched at the thought. I'd be parading around with the prince in the same town as Sammy. he would murder me.

I'm moving into Alex's room tomorrow and I'm kind of excited. not for just the obvious reason of sleeping in the same bed as him, but because I will be closer to him. it feels more... intimate. and not in the... sexual... way. I get to see his morning routine. his nighttime routine. I might even follow him around, but I had the arising suspicion that I would be continuing lessons with Lilliana in my spare time.

"come on, I want to show you something." Alex's voice jolted me out of my thoughts. "Alex, you cant be serious, its nearly midnight!" I said. I barely even recognized my own words. Nearly? since when did I care? I've stayed up much later thinking about him. apparently Alex practically read my thoughts. "Nearly?" he asked. "when did you become so proper?" he eyed me. "ever since you rescued me like the damn hero you are and looked like you cared so much and you were so hot and- what? why are you giving me that look!" Alex looked me up and down, then smirked. "You think i'm a hero?" I rolled my eyes. "how can someone that saves a girl from a gunshot and running through a million people being all like: 'Get out of my way! I'll pay you ten times what you already earn if you fly us to the palace! help me! I cant live without her!' how can you not be classified as a hero?" he gave me a short laugh in response. 

"I already told you. I want to show you something." Alex whined as he pulled me off my bed. "Ok, ok, I'm coming!" he pulled me up a dozen stairs before we reached a heavy metal door. "help me open it?" Alex asked. I rolled my eyes, but helped. we stepped out onto the roof of the castle and I was so worried about falling that I only looked down. I only looked up after Alex laid out a blanket and told me to lay down. "you'll be fine. and even if you fall, I'll be here to catch you!" I reluctantly laid down and looked up. I gasped. the sky was full of stars and it was... breathtaking. "Alex... I-This-wow... this is... this is just... wow." I was speechless. I looked over at Alex and saw him smiling. I hadn't seen his real smile in what felt like forever. "So, when are we leaving?" I asked. "Tomorrow, Princess. pack your stuff quick. we leave at the crack of dawn." he said. I leaned over to him and placed a hand on his arm. "Hey." I looked over at him. "Alex?" this time, I looked directly in his eyes. "Yeah, Princess?" he looked back at me. "Are you ok? like, don't tell me 'I'm fine.' you know what people say." I was honestly worried about him. he was staying with me every day. doesn't he have responsibilities? "Oh? what do people say, Princess?" he was changing the subject. "People say that fine stands for Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional. also, don't deflect and change the subject." he sighed. "honest, Princess? no. I'm not ok. but I will be if i have you by my side." someone came through the door on the roof and I was so surprised that I screamed. "Jesus." I let out a huge breath. Alex's voice filled the icy silence. "dad? what are you doing here?" oh no. it was the king. "The question is, what are you two doing here? you could be killed. someone could see you and just... pull the trigger. also, Alex! you have responsibilities!" the king eyed me suspiciously.

the next day

I was packing when I heard a knock at the door of Alex's room- well, my room now... I opened the door and saw my three maids at the door. "Girls! hey! how are you?" I was so surprised that I didn't even notice their sad faces. "What's wrong?" I asked. "well, we have news for you..." they looked really sad... oh no... "Are you girls ok? did something happen?" they were scaring me. "Well, Lady Jess, we would have been picked to be your personal maids again, but we were caught... doing... something really bad... and we're being fired, but we're really lucky that we're not being executed." I bent down and hugged each of them. "I'll miss you guys... now run along..." they scurried off in their own directions. I watched them sadly. I truly would miss them. "Princess, they'll be fine." Alex said from the bed. Jesus. I forgot he was there and I jumped. "Scared of me already?" he ad a smug look on his face. "Sorry, I just forgot you were there..." my brain had been all over the place that day. "well, we have to get going, Princess. plane leaves in fifteen." I picked up my bag and followed him out of the room.

we were going back home again... the place I got kidnapped... It'll be fine, you have Alex to protect you...

Pic is the stars, except prettier I guess?