Princess

Chapter 18: Use Your Words

It seemed arguing was the only thing Ariadne liked more than food.

Robyn blushed every single time Christian shot her a wicked grin, a playful wink, or a triumphant smile. He'd always take every single olive off his plate and keep them for Robyn, because she loved them so much. The fucker never asked for his food without olives—just so he could give it to her. He was whipped to the bone.

And unfortunately, I knew exactly how that felt.

It was painfully obvious that everyone knew how I felt about the woman who never gave me the fucking time of day. They knew the tortured despair, the fact that she drove me fucking crazy all the goddamn time, the fact that she was the only person I ever looked at when she was in the room.

I still didn't know if Christian knew but if he did, he didn't say anything apart from the normal touch my sister and you die warnings we always gave each other. In my defense, I'd stayed true to my part of that deal well. On the other hand, when we were in middle/high school, Christian regularly snuck into my sister's room and they'd listen to music on the roof, talk for hours, and he'd crash on her carpet five times a week. My sister didn't think I knew about their rendezvous', but I did. We all knew.

All in all, the dinners were a welcome addition in my life, to wash over the terrible days I would have sometimes and reconnect with old friends and new. The dinners where Dean couldn't make it and it was just the six of us were by far my favorite because while it was nice to look around and see that regardless of how much we had all grown up, we were all still the same six kids who raised hell in my backyard as kids.

I'd never ever let myself enjoy people like this. It was strange but not unpleasant.

When my parents would join us sometimes, my heart clenched because for the first time in my life, I wanted something like that. I understood how my father fell in love with my mother. He was  as ruthless as they came and yet, he'd fallen head over heels for a woman. I used to think it made him weak and that it diminished his power. But it didn't. He rose to power with her firmly at his side. My father's name was still feared all over the city and my mother only supported it. Helped it.

Staying far away from a life like that had always been my plan and priority. But one ethereal beauty, a princess with a sharp tongue, intelligent mind, and quick wit had always made that conviction waver for me. A girl who didn't feel love from her own father. A girl who the world sheltered when all she wanted to do was run free.

In her own way, Ariadne shunned rules like I did. She never did what was expected of her and didn't stay quiet when taunted like people expected her to. She was fiercely kind, impeccably brilliant, charming, and loved with so much heart and soul but took no bullshit from anyone.

It was absolutely ridiculous the way my pulse sped up when I heard her sing song voice announce her arrival into our home, the laughter that filled the air in her presence, the faint smell of roses that followed her everywhere. The way I would have to force myself to stay back in my study for an extra couple minutes instead of rushing out to the door to greet her the way I wanted to. The way I chose the furthest possible seat from her every single week and still felt the warmth of her skin under my fingertips.

Fucking. Ridiculous.

I'd taken control of my kitchen for the night's dinner. Even though the agreement was that everyone helped cook, it was often Bella and I doing the actual work while everyone else made idle conversation and raided my liquor.

When Dean walked away from Robyn for literally one second, Christian stepped up to her. He looked at her with a weak look in his eyes, one I understood but at the same time, didn't.