Maid For You 4

Chapter 55

"It's King Nikolas now," I mumbled.

Madeline glanced down at my hands before snatching my Pringle's can away from me.

"Hey! Those are my Pringle's!"

She peered in the can, a sneer on her lip. "Please tell me you didn't just eat all of these."

I was quiet a moment. "There are still a few left," I mumbled.

She groaned. "This is what I hate about men." She turned back to me. "Of course, I love my dear Roiben, but men on a whole are the miserable half of the human species. They do whatever they please to us and twist our emotions up and then we end up sitting around getting eating ice cream and Pringle's, apparently, getting fat and sad over them."

"Can I have my Pringle's back?" I asked.

She dropped the can in the garbage before sitting beside me, her face full of concern. "Cassie, I am so sorry that that so-called King Nikolas has done this to you. And to marry Calista of all people!"

"How did you even find out?" I asked, deciding to table the Pringle's issue.

"My sister, Lucille," she said. "Listen, I know you must be really upset right now."

"I just feel, I feel so stupid," I admitted, beginning to cry all over again.

"You aren't," Madeline said. "Truly, I blame that man."

"But he's really not bad," I said. "In fact, he's so good. And that's the problem! He's just too good for me! He's—"

"No, no," Madeline chided. "Now is not the time to hear about how great and wonderful he is. Now is the time for you to tell me everything you hate about him."

"But I don't hate him," I said. "That's the problem. I actually—"

"Everyone is annoying in their own way," Madeline said. "I want to hear about everything you dislike about Nikolas."

I shrugged. "I don't know..."

"And we're going shopping," she told me.

"Shopping?" That just seemed overwhelming at the moment, and not in line with my 'hole-up-and-cry' plans.

She stood up and looked down at me. "I would always go shopping after the various heartbreaks Coleman put me through." She placed a hand on her hip.

"Did it help?" I asked.

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, not really, but at least I looked that much more attractive with my new clothes on when I was crying over him."

***

Madeline and I ended up at a chic uptown bar with a car full of shopping bags waiting for us. I took another swig of my beer.

"I mean, he's engaged to a sixteen-year-old!" I cried. "What kind of freak does that?"

"Deplorable," Madeline said, shaking her head and taking a sip of her champagne.

"I mean, I get it's different and politics and whatever crap, but still."

"Ridiculous," she said.

"And like, the worst part is, he acts like he's just doing this all for me, and yet at the same time, he puts me down!"

"Insufferable."

"I know! He just thinks I'm so incapable. He didn't even try asking me about it! Honestly I think his whole 'I'm doing this for you' is crap! He just thinks I suck and he is using that as an excuse."

"That's despicable," Madeline commented. "You're better off without him."

"Yeah, you know, he doesn't even respect me!'

"Exactly."

"He just sees me as a peasant!"

"How dare he."

"And..." I got quiet for a moment. "You know, it really hurts my feelings." I felt my lip quiver once again. "It really...it's really sad, you know?"

Madeline looked at me and sighed. "I'm sorry, Cassie."

***

Lydia was in an uproar when I told her the news about Nikolas—I'd rarely seen her so spitting mad. She ranted and railed about how ridiculous that he thought I wouldn't be up for the task, how insane it was that he was going to marry Princess Calista, and how I was clearly better off without such an arrogant, pompous fool!

After talking for an hour or so, she had to go, and I was left to myself and my thoughts. I now had new clothes for my wardrobe, some good food and drink in my belly, and a soft bed beneath me. Yet, I felt rather miserable. I figured that nothing would fix things other than time, but I didn't want to wait for that. I opened up my phone, trying to think of who else to call. Instinctually, Nikolas came to mind—he was the person I called when I needed someone to talk to.

Of course, as soon as the thought came, I realized that he was the problem and that he was the last person I could turn to for comfort with this situation.

I wondered if Calista had told Nikolas her decision to marry him—when I'd last spoken with him, he was unsure of her answer. Maybe he knew and was celebrating, as one does when one become engaged. Did Queen Klara know yet? When would the news hit the papers? At some point, everyone would know. It would be a public spectacle and there would be no going back.

I lay there for a long time, my thoughts too active to allow me some sleep, until I heard a knock at the door. I grabbed my phone lying on the table and clicked it on to see what time it was: 12:37am.

Who is knocking at my door?

I begrudgingly clamored out of bed and opened the door—maybe it was something important.

Turned out it was just Coleman standing there.

"You actually knocked this time," I said.

"I didn't know if you would be sleeping," he told me. "And it felt a little invasive and quite frankly creepy to sneak into your room at night. "

"I think I would have screamed."

"Exactly. Imagine the ruckus that would have caused. The explanations I'd have had to come up with."

"The only downside to you knocking is that I had to get out of my cozy bed," I noted.

"Well I guess we're one step closer."

"One step closer?" I asked.

"Yes, you're already out of bed, now."

I narrowed my eyes. "And?"

"And I'm taking you somewhere."

I folded my arms. "It's the middle of the night. Where are you taking me and why?"

He grinned. "You'll like it, I promise."

And because I had nothing better to do, I agreed, which led to me sitting in a plastic booth across from Coleman at the nearest McDonald's.