Her Royal Highness

XXXVII

"That's amazing!" Eden squealed, her high pitched shout painful to my ears. There was a moment of silence following her exclamation, before she seemed to clue in to my solemnness. "Isnt it?"

I tried to answer her half way between honesty and a lie.

"Yes," I said gently. "I mean, it will be great to have my life back. To not have to ask for permission to do things again. To actually be able to do things again."

"But?"

I sighed. "But Harry didn't do this for the right reason."

I could almost see Edens confused expression through the phone. "What do you mean?"

I sighed, closing my eyes and falling back on to my bed. My free hand covered my eyes, blocking out the sun that streamed in to my room. I lay on my mattress, my body contorted and angled awkwardly, but I didn't care despite the discomfort.

I had yet to tell Eden of Harry and I. Of how our relationship had changed. That there really was a relationship of sorts to be considered now. I had kept it all from her for fear that my honesty would result in Harry being taken from me. That the risk of my telling my closest friend would force Harry to leave.

Now, it didn't seem to matter anymore. Because he was leaving anyways.

"Harry and I...sort of...we're kind of....."

"OH MY GOD!" she squealed, this time even louder than she had previously. "I knew it. I fucking knew it! I wondered why you were acting so...different lately. All calm and glowing and stuff. You changed so quickly, Charlie, I knew something was up. It was like, you went from complaining about him and saying he was an intrusion to not saying a damn word about him at all."

"Most people would assume that to mean I hated him." I pointed out.

She only snorted. "I know you. If you like someone, you don't talk about them. Because you figure anything you say will incriminate you. So the moment I realized you hadnt complained about him for a couple of days, I knew something was up. And then when we saw him in the library a couple weeks ago when we were going your college stuff, I knew. The way he looked at you, the way you blushed when he walked in."

"I didn't blush!"

"Bitch please," she laughed. "I just don't get why you didn't tell me."

I exhaled a long breath. "Because," I said, as if that was all that needed to be said.

"Because you figured if you did, somehow your mum would find out and Harry would be fired." She said, quite confidently. I smiled at how well she knew me.

"But the thing is, hes leaving now anyways, so it doesn't matter if I tell," I sighed. "Because he doesn't care anymore."

"How do you figure?"

"It's kind of a long story,"

"I have time."

I launched in to all the details that surrounded Harry and I's coming together. Of the meeting with my mother, my intention of making my case for the college and major of my choice. How the initially academic purpose of the discussion quickly changed, revealing that not only did my mother know who my father was, but it was Ford all along.

I told her how I had run to Harry without even thinking. That he had been my comfort and my refuged from the feelings I didn't even know how to begin facing. How that night, everything changed. That all the look, touches and flirting culminated in to the most incredible and sensual experience of my life.