Chosen

Chapter Fifteen

    ~Arabella's POV~
I sigh as I get off the plane, looking around at the place I'm going to call home now. I was so used to calling the palace home, I thought it was my home, but I guess I was wrong. I walk down the steps and immediately walk to the one place I'm welcome.
I walk down the streets, keeping my head down, praying that nobody will know who I am. I walk up to the building and smile, memories flooding through me. This is the one place I know I can be happy in, with nothing to hurt me, no unwelcome thoughts to invade my mind, only everything happy. I push open the door and walk in, breathing in the familiar air. Home sweet home. I hear a voice from behind the counter that immediately brings a smile to my face.
"Welcome to Em's Diner, we'll be with you in just a minute, please feel free to take a seat anywhere." I laugh.
"Is the service starting to get slow without me, Em?" I hear her gasp as she pops up from behind the counter, eyes wide.
"Arabella? Is that you? I didn't think I'd be seeing you here again." I feel tears start to form in my eyes, but I push them back. I've cried too much, I can't cry anymore.
"I'm back. I missed you too much to stay away." I joke. "I had to come back to make sure you didn't replace me." I laugh humorlessly. Em's face falls in sympathy as she understands what I'm saying.
"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry." She walks around the counter and come to hug me, comfortingly. I hold in the sob that wants to escape me, refusing to cry. I will not cry over him anymore, he made his decision, and now it's time to make mine. I will get over him, I have to.
"It's ok, it happened for a reason, I have to get over it eventually." She smiles.
"You've always been so strong, never showing any weakness, but it's ok to break down every once in a while, you know?" I smile slightly.
"You may think that, but if I let myself break down, I'll stay like that forever. I can't let that happen to me, I won't let that happen." Em smiles sadly, sighing.
"Ok, I can understand that." I smile at her.
"Thank you." She nods understandingly.
"So why aren't you with your family? Don't you want to see Monica and Jake?" I sigh.
     "They're at the castle. The prince invited everyone's families to stay for a couple days. So my dad, Monica and Jake came." Her eyes widen.
     "Your father?" I nod. "Did he..." I nod again.
     "Yes, he did. That's why I got sent home. I was really close with Adrain, he told me he was planning to marry me. But when he saw my dad hit me, he got angry that I hadn't told him and said that he couldn't trust me anymore and to go home." Tears fill my eyes again, and like all the other times, I push them back, refusing to let the tears spill down my cheeks. Em looks so sad when I finish telling her, she looks like I probably did when Adrain first told me to leave. Heartbroken.
     "Oh, sweetie, that's horrible. I'm so sorry." I smile sadly and nod.
     "Yeah, but I'll get over it, I have to." Em smiles sadly.
     "So why did you come here? I mean, I love seeing you and I always will. But why didn't you go home?" Em asks, curiously.
     "I don't want to go home. I just can't. So I came here to ask you if I could stay in the apartment above the diner. I'll pay for it using my work money." Em thinks for a little bit, then smiles, nodding. I breath a sigh of relief, relieved that she's letting me stay. 
     "Of course you can stay, I couldn't say no to you. You just better make sure to work hard." She jokes, knowing I always work hard. I smile and laugh.
     "Yes, ma'am." I joke, then step forward and hug her tightly. "Thank you, Em, this means a lot to me." I pull back and smile at her again, happy that I can always count on her. She's the mother that I haven't had.
     "Of course, I would never kick you out of here. Now, what do you think of a quick lunch then getting to work?" I smile and nod.
     "That sounds perfect." I say, following her back to the kitchen. She makes lunch and we talk while we eat, catching up on everything we've missed. I tell her about my time at the castle and Adrian, while swallowing the tears and she tells me about everything I've missed at the diner.
~A couple days later~
It's been a pretty good week. I get up, go to work, spend time with Em, and then go back home. I live in the apartment above the diner and surprisingly, it's pretty nice. It's a big place with a lot of space, a master bedroom, a kitchen, and a big bathroom. It's not the cramped space I thought it was going to be.
I get up and get ready for work. I shower, dry my hair, put my uniform on, and put a little bit of makeup on. After I'm done getting ready, I walk out the door and down the stairs to the diner.
"Morning, Em." I say as I walk into the kitchen. She looks up from the stove and smiles.
"Morning, sweetie. How'd you sleep?" I smile as she looks back down at the stove, being careful not to burn the eggs she's making.
"I slept pretty good. You?"
"Good. Ready to get to work? The diner opens soon." I smile and nod, grabbing my apron from a hook and tying it around my waist.
"Yup, I'm ready." I grab my notepad and tuck it and a pen into my pocket. I walk out of the kitchen and into the dining room to change the sign on the door from 'closed' to 'open'.
I've been working for a couple hours, taking orders and delivering food. I'm in the kitchen, grabbing a quick bite to eat before I have to get back to work. Em walks through the door, smiling at me with a mischievous look on her face. I look at her curiously, confused.
     "You alright, Em?" I ask, catiously. She just smiles, the same look on her face.
     "Yes, I'm alright. But you need to get back to work soon, there are people waiting out there." I nod and quickly finish my food, grab my pad and pen, and walk out the door.
     There aren't as many customers waiting as I thought there would be, but someone was sitting in the booth by the window, looking out the window. I grab a menu and walk towards the booth. I stop in front of the seat and put on my best waitress smile.
     "Welcome to Em's Diner. Here is your menu, can I get anything for you to drink?" The customer looks up and my heart stops. Him.
                ~Adrian's POV~ ~2 hours ago~
     I pace around my room, thinking about where Arabella could be. She said she wouldn't go home. Did she just say that to make sure we wouldn't look there? She has nowhere else to go. She wouldn't want to stay with her father, obviously, and I don't know if her brother and sister live there. Where would she go? I think, pacing around my room, when the thought hits me. The Diner. The place I first met her. It looked like she was family with the owners. They wouldn't let her live on the streets. I smile, happy to finally have somewhere to start. I pack a bag, and walk out the door. I need to get on a plane.
               ~Present~
     I look up at the most beautiful girl in the world as she stares at me, shocked. Several emotions flash across her face. Sadness, confusion, panic, anger. She glares at me.
     "What do you want, Adrian?" She asks, angrily. I sigh, this is not what I expected. I thought she would be happy to see me, happy that I came after her. I guess not. I was stupid to think that she'd forgive me so easily.
     "I want to say sorry." She opens her mouth to cut me off, but I hold up a hand, pleading with her to let me finish. "Please, just let me finish." She sighs, but nods. "I really am sorry, Arabella. I was stupid to say all that, I wasn't thinking straight. I shouldn't of treated you like that. And I punish myself everyday because of what I did. I can't stop thinking about you Arabella. I love you. I can't lose you. I know I don't deserve you, I'm not worthy of you. But please, can you forgive me?" Tears fill her eyes as she looks at me. It kills me to see her like this. She takes a deep breath and looks up at the ceiling, trying to compose herself. It doesn't work. Tears are still in her eyes when she looks back at me.
     "Adrian, how can you really expect me to forgive you? Yeah, you apologized, good for you. But what about the next time I don't tell you something, huh? The next time I'm afraid to tell you something. I don't know if you'll explode on me again, tell me to leave. I can't live like that, Adrian." Tears are streaming down her face, and my heart is breaking watching her cry. All I want to do is take her in my arms and hug her until she's ok again. "I won't like that. So yeah, you apologized, that's great. But it's going to take a lot more for me to forgive you."  She walks away then, taking my heart with her. Determination forms in me, I am going to get her back. I will do everything it takes to get her back.

My poor babies :( sorry again for a late update, I will try my best to update as soon as possible with everything. And I'm writing another book! It would mean everything to me if you would go check it out. It's called The End is Near, it's an apocalyptic book, nothing like the Chosen. But I really love it and it would mean the world to me if you would go vote and comment on the first chapter, which I am posting right after this. Again, it's titled The End is Near. And if you would please vote and comment on this chapter, that would mean everything! Love you all and thanks for the support! <3