Royally Kissed | ✓

38; the missing gift

—thirtyeight—

the missing gift

WEEKS BEFORE THE Royal Ball, Paige's mom and Isolde practically governed her walk-in dresser−they'd called out two wardrobe stylists and worked with the housemaids to pull out the clothes she wouldn't need and the ones that weren't too appealing both for her frame and the public eye.

Then, they replaced those they had taken out with neutral colors and classic pieces so that it would be easier for her to throw on what to wear without much effort, although still looking well-put together. Clothes that had been cast off were kept in boxes for donation; but most of them were given to the maids by Paige herself, with Aoife being favored the most since they were pretty much the same figures; while the others thought some of the dresses weren't a good match to their ages.

Aoife thanked her copiously.

Even though natural colors−whites and creams, blacks, grays, beige or tans, olives, and blush pinks−had mostly filled the closets to the brim, she requested for some of her other favorite colors like red and purple to be left behind and keep them. They were all but an endangered species to her now, but this would have to do.

So as she stood in front of her life-size mirror days after her birthday, she studied her turtleneck sweater, skinny jeans, knee-high boots, leather gloves−all in black color, only to accentuate the style with a red overcoat. Paige swept in a good amount of air as she pulled up a contented smile.

This was new, but this was good.

Adjustments might not had been completely nice to her but the change was for the better, she thought. She'd also let her hair cascade into soft waves, which she normally wasn't used to doing before, then ran her fingers through them as her attention riveted to the necklace on her chest.

Tilting her head down, she dredged up the pendant then stared at it in the mirror. It was difficult to hide the sadness in her eyes but she'd been practicing the art of looking fine. Why good things had to come to an end left her a frustrated mess. She knew that very well, though, even before everything began.

It was the thought of starting all over again that just made it hard for her.

She had to go on even though she felt like her limbs were slowly falling off.

But if going back to square one meant turning straight back into Owen's arms, she didn't think she would be lamenting about it at all. Feeling the cutting edges of the diamonds placed around the pendant, she thought about Owen's words when he gave it to her.

The world is round, Paige.

Paige nodded to herself. He was right. It was like an upside-down thing. Today she carried the world, tomorrow she would finally stand at the top of it. And if Owen would be the only person who could help her pick up the pieces together, then...

So many of them had come and gone, but he's the one you end up running to. You let others break your heart, while he was the one who'd wiped your tears away. Some people might have shaken you off your pedestal, but he'd always been the one who kept you out of that absolute instability.

Owen is your pillar of strength, Paige. He's the one you always come back to.

Because he is home.

...then, if this would work out, if Owen was the right one all along, she would promise to give her whole heart to him.

I promise, she reassured inside her head with a shaky breath and tightened her fingers around the pendant.