the royals ✅

chap 1: god is my savior, my redemption, mine.

 She watches him blankly as he pressed his head against the alter, completely silent. Alexis doesn't believe in god. Alexis doesn't believe in anything but herself. She's reliable. She's dependable. Everyone else isn't. Her nails are light blue, glinting in the sunlight. Her straightened hair falls down her back perfectly. She's the epitome of a perfect girl. From the outside, she looks calm and serene. On the inside, she's a wreck, slowly combusting into a million pieces.

The boy, pressing his against the altar, has already placed all his faith in god. Despite his father being a priest, his acceptance of God was his own. He's always believed that some higher spirit exists- that something controls his fate, outside of his own actions. He peers out at the sparkling blue sea, his eyes glittering as he spots the boats that don't move an inch, remaining in place. His gaze flickers to the ground as he places his hand together, quietly muttering something under his breathe.

She runs her hands over the brown wood as she approaches him, her lips drawn into a taut smile. She stops right beside him, tucking a piece of brown hair behind her ear. She's silent as she observes him. She'll never understand his devotion. But she has the courtesy to respect it. She'd do anything for him. And she's scared he knows it. Every single time she opens up, someone destroys her.

The boy, Adonis, looks up, his gaze filled with curiosity as he observes her standing quietly behind him, her face blank of emotion. He will never understand her. Alexis is an enigma, a girl who holds intricate secrets and layers of personality in her grasp. He sees the beauty in her, the small moments- moments that he refuses to miss. But on the other hand, he sees the darkness. Darkness that will, one day, push him away. He bides his time as well as he possibly can, cherishing every moment spent with her. Alexis, who has now spotted his gaze, offers a sultry smile. She sees his actions as nothing more than adoration, as she always does.

She's blind to his inner workings. She thinks he's too dumb to understand what the end of the summer holds for them, but he knows. He knows she'll leave. He knows she'll leave and never look back. Push this summer out of her mind. Or she'll try. But every day, they grow closer and closer. He feels an inescapable bond tugging them together, pulling them closer and closer. He doesn't want to let go. He's never been in love before.

That's right. Love.

He blinks out of his reverie, slowly getting to his feet, giving his lord, his savior, his redemption, another brief look before he stares at her. He's never met someone quite like her.

 She believes everything in the world revolves around her, and she hates it when things don't go her way. He knows what kind of girl she is- she feels powerless unless she knows that she's in absolute control. She's ruthless- refusing to stop until she knows she has that power in her hands, holding it over everyone's heads with her perfect little smile. And she refuses to give anyone else any power over her.

She doesn't know what to do about his riveting gaze, so she tucks her hair behind her ear, silent. She stays silent, thoughts running through her head. She didn't even want to come here, in fact, she'd be blindfolded and brought, but in retrospect, if he'd told her, she wouldn't have come. Alexis has always hated places of worship- as she's always known that religion does nothing but create more wreckage between specific groups of people.

The war between Christians and Muslims centuries ago is a clear example of that. And the label of a terrorist that is slapped on Muslims all over the world is another clear example. Religion does nothing but divide. Christians hate on Muslims, Muslims hate on Christians. People die. To her, it's pointless. And without it, life would would be better for everyone. No matter who she ends up with, no matter who tries to convince her, the lord is not someone who has ever seemed to want to play things in her favor or even attempt to help other people, therefore, she doesn't believe in him.