That evening, I waited for Alexander to show up.
I got through all my online quizzes, submitted the last of my assignments from the 'break', and even read the chapters for tomorrow. I didn't want anything to distract us from having a conversation. As I waited, a organized my room a little. It wasn't exactly messy, but it could use some organization.
Half-past nine, there was a knock on the window. It was so sudden, I shot up on my feet. How long had it been since Alexander had done that? Too long.
"It's me," Alexander said from outside.
"Y-yeah," I stammered out. "Enter."
Enter? I thought. Did I just say that? There's no reason to be nervous. We're just going to talk.
Alexander appeared in my room. He wore a suit. The tie was loose around his neck and had a few buttons undone. My mouth may have opened a bit but I couldn't be sure. I was still focused on Alexander. Not once had I ever seen him in a suit. He had conferences before, but he had never worn a suit.
My stomach fluttered a little bit. I hated to admit it but I wasn't exactly - and completely- immune to Alexander's looks. We were dating but, if I ever complimented him on his looks, he'd never let me hear the end of it.
Before I could say anything, he plopped down on my bed and laid back.
"You're going to wrinkle your clothes," I blurted out.
Alexander looked at me. "That's the first time I've heard that like ever."
I swatted his leg. "Get up."
A weird smile appeared on his face. Alexander suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me down against him. I found myself staring at the ceiling and squashed against Alexander.
"I could care less about my clothes," he told me.
I felt small against Alexander. It also felt surreal. The times where I pictured us like this were too many to count. I dropped my arm across him. The silence was a bit awkward. This hadn't turned out the way I'd expected. Then again, with Alexander, nothing went as predicted.
"You had a meeting tonight?" I asked.
"Dinner," he replied. "Other royal families decided to visit. Your media had the news all over the place."
"I haven't exactly seen the news," I admitted. "There was a lot to do." I left the part out that watching him on tv was a bit painful.
He shrugged. "It's not that important," he said, "but the King wanted me there. Now I can't even go anywhere without his approval."
I propped myself up on one arm. "Is he okay with you being here?" I asked. "Will you get in trouble?"
"I don't know and, at this point, I don't care. Besides, I'm sure he has me followed. He probably already knows where I'm at."
"Does your family know about us?"
It was a legit question. I'm sure the King suspected. My parents probably knew something happened between us, but they had never asked and I hadn't volunteered any information.
"The King does," he replied.
"Then, he does have something over your head."
Alexander frowned. "What makes you think that?"
"Because you're you," I told him. "You wouldn't do anything you didn't want unless someone blackmailed you." I swallowed thickly. "What does the King have on your head?"
Alexander sat up. His shoulders sagged. "Oh, the usual. If I want to sit on the throne, I have to do what he says."
I pulled my legs up to my chest. "Sorry. It must be tough."
I felt a little guilty. Alexander wanted the throne and here I was making everything worse by being selfish.
"It's not you," he told me. "Now, what did you want to talk about?"
Compare to what he was going through, did I have a right to get angry?
"It's a bit stupid," I began.
"Rin. Tell me."
I looked down at my bedsheets then back at him. "I know that you're busy and all, but can you promise to let me know how you're doing? After the stunt you pulled, I thought you got arrested again. Then you show up at school and - well, I don't know what to think."
He raised an eyebrow at me. "After the stunt I pulled?" he asked. "You have no right to say that. You pulled an even bigger stunt meeting with Micah alone and working with the mafia."
"Only because you went and got arrested," I retorted. I sighed. "Listen, I don't like being in the dark. You don't have to tell me everything but tell me enough so that I'm not paranoid. You have my number. Text me."
"I'll get better at that," he said. He shrugged. "Besides, it's not like I have many people to text."
"Wow. That sounds sad even for you."
Alexander stuck his tongue out at me. "Shut up. You're one to talk."
I smacked his arm. "That's a low blow."
"What's with all this abuse?" he asked.
"You were a lot more abusive before we started dating," I reminded him.
He grimaced. "True."
I bit my lip. "So, it's fine if we keep our relationship a secret, right?" I asked. "I'm sure Cassidy suspects something, but I don't think she'll give us too much grief."
"I don't mind either way," he replied. "I've been in the spotlight for a long time. I'm used to it, but I know you're not. We'll keep it a secret from everyone that doesn't already know."
"And Cassidy? You think she'll be a problem?"
Alexander rolled his eyes. "She won't say anything. If she does, well, I'll take care of it."
"Speaking of which," I began. "I overheard someone say that you're only attending school to appease all the vampire parents that are letting their kids come to our school. Is that true?"
"Who said that?" he asked.
I couldn't tell if he was upset or something. "I don't remember exactly," I told him.
"If you must know, it's not about them. It's about you."
"What?"
Alexander rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yeah. See, I might have used that as an excuse to attend school. I couldn't think of anything else and I wanted to see you." He shrugged.
A slow smile spread across my face. "You do care."
He scowled at me. "You're still saying that."
I scooted closer to him and grabbed his hand. "I'm teasing," I told him. "I just think it's cute because normally you wouldn't have said that."
He pressed his forehead against mine. "Only because it's you," he said, "but I think I need a kiss for the emotional damage."
My face warmed. "I don't think you deserve a kiss," I muttered.
Alexander leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine. It was only for a brief moment though and he quickly sat back.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?"
"Sh-shut up."
He chuckled. It was good seeing him like this. It was good seeing him period.
"Oh right," I said. "You said you were going to make it up to me, right?"
Alexander shook his head. "Really? Don't you prefer me as myself?"
"You said that if I date you, you'll turn into a kitten as many times as I like. You can't go back on your word."
"Alright, fine."
Moments later, a white kitten appeared before me. Happy? he asked. Or is black better?
Alexander shook and his fur turned black.
"I'm okay with either," I told him.
I'll stay like this then.
I quickly scooped him up in my arms. He gave out a small meow of protest but he didn't try to jump away. I smoothed down his hair and kissed the top of his head.
"I missed you. Don't do that again."
Alexander snuggled deeper into my arms. I'm not going anywhere.