Alexander visited me that night. I hid the invitation underneath all my socks. No one was going to look through that. It was almost expected that Alexander was going to visit me every night that he could. My room had become his safe house.
I was already in bed by the time he showed. Wordlessly, he joined me underneath the covers and snuggled against me. I rubbed his back letting him relax.
"Long day?" I asked. "How bad was it?"
'Bad,' he replied. 'I'm not a fan about laws or policies. You won't believe the amount of discussion it takes. Why can't they just say something and agree to it?'
"I don't know," I told him. "It's not on my list to do."
'Lucky you.'
"Anything good?"
'I'm here with you.'
I planted a kiss on his head. "You're too sweet," I told him. "I like this side of you."
Alexander looked up at me. "I like this side of you too."
"Well, if you weren't an ass, to begin with, I would probably be sweeter to you way earlier."
"You're never going to let me live that down, huh?"
"Never."
"And you would have every right to do so." He sighed. "I - I have something to tell you."
I didn't like how his voice stuttered a bit. His voice never stuttered. Seeing my expression, Alexander sat up.
"It's nothing to worry about," he assured me. "However, you might not like it."
I frowned. "Well, I won't know until you tell me. So, I'm all ears."
"You know about the ball, right?"
"Yes. What about it?"
Alexander sighed. He rubbed the back of his neck and refused to meet my gaze. That pissed me off more than whatever he was going to tell me.
"Oh my gosh, would you spit it out already?" I asked. "Since when have you ever been so indecisive?"
"The King wants me to have a date for the Ball," he blurted out.
I wasn't expecting him to say that. Over the next few seconds, it suddenly dawned on me what that meant. Well, it could mean two things and neither of them I was happy about it.
"Okay," I said, choosing my words carefully. "What does that mean exactly?"
"Exactly as you heard," he replied.
I gave him a look. "You know what I meant." I cleared my throat. "A-are you taking someone or - ?"
This time, Alexander held my gaze. "The King is assigning me a partner for the Ball," he said.
A numbness washed over me. I didn't know how to feel. If anything, I was conflicted. It's not like Alexander had any choice in the matter. I mean, hadn't I known something like this was bound to happen? Alexander was royalty and I was not. Of course, he was going to have someone at his side.
Before, when I told him that I didn't like to share, I hadn't lied. I didn't want him to have a date, but it wasn't like I could tell him that I got an invitation. Alexander would probably try to get me to be his date and I also couldn't do that. The Royal Ball was going to get so much attention that I didn't want.
"Rin?" Alexander asked.
"You got to do what you got to do," I heard myself say. "Did your dad tell you anything about your date?"
Alexander looked ready to say something but didn't. He just rolled with it. "All he said was that I knew her."
"That's a good thing," I told him. I tried to sound cheerful or something along those lines but I didn't think it was working. "It won't be so bad then."
"Rin, if you don't want me to do this," he began.
I forced out a laugh. "Oh come on. Like you're going to refuse the King?"
"If you want me to," he said seriously.
I swallowed thickly. He wasn't kidding around and that scared me. How could he refuse the King because I wanted him to? Why was Alexander giving me so much influence over him? I was his girlfriend, yes, but that didn't mean my word was absolute. I didn't own Alexander. He had his own free will. I just wanted to be in his company and enjoy whatever time I had with him.
"Stop," I told him. "Don't say that. You know I would never ask you to do that." I sighed. "It just sucks that your dad is blackmailing you." I took a deep breath. "Listen, if you don't want a date then, say no. I'm starting to find that I dislike this new you."
Alexander frowned. "What?"
I shrugged. "Yeah. You're so submissive? Like you just go with what people tell you, like your dad. He's moving you around like a chess piece. Since when did you allow that to happen?"
"It's not like I have a choice," he muttered. "I have to be on my best behavior. It's to be expected. I deserve it."
"He's taking it overboard," I told him, "but I can see why he's doing what he's doing."
Neither one of us said anything. I took his hand.
"I - can't control who your dad has as your date," I said, "but at this point, just go with it."
"You're okay with me attending the Ball with another girl?"
"Not really," I admitted. "I don't think anyone would be okay with the situation but I can't change that. Just do what you have to do. I'll, uh, watch you from the distance and cheer you on."
Alexander kissed my forehead. "You're too good for me."
I smacked his arm. "Yeah and don't forget it."