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#trr fanfiction
ao719 · 3 months
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What's Already Mine
A/N: This is a part of my Us Again series. Submission for @choicesflashfics using prompt #2. Not beta’d. Please excuse any errors.
Title Inspiration: Already Mine - Us The Duo
Book/Pairing: TRR; Liam x MC (Katherine)
Rating: G • Warnings: None.
Word count: 2500
Catch up here
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Both my suit jacket and arm are draped over Katherine’s shoulders as we walk back towards the hotel from her old bar where I found her. 
We’ve walked in silence for a few blocks and it’s deafening despite the bustling city around us. We’ve seemed to have only a silent understanding of the situation; neither of us has said a word. 
My mind is too muddled to speak. I don’t know what to say because there’s so much to be said but nothing all at once. I don’t want to ask if she’s alright because obviously she isn’t. I don’t need to ask what’s wrong because I know. I know why she was there. I know why she broke down when she saw me. 
Despite knowing, I don’t know what to say … and I hate myself for it. 
I glance down at her when I hear a sniffle; she’s staring at the ground as she walks holding my jacket securely around herself. I watch her hand poke up from beneath the lapels to wipe a tear from her cheek and I feel my heart break a little more. 
I want to tell her it’s ok, that it’ll be ok, that we’ll be ok. I want her to tell me the same. But I know that neither of us can say that right now with certainty. 
So we continue to walk … in silence. 
****
Once back at the hotel, Katherine and I step inside our suite. I shut the door behind me and start to follow her as she walks into the bedroom; now that my arm isn’t around her, I notice that she’s a little wobbly on her feet thanks to her slightly tipsy state. She didn’t have much to drink, only a couple of glasses of wine at the gala, and based on the tab I paid at the bar before leading her out, I’d surmise no more than two drinks there, but I know she’s barely eaten anything today which is doing her no favors and she’s always been a bit of a lightweight as it is. 
When I enter the bedroom steps after Katherine, I see her draping my suit jacket on a chair. She then reaches back, attempting to grab the zipper of her gown, but she can’t quite reach it. When she becomes frustrated, evident by the small huffs of breath she keeps releasing, I step up behind her and gently cover my hand with hers. She goes completely still. After a moment, she glances over her shoulder; her eyes are rimmed red and still misty when she meets my gaze. I give a soft nod, and she slowly lowers her hand as she looks straight ahead again. 
As I lower the zipper of her gown, I let my thumb graze her spine, and I swallow thickly. When was the last time I touched my wife like this? The last time that my fingers brushed against her bare skin? I think back … it’s been a year. We were in Ramsford for the Beaumont Bash and we both had a lot to drink that night. I vaguely remember stumbling into our room, my hands tugging at the fabric of her dress and her arms wrapping around my neck as I kicked the door shut. Before that night, it had been months since we’d last been intimate, and before that, even more months. When we woke the next morning, we showered and dressed without a word, and when we arrived back at the palace, she went to the east wing while I headed to my study. It was awkward in a way and treated like it never happened. I think that’s when the deteriorating state of our marriage started to slowly consume my thoughts. 
Once her zipper is lowered enough, Katherine takes a step away and turns to face me, holding the front of her gown against her chest so it doesn’t fall. I slip my hands into my pockets to stop myself from reaching for her because I don’t know if that’s something I’m allowed to do anymore. We stare at one another, and my eyes are silently pleading with her. Talk to me. Please. Talk. To. Me. I can swear I see a similar plea in her own eyes. I open my mouth to speak but quickly snap it shut because I still have no idea what to say. 
“Thank you,” she whispers. 
“Of course,” I nod in reply. After staring at me almost expectantly, she lets out a soft breath and turns. “Katherine, I …” 
She stops and looks back at me; I see a flicker of something … of what I think is hope mixed with desperation and worry. “Yeah …?”
I hold my breath and her gaze for a moment before shaking my head. “Nothing …” 
Her breath subtly hitches in her throat as she drops my gaze and nods. When she disappears into the bathroom, I hang my head, squeezing my eyes shut in disappointment. 
Disappointment with myself, where we are, and my inability to grasp how to fix it. 
I begin to loosen my tie, but I freeze as my eyes shift to the bathroom door when I swear I hear a muffled cry from behind it. 
Where did it go? The love I once knew? It’s lost in the dark The light can’t shine through Where did we go? I can’t see it now I’m fighting the night To find you somehow…
*******
My fingers are steepled over my lips as I stare out the window of my study. My mind is in the same place as it has been for the past week since returning home: my marriage. Hell, my mind was here before our trip, but now, it’s all I can think about morning, noon, and night.
Katherine and I have yet to speak about what happened in New York. The morning after finding her in the bar, we sat through a silent breakfast followed by a few appearances that were scheduled before heading to the airport for our flight home. On the jet, I almost said something but decided against trying to have that conversation 35,000 feet in the air with no escape if we needed one. 
In hindsight … maybe that wouldn’t have been the worst idea. 
Since we’ve returned home, things have gone back to exactly how they’ve been. I work through the day and go to the east wing for our nighttime routine with the children. But instead of leaving the moment they go to sleep to go back to my study or the west wing … I’ve lingered. I think she believes I’m just waiting to be sure the children are asleep before slipping out, not realizing I’m there for her. I’m trying to give myself the courage to bring it up, but I find an excuse every damn time. It’s not good timing. It’s late. The kids are there. Whatever my mind can conjure up, it does. My fight or flight has turned to strictly flight; I flee every time. And either she’s having the same thoughts and coming up with the same excuses to not bring it up herself … or she’s completely given up, which after what happened in New York, it’s plausible. 
The bottom line is this: I know we’ve reached our limit. I know, one way or another, a very difficult conversation is eventually coming. 
At this point, it’s inevitable … and it fucking terrifies me. 
I’m so lost in thought that I don’t even register the knock on my study door. It’s not until I feel a shove against my arm and hear my name that I finally snap out of it and glance up to see Drake staring at me questioningly. 
“I’m sorry,” I say, shaking my head as I straighten in my chair. “I didn’t hear you come in.” 
“No shit,” Drake playfully scoffs. “I knocked a few times … called your name when I came inside, but you were zoned out.” 
I release a breath and nod, rubbing my eyes with the pads of my fingers. “Yeah … sorry. It’s been a long week.” I blink a few times to focus my vision and when I do, I see Drake now sitting across from me. His arms are folded across his chest and his brow is arched. “What?”
“Seriously, Li … what’s been going on with you?”
“What do you mean?”
“This isn’t the first time I’ve caught you like this over the last few months. You seem like you have a lot more than just the stress of running a kingdom on your mind.”
I look away, unable to hold his gaze. Neither Katherine nor I have ever mentioned anything to our friends pertaining to the state of our marriage. We’ve put on the same show in front of them that we have in front of everyone else. 
“Liam … talk to me.” 
I look at my best friend again, trying to rein in the sadness I feel. If I can’t talk to Katherine, maybe talking to someone will help. I clasp my hands together and lean forward against my desk as I let out a heavy sigh.
And I end up breaking down as I tell him everything. 
Drake listens without interruption, but he doesn’t hide the surprise in his expression. When I finish, I can see him still trying to process everything I’ve just told him. 
“I never would have guessed … any of that,” Drake finally says. 
“We’re good at hiding it,” I say. Too good. “It’s just … it’s become our norm. It’s like second nature now … putting on the front.” 
“Why haven’t you guys ever said anything?”
I can hear the hint of hurt in his tone. “I don’t … I don’t know,” I reply truthfully. “I can’t speak for her, but for me … I guess it’s … I feel like I’ve already let her down … and the kids. I didn’t want to let my friends down, too.” 
“Liam, you’re not letting any of us down.” 
“I’m supposed to maintain this image of my life. Acknowledging that my marriage had completely fallen apart to myself was hard enough. Saying it out loud to someone else …” I shake my head. 
“So what the hell are you going to do?” Drake asks. “I mean, you’re going to fix it, right?”
“I don’t know,” I scoff with a shrug. “I don’t know if it can be fixed.” 
Drake’s brow furrows. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that …” I trail off, chewing the inside of my cheek, not wanting to say my next words, but they come anyway. “I’m saying that perhaps this is the end of our story.”
“What the fuck, Li?” Drake barks as he abruptly stands from his chair. The reaction startles me, and I look at him, unable to hide my surprise. “How could you even say that?”
“Do you think that’s what I want?” I snap. “Because it’s not! But I can’t force us to get back to where we once were!”
“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Drake chides, and when I open my mouth to retort, he leans forward, getting right in my face. “It’s bullshit. And. You. Know. It.” He stands upright. “To just accept defeat is not only the easy, coward’s way out, it’s not you!”
“Drake—”
“No, I don’t want to hear it,” Drake interrupts. “What you and Katherine have … it’s the fucking dream, Li. And I’m not talking about the literal fairytale crap,” he says, waving his hands dismissively. “I’m talking about the real shit. I watched you two; I had a front-row fucking seat. I watched your story unfold. I watched you both fight like hell to be together. And here you are now, a decade later, and you’re ready to wave the white flag because you two hit a rough patch that you won’t acknowledge to each other? Fuck. That.”
As I stare up at him, I feel a tear slip down my cheek … because I know he’s right. I clear my throat and snap my gaze toward the window, trying to fight back my emotions.
“I know you both, Li, and neither of you would keep putting yourself through this if you truly wanted to walk away. That’s gotta stand for something.” 
My gaze shifts up to his again. “I don’t want to walk away,” I say through a cracked whisper.
“Then you fight.”
Where did it go? The passionate fire? We can’t find the flame And now we’re both tired What do we do When all we have left Is dying for life But on its last breath?
****
That evening, as I’m finishing up my work for the day and finalizing some plans I’ve set into motion, I hear a knock on my study door and call for them to enter. When I look up, Katherine steps inside. “Hi,” I greet her as I rise from my chair.
“Hello,” Katherine responds. She quietly closes the door behind her. “I’m sorry to bother—”
“You’re not bothering me,” I interrupt as I walk around my desk. 
Katherine swallows, holding my gaze as she subtly nods. “I, uh … I was just trying to get things in order with my schedule for next week, but it’s … did you have it cleared?”
“I did,” I answer, and my heart is pounding in my chest as I watch the confusion fill her expression while I try to keep mine impassive. 
“Why?”
“Because we’re going on a trip.”
Katherine’s brows raise. “We?”
“Yes,” I nod. “We … as in you and me.” 
“A trip for what?”
“That’s still to be determined,” I say cryptically. 
Katherine furrows her brow. “Is it a work-related thing?” 
Even though I expected her to think that, it still hurts when she asks. “No,” I shake my head. “It’s not.”
“I’m confused …” 
“About?”
“We … we haven’t gone on a trip that wasn’t duty-related in a long time,” Katherine says. “At least … not together.”
“I think it’s safe to say we’re a bit overdue,” I quip. 
“But what about—”
“Eleanor and Lucas are going to have some quality time with their Uncle Drake,” I interrupt again, knowing what she’s wondering. “I spoke with him and made all of the arrangements already.” 
Katherine lets out a sigh as she continues to stare at me. “I …” She trails off, shaking her head. “I don’t understand …”
My impassive wall drops and I sigh as I let the emotion I’ve been trying to conceal fill my features. “Katherine …” I speak just above a whisper. “You and I … we’re lost.” 
I see her eyes slightly widen as she lets out a breath before she drops my gaze, but not before I see the pain fill her expression. It’s as if hearing me finally acknowledge the truth we’ve both known but have remained silent about out loud has gravely wounded her. 
“We’re lost and we both know it. And we can’t keep running from it. We need to face it. We need to … to talk about it and figure out if we’re going to find ourselves again — find us again — or …” I trail off, struggling to say the next words out loud. “Or if we’re going to walk away from this … from each other … because we can’t keep living this way.” 
When Katherine looks back up at me, tears trickle down her cheeks. She parts her lips to speak but stops as she lifts a hand and rests it against her throat to where I assume the lump is that’s stolen her voice. More tears fall and more confusion crosses her expression as she continues to hold my gaze. 
“I cleared both of our schedules for the next two weeks,” I continue to explain, “and made arrangements for this trip … just for us.” 
Katherine’s breath hitches. “Where … where are we going?”
“To the private island …” 
I hear the soft breath of acknowledgment Katherine releases. 
We can’t run there; we can’t hide or avoid each other. And she knows it. We’ll be left with no other choice but to face this … to face one another. 
We stare at each other, and I’m certain the worry and fear of the unknown of what this trip will bring that I’m feeling is the same thing she’s feeling. 
We both know we’re going into this completely broken. And we both know that we’re either going to come out pieced back together and on the mend to being whole again … or we’re going to come out irreparably shattered.
I can’t control you Or what your heart will decide But I’ll never stop Trying to fall back in love with what’s already mine…
***************************************
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kristinamae093 · 6 months
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Ghosted
Ghosted - Two Steps Back (Chapter Ten)
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Series Summary - Prince Liam fell for Riley Brooks hard and fast. A marriage filled with love and devotion was within his reach. But everything changed when she vanished just before the end of the social season. As everyone voices their concerns regarding her scandalous departure, a confession from an unlikely source turns Liam's world upside down and makes him question everything around him.
Book/Pairing - TRR - Liam x MC (Riley Brooks)
A/N 1 - This AU starts right before the beginning of the engagement tour. There is a two-month lapse between the coronation and where we pick up, but we will stray from canon. Please excuse any errors found.
Characters belong to Pixelberry.
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After the Regatta
Penelope hobbled to her room on a sore foot and a painfully bruised ego. This wasn’t going as expected; advisors told her toward the beginning of the season she might stand a chance, but after only the first few events, they hastily changed their tone. Between Madeleine, Riley, and Olivia, they knew Penelope would not be the new king’s choice.  
Regardless, Penelope was enjoying her time away. The friends she’d made were irreplaceable; she and Kiara formed an everlasting bond. Even Riley was incredibly friendly, despite her commoner status. Penelope was rooting for Riley to win it all because she was genuinely a nice person, and Penelope was looking forward to what Cordonia could look like with her as queen. 
Penelope approached her door whilst humming to herself. The day was long, and she was relieved to be in the comfortable solace of her own space. She planned on calling her parents for their daily video chat, and to get some doggy face time to tide her over while away. Her anxiety was through the roof without having them close, but the friendships she’d made were a momentary distraction. She was glad the ladies were nice enough; otherwise, this experience would’ve been a nightmare. 
Penelope entered and made a bee-line for the bathroom. She did her business, washed her hands, and bounced her way over to the dresser to get more comfortable for the evening. Just as she opened the drawer, a stern knock sounded on her door. Penelope scrunched her face; she was expecting no visitors but thought perhaps Kiara wanted to hang out. 
As Penelope opened the structure, a thunderous force shoved through her and entered, slamming the door shut. Penelope stumbled backward but caught her footing. She could only stare at the person in front of her as panic flourished through her body. She didn't recognize them, but the death glare plastered on their face told her that notion was not applied on both ends. Her instinct told her to scream for help, but the visitor addressed her before she was given the chance.
They spoke in a low, raspy voice. “Have a seat, Lady Penelope. We have a lot to discuss.” 
“W–who are you?” 
“You need not worry about who I am, only what I know.” 
“What do you mean?” 
The person clasped their hands behind their back and stalked around Penelope; like a vulture circles its prey. “Everyone around you thinks you're the sweet, poodle-obsessed Penny, but I see otherwise. I know all about you… The things you’ve done… What your daddy tries his damndest to hide…” 
Penelope’s already increasing heart rate spiked. “I don’t understand.” 
“Of course you don’t. It’s alright, I wouldn’t want anyone to know, either.” They dismissively shrugged.
“Know what?” 
The person snickered at her attempts to deflect, but they could see the panic rising in her eyes. “It’s quite a common expression — young and dumb. But, when you’re in the nobility, there are no secrets unless you know the right people.” 
Penelope thickly swallowed. “I don’t – I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 
“Really? So, then you’ve never been — joined in holy matrimony, right?”
Penelope’s eyes widened. “I–” 
“Enough with your attempts to feign confusion; that will only prolong this process and I am not in the mood to play games. I know of your estranged marriage; how your father pays plenty of hush money per month to keep his mouth shut. I imagine it would be fairly difficult to talk yourself out of that situation if the press were to catch wind; considering Portavira continuously requests the Crown’s compensation. And I do believe the monarch would not be happy to learn your family has developed a slush fund, either.” 
The intruder gave Penelope a wicked smile and added, “Not to mention the — fatality that was caught amid your poor life choices…”
Penelope visibly tensed. “That’s not – I didn’t–” she stammered before snapping her mouth closed; her flustered state prohibited her from forming an argument.
“It’s a matter of opinion, I suppose. Regardless, I attained the records from your procedure.” They waved a piece of paper in Penelope’s face, and recognition swept over her instantly. She released a shuddered breath as the document came to a stop, her tearful eyes centering on the text. 
Despite Penelope’s panicked state, the aggressor continued, “Tell me, do your parents know of your aborted fetus? I mean, I saw you on security cameras entering the clinic alone. It was smart of you to use a fake name, but unfortunately, that was not enough to cover up your mistakes.” 
Penelope never answered, but the assailant watched her swallow thickly with shame etched in her features. She couldn’t fathom how this stranger had found her deepest secrets that she was certain would never see the light of day. 
Penelope found out she was pregnant the day after her annulment was discreetly settled. Terrified wasn’t a strong enough word to describe how she felt, as she stared down at the positive test; she went to the clinic in disguise to find out about her options and decided abortion would be the best solution. Being only nineteen years old, Penelope was practically a child herself and didn’t believe she was at a point to care for a baby like they deserved. And she was alone; when she dreamt of this moment, it happened completely differently in her head. She longed for the fairytale love, where they would start a family together; not single and inevitably disgraced.
Her parents didn’t know, she was too afraid to tell them — especially after her father agreed to pay a continuous hefty fee for Guy’s silence. Penelope was always well-behaved; the perfect trophy daughter. The look of pure disappointment held in their eyes when they found out about her marriage haunted her; she never wanted to do anything out of line again. All Penelope desired was to move on from her mistake, but life had other plans.
Panicked and ashamed, Penelope made the impossible decision alone, not wanting anyone to know of the stupid decisions that led her there. Her fear and guilt only increased after the procedure, but she grieved what could have been and pushed it into the deepest pit of her mind.
She never told a soul – nobody knew – or so she thought.
“All it would take is a small whisper to the press and it would destroy not only you, but your fraudulent parents as well…” 
Penelope gasped as her tears freely flowed. “No! P–please, don’t!” 
The person laughed; the sound sending an involuntary chill down Penelope’s spine. They stalked forward until her back hit the wall and they breathed over her. Penelope squeezed her eyes closed, but felt them draw nearer. The tangy scent of alcohol mixed with cigar smoke filled her nostrils, as they whispered in her ear, “If you want my silence, you’re going to have to earn it.” 
Penelope’s eyes shot open as she frantically nodded her head. “Okay, j–just tell me what you need, and I’ll do it.” 
“I knew you’d see reason,” the unknown presence spoke while taking a small step away. They produced an envelope from their jacket and handed it to her. 
Penelope opened it and started skimming over the information; it was an email address with a set of instructions and a few other notes. She didn’t understand what it all meant; the main thing that stuck out was the location of where they wanted the photographer to be. 
“Why are they going to be outside Riley’s room?” 
“The less you know, the better.” They once again reached into their jacket, this time pulling out a small vial and handing it to her. “You need to give this to her beforehand. I do not care how it happens, just make sure it gets in her system; the earlier, the better.” 
“W–what is this? Is this a drug?” Penelope stammered as she stared down at the bottle in her trembling hands. 
The person smiled; a dark, wicked smile. “You don’t need to worry about that; just make sure she ingests it at an early enough hour.”
Tears once again streamed down Penelope’s cheeks as she frantically shook her head and tried to hand the items back. “N–no. I can’t do that, and I won’t. I would rather disgrace myself than–”
“You’re going to do it.”  
Penelope stood a little taller and yelled, “No, I won’t! I–”
Penelope received a sudden, sharp backhand to her cheek. She fell to the floor cradling her face but was soon flipped over onto her back, her aggressor pinning her to the ground. She opened her mouth to scream, but quickly closed it as she saw the gleam of a blade in the light right in front of her face. 
“Make a sound and I’ll kill you right here, right now.” The attacker moved the knife to hover over Penelope’s throat, applying just enough pressure to keep her subdued. “You have two options — you either comply and do as you’re told, or this is where your life will end. If you refuse to cooperate, you already know too much, and I will ensure you don’t live to tell the tale personally. But I won’t stop there, no – I’ll ruin your parents as well; the entire world will know what a fraud you and your family are.” 
“No… P–please. I – I can’t – I –” Penelope frantically stammered, trying to develop a coherent sentence. 
“You can, and you will. Otherwise,” they leaned forward, close enough to touch noses with Penelope. “I’ll dig your grave myself and throw those mangy mutts in with you after. Perhaps we can make it a family affair and shove your parents inside, too. After all, being exposed to the world and losing their only disappointment of a child would leave them with nothing left to live for; especially once they know of your treacherous sins.” They sat back with a vile chortle, letting the words linger.
Penelope cried harder, her breathing rapid and erratic as her panic boiled over. She opened her mouth to shout for help despite the blade at her throat, but a firm hand abruptly pressed against her lips. “I think I’m being very understanding, actually. I could just end you and move on to the next useless suitor, but I’m allowing you to make the correct choice; to answer the call of service for your country. That commoner has no business being here; you know it, I know it, everyone knows it! We have to deal with her!” 
After a tense moment of silence, her intruder grew restless. They rolled their eyes and huffed, “You’re running out of time. I’ll gift you ten seconds; agree, or...” The blade on Penelope’s throat suddenly held more force; hard enough she could feel her skin being lightly pierced. “I don’t think I really need to finish that sentence, do I?”
Penelope subtly nodded her head, afraid to move too much. Although she didn’t want to betray Riley in that way, she saw no other way out. Not only was her own life being threatened, but her parents as well; she was not willing to let them die because of her secrets they knew nothing about.
Her attacker soon chortled and sat up. “I had a feeling you would see it my way.” They patted her cheek, hard, before they stood and adjusted their clothing.
The intruder walked to the door and turned back around to address a whimpering Penelope. “As a reward for your service, I will make you a lady-in-waiting for the soon-to-be queen. I’d suggest you take the position and use discretion whenever necessary from here on out. If you do anything to compromise this operation, you will be sorry. Am I clear?“
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The following afternoon, Olivia met with Liam, Leo, and Ray as they discussed the events of the night prior. The court just arrived in Portavira, although there was a break in events until the polo match in a few days. They gathered in Olivia’s room, as that’s where Ray set up his equipment and continuously ensured the area remained free of compromises. 
Olivia told them about Penelope’s involvement, and Liam was certain Olivia was lying or playing some kind of sick joke. However, after seeing the proof himself, he knew it had to be true. He wasn’t close with Penelope by any means, but still felt betrayed. Riley was kind and warm to those around her, not a malicious bone in her body; what made Penelope want to get rid of her?
“We have to question her. I can’t be sure, but she might know we’re onto her. The look in her eyes –” Olivia shook her head with a heavy sigh. ”– I can’t explain it, but I don’t like it.”  
“I agree,” Leo interjected. “We need to know why she did it, man, because this makes absolutely no sense. I mean, Penelope – of all people? Did she accidentally eat some dog food or something, and it made her go kookoo?” 
Despite his overflowing anxiety, Liam laughed. “I really don't know. But we’re not all going to question her. I think it’s best if myself and Leo did this, so we don’t overwhelm her.” He spoke to the entire group. 
“Are you… okay to do that?” Leo tentatively asked. “I can take Olivia — or hell, even Maxwell or Drake, if you don’t think you can keep your cool. We can’t really risk her shutting down and withholding anything important...” 
Liam remained silent for a long moment. Honestly, he didn’t know if he could control himself. The selfish side of him wanted to confront Penelope face-to-face and demand answers. However, he knew he was teetering on a dangerous ledge, and her confession could provoke several different reactions. 
He didn’t remember the last time he’d slept or ate a full meal. Days were molding together, and he had no sense of time unless it pertained to the tour. Liam was simply muttering through, doing the dutiful checklist a monarch should on the daily and trying his hardest to stay afloat; even though in all reality, he felt like he was drowning in a sea of uncertainty. No amount of training could prepare him for something like this; he was simply in limbo until one of the many open ends finally led them to something of importance. As the King he held mighty authority; yet, he’d never felt so powerless. Every second of not knowing something was torture; he just wanted to see Riley with his own two eyes. 
“I… don’t think I can, actually. If you wouldn’t mind questioning her, I would very much appreciate it, Leo.” 
Leo patted Liam on the back with a reassuring smile. “No problem. Care to accompany me, Livvie?” 
“I suppose if we want some kind of answer, I’ll have to, won’t I?” Olivia smirked. 
“Are we doing this now, or?” 
“Yes. The sooner, the better.” 
“And we’re certain she’s here?” Liam asked. 
“She was out earlier with her dogs,” Olivia answered with an eye roll. 
Liam nodded as he rubbed his palms together. “This is a decent plan. I have a good feeling about this, guys.” 
For the first time since he opened his eyes to the truth about the narrative against Riley, Liam felt like this could take them somewhere relevant. This was a solid lead and although he knew it probably wouldn’t provide him with all the answers he was seeking, it was a damn good start. 
Liam spoke again, “Any other updates?” 
“I received the diagnostic report on Lady Riley’s dress on the way here." Ray explained. "The blood was mostly Riley’s, but traces from Tariq were present as well. There were a few hairs and skin cells noted, but the DNA only registers those two.”
“Oh… okay…” Liam quietly responded. He hoped deep down the mess was from someone else, but immediately felt foolish to let himself believe such a thing. Hearing it confirmed out loud made his stomach burn with anxiety; this is what he blinded himself to, this is what he ignored. The overwhelming guilt Liam was fighting momentarily took his breath away. 
“Otherwise, there are no new leads.” Ray briefly met eyes with Olivia, the both of them having a silent conversation; unbeknownst to Liam. It wasn’t technically a lie, but not the entire truth. Ray found something — interesting, but Olivia decided now was not the time to bring it up to Liam, at least until after they learned what exactly Penelope knew. “Where Tariq is concerned, I’ve hit a complete brick wall; there’s absolutely nothing.” 
“Nothing?” 
Ray shook his head. “Not a trace. His accounts show no transactions, and his family has not heard from him in months. I’ve checked every mode of transportation available to leave the country and he wasn’t on any of their databases.” 
“How is that even possible? There has to be something, somewhere. Seriously – Tariq has the IQ of a fucking peanut.” Leo interjected. 
“It could be a collection of reasons,” Ray answered. He suddenly stopped typing on his keyboard and took in everyone’s curious expressions. “Either he’s just incredibly clever and has an immaculate ability to cover his tracks, has hired someone to do that for him, or…” 
“He’s dead…” Liam quietly inserted, just above a whisper. His palms started trembling in his lap, and the only thing he could feel was his heart erratically thumping.
The deeper this web went, the further Liam felt himself slipping from reality. All he wanted was a sign, a concrete clue, anything to put him one step closer to finding Riley. The longer that time passed, the more he believed there was a grim reason they couldn’t find them. Just when the light at the end shined brighter, Liam was suddenly drug further down into the abyss of questions, making him doubt everything. 
“We can’t confirm that right now, Your Majesty. I’ve searched hospital records and there are no reports of him checking in at any of them and nothing solid to point to that conclusion. There are a lot of open ends regarding his whereabouts, but I have a couple more places to look before we should start truly discussing that possibility.” 
“Right…” Liam quietly responded as his mind raced. If Tariq’s DNA was on her dress, does that mean he’s the one who injured her? They already knew he was close to Riley; the pictures obviously showcased them together, but was Tariq responsible for attacking her, too? Those thoughts created a storm of rage he’d never felt before; just when he thought the fire had sizzled out, another splash of gasoline was poured onto the diminishing coals. Liam may not have felt a lot of hope, but he sure as hell felt the rage consuming his entire being. 
Leo noticed Liam's forelorn expression and reassuringly gripped his shoulder. “Don’t worry, man. We’re going to get an answer — soon.”
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A short while later, Olivia, Leo, and ‘Harold’ walked the halls of the Portavirian estate, searching for Penelope’s room. Liam opted to have a drink with Drake instead of being alone, as his already overflowing anxiety seemed to increase with every passing second. 
They rounded the corner and Olivia tapped on Penelope’s door, but received near silence; muffled barks rang out beyond the structure, although seemingly at a distance. After a few moments, she stepped forward and repeated the process, but again, no answer. Leo knocked a few times a little louder, but heard nothing — aside from the dogs. He reached for the handle and tried to turn it, just to see, only to find it locked.
“What should we do?” Leo asked Olivia. 
Olivia tapped her index finger against her chin. “I don’t know…” She furrowed her brow and stared at the door in front of her. “The poodles are inside, so she shouldn’t be far… Maybe we search around and see if we spot her anywhere? It’s still relatively early; she could have stepped out for a moment.” 
Leo and Ray both agreed, and the trio began their trek. They started outside by the pool and checked the lounge area, but Penelope wasn't located anywhere. They searched nearly every floor, even the roof, but found no signs of her. Everyone else was already in their room for the night, the estate nearly deserted as they scoured the abandoned hallways. After a while, everyone agreed to take their chances and return to Penelope’s door, as a good hour passed since they last attempted. 
A voice called out to them as they made their way up the grand staircase. They turned around to see Landon making his way to them with a grin on his face. “Good evening, Your Majesty, Duchess, a pleasure to see you both. Are the two of you just strolling, or have you been out on the town?” He chuckled with a playful side eye directed at Leo. 
“You know me,” Leo smirked, “but actually, we’ve been looking for your daughter.” 
Landon’s smile faded, instead replaced with a perplexed expression. “What do you need from Penelope?”
Leo and Olivia shared a hesitant look. “Actually, it’s confidential… Do you know where she is?” 
“She said she was retiring to her room earlier.” 
Olivia spoke next. “We checked there. We checked everywhere and we have no clue where she’s at.” 
“Perhaps she’s already in slumber; she is quite the heavy sleeper. How about I come with you? I was headed there anyway, as she was acting fairly strange earlier.” 
“Strange how?” Leo asked. 
“She kept hugging her mother and me, and told us how much she loved us. She just seemed — sad, as if she would burst into tears at any moment. And she asked me to ensure Merlin and Morgana get plenty of treats.” Landon furrowed his brows and shook his head. “I asked her what she meant, and she just gave me another hug. Emmaline thinks she’s getting ready for her time of the month, which is why I came prepared.” He held up a wad of chocolate bars and laughed.
“I take it Merlin and Morgana are the poodles?”
“Oh, yes. They’re practically her children. It’s been hard on her to leave them at home, but she’s done fairly well. The unexpected route changes actually ended up being very beneficial to her, since she gets to be with them for a few days. I’m certain she’s going to have a hard time leaving again, but I know she appreciates getting to see them. When it was time to leave for the engagement tour, she was practically inconsolable; she didn’t want to leave, to the point we weren’t sure she would attend at all.” 
“So, she didn’t want to return, then?” Olivia inquired, hanging on his every word. 
Landon sighed and looked away. “I don’t believe so, no. But we made sure she knew how much of a tremendous opportunity this was for her. She was incredibly reluctant, but finally agreed. In all honesty, I think most of her reservations were regarding the fact that she was going so far away. Penelope is a very timid girl; she doesn’t particularly enjoy the crowds or being away from home. I’m confident staying in Cordonia where things are a little more familiar will turn things around for her; perhaps she will enjoy herself a bit.” 
“Right…” Olivia trailed off, as her mind swirled around these new little bits of information. She questioned if Penelope's reluctance to come back had to do with Riley's disappearance. The haunting look in Penelope’s eyes as that cab drove away told Olivia she could be correct. 
“Lead the way, then,” Leo inserted with a forced smile, as uneasiness crept into the pit of his stomach. The hair on the back of his neck suddenly stood at attention, an involuntary shudder traveling through his body; he shook it off and politely smiled at Landon, who returned the gesture before starting the journey.
Everyone strolled through the halls together and within a short time, they were nearing Penelope’s room once again. Leo and Landon made small talk along the way, but Olivia didn’t listen most of the time. A bad feeling rapidly grew as they walked; why, she wasn’t sure, but it was becoming impossible to ignore. As they got closer, the air suddenly felt cold, raising goosebumps on her skin and sending a shiver down her spine. The hallway had an eerie aura to it that was beyond explanation; judging from the cautious expressions of everyone around, Olivia knew her feelings were not in her head. Landon appeared to be the only one who didn’t notice the atmosphere shift, although he hadn’t stopped talking long enough to take in the environment. 
Just as they were about to arrive, they heard muffled voices speaking not far away. Olivia furrowed her brows and started walking faster, practically running, with Ray and Leo not far behind. 
She came to an abrupt stop as she saw a litter of guards standing outside of Penelope’s room; dressed in full riot gear with what she assumed to be loaded assault rifles, all appearing to be awaiting instructions. Standing toward the back of the mass of people was Liam, who was speaking with Bastien in hushed tones. She could tell even from afar he was talking sternly; his angry demeanor instantly drew Olivia to him. Drake lingered close-by, wearing an expression of pure confusion.
Olivia approached them and inquired, “What’s going on?” 
“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you,” Liam replied. “Did you question Penelope?”
“We were looking for her, that’s why we’re here, now.”
“But you didn’t find her?” Liam snapped, not even trying to hide the annoyance in his tone. 
“Not yet…” Leo answered as he took in Liam’s tense shoulders and ticking jaw. “Liam, what is going on?” 
Before Liam could respond, Landon interjected himself. “What is the meaning of this?!” 
Liam took a deep breath to calm himself and spoke in a calm, yet authoritative voice. “Duke Landon, I understand this may be hard for you to hear, but we have to take Penelope into custody.”
“Custody?! On what grounds?!” Landon hollered. 
Liam swallowed down the ball of anger and agitation lodged in his throat and spoke in a flat voice. “She is the prime suspect in the murder of Rhonda Floros.” Everyone’s eyes widened as their jaws hit the floor. “We will investigate further, but she has to be detained until we can–” 
“I – what?! You have no proof! This – this is an injustice!” Landon yelled as he frantically paced in front of Penelope’s door. 
Leo hesitantly spoke in a hushed manner. “Li, all we knew about was the photographer. How can you jump to that conclusion?” 
“The forensics came back and Penelope’s prints were all over the murder weapon. Her DNA was on everything else as well, but I’m focused on that knife.”
“Impossible! There has to be some kind of mistake!” Landon pleaded. 
“I’m sorry Landon, but the forensics does not lie,” Liam replied with a sad smile. “Trust me, I don’t want to believe she could have done something like this and I intend to figure it out, but we have to locate her first!"
Landon quickly stepped toward Penelope’s room and pulled a set of keys from his pocket. “She is in here — I know she is; she’s sleeping. I’ll wake her up and we can figure out this mess together, because I know for certain she is innocent.” He spoke as he unlocked the door and turned the handle. He entered and flipped the switch on the wall, the area becoming illuminated. 
Liam motioned for the guards to stay outside and followed closely behind. Olivia entered next, followed by Ray. However, a stern hand on Ray’s chest halted him in the doorway. 
“You are unauthorized personnel,” Bastien snapped.  
Liam quickly intervened. “No, he’s not.” 
“Your Majesty, with all due respect, I entered his credentials myself. I know for a fact what clearances he has and doesn’t.” 
Liam stepped up to Bastien with narrowed eyes. “Poof.” He snapped his fingers. “I just gave him access. Now, step aside.” He growled through clenched teeth, the vein in his neck profusely popping out.  
To be honest, Liam was stalling until he found Ray and Olivia; the three of them were going to question Penelope together. His earlier worries about keeping his cool were well out the window; now he was simply confused. Why did she hire the photographer? Did she really kill that maid? Did Penelope know they had spoken to her? Every piece of random evidence found had Penelope’s DNA – and only hers – on it in some fashion. Although the legitimacy of the scene was still in question, her fingerprints on the murder weapon were more than enough to detain her for questioning. 
Bastien never once took his eyes off Ray during the entire interaction. Ray observed Bastien's face crack slightly and saw him swallow and clench his jaw when Liam commanded him to stop. He finally moved his hand to allow Ray entrance, but held his intent gaze for just a moment too long. Olivia watched and noted how she wasn’t stopped, nor Drake or Leo — only Ray. She couldn’t help but wonder why Bastien didn’t want him specifically there. 
Liam glanced around as he entered and saw no signs of Penelope and nothing raising any kind of alarm. He’d never been inside this room before, but to the naked eye, not a thing was out of place. However, Liam couldn’t deny the sudden chill he felt as he stepped over the threshold. His skin instantly clammed up, and his heart rate increased substantially with every tense second that passed. 
Everyone else followed behind and did the same, but Landon circled the room while frantically calling Penelope’s name, only to get no response. He ducked into the bathroom to check there, but saw no traces of his daughter. Everything appeared just as it was earlier that morning when he personally prepared everything for Penelope’s arrival.
“This doesn’t make sense,” Landon huffed as he reemerged. “She said she was coming to bed. Where else would she go? Should we contact Lady Kiara? They had grown quite close.”
Liam sighed and ran a hand down his face. “Bastien, send someone to Lady Kiara’s room to check.” His patience with this situation was dissipating. An answer was right there dangling in front of his face; he could practically taste it. Even if he had to turn the entire continent upside down, Liam was going to find Penelope and make her answer for her part in this mess — whatever that could have been. 
“Yes, sir.”
Olivia glanced at the dresser and saw a jewelry box. Something on top of it quickly caught her attention; it was a piece of paper neatly folded with the words read me written on it in red ink. Her breaths immediately stopped as she stared at it for a long moment. Goosebumps raised on her skin as she realized the penmanship was strikingly familiar.  
She slowly reached out and brought it closer; Ray noticed and came to stand beside her to see what she had found. Liam and Landon continued to speak on the other side of the room, completely unaware of their discovery. Olivia carefully unfolded the sheet and quickly scanned over the contents. As she started reading, the color suddenly drained from her face, her hands trembling, and even tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. Her mind instantly started spiraling, trying to decipher what this meant.
Olivia and Ray stood gawking at the paper in a trance for an unidentified amount of time. The sound of Landon’s thunderous voice suddenly brought both out of their dazes. “This is absurd! She did nothing wrong!” 
“I understand your frustrations but as I said before, the forensics does not lie,” Liam answered in the calmest tone he could muster. “I have questions about all of this, Landon! But one way or another her DNA was littered–”
“Bullshit! Run the tests again! Something is going on here!” 
Liam winced at Landon’s volume, but shook it off and stood to his full height. “Duke Ebrim, you’d do well to remember who you’re speaking to and watch your tone. While I understand why you’re upset, I’m only here to figure this out. If you want to clear her name, help us find her so we can speak to her!” 
Landon frantically looked throughout the room, desperately trying to make sense of what was happening. At that moment, they heard a bark, followed by another softer cry; everyone suddenly stilled and an eerie silence took over, as they glanced at one another with furrowed brows. It sounded undeniably close, but there were obviously no dogs in the area. The silence in the air was deafening, but then it happened again and Landon finally pinpointed the location — the closet. It would make sense; Penelope heard the commotion and retreated in there with her poodles to hide because she was afraid. 
Landon made a bee-line for the door and wildly swung it open. He took a step back and two fluffy dogs slowly came out with their heads down, causing Landon to take a few steps back; they laid at Landon’s feet and whimpered. 
“What is it, Merlie?” Landon asked as he rubbed one of the dogs’ heads, their howls intensifying. 
The room’s air suddenly felt incredibly thick at the interaction. Liam felt physically sick to his stomach as recognition swept over him from head to toe — something was waiting for them in that closet. His hands shook at his sides, his breathing shaky and uneven as he stared into the dark, open doorway. 
Landon stepped over the poodles, who went and lay on the bed, but continued whining. As he entered, he ran a hand along the wall until he found the switch. The small area came to light, and his worst nightmare suddenly became reality right in front of his face. 
“NO!” Landon wailed at an ear-piercing volume as he dropped to his knees near the doorway. 
“What’s wrong?” Liam sought, but Landon broke into a fit of sobs and crumpled to the floor. 
Liam swallowed thickly and took a couple of cautious steps forward. Olivia suddenly appeared and tried to redirect him, but Liam was steadfast; whatever it was, he needed to see it for himself. As he got closer, he could see a chair lying on its side. His eyesight started on the floor and slowly traveled upward. He hadn’t made it very far before the color drained from his face with sweat immediately beading his brow at seeing a pair of dainty feet dangling in the air; one heel on, the other nowhere to be seen. 
Liam looked away but with a shuddered breath followed the body back up to the face, and sure enough, it was Penelope.
Landon suddenly shoved Liam out of the way. “MOVE!” He rushed over and held Penelope’s lifeless form, lifting her easily with one hand; the other quickly moving to remove the belt from around her severely bruised neck. Her limp body dropped into his arms and he cradled her to his chest as he rocked back and forth, making cries that would haunt Liam until the day he died. 
Liam regained his footing but remained cemented in place. This was it; this was their big break, but they only received more unanswered questions. Hopelessness flourished, as he saw no other solutions in sight. He felt like a mouse, mindlessly running through a maze just trying to reach the end for the reward. Penelope's testimony was that reward, but instead of finding the end of the maze, he encountered a sudden, abrupt wall.
Regardless of their actions, they faced a grim reality where a devastating setback countered every advance they made; one step forward, only to be met with two deadly steps back.
Liam suddenly couldn’t breathe; his lungs felt like fire with every rapid, hollow breath. The room started spinning, his vision hazing at a rapid rate. His heart pounded mercilessly, the sound overpowering Landon’s continuous wails filling the room. His hands flew to his chest and he stumbled backward, Leo and Drake quickly moving to catch him before he hit the floor. 
They lowered him to the ground and sat over him as Liam’s vision slowly faded out, their faces disintegrating into a pixelated, blurry image. He blinked his eyes a few times to regain himself, but found the rapidly spinning room made him nauseous. He felt Leo lightly tapping his cheeks, but when he tried to open his mouth, only an anguished cry escaped. 
Liam stared at the ceiling until the bright lights suddenly dimmed. His eyelids grew incredibly heavy until he succumbed to the weight of the world forcing them down. Darkness consumed him as he slipped into unconsciousness, a still silence overcoming his being. 
"Goddamn it," Leo grumbled to himself, as he watched Liam’s body relax. "Get a fucking ambulance! Now!" He hollered over his shoulder before his teary vision centered on his brother again. "Cummon, Li..."
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angelasscribbles · 9 months
Text
Summer Vacation
Series: None, this is a one-shot and you can find those here.
Fandom: The Royal Romance
Pairing: Drake x F!OC
Rating: NSFW 🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋
Warnings for this chapter: Lemons
Word Count: 2,245
A/N: Screaming at the top of my lungs Happy Birthday @nestledonthaveone!!!! Sorry it's a little late but it's not midnight, so it's still your birthday!!!
My other stuff: Master List.
The mood board was made by @harleybeaumont specifically for this fic!
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Jen’s summer vacation was going great. Europe was fun and the group of friends she was traveling with made it even better. They were supposed to be in Italy, but a train schedule mix-up had them stranded overnight in a country she’d never heard of. Cordonia or something.
But there was no use wasting a perfectly good night sitting at the hotel, so she found herself in a nightclub with her friends, waiting for the popular band they’d come to see play. The warmup band was one she’d never heard of before, but they were good. They had a weird name though.
“What the hell does Squid Whiskey mean?” Jen laughed as her eyes scanned the men on stage.
The drummer was hot.
Hell, they were all hot, but that drummer took the cake. She’d gotten a good look at him during the last break when he’d left the stage to get a drink at the bar. Tall, broad-shouldered, and muscular with chestnut brown hair falling almost to his shoulders.
He threw the drink back and then slammed the glass on the bar in front of him, his eyes meeting hers as he turned to go. He paused when he realized she was staring at him. A seductive smirk crawled across his face; he gave her a flirty wink before turning and striding back to the stage.
“I don’t know,” her best friend laughed back, “but I wouldn’t kick any of those guitarists out of my bed!”
“The guitarists, mm-hmm,” Jen agreed absently as her eyes stayed locked on the drummer.
Sweat flew from the tips of his hair as he tossed his head to get it out of his eyes, the drumsticks never pausing in their dance across the percussion instruments. Toward the end of the last song, he stood up, his arms moving impossibly fast as he played. She could see the muscles in his arms and chest rippling through his skin-tight, soaking-wet grey t-shirt. When the song ended, he twirled the sticks in his fingers before tossing one into the air and catching it again as his eyes lifted to take in the audience.
Her heart skipped a beat as his eyes landed on her. She was sure it wasn’t on purpose; his eyes must have just randomly fallen on her, yet she found herself unable to tear her gaze away. It became apparent that it wasn’t a coincidence as his eyes stayed locked on her while the band took their final bows. Before leaving the stage, his mouth curved up into a smile as he pointed at her and then at the bar.
Her mouth went dry as she nodded.
She became aware of her best friend pulling on her as she squealed, “Did that just happen?”
“You saw it too? I wasn’t imagining that?”
“No, that was real! Are you going to do it? Are you going to meet him at the bar?”
“Hell yes, I am! Don’t wait up!”
She was waiting at the bar when a deep, rumbly voice spoke into her ear from behind, “Hey.”
Adrenaline, anxiety, and desire surged through her veins as she turned to find him standing extremely close. She tried for nonchalance as she replied, “Hey yourself.”
That sexy ass grin broke out across his face again as he took the seat next to her, “Can I buy you a drink? What are you having?”
“I wouldn’t turn down tequila.”
She studied his profile as he flagged down the bartender. His hair was still damp with sweat and matted to his forehead. The front of his shirt was similarly wet. He turned back and caught her staring. His fingers pulled at his shirt, fanning himself with it, “Sorry, I’m a mess right now.”
“No, it’s fine,” she assured him, “Somehow you make sweaty look attractive.”
Shit. Did she say that out loud?
The grin was back as he extended his hand, “Drake, by the way. And you are….?”
“Jen,” she took his hand, and bolts of electricity jolted up her arm and cascaded through her body.
Well, shit. She was in trouble. But it was the best kind of trouble.
“You’re American? Texan specifically, right?”
Her mouth fell open, “How’d you know that?”
“The accent,” he took the drinks from the bartender and slid hers over to her, “My mom is from Texas.”
“No shit?”
“No shit! Cheers!” He held his shot glass up to her and then downed it in one fluid motion.
He scooted his bar stool closer to her and leaned in so she could hear him over the next act that had just started playing, “So what brings you to Cordonia?”
“A train schedule mix-up,” she told him, “We were supposed to be in Italy tonight.”
“Remind me to thank whoever was in charge of the train schedule.”
Jen blushed as she stared down into her empty glass, “What exactly would you be thanking them for?”
“The chance to meet you, of course! Would you like another drink?”
“I really don’t think I should, I’m already a little tipsy,” she admitted. What she didn’t add was how much his very nearness was throwing her off balance. The strong jawline, the five o’clock shadow, the broad shoulders, the still damp hair, and the musky scent wafting around her all conspired to spike her heart rate and send her desire for him into overdrive.
As if he could read all of that in her body language, he gave her that sexy smirk again, and leaned even closer, his breath brushing across her ear as he asked, “We could do something else. I’m open to suggestions.”
“We could go back to your place,” she responded, surprised at her own boldness. She wasn’t usually so forward. Maybe it was the tequila, maybe it was the knowledge that she would never see him again and this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, or maybe it was the irresistible force that she felt pulling them together, the way her body heated under his gaze, the longing for his touch.
His grin broadened then faltered, “I would like nothing more, but I live three hours away. What about your hotel room?”
Jen shook her head, “I’m sharing a room with three other people.”
His brows furrowed as he scanned the club. His features brightened when his gaze fell on a hallway toward the back. He wrapped an arm around her and brushed soft kisses along her neck before whispering in her ear, “I have an idea if you’re up for it.”
She shivered as chills cascaded down her spine. She licked her lips as her eyes met his. The intensity in his gaze set off a series of electric shocks throughout her body. She nodded. She was going to say yes to whatever he suggested.
Taking her by the hand, he led her through the throngs of people to the hallway in the back. They slipped hand in hand down the corridor to a small door near the emergency exit. Drake glanced back down the hallway ensuring no one was watching then pushed the door open and pulled her through it.
The moment the door was shut, they were all over each other. Her hands ran across his chest and shoulders, traced up his back, and skimmed along the back of his neck to run through his hair. She wasn’t sure which she’d wanted to do most, touch his hair or taste his lips. She did both as his tongue pushed into her mouth and his hands explored her body.
His touch trailed fire along her skin as his fingers slipped under the hem of her blouse and glided upwards to wrap around her ample breasts.
Her body arched up into his touch and her head fell back against the wall as his lips moved from her mouth to the hollow of her throat. He quickly divested her of the blouse and bra. She tugged at his shirt, but her fingers were trembling. He stepped away from her long enough to jerk the shirt over his head and toss it somewhere behind them.
She ran her fingers through his hair again then released it so she could give proper attention to the rest of him. Her hands ran appreciatively across the hard planes of his body, every muscle taut as he struggled to hold himself in check.
His lips moved from her throat down her chest to the valley between her breasts, pausing long enough to lavish each one with attention. His fingers joined his tongue to twirl and tease at her erect nipples before moving lower to slip into the waistband of her skirt and panties, easing them down her body as his lips continued their downward trek.
“Oh, my God….” She moaned, threading her fingers back in his hair as he settled on his knees in front of her.
His eyes lifted to lock on her face as his tongue made contact with her center.
“Fuuuuuck!” Her body pitched forward as tendrils of pleasure snaked through her being, coiling and pooling in her core.
His tongue worked her expertly as her body twisted and writhed against the smooth coolness of the storeroom wall. His mouth continued its relentless assault, licking, sucking, and flicking between her legs, humming as he pulled her clit into his mouth again and again until darkness blurred the edges of her vision and she jolted forward, screaming out his name, her hands pulling his hair as waves of pleasure surged and crested over her.
He retook his feet with a cocky grin on his face, licking his lips as he told her, “You taste amazing!”
Jen was too busy gasping for air to answer him. The aftershocks from the orgasm still pulsing through her. She lifted her gaze to watch as he slowly unbuttoned and pushed his pants and underwear down. Her eyes widened in appreciation when she saw what he’d been hiding in there.
His cock sprang free, rock hard, the tip glistening with precum. He lowered his lips to her ear, “I’m going to fuck you now unless you have any objections to that.”
She couldn’t help the smile that flooded her features, “I have no objections to that, sir!”
“Good girl,” he crooned as he slid his hardened length slowly into her.
“Oh!” She gasped at the delicious fullness as he penetrated her. Her arms clutched him tightly as her fingers pressed into his shoulders. She gave herself over to the sensations that immersed her. The intoxicating smell of him, the way his muscles coiled and rolled under her touch as he moved in and out of her, his fingers digging into her ass as he held her up, the smoothness of the wall as her body collided into it with each thrust, the low, primal sounds rumbling through him, the slickness of his sweat as it mingled with her own, the salty taste that danced across her tongue when she licked that sweat from his chest, the rough scrape of stubble against her cheek; every scent, every sound, every touch flaming her desire higher and higher until she once again careened over the edge, coming apart under his touch, his passion, his desperate, frenzied thrusting.
She tried to swear as the second orgasm ripped through her body, but the words all came out garbled as ecstasy stole all her composure.
His movements became more frenzied, more frantic, and less rhythmic as the sounds and sensations of her pleasure sent his own release crashing over him. Feral sounds issued from his throat as he exploded, his cock pulsing over and over as he emptied himself into her. He leaned against her, pinning her to the wall as they both worked to regain their breath. He finally lowered her gently to the floor before running his hands through her hair and placing a soft kiss on her forehead, “Damn, that was amazing!”
“We should…find our clothes,” she panted, suddenly worried about someone catching them, a concern that had flown right out of her head earlier.
“Yeah…okay…in a minute…” he pulled her back in for another kiss.
She melted into it, once again forgetting to be concerned about the fact that the storeroom door did not have a lock on it.
When he released her, he bent and scooped some clothes from the ground, “Here,” he held her shirt out to her.
“Thanks,” she took it as she scanned the ground for the rest of her clothing. She quickly gathered everything she could find. When she was wearing everything but the one item she couldn’t find, she turned to him and asked, “Have you seen my panties?”
“These?” he held them up with a grin, “You’re not getting these back!”
“What?”
“Tell you what,” he fastened up his pants and then stuck the panties in his pocket, “If you want them back, you have to let me come visit you in Texas.”
Surprise and elation pulled through her, “You want to come visit me back home?”
“Yes,” he affirmed as he pulled his shirt on, “Can I?”
“I think I’d like that,” she agreed.
“Fantastic! Come on, I’ll give you a ride to your hotel and you can give me your number in the car.”
He offered her his hand and she threaded her fingers through his, letting him lead her outside as a sense of contentment settled over her.
This had turned out to be the best summer vacation ever.
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sfb123 · 1 year
Note
I love how you iron out the creases in PB's narrative of TRR. Can you rewrite the first chapter of book 2? I remember Liam sent a message to meet him. When I was playing that chapter I was so angry, I (MC) refused to meet him and then finally he comes down to meet the MC.
How do you think their first meeting should be? After all MC has been through or may be even Liam has been through.
I am making it my personal writing resolution, to try to clear out some of the asks in my inbox this year. I have some really great ones that I'm excited about. This one from @twinkleallnight is a great example of that. Thank you for sending it!
My inbox is always open! I can't promise a particularly timely response, but I promise, anything that has been sent is still there, and I've got them all in the back of my mind.
Never Really Over
Book: The Royal Romance Book 2
Pairing: Liam x Riley (past) Liam x Madeleine
All characters, and some of the dialogue, belong to Pixelberry.
Summary: It's the first night of Liam and Madeleine's engagement tour, and Riley receives a late night visitor.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2,335
A/N: I am participating in @choicesflashfics, using the prompt “Nothing about any moment I’ve spent with you will ever be a regret.” it will be in bold below.
A/N 2: Thank you always to @txemrn for pre-reading, and all your super sweet and supportive feedback.
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As soon as Riley crossed the threshold to her room, she kicked off her shoes, leaving them where they landed. She had used up all of her energy at dinner, pretending she didn’t notice everyone staring and whispering as she passed by. Acting as if she was happy for the newly engaged king as he paraded around with Madeleine on his arm, even though she could feel her heart crumbling every time her eyes traveled in their direction. 
She fell back on the bed, trying to convince herself to take her makeup off before she started crying. Despite her intentions, she remained rooted in place. Her self-loathing was interrupted by a knock at the door. She groaned before begrudgingly standing from the bed and answering it. 
Maxwell greeted her with a wide smile and a bouquet of two dozen roses. “Special delivery! Housekeeping sent over a new centerpiece for your end table.”
Riley took the flowers from him, leaning in to smell them. When she got closer, she noticed a piece of paper wrapped around one of the stems. She brought the flowers over to the table, setting them down and unwrapping the paper. 
I wouldn’t blame you if you’re furious with me, but please meet me so I can at least explain. I’ll be on the balcony outside my room in twenty minutes.
“That’s Liam’s handwriting!” Maxwell exclaimed as he read over her shoulder. 
Riley’s heart began to speed up. “He wants me to meet him? But why?” 
Maxwell wrapped his arm around Riley’s shoulder, pulling her close. “Because he loves you. He probably wants to explain why he picked Madeleine, and how he’s made a terrible, horrible mistake.” 
“Or he wants to tell me off for hurting him and making him look like a fool on the biggest night of his life.” She went to her dresser, pulling out a pair of pajamas and stepping into the bathroom. 
“Riley, you have to go!” Maxwell called through the door. “You don’t really believe that he thinks that, do you?” 
Riley opened the bathroom door and walked back to the sink. “What other reason could there be?” She began wiping the makeup off of her face. “He told me he loved me, we… you know. And then twenty minutes later, he was engaged to Madeleine, and I was being dragged out of the palace.” 
“All I’m saying,” Maxwell approached her, meeting her gaze through the mirror as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Is that you should at least hear him out.”
“He had three weeks, Max.” 
“But Riley -”
“I’m not doing it. It’s going to be hard enough seeing him at all these events. I’m not about to start looking for an extracurricular heartbreak.” She exited the bathroom going to her bed and turning it down. “I’ll see you in the morning, Maxwell.”
Maxwell’s expression fell as he came to terms with the fact that he wasn’t going to win this fight. He said goodnight to Riley and headed to his room.
Riley sank between the sheets, trying to calm her mind so that she could get some sleep. Her thoughts were racing, replaying the events of the evening, and now wondering what Liam wanted to see her about. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t curious about what he had wanted to say to her. She pictured him standing on the balcony waiting for her. Would he be hurt that she didn’t come? 
She lost track of how long it took, but eventually she did drift off to sleep. Which was cut short with a firm, yet soft knock on her door. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she slowly rolled out of bed. Reaching for her robe, she slipped it on and tied it as she approached the door. 
Her breath caught in her throat when she locked onto the blue eyes that were waiting for her on the other side. She quickly fixed her face, hiding her surprise, and her sadness. “Your majesty.” She dipped into a formal curtsy unsure of how she should address him, as this was the first time she had been alone with him since he became king. 
Liam examined Riley for a moment. She looked so beautiful, but he could see the pain in her eyes, despite her attempts to hide it. It broke his heart to see her like this. “Lady Riley,” he nodded, “may I?” 
Riley stepped aside, allowing Liam to enter, closing the door behind him. They stood in silence for a moment, looking in each other's eyes, trying to figure out what the other was thinking.
“Did you get my note?” Liam broke the silence. He was hoping she simply didn’t notice it when she received the flowers. Riley nodded, and his heart sank. 
“Forgive me, your majesty,” Liam winced slightly, this was the second time she had used his title. He missed the way his name sounded when it fell from her lips. “Dinner was more tiring than I anticipated. I decided to stay in this evening.” 
“Riley, you know there is no need for formalities when we’re alone.” He stepped forward, reaching out for her hand, but she stepped out of his grasp.
“You’re engaged now, I’d assume it’s frowned upon for you to be alone with the court whore.” 
“Riley…” 
“What? That’s why you’re here, right? To tell me off, to tell me how much I hurt you? How you regret everything you said to me that night?” She turned her back to Liam, wiping away the tears that had escaped. 
His eyes went wide at her outburst. This whole time, he thought she was avoiding him because she was angry with him for the Coronation, he never expected her to think that he believed the pictures. “Riley, I know you didn’t do anything. You were set up.” 
“You… you do?” Her head slowly turned, and Liam saw the tears streaming down her face. 
“Of course,” he stepped up to her as she turned fully. He tentatively lifted a hand to wipe her tears. “Riley, I meant every single thing I said to you at my Coronation. I still mean them. Nothing about any moment I’ve spent with you will ever be a regret. The only regret I have is choosing Madeleine over you.”
“Then why did you?” Her pain was quickly replaced with anger and confusion as she backed away from him again.
“Can we sit?” He asked, tilting his head toward the bench at the foot of her bed. 
She nodded, and they sat down next to each other. Riley kept as much distance as possible between her and Liam. 
“Riley, someone is determined to prevent you from becoming queen. They were willing to go to great lengths to set you up. To put you in a compromising position, to invade your privacy. I know about the lock on your door. Whoever this was was willing to put your safety at risk, and they have considerable resources and access to court.” He took a deep breath, reaching over and resting a hand on her knee. “If I had stood up there and chosen you, from then on, you’d be in danger.” 
“But I would have had you to protect me. I know you wouldn’t let anything happen to me. And you have guards and all that,” Riley said, still not understanding how he could pick someone else, after everything they had shared. 
“Yes, but I’ve already failed to protect you once.” Liam’s gaze dropped to his feet, internally chastising himself again for not being there for her that night. “And after what happened at Applewood, the guards can’t be trusted either. The only way to truly keep you safe was to act as if I believed the pictures.”
There was a brief silence in the room, both of them letting the gravity of their current situation sink in.
“Do you remember the night of the masquerade? When I told you about my mother?” Liam finally spoke up. 
Riley looked at him curiously. “Yeah, you said you lost her when you were a kid.”
“Yes, but I didn’t tell you how.” His eyes locked on hers, and she could see the tears trying to break free. “She was poisoned.” 
“Oh my god, Liam. I’m so sorry.” She put a comforting hand on his shoulder. 
Liam cleared his throat and stood from his seat. “Yes, well that’s exactly why I couldn’t choose you. She was the queen, yet there was someone that wanted her out of the way, and they had the means to make it happen.” He walked back over to her, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands. “If I had lost you, Riley…”
Riley studied Liam’s expression. She saw the pain and fear in his eyes and understood that he truly believed this to be the right decision, even if she didn’t agree with it. “So what does this mean for us?” 
“Madeleine and I have… an understanding,” he sighed, “she knows that I’m not in love with her.” 
“Okay, but you’re engaged to her.” 
“Because I needed to make a choice. On paper, she was the best option.” Riley’s gaze dropped, but Liam placed his finger under her chin lifting it to look her in the eyes. “But she offered me an arrangement the night before the Coronation.” 
“What kind of arrangement?” RIley asked with a slight sniffle. 
Liam wiped another stray tear from Riley’s cheek before taking her hands in his. “She told me it was obvious that I was in love with you. But regardless of my feelings, she would be the best Queen for Cordonia. If I were to choose her, she would allow us to continue our relationship.” 
Riley stood abruptly, pulling her hands from his and rolling her eyes. “How incredibly generous of her.” She started moving towards the door. 
“Riley,” Liam rushed after her, placing his hand on top of hers when she reached for the doorknob. “All I could think about in that moment was finding a way to keep you in my life.” 
“So your solution to all of this is to be the good little king, marry Madeleine, and make me your mistress?” She backed away, placing her hands on her hips. “What kind of life is that?” 
“A temporary one,” he assured her. “I have no intentions of marrying her. It was simply a play to buy us time. Her hope is that nothing changes, and I simply end up marrying her.” He took a step closer to Riley, brushing a stray hair behind her ear. “But my hope is that we’re able to uncover the traitor plotting against you, and then…” He lifts her hand to his lips, kissing it softly. 
“Happily ever after?” Riley sighed, getting lost in the feel of her hand in his, the brush of his lips against her skin. 
Liam smiled as he used their still joined hands to tug her closer, wrapping his free arm around her waist. “Precisely.” He paused for a moment, relishing in the closeness he had been so desperate for over the last few weeks. “But we need to be careful… very careful.” 
Riley kept her eyes locked on his as his expression shifted to concern. “For your safety, it must still appear that we’re no longer involved.” 
His words snapped her out of her daze, and reminded her of their current situation. She instantly pulled away, stepping out of his embrace. “That shouldn't be a problem. We aren’t involved anymore, Liam.” 
“But Riley, I -”
“No,” she cut him off. “I understand that you and Madeleine have an arrangement. But it’s an arrangement that I have not agreed to.” Liam looked at her in confusion as she, again, moved toward the door. “I am here to clear my name. If I’m successful in that, then we can have a conversation about what that means for us. But for now, you’re engaged. It may be political, and there may not be feelings involved, but I’m not getting in the middle of it. I’m trying to stop the rumors, not give them more things to use against me.” 
Liam dropped his gaze to the ground as tears began to well in his eyes. “I understand,” he replied quietly. 
“Hey,” she said, her voice softening, his glistening eyes lifted to meet hers. “I still mean everything I said that night too. But I sat alone for three weeks without so much as a word from you. I spent all that time in my head, playing out scenarios, worrying about seeing you again, wondering if I would see you again. A lot has happened since the garden maze; I can’t just act like it didn’t.” 
“You’re right.” Liam nodded as he stepped toward the door, clearing his throat to try to compose himself. “My availability will be limited during the tour, but if there is anything I can do to help you clear your name, I will.” He lifted her hand one more time, his lips lingering on the back of it, not wanting to break contact. 
“Thank you,” Riley replied. 
Liam reluctantly let go of her hand and opened the door, turning once more to look at her over his shoulder. “Goodnight, Lady Riley.” 
“Goodnight, your majesty,” she curtsied. As she stood, her eyes stayed trained on the floor, not wanting to watch him leave. 
He exited her room, closing the door behind him. Riley quickly locked it, and returned to her bed, collapsing onto the plush mattress.  As difficult as this evening was, things had been so much easier when she thought Liam hated her. Now he wanted to continue their relationship, secretly, while he was engaged to Madeleine. Sure, she had held her ground tonight, but it was going to be a long engagement tour. Would her resolve be strong enough to stick to her principals? More importantly, would any of this even be worth it in the end?
Permatag:
@3pawandme @busywoman @cariantha @charlotteg234 @choiceskatie @cordonia-gothqueen @cordoniaqueensworld @emkay512 @foreverethereal123 @gryffindordaughterofathena @hopelessromanticmonie @iaminlovewithtrr @i-am-only-here-for-sims-cc @imashybish @kat-tia801 @khoicesbyk @kingliam2019 @mom2000aggie @neotericthemis @nestledonthaveone @nikirennie87 @princessleac1 @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @secretaryunpaid @sincerelyella @theroyalheirshadowhunter @tessa-liam @twinkleallnight @txemrn 
TRR:
@21-wishes @ao719 @belencha77 @burnsoslow @lovingchoices14 @ofpixelsandscribbles @the0afnan @tinkie1973
Liam:
@amandablink @cordonianprincess @custaroonie @jared2612 @xpandass420x @yourmajesty09 @zaffrenotes
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txemrn · 1 year
Text
Pour Two Glasses
Chapter 6: "...Everything's Turned Upside Down"
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Need to catch up? Masterlist
✨ Have you checked out this teaser video yet? Pour Two Glasses Teaser✨
Word Count: 6150 (+/-)
Series Synopsis: In the midst of a violent political war, Queen Riley Rys’s life is dismantled overnight, forcing her to flee Cordonia to live in hiding as a commoner with a loyal, best friend
Series Song Inspo: “Pour Two Glasses” by the Movielife
Chapter Song Inspo: "Broken Pieces Shine" by Evanescence
Series Warnings: 🔞 For Mature Audiences Only 🔞 angst; profanity; major character death; grief and mental health discussion; discussion of violence & war; alcohol use; NSFW material
A/N: I don't say this enough, so I hope it's okay I start this A/N with this message... to my beautiful readers: thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I loved dreaming up this story, and knowing that y'all want more warms my heart! Thank you for all the messages, all the questions, and all of the encouragement! Please know I see each and every one of y'all, and I love y'all so dearly! Y'all are a huge part of P2G, and I can't thank you enough for being so kind! Sending out major hugs to each of y'all! 🖤
A/N 2: Characters and some plot references belong to our friends at Pixelberry. To my village, as always THANK YOU SO MUCH helping me bring this story to life! This was not beta'd, so please excuse my errors.
~🖤~
Riley spends most of her recovery time alone, secluded from the outside world. The stillness of the lonely mornings melt into the mundane hustle of the afternoons, and although time seems to pass before her eyes in a whirlwind blur, to the fallen queen, it trudges along slowly, creeping into her least favorite part of the day: the dark, listless nights.  
Due to the multiple terrorist threats made against the monarchy, not to mention the two bombs found during a routine sweep of the palace, the royal guard, the local police along with Interpol agreed the safest place for the queen of Cordonia was inside her hospital room despite being discharged days ago. 
Her physical therapist would visit on Mondays and Wednesdays while her doctors would visit Tuesdays and Fridays to ensure her recovery was on track. Healthcare workers were available upon request, but they would be accompanied by armed guards.
Drake, Olivia and Maxwell were given special clearance, and they kept to a round-the-clock schedule to ensure Riley was never alone.
That is, until she sent them away after the first week. Watching them grow ill with concern over her well-being added to her grief, and she hated being the reason for their stolen joy. Riley knew they meant well, and they never, ever complained for sitting by her side in complete silence.  Even Maxwell toned down his enthusiasm in his attempts to make her happy.  But Riley could see them slipping away into different versions of themselves, and the guilt festered in her heart.
Rarely sleeping and barely eating, Riley stopped taking her pain medications. She never would admit to her masochistic reasoning, but the physical discomfort served as a welcomed distraction from the agony she felt internally. She felt like she had little to no control over her life, but this, in a very sick, twisted way, this was hers.
It’s the following Friday, the small hours of the morning. Riley tosses and turns for another restless night of sleep as memories of only two weeks ago flash through her mind. Her husband’s funeral. The assassination attempt. Her own life unknowingly in the balances during a critical surgery.
With a subtle rumble in the distance, she opens an eye, and quickly notices the gathered rainclouds outside her lone, two-paned hospital window. Sitting up, she pulls on Liam’s sweatshirt before scooting the reclining chair in her room closer to the view of the angry sky.
The pelting raindrops and the howling wind put on quite the show, calming Riley's anxious heart. She used to love quiet moments with her late husband where they could share in the wonder of nature. As the storm continues to brew outside her room, her eyes grow heavy, the soothing sounds of the storm lulling her to sleep.
A sudden clap of lightning rips across the gray Cordonian sky, startling Riley awake.  She quickly sits up, her chest heaving as her eyes adjust to the darkness of her master bedroom. Feeling her pulse rapidly thrum in her ears, she reaches for her husband; but she is met with cold, barren sheets, tossed against her side.
“Liam?”  She sits on the side of the bed, slipping her house shoes on before standing to grab her robe. “Liam?” She cries out once more before the storm outside ignites the angry clouds with another crash of thunder. Gripping the fabric of her lapels in terror, she watches hypnotically as the countryside dims back into the darkness of night.
“Riley, my love.”  
Riley turns with a gasp.  Liam stands at the open French doors that lead to their balcony. The powerful winds flounce the curtains, billowing around his tall stature.
"I didn't mean to frighten you, darling." He takes Riley into his arms, laying her head intimately against his chest. "Did the storm wake you?"
At that moment, another crackle of thunder resounds, Riley instantly turning her attention to the open doors. Puddles gather around the terrace as sheets of rain pummel against the stone walls. Feeling her tremble in his arms, Liam tightens his embrace nuzzling his nose into his wife's dark locks.
"Mom used to point out how powerful the weather can be. Devastating homes. Sinking ships… and yet–" he takes a deep breath, "we're still here."
Riley loosens her grip. The cascades of heavenly water pour in a synchronized dance with the rumbles of thunder. The zephyr symphony lulls her into a trance as she marvels at the strength of the storm. Fierce. Intense.
And yet, we're still here.
"You'll survive this, too, my love–"
"Survive what–?" Riley looks up to her husband.
But he's gone; his arms no longer around her as his scent dissipates from the air they once shared.  But something strange is left hanging in her hands: a small, worn receiving blanket, the name 'William' embroidered in the corner. 
Huh?
Riley swivels anxiously around the room, her eyes wide as saucers. "Liam?" She cries out. "Please, baby," she looks in the other direction, but her husband is no where to be found. "Liam… I… I don't know…" her breath hitches, growing ragged as she finally slumps onto the ground. She looks at the blanket, her fingers tracing over the delicate stitching. "How, my love–?" She whispers under her sobs of helplessness. "How am I supposed to survive… without you?"
Suddenly, a bright light pours over her, the warmth of the sun shining on her porcelain skin.
“We’re not doing this anymore.”
Riley's eyes peek open, being met with beams of sunlight pouring through the window. She sees someone moving about the room, but her exhaustion refuses to allow her eyes to focus, and she quickly slumps back over.
"You need to get up, Riley."
Without warning, Riley’s blankets are abruptly pulled from her body. She sits up in her chair, rubbing her eyes. "Huh?"
"C'mon. Up, up!"
Finally coming to her senses, Riley zeroes in on the redhead bossing her around. And she scowls, relaxing back into her chair. "Olivia, I… come back later."
"No, ma'am." Olivia taps a lever on the recliner, shoving Riley into an upright position. "You are going to shower. I laid out some clothes for you," the duchess crosses her arms, "and you are going to rejoin the living."
"But–"
"Now," she claps her hands. "Scoot!"
Riley jumps up, grumbling under her breath as she moseys to the shower. Hearing the water turn on, Olivia smirks, playfully dusting off her hands. Satisfied with herself, she grabs a magazine and takes a seat, crossing her legs in victory.
After about twenty minutes, Riley emerges with a towel wrapped around her head along with a pair of jeans and a cotton tee.
"There. Happy, bossy britches?"
"Almost," Olivia offers a crooked smile. "Now that we've–eh–hosed you down, we need to work on getting that odor out of here. It smells like someone died in here–"
"Didn't they?" Refusing to make eye-contact, Riley remains stoic, down-trodden.  She moves the linens around on her bed before curling up with a pillow.
"No." Olivia stands up, sauntering to her friend's bed. "They didn't." She takes a seat on the edge of the mattress, Riley's back facing her. "You, my dear, are very much alive. And it's time you start living as such."
"Liv, I…" Riley sighs. "I just don't feel like going out and rejoining society right now."
"Who said anything about rejoining society?" She takes Riley's hand. "I said that it's time to start living like you're alive." Riley turns around, arching a curious brow at Olivia. "I'm not saying you need to stop grieving; but I am going to make you shower. And eat. And not waste away."
A stale stillness falls between the old friends as Riley pulls the covers over her body.  "I'm not in the mood," she mutters, sinking into her pillow.
Olivia lets out a heavy breath, standing up. She refuses to give up, unwilling to leave the queen's room. She leisurely paces around the space, folding and refolding her hands.  The resounding click-clack of her steps are hypnotic, almost soothing as she twists her crimson pout in deep thought. 
She understands that Riley is in mourning, and even though Olivia loved him, too, nothing would compare to the great loss of true love. But, still, she hates seeing Riley like this; they all do. But truth be told on matters of the heart, there is only one person that can get through to her.
"What would Liam say?"
Riley slowly turns, looking over her shoulder. "Excuse me?"
"Your husband," Olivia steps forward confidently, clasping her hands together.  "He died a hero, protecting our country, protecting me… and you. What would he say now if he saw you like this?"
Riley furrows her eyebrows, her hands balling into fists. How dare she. Was Olivia seriously trying to make Riley feel guilty for grieving her late husband? For grieving the life she was starting with him? For grieving the life she was supposed to have with him?
"Olivia, I–"
"You'll survive this, too," Olivia interrupts.
The irritated expression on Riley's face abruptly melts into pure shock.  Her eyes as Liam's words replay in her mind.
You'll survive this, too.
"I… I'm sorry, I …" she shakes her head in disbelief, "what did you say?"
"Ri," Olivia bounds to her side, grabbing Riley's hand endearingly in her hold. "You are one tough broad. You have proven that time and time again." Her lip begins to tremble, but she quickly stiffens her jaw. "Liam knew that. Hell, that's one of the reasons he fell in love with you." She sighs, her gaze bouncing back and forth in Riley's deep ocean eyes. "Losing Liam will be one of the most awful challenges you will ever have to face… but somehow wherever he is, I have to believe he is taking comfort that you are strong enough for this." She squeezes tightly on Riley’s fingers. "You'll survive this, too."
Riley stares at Olivia, processing what she was saying–especially the words that seemed to mirror Liam's. 
And they're right.  It feels like hell right now, and Riley can't even begin to fathom a life without her beloved… but he would want better for her.  He lived a life so that she could have better.
It was time to start living.
------
"You're cheating!" Maxwell hisses, pointing an accusing finger at Olivia.
"I am not, Beaumont," the Scarlet Duchess shuffles through the cards in her hands. "You're just not good at counting to twenty-one."
"You've won each time you've been the dealer." He throws down his cards. "Shenanigans!"
Hugging her stomach tightly, Riley can’t help but laugh uncontrollably, her sides already in stitches. “Stop!” She gasps for air as she continues to titter. “I–I can’t!”  She falls forward on her bed, her head hitting a pillow as her giggles fill the room.  Maxwell and Olivia join in on the laughter, giving each other a subtle nod of relief. She’s coming back to life.
The three friends have spent most of the morning together at the hospital, catching up and playing games. To her visitor’s surprise, Riley decided she wanted to take a walk around the hospital–to areas that had been cleared by the royal guard, of course.
Together, they meandered to the hospital’s private prayer garden on a terrace just outside the pediatric floor. The warmth of the sun on her skin and the fresh scent of the potted greenery exhilarated her senses.  The natural pink tone of her skin quickly returned to her cheeks, highlighting her genuinely bright smile as she scrunched her nose at the floral smells.
On the way back to her room, Riley walked by the newborn nursery.  Stopping at the large window that showcased several cooing babies, wrapped in pink and blue receiving blankets, she pressed her fingertips gently against the glass, admiring each one silently. Although tears gather in her eyes, she begins to quietly talk to each chubby face, fussing over how adorable they are.
“Oh, you’re going to be trouble, mister, with those dimples…”
“Look at those beautiful black curls!”
“I know your mommy and daddy must love you so much…”  
If only…
Finally making it back to her assigned floor, the friends were greeted by Riley’s primary physician and his assistant along with the best news ever: the palace passed its final security check.  All Riley needed now was clearance through Interpol and one more physical–per the request of the Royal Council to ensure her health–and she would soon be on her way back home.  
As the healthcare team exits, a sudden wave of surreality washes over the room. Going home. Riley hasn’t been home in almost three weeks, and even before that, she hasn’t slept in her own bed since the start of the Royal Wake. What would be waiting for her when she walked into her quarters?  Is everything waiting for her to come home exactly how she left it?  Exactly how he left it?
Biting her lip, she takes a moment of silence, her hand finding Liam’s rings on her necklace. She fiddles with his wedding band, the jewelry easily gliding onto her pointer finger.  And that’s when she feels it: the inscription inside the gold band. And her eyes flutter close. Pour Two Glasses. Everything would be expecting her return.
Except him.
Riley shakes her head, glancing back up at Maxwell and Olivia. Giving them an appreciative grin, she grabs the deck of cards on her bedside table, blinking away her tears. “Best two out of three?”
------
The three friends have been playing for a little over an hour when there’s an abrupt knock at the door.  A large smile grows across Riley’s face as the familiar smirk of her royal guard saunters into the room.
“There’s my hero,” Riley singsongs. From her bed, she extends her arms in the air, inviting Drake into a hug.  A blush swirls across his cheeks as he leans in, tucking her petite body under his chin.
“How are you feeling?” He whispers before gently letting her go.
“I’m okay,” Riley nods. “I’m gonna be okay.”  She pats the mattress next to her. “C’mon, partner,” she mimics a Texan accent. “Let’s teach these two how to play Texas Hold ‘Em.”  Olivia rolls her eyes as Maxwell titters, pretending to throw a lasso around Drake.
Drake chuckles, pushing a fist into his pocket as he stares at the ground. “I wish I could, but–”  he combs his fingers through his thick, chestnut hair as he gazes back up at his friends. “I got lucky and found a plane out of Munich at 5AM, so… I’m taking a train there. Tonight.”
“Oh my gosh,” Riley’s face etches with shock. “So soon?”
“When does the train leave?” Olivia’s eyebrows pinch together.
“In about–” he looks at his watch before snickering to himself. “About two hours.”  A stillness falls across the friends, sharing sad, concerned looks. “C’mon, you guys,” Drake attempts to lighten the mood. “We knew this day was coming… and I’m coming back.”
“When?” Maxwell questions softly.
“I guess… when Mom…” he gnaws on the inside of his mouth, searching for the right words. “When… everything is taken care of, I guess.”
Riley climbs out of bed, throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace. “Don’t forget where your home is, Walker,” she sniffles.
“Like you’d let me forget?” He chuckles. His large arms envelope her against his chest as he nuzzles his nose into her curls, breathing her in deeply. His voice grows husky as he rests his lips against her head. “I’m going to miss you, Brooks.”
Riley pulls back, resting her hand on his upper arm. “I’m going to miss you, too.” A coy smile teases on his lips as a twinkle of hope illuminates his cognac eyes–that is, until Riley continues. “You’ve always been such a great friend.  Liam sure hit the jackpot with you–” she turns to Maxwell and Olivia, “--with all of you.”
Drake nods agreeably, looking away from his best friend’s widow, chastising himself for having such fleeting thoughts of hope. He turns to Maxwell to give him a firm handshake before turning to Olivia. “Can I… talk to you? For a second?”  He whispers to the redhead before looking back at Riley and Maxwell. He holds his hand up, waving goodbye before exiting the room with Olivia right behind him.
Riley glances towards Maxwell, offering a sympathetic grin and shrugging her shoulders. Their group of friends is shrinking, but at least they have each other.
“He’s so obvious,” Maxwell giggles, winking at the queen as he takes a sip of a glass of water.
Riley scrunches her eyebrows. “Obvious? About what?”
Maxwell freezes, staring at Riley as an awkward silence floods between them. “Uh… Nevermind, honey–”
They both startle as Olivia bounds back into the room, slipping back into her seat. Without making eye-contact, she crosses her legs before grabbing her playing cards, mindlessly rearranging them in her hand. She's unusually quiet and pensive, her eyebrows slightly wrinkled as she appears to be deep in thought about something.
"Is… everything okay?" Riley asks.
She peers up to Riley nervously, but within moments, a crooked smile forms on her cherry red pout. "Yes… of course."  She glances back at her cards, but it's useless; there's too much she needs to say. "Ri, do you know what a black box is?"
"Like on a plane?" Maxwell clarifies with curiosity, folding his cards and resting them on the table.  Olivia nods slowly as her attention shifts back to Riley.
"It records sounds, right?" Riley starts, her tone cautiously meek. "Sounds from inside the plane? So in the event it… it… well, you know…"  Olivia softly bounces her head affirmatively, rolling her lips. "Did something happen?" Riley nervously titters, glancing at a confused Maxwell. "Was there something… something terrible on Liam’s recording?"
Olivia folds her cards, tapping the stack on the table. "No, it's just…" her words trail off as she remains lost in thought.
"Liv," Riley crosses her arms. "What are you trying to hide?" 
Olivia sighs. "My apologies. I guess I'm trying to process it myself. Apparently the guard had their weekly briefing last night with Interpol. Drake had to turn in some last minute paperwork for his leave, so he was in attendance." 
"What does this have to do with the black box?" Maxwell interjects.
"It's gone," Olivia blurts out. "It was never recovered from Liam's plane. So, there's a strong possibility that–"
"It was stolen," Riley interrupts.
"Precisely, meaning this was orchestrated by the coup somehow."
"Wait," Maxwell holds up his hands, "how did anyone know that was Liam's plane though? How would they know to specifically steal from that plane? Wasn't he supposed to be traveling incognito?"
Olivia nods, exhaling heavily. "They're launching an investigation… for possible espionage." 
"An inside job?" Riley croaks, a lump forming in her throat. "From Cordonia?"
"We don't know just yet," Olivia reassures, "that's why they're looking into it.  But I'm thinking they need some help… and I know just the person to ask."
Riley's room door suddenly slides open, surprising the group of friends.  The doctor slowly steps in with the queen's medical chart, a solemn, almost grim expression etched on his face.
"I'm not sure I like the worried look in your eyes, sir," Riley anxiously giggles. "Don't tell me I'm staying here longer."
"Oh," he cordially forces a grin. "Your security, as well as the international police have cleared everything–"
"So she gets to go home?" Maxwell's breath baits with hope and excitement.
"Yes, yes. You get to go home. The guard will be in touch with you soon."
"Oh, thank God," Olivia smirks.
"Finally!" Maxwell exclaims, standing to his feet and ready to pack.
But Riley stays silent, her attention fixed on her physician. She can tell he has more to say. She can sense a sadness in his demeanor, putting her on edge, not ready to celebrate her homecoming just yet.
"What aren't you telling me, doctor?" She asks softly. "Is it my physical? Am… am I okay?"
The older man sets down Riley's chart, resting his hand on top of it as his endearing eyes find hers. "We need to talk."
"Is it serious?" Olivia interjects.
With a heavy sigh, the physician turns towards Maxwell and Olivia. "How about you two give us just a minute alone–?"
"No," Riley stops him. "I need… Can I have someone…?" Riley looks between Olivia and Maxwell, having a silent conversation of who should stay.
"I'll step out," Maxwell grabs his phone. "Let me make sure the guard is bringing an SUV and not a sedan," he winks.
As the door closes, the older man cautiously sits down next to Riley, taking her hand. She squeezes it tightly, preparing herself for the news he was about to share with her. Was something wrong? Was she dying?
"Never in a million years did I think you and I would be having this conversation," he exhales, pinching the bridge between his eyes. "This… this is completely out of my scope of practice, so I will be referring you to a specialist, but–"
"Sir," Riley stops him. "Please… just… tell me the truth."
------
Riley paces back and forth, ringing her hands in between biting her nails.
“Will you sit down–?”
“And what, Olivia?” She tosses her hands in the air, allowing her arms to slap carelessly against her sides.  “What am I supposed to do now?”
“Well,” Olivia scoffs, “for starters, you are going to calm down–”
“Calm down?” Riley twirls around, a wave of fury crashing over her features. Her blood-shot eyes stare daggers into her red-headed friend.   “You heard the damn doctor. This… this can’t be happening.  And… you…”  she presses a hand to her chest, her breathing labors as a sob rips through her chest. “You actually expect me to be okay? With this?”
“Riley,” Olivia calls her name sternly, “take a moment. Things could–”
“--could be worse?” She finishes her words.  “How, Livvy?”  She covers her face with her hands as she wanders aimlessly in the room. “Oh God,” she whispers hoarsely, her voice hidden by her tears. “When this gets out–”
“It won’t.”
Riley tisks, mocking Olivia. “This won’t stay a secret for long. And when it gets out, an even bigger bullseye will be painted on my back. They hate the Rys name. They will attack again–”
“Other monarchs have gone through similar situations, and their health concerns have been kept under wraps.  The council will be sure of it–”
“The council?” Riley looks off, shaking her head. “They already want to get rid of me. You know the law. I can no longer serve as the reigning queen. I’m not Cordonian–-”
“You will always be a queen, Riley.  The council will support you–”
“--they’ll expedite getting rid of me.”  Riley collapses into the recliner in her room. She hangs her head in her arms as her elbows rest on her knees. “The council is looking out for what’s best for Cordonia, especially now that the throne has been attacked–not once, but twice. They’re searching for stability; they’re looking to rebuild their leadership, and that starts with the throne. I fear that… I fear that as long as there's still a Rys, Cordonia will never see peace.”
Olivia pulls her chair closer, laying a hand on Riley’s shoulder. “The war won't last forever. And this? This could be your ticket. The throne is the only thing left to protect you–”
 “These traitors want every part of the Rys name destroyed, and without Liam, my days on the throne are already numbered. When they find out…” she exhales a pained breath.  “Even If I could hide behind the council, the Combattants will return to finish the job. They know I’m still here. I’m on every goddamn news report!”
“Riley, you–”
“I can’t do this.” She abruptly stands up, rushing past Olivia as she grabs her suitcase.  She begins piling her belongings into the dividers. “I need to go–”
“Home,” Olivia interjects, placing her hands on Riley’s trembling hands. "Let's take you home where you're safe."
Riley shakes her head. “N–no, I need to go. I need to leave.” She grabs her phone. “I need a ticket back to the States–”
“Riley Rys. Slow. The fuck. Down. You’re not thinking–”
“I can’t be here another moment. I have to go. I need to hide–”
“Where? Where are you going to hide?” Olivia scoffs, folding her arms. “Even if you could, all air travel has been suspended to and from Cordonia until further notice.  That’s why poor Walker had to take a train.”
Riley stills. She glances over at her friend as an abrupt realization washes over her expression.
Drake.
“You.”
Olivia raises an eyebrow. “Me?”
“According to Cordonian law, you’re next in line if something were to happen to me–”
“Hold up,” Olivia raises her hands in surrender. “If, and that’s a big if, something were to happen to you, yes, I would be crowned. But, that’s not how this works. You’re still alive, therefore the council–”
“What if I was incapacitated?” 
Olivia lets out a condescending laugh. “You are being ridiculous, you know that?”
“No, I’m being serious.” Riley grips tightly to Olivia’s shoulders, forcing her to listen. “The council hasn’t stripped me of my title as reigning queen yet, and as long as I’m the reigning monarch, I can claim a medical leave-of-absence… which means–”
“You appoint the replacement during the hiatus," Olivia smirks sarcastically, pulling away from Riley's. "Not gonna happen."
"Olivia, please."
"And what are you going to do? Huh? You still need medical care. Hiding isn't exactly easy when you're the queen of an entire country–"
"But–"
"--that is grieving their king–"
"But–"
"--and their queen has been all over international news for surviving an assassination attempt." Riley huffs, rolling her eyes as Olivia continues. "You'll leave fingerprints everywhere you go. And I'm not saying they're going to try and track you down… but those bastards were able to find Liam. Running and hiding? It… it's pointless. Stay. Trust the council. We can protect you."
Riley chews on her lip, her attention locked on her friend. "No. That's not good enough. Not anymore." Her eyelids flutter as she takes a deep breath. "I think I've got an idea."
------
The rhythmic pulse of the train car lulls Drake into a hypnotic relaxed state, and before long, he succumbs to the exhaustion of the past six weeks. Resting his head against the window, he watches as the Cordonian countryside flashes before his vision until finally his eyes close. 
Furrowing his brows, however, he hears loud, indiscernible voices outside of his state room.  When the conversation finally ends, he readjusts himself in his chair, using his discarded denim shirt as a make-shift pillow.
His door abruptly slides open.
Fuck.
He grimaces, quickly turning to address his unwanted interruption.
But his face falls in shock.
"Brooks?"
"Hi," she smiles meekly, removing her oversized sunglasses and hat. "Can I… come in?"
"Yeah," Drake jumps up, removing his carry-on bags from the second seat. He gestures to the spot next to him. "Please."
Riley gingerly sits down, her eyes transfixed to the gorgeous scenery flashing by outside the large train window.  Drake slowly lowers himself into his chair, his disbelief frozen on his face as he stares at his good friend.
Feeling his gaze on her, Riley tears away from her reverie. She chuckles nervously, coyly shrugging her shoulders. "Surprised?"
The corner of Drake's mouth turns up. "That's one way to put it." He runs a hand through his thick, tousled hair as he notices her bandages peeking through her shirt. "I'm guessing you were given the 'all clear'? They discharged you?" 
Riley's attention averts back to the window, staring at the whirls of the evergreen hills melting with the watercolor sky. Her eyes begin to glaze over, forgetting to even blink as she mindlessly chews on her bottom lip.  She holds her hands in her lap, ringing them incessantly as she fidgets with her fingers. 
"Riley?"
She blinks quickly, her attention returning to Drake, his hand gripping onto her arm to steady her. “Hrmm?”
"I've been calling your name for a few minutes." His eyebrows knit with worry. "Are you… are you okay?"
Riley opens her mouth, but is unable to form words. She picks at her chipped manicure as she presses her tongue to her cheek.
"I, um… I need your help." She glances back up to Drake, her eyes wide in fear.
"O…Kay. Sure," he leans closer to her, resting his elbows on his knees. "Ri, what's going on?"
------
The clatter of heels reverberates through the main corridor of the ultra-modern, ultra-sleek estate of Monterisso.  Though she has not come across another soul, she knows plenty of eyes are hidden in nooks and crannies, watching her every move in the form of motion detectors and cameras. Coming to the pristine royal office, she gives a firm knock on the oversized, cherry wood door before inviting herself in.
"Olivia Nevrakis." A sultry voice calls from the large, tufted leather chair on the opposite side of the room.
The red head sardonically snickers before crossing her arms, popping her hip to the side. "Alright, Amalas," she sasses, "how did you know it was me?"
A beautiful woman with long espresso tresses and darkened, exotic features slowly turns her chair around to face her visitor.  She smirks at her long-time friend, extending her arm to show off her impressive display of monitors with live-feed surveillance to every entrance into the palace.
The Scarlet Duchess wriggles up her nose, rolling her eyes. "Of course."
"You know?" Amalas stands up, sauntering her curves slowly to her icy guest. "Most people address me as 'your majesty'--"
"Not today," Olivia bites, raising an eyebrow. 
Amalas sighs, leaning against the front-side of her desk. “What do you want, Livvy?”
"I have an important proposal for you."
“We don’t have an appointment.”
“I need your help.”
The Spy Queen steps forward, crossing her arms. "You? You are in need of some help?" She lets out a boisterous laugh as she sneaks closer to her unexpected guest. She motions with her pointer finger for Olivia to come closer to listen. "You know," she whispers, "you were supposed to call me the next morning."
With a deep rouge blossoming across her cheeks, Olivia steps back, scoffing into a chuckle. Amalas furrows her eyebrows with a mischievous smirk.
Checkmate.
Four months ago, after years of stolen glances and secret trysts, Amalas invited Olivia to her estate for a low-key, intimate weekend to discuss the possibilities of taking their relationship to the next level. And public. After one last night of passion, Amalas woke up to an empty bed with a note that said, 'I'll call. -Liv"
She never did.
Now with Olivia seeking a favor, Amalas is tickled. As far as good deeds, alliances and negotiations, she just made it abundantly clear that she has the upper-hand. And Olivia just realized she fucked up.
Satisfied with her visitor’s reaction, Amalas turns on her heel and walks back to her desk. "You can see yourself out."
The red head sneers into a sarcastic snicker, stepping forward. "Oh c'mon, Amalas–"
"If you didn't need me then," Amalas spins around, irritated. "You don't need me now, Nevrakis." She takes a seat before shuffling through some folders and papers. "Oh,” she looks up, void of emotion, “please shut the door when you leave. Thanks."
Olivia storms forward. "Amalas, this isn't about me–about us. This is for Cordonia and finding who was responsible for Liam's death–"
Amalas stops abruptly, a stack of papers held motionless in her hand. Swallowing thickly, she glances up at Olivia. "Liam's death… was an unfortunate result of this damn war."
"Yes, but he was a mediator."
Amalas raises an eyebrow. "Your point?"
Olivia puts her palms flat on the large, ornate wooden desk. "My point is that they always protect political mediators. Liam's location was always highly confidential. No one, and I mean no one knew his whereabouts."
Amalas stacks her document on her desk. Taking a deep, cleansing breath, she leans back in her chair, resting her chin on her palm. "So?"
"That plane was obliterated, Ams. Someone hunted it down and destroyed every last piece of it.”
The queen smirks. “And did you know that Les Combattants de la Liberté are military-trained?”
“But–”
“Military-trained,” Amalas holds up a hand, her words louder.  “Taking out Liam’s aircraft like that?” She shakes her head slowly. “It’s not a huge feat for them. They are literally trained to take out any enemy in the blink of an eye.”
“Ams,” Olivia subtly wipes away a tear before clenching her jaw. “You’re not listening to me.”
Amalas sighs. "Look." She lowers her voice, her eyes finding Olivia’s piercing jades. “Liam was a friend of mine, too, babe.” She bites her lip, turning to a gold picture frame on the corner of her desk.  The photograph hosts a pair of young, bright smiles, she in her lacy white and him looking dapper than ever. A lump forms in Amalas’s throat as she begins to fidget with the gold band that remains on her left finger. “I know when something tragic happens to the ones we love, we want someone to pay for it, as if revenge will somehow heal our loneliness because the grief alone is too heavy–much too heavy for one person to bear–”
“The black box is missing,” Olivia interjects.
Amalas's face slowly falls into a suspicious confusion, her forehead wrinkling. “What?”
“The black box. You know? It’s supposed to record–”
Amalas holds up her hand, “Yeah, yeah, I know. What do you mean it’s missing?”
“I mean it’s never been recovered.”
Amalas’s jaw ticks as she stares at Olivia. Silence consumes the room, save for the ticking of the queen's watch, growing painfully louder by the second. But without warning, intrigue finally blooms across Amalas’s face, and her heart softens to hear Olivia’s request. Justice for Liam. Justice for Cordonia.
The black box is designed to withstand the blistering temperatures of a fire and the crushing impact of the engulfing pressures of the deep. The thought of such precious equipment, of actual recordings of the last moments of that cockpit, of King Liam… if they were actually removed with malicious intent, then Olivia is right. Classified information was leaked, Liam was specifically targeted, and this coup is a lot more dangerous and a lot more in control of this war than projected.
“Well, Ms. Nevrakis, I believe you have my attention.”  
Olivia smirks as she pulls up a chair.  
“Oh!” Amalas stands up from her desk, “I’m sorry. Just… not right now.” She looks at her watch.  “I actually have a very important meeting right now.”
Olivia scoffs. “With who?”
“Oddly enough, I have an important meeting with the Queen of Cordonia.”
A Cheshire grin crawls across Olivia’s face as she opens up her arms as if to present herself as a gift. “Well, oddly enough, the Queen of Cordonia is already in your presence.”  Shock consumes Amalas as her jaw drops open, Olivia snickering under her breath. “You can address me as ‘your majesty,’ Queen Amalas.”
------
"I–I don't know… how to say this," Riley stammers, anxiously pulling at her necklace that held her late husband's rings. 
Drake keeps his gaze locked on her, a pit growing in his stomach. They had said their goodbyes less than three hours ago; what could possibly have changed?
Was it a threat? Was her life being threatened again by the Combattants? No way. This wouldn't warrant the queen of Cordonia herself to board a train in hopes to catch her former royal guard to deliver such a message. Drake would probably get a phone call about it, but as of yesterday, he was relieved from his duties until further notice.
So… what was it?
“Riley?” His voice is gruff, but sincere. Their gazes meet, a vacant sadness in her eyes as she searches his for… something. Strength? Hope? Understanding?
Drake stops her from fidgeting with her jewelry, taking her petite hand into his own large, calloused palm. "It's… it's okay. We don't have to talk about this right now if you don't want to, but I–"
"Drake, I–" Her eyelashes flutter closed as tears course down her pink stained skin. "--I'm so sorry, I–"
"Hey," he hums softly, "shhhh, it's okay." He pulls her closer to his side, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. He gently rubs a thumb over her skin to gently dry her cheeks. "Listen," his voice remains low, soothing. "You have nothing to be sorry about. It's been," he sighs, "a rough couple of months, and… well, no matter what, Brooks, you know I'm here for–"
“I’m pregnant.”
~🖤~
Thank you so much for your support! Every like, comment and reblog means the world to me! 🖤
~🖤~
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92 notes · View notes
trrvisuals · 6 months
Text
Bad Romance Visuals: Disney Adventure
Series: Bad Romance Continues
Original Series: Bad Romance
Fandom: The Royal Romance/The Royal Heir
From my BR miniseries Disney Adventure. Just ignore the fact that she's not pregnant in all of these.
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Riley x Liam
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Riley x Drake
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15 notes · View notes
dcbbw · 1 year
Note
Hey, I wonder what it would look like if Liam gave Riley permission to hook up with someone one last time at their party in Las Vegas, and Riley asked Liam to sleep together. It would be very interesting, because PB does not have that option.
Thank you so much for this ask @busywoman! Fun fact: when I first joined the fandom, there was a story of the Vegas fling taking place between MC and her chosen LI (Drake).
*Sighs nostalgically* That was a good story.
This one, probably not so much but here’s hoping you enjoy it! Using my Timing Liam x Riley (The Otters/Baby Riam) for this drabble and including an answer to your previous ask regarding a lighter, happier proposal for them.
Also using @choicesflashfics Week #20 prompt #1: “The word ‘love’ doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what I feel for you.” It will appear in bold.
No one’s eyes but mine have looked this over, so pretty please excuse any and all typos, missing/extraneous words, and/or grammatical errors. MS Editor rates this story as 99% error free.
All characters belong to Pixelberry.
Song Inspo: Love You, flowerovlove
Word Count: 1,346
Pairing: Liam x Riley
Rating T for Teen (No triggers, just a couple of curse words and if you sniff really long and very deeply, you may catch a whiff of lemon)
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Las Vegas, Nevada
“Is there anything else you desire, my love?” King Liam of Cordonia loudly asked over the blaring music as he helped his fiancée down from the tabletop they had just danced upon.
Riley Brooks did not answer as she concentrated on placing her foot, shod in strappy sandals with too-high heels, firmly on the ground.
“Food? Drink?” The royal persisted.
“Damnit, Liam! I am trying NOT to die here!” Riley snapped, annoyance and fear lacing her voice.
The King’s fiancée was scared of heights, but more than that, she had a fear of falling. Both were a very real possibility when the tables were a good four feet tall. The last thing Riley needed was to faceplant  and suffer a head injury, broken bones, or worse.
The couple were in Las Vegas with their friends and members of Court to celebrate their engagement. Liam had insisted they have a stag and doe party because he could not bear another moment not being by Riley’s side.
Riley didn’t mind; she had tagged along with Madeleine on her bachelorette party and had crashed Liam’s bachelor party during the Engagement Tour. With none other than Drake Walker aka Agent Marshmallow. She had been so disappointed when Drake didn’t beat the hell out of Bertrand, but even more regretful at having to leave behind a plate of steaks.
During their stay, the couple had taken in the sights of Las Vegas, gambled at a casino where Riley lost $2,000 dollars but won $89 dollars and a coupon to the gaming house’s early bird lunch special, valid only Sundays through Thursdays. There had been a magic show, a scavenger hunt, and a night at the hottest club in town. Tonight was the last of festivities; the entourage was flying back to Cordonia in the morning.
Liam pulled her into a protective embrace once she was safely on solid ground, pressing a wet kiss against her temple. “You’re safe, love. I’m here to protect you.”
Riley briefly closed her eyes as she laid her forehead against the crook of his shoulder. The touch of Lim’s strong arms around her never failed to fill her very being with a feeling of safety, of warmth.
“There is one more thing that would make this entire trip absolutely perfect.” She pulled away from Liam ever-so-slightly so she could look him in his eyes.
“And what would that be?” he asked with a tipsy smile.
“I wanna have a fling!” she said excitedly.
Liam’s arms dropped quickly away from her body; his face was ashen-colored, and his expression was one of stupefied disbelief.
“WHAT?” he yelled.
“What? This is MY party! You’ve already had one! Besides, we’re in Sin City. Debauchery is expected, Liam!”
“With WHO?”
“Whom,” Riley corrected as her eyes scanned the hotel rooftop.
Liam stared at the woman he loved more than life itself. This had to be a joke. Why accept his proposal if she still wanted another?
“Lady Riley Brooks, would you make me the happiest man in the world and do me the honor of being my wife?” Liam asked as he knelt on one knee.
Riley looked down at Liam and the diamond ring nestled in the crushed black velvet box, then up at the Statue of Liberty before answering.
“Okay.”
Liam’s brow knitted, and confusion filled his eyes. “That … is not quite the reaction I was expecting.”
Riley stared at him, realization dawning on her face. “Oh … OOOHHHH. Hold on!”
She batted her lashes and pressed one of her palms over her heart. In a simpering, affected voice, she threw her head back and shouted, “YES, LIAM! YES! A THOUSAND TIMES, YES!”
She looked down at Liam when she was finished. “Better?”
The King rolled his eyes. “Let me just put the ring on your finger, please.”
Perhaps it was revenge of some sort because of the Coronation night disaster which resulted in him betrothed to Countess Madeleine. Riley’s hurt and anger had been palatable; the therapy he had suggested they both take part in had exacerbated the emotions.
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
Swallowing heavily over the sudden lump in his throat, Liam spoke softly. “I promised to never deny you anything. You can have your fling. All I ask is that you never mention it to me. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. And tomorrow morning, you are MINE. ALL MINE for all eternity.”
His lips snatched hers in a searingly passionate kiss before he turned away, disappearing into the crowd. Riley watched him walk away; his gait was stiff and his shoulders slightly slumped. She shrugged before turning in the opposite direction.
Liam made his way to the bar where he ordered a double scotch on the rocks. He swiveled his chair seat around so he could have a better look at which one of his “friends” would soon be fucking his fiancée. Jealousy, frustration, sadness, and hurt flowed through his body.
She said she had forgiven him.
She said his was the greatest love she had ever known.
His dark brown eyes traveled slowly over the crowd: Drake, Leo, Max, Rashad were still in attendance; they were surrounded by Duchess Olivia and Countess Madeleine. They all had drinks in hand, and guffawing loudly at a story Leo was telling.
Penelope and Kiara were holding plates of food, eating while swaying to the DJ’s remix of an American rap song.
He did not see Riley.
Liam turned at feeling a tapping on his shoulder. His eyes widened at seeing Riley. She had a plate filled with buffalo wings and engagement cake.
“Hey!” she greeted as if she hadn’t just asked her intended for permission to have sex with someone else.
“No one took you up on you offer?” he huffed as he turned away from her.
Riley looked confused. “What offer?”
“YOU ASKED ME FOR A FLING!”
Riley bit into a wing, crossing her eyes at how delicious it was.
“Yeah, I asked YOU, idiot! I don’t need your permission to have sex with someone else, and I certainly wouldn’t tell you. Too much transparency is not a good thing.”
Liam faced his fiancée. “Do you want someone else?” he asked as he reached for a piece of chicken.
Riley slapped his hand away. “No. I’m in love with you, Liam. The word ‘love’ doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what I feel for you.”  
She turned to face him, red dots of sauce speckling her lips. “You’re more than enough.”
The relief Liam felt filled his face. “Thank God.”
He tried again to snatch a wing; Riley let him have one.
“But why all the cloak and dagger? You know you need only say what you want.”
He bit into the chicken, his eyes widening in surprise. “These are good!” He attempted to snag another piece but pulled his hand away upon seeing Riley’s arched eyebrow.
“Because I wanted food first! If I told you the fling was with you, I would’ve missed out on these wings! And I may want some pancakes when I get back to my room. A girl gotta eat, Liam!”
Liam leaned into her, his lips brushing against the skin of her neck. “I have a much better way of satisfying your appetites, love.”
Riley giggled when his breath tickled her flesh. “Does it involve pancakes?”
“What about syrup?” he questioned in a husky whisper against her earlobe as his fingers walked up her fabric-covered thigh.
The tip of Riley’s tongue licked her upper lip. “You’re gonna have to do better than that. I’m giving up buffalo wings, cake, and pancakes!” she moaned.
She felt his hand pushing to get between her legs, and she shifted slightly in her seat to allow him access.
“Chocolate syrup,” Liam clarified while his fingertip rubbed slowly against the crotch of her panties.  
“Let’s go! The night isn’t getting any younger!” Riley was out of her chair and halfway to the elevator with Liam close on her heels.
“DON’T FORGET MY PLATE!"
A/N: Not sure if anyone will see this because it is 3:16am and tags are super wonky, not formatting, and I have a head cold; so giving up the ghost here. If you see it and read it, hope you enjoy it!
@jared2612 @ao719 @marietrinmimi @queenjilian @indiacater @kingliam2019 @bebepac @liamxs-world @mom2000aggie @liamrhysstalker2020 @neotericthemis @twinkleallnight @umccall71 @superharriet @busywoman @gabesmommie1130 @tessa-liam @beezm @gardeningourmett @lovingchoices14 @mainstreetreader @angelasscribbles @lady-calypso @emkay512 @princessleac1 @charlotteg234 @queenrileyrose @alj4890 @yourfavaquarius111 @motorcitymademadame @queenmiarys @choicesficwriterscreations @burnsoslow
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persephone13 · 1 year
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Thank you so much @drake-walker-appreciation for extending the deadline! I humbly present my Headcanons for yours and our wonderful fandom’s perusal.
**I have largely ignored everything after TRR Book 3**
Early Years:
Drake was born in Cordonia, but he spent parts of his summers and school breaks in Texas with his maternal relatives—which means Drake’s voice has a Texas drawl with a Cordonian lilt. Commence with the melting people 🫠
Drake is part Mexican—his maternal grandmother is from Mexico. He spent time with her when he visited Texas and learned to speak and understand some Spanish. He understood more than he spoke. However, he lost a lot of the language as he grew older due to disuse.
Family:
Drake and Savannah were close to their mother, Bianca. Their father worked so much and had to sacrifice family quality time for royal duties, Bianca really had to handle all of the child rearing in addition to taking care of the home. This put a strain on their marriage. All of her family was in Texas. While she was friendly with the other Royal Guard wives, she still felt isolated. 
When Jackson died, Bianca had a hard time remaining in Cordonia and decided to leave her children in the care of Bastien, who was like an uncle to the kids. While she still saw her children during school breaks and summers, she missed out on their day to day. Drake held a lot of resentment towards his mother because of this. His father’s death and his mother’s departure from Cordonia triggered the start of Drake’s abandonment issues. Issues that were exacerbated when Savannah disappeared out of nowhere one day.
Drake is extremely close to his nephew Bartie. That little boy is the light of his life. Drake frequently visits him and splits babysitting duties with Max.
Career:
I have an extremely hard time believing that Drake spends his day just hanging out at the palace doing nothing but being Liam’s best friend. He has his own business. So remember the barn raising scene in TRR (Book 2 I believe)? Drake showed he knows his way around a tool belt. Our boy is good with his hands 😉 As a kid, he built a tree house with Liam, Max, Olivia, and Savannah (they bribed Leo to get them the materials). Unfortunately, all of their fathers were terrified that they would fall, so they had to dismantle it. However, his construction was so sturdy, that the floor of the tree house could not be taken down and remains to this day. This was the just the start of Drake’s construction days. 
Drake majored in engineering and architecture in college and had planned to become an architect, but he left school to support Liam after the assassination attempt. Liam was very grateful, but guilty that Drake gave up his life for him, so once things were more settled, he pushed Drake to go back to school. Drake took night classes and online courses. By the time Liam’s courting season begins, Drake already has both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and a small, but in demand construction business with loyal workers, one of whom takes the lead when royal duty calls. He is a self-made millionaire, specializing in taking abandoned or bankrupt properties and either restructuring existing homes or building new ones. He makes his serious money selling to the Cordonian elite (with whom he happily jacks up his prices), while also building homes for those with low-middle income.
Drake was knighted for taking a bullet for Cordonia’s future queen and for his heroic actions in saving Liam and Riley on their wedding night. He has an official title, Sir Drake Walker, which makes him a noble. He gets a stipend for that.
Drake also manages the Palace Stables
Home:
Drake is a country boy at heart. He bought himself his own lakeside property with a dilapidated lake house, barn, and a small cottage. He spent his free time fixing the cottage first to make it livable. This is his home away from the palace, his sanctuary, where he can fish and work on the lake house.
Romance:
Drake has been burned. A lot. He has grown accustomed to being used as a steppingstone to Liam. He prefers monogamous relationships and wants marriage, kids, the works. However, he has become jaded and has settled for short term relationships and one-offs.
He dated Kiara in secret for some time before she ended the relationship due to Drake’s commoner status. She attempted reconciliation when he was knighted and she discovered that he has this lucrative career under his belt, but he politely declined.
So when I first played TRR, I shipped Drake with Riley. However, I also really loved Riley with Liam. In my HC, Drake found her attractive, but preferred her as a friend, especially because she and Liam fell for each other so hard. 
Our boy deserves some love of his own, so I developed an Original Character, Selena Del Toro, who was the only relative of Riley’s to be invited to the wedding. I have a fic I’ve been tinkering with for the last year that is well over 100,000 words. It may or may not see the light of Tumblr day—I haven’t decided yet. It’s a bit (a lot) self-indulgent and filled with so much exposition, that if I ever get around to serious editing, I’ll probably put all the backstory as the start of the fic and make my original beginning the middle of the fic. Anyway, all this to say that Riley and Selena are cousins. Selena is in the mental health field. She is invited back to Cordonia to become the clinical coordinator of a domestic violence program Riley has begun as her first major social service program as Queen. 
Drake meets Selena on Riley and Liam’s wedding day when she literally skids to a stop in a rental at the wedding venue. She jumps out in her Maid of Honor dress, barefoot, and tosses her keys to one of the Royal Guard as if they are the valet. She runs up and embraces the soon to be Queen and declares that Cordonia is more dangerous than New York. Drake is, of course smitten, actually dances with her for the Best Man/Maid of Honor dance, and begins his pining when she suddenly has to leave Cordonia for a work crisis after our TRR crew rescues the royal couple. When she returns after a rather traumatic event that Drake is not yet privy to, he offers her the cottage to use as her home and office. Her New York crisis of course follows her to Cordonia. Drama ensues. 
I am a mushy romantic who is incapable of writing a tragic ending, so there is a happily ever after that I have not yet written. There are cute kittens, a wedding, an Olivia-Selena friendship forged out of mutual respect because both ladies know their way around hand-to-hand combat and blades, hurt/comfort, smut, fluff, fluffy smut, and a deep respect for self-care rituals.
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karahalloway · 2 years
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(Un)Common Attraction: When the Lights Go Down Comic
The amazingly talented @blueberryarts18 has done it yet again! 🤗 She created a truly magical-looking comic that captures another important moment from (Un)Common Attraction - when Drake decides to own up to how he feels about Harper!
This... this might just be the proverbial icing on an already decadent cake. The other comics she made for me have been incredible, but this just has something special - maybe it’s the dawn sky... maybe it’s the way she captured Harper and Drake’s interactions... maybe it’s the topic being covered... Whatever it is, it is absolute perfection, and I honestly cannot stop staring at it! 😭
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Extract of accompanying scene below the cut.
Extract from Chapter 36: When the Lights Go Down
The first tendrils of dawn find me perched on top a stone balustrade, dangling my bare feet over the edge as I gaze out over the Beaumont's rolling vineyards from one the House's balconies, extracting the pins from my hair.
Listening to the opening notes of the dawn chorus, a wry smile forms on my lips as I think back to the craziest night of my life.
[...]
As the sky lightens from inky blue to red and then to gold, I take a deep inhale of the crisp morning air, marvelling at the beauty of the Beaumonts' estate as the majestic sunrise paints the rolling hills into colour once more.
As Drake would say, it was one helluva view...
Given that this could very well be one of my last nights in Cordonia, I had been determined to make the most of it, especially since the Bash had been nothing like the stiff, formal balls and the fancy high-brow gatherings that had dominated the social season to date.
Letting my breath out, I take one last look at the beautiful vista spread out in front of me before grabbing my heels from where I had placed them beside me.
Lifting my legs up onto the stone, I feel warm hands wrap around my waist.
"Easy there, Gale. Don't want to go tumbling off now."
Glancing up, I see Drake looking down at me with that impenetrable gaze of his as he helps spin me around to face him.
"What are you doing here?" I query, gazing up at his ruggedly handsome face as it becomes illuminated by the golden light of the early morning sun. "I thought you had called it quits hours ago."
"And miss the view?" he asks, brushing a stray lock of hair from my face, his eyes boring into mine.
"Haven't you seen it dozens of times before?" I breathe, running my hands up his chest as I inhale his heady scent.
At some point during the night, he had ditched his suit jacket and tie and had reverted to his preferred array of rolled-up sleeves and top two buttons left undone on his shirt. If anything, he looked even better like this than he had at the start of the night.
"I never get tired of it," he murmurs, cupping my face in his hands.
Dipping his head, his mouth finds mine in a heart-stopping kiss. As he pulls me closer to him, my lips part in a soft sigh as my body arches into his.
Whereas our previous kisses had been full of pent-up desire and much too brief, this one was truly awe inspiring in its langorous tenderness. Time slows to a crawl and I feel myself melt as he explores every inch of my mouth with a delicate slowness the likes of which I had never experienced before.
"D-Drake..." I moan in protest when he pulls slowly away.
"Yes, Gale?"
Opening my eyes with some difficulty, I see him looking down at me with a self-satisfied quirk to his lips.
"Wh-where did that come from?" I ask breathlessly, my lips on fire in the wake of his kiss. "I thought you said—"
"I've decided to tell Chris."
My jaw drops into my lap. "Really?"
He nods. "I'm going to arrange some time to talk to him after the Coronation."
"Oh, my God...! I don't believe it!" I gasp, throwing my hands over my mouth. "What made you decide to tell him?"
He flashes me a rueful smirk as he takes my hand in his. "I've been trying to convince myself to do the honourable thing and let you go back to the States, so Chris won't feel like I've screwed him over. But when I saw you sitting here with your hair down and your shoes next to you, I realised that as much as I wanted to avoid the potential press scandal and the definite fallout with my best friend, what I wanted even more was to walk up here and kiss you like I wanted to from the start. Because I'm tired of being careful all the time, of having to hide how I feel. Plus, you're the only girl I've ever met who's ever given me the time of day when I've been stood next Chris... and I'd be a monumental dumbass to let someone like that go."
"Damn straight, cowboy," I grin as I reach up to pull him in for another kiss.
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sincerelyella · 2 years
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So Close Part 6 - Restless Nights
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Book(s): The Royal Romance & Open Heart crossover (AU)
Pairings: Liam x Ella (MC); Ethan x MC
Characters belong to Pixelberry; Ella Brooks belongs to me.
Song inspiration: Lonely Days by Fiji & J Boog
Summary: Ella was stuck in between two men, Bryce and Ethan. When she had to make a choice, she ultimately chose Ethan … but he refused. Now what?
Catch up here - So Close masterlist
A/N: It’s been entirely too long since I’ve updated this story, I’m so sorry I’ve been MIA. I hope ya’ll forgive me.
Thank you @ao719​ for encouraging me to finish writing all these stories, prereading and telling me to “quit hoarding all of them” LOL love youuuuu!
Warnings: angst (lots of it); mentioning of bodily injuries and blood; character death
Words: 1469
Ella felt the pounding headache first against her eyes. It hurt to even take a deep breath in and she winced at the stab of pain and began to cough.
“She’s awake!” Bryce.
“No shit, Sherlock!” Jackie. There was a smacking sound.
“Was that supposed to hurt?” Bryce.
“Stop it!” Ethan.
“Ella?” Sienna.
“Mmm?” Ella struggled to open her eyes, her vision was blurry and she forced herself to blink to clear it. “… happened?”
“You fainted, sweetie, do you remember that?” Sienna sat next to her on the hospital bed, a concerned look on her face.
Ella shook her head slowly.
Ethan had his arms crossed against his chest, a nervous look over his features. Bryce had his lips tucked between his teeth, tapping a finger against his mouth; a tell that he was also nervous. Ella couldn’t figure out why, but something was going on. Words just … were too hard right now. She looked from Ethan to Bryce and back again; Sienna understood. “Dr. Ramsey has something to tell you.” She stood from the bed and gestured for Ethan to take her place.
He let out a sigh and sat next to Ella. “I’m glad you’re awake,” he murmured. “How do you feel?”
“Headache,” she whispered. “But … tell me.”
Ethan nodded. “You hit your head and was asleep for a bit. You fainted because … you saw on the news that Liam” - he hesitated and cleared his throat - “There was an accident.”
Ella’s eyes widened as the memory started to flood back to her in waves.
King Liam Rys of Cordonia was reportedly on a plane home and left from the Boston airport.
She sucked in a breath and let it out slowly.
That plane was the target of an assassination attempt.
Ella’s heart rate started to slowly increase and the machine next to the bed began to alarm.
No news on whether King Liam has survived this heinous attack.
“Ella!” Sienna gasped and jumped forward. “Try to calm down, sweetie.”
“El,” Bryce’s gentle voice distracted her from the memories and she turned to look at him as he sat on the other side of her on the bed now. Ella’s eyes were swimming with unshed tears. “He’s on his way here, he’s alive as far as we know.”
Her eyes widened at Bryce’s statement. The young surgeon took her small hand in his and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles.
Earlier that day
An out of breath Dr. Ramsey carried Ella from the cafeteria to the ER. “I need a bed, now!” A nurse opened a door to an empty room and Ethan ran inside. “She fainted in the cafeteria and she needs a CT.”
“Are you thinking a PE or do you want a head CT?” The nurse typed the orders into the computer and pulled her work phone out to call radiology.
“No, just a head CT is fine,” Ethan scanned Ella’s body in a quick assessment and his eyes went back to her eyebrow that was crusted with blood. “She got some … surprising news. I don’t think she has an embolism.”
“Alright, Dr. Ramsey, we’ll wheel her over there. I’ll start an IV when we get to radiology. Fluids?”
“Yes, just NS at 75.”
A middle-aged man with wrinkled green hospital scrubs approached Ethan as Ella was wheeled from the room to radiology. “Ramsey, what’s going on?”
“Keifer,” the two men shook hands. “Dr. Brooks fainted in the cafeteria and I brought her down for scans.
“Oh,” Dr. Kiefer’s brows furrowed. “I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll look at them as soon as they're done.” The radiologist turned and followed Ella’s bed to look at her results.
“Ethan!”
He turned to see Naveen approach him. “There has been an accident, some King of Cordonia?”
Ethan nodded. “Let me guess, he’s on his way?”
“Yes, how did you-”
Ethan waved the question away with a sigh. “It’s just my luck, that’s all. What does he need?”
“I have all hands on deck for this as I’m not sure how serious the injuries are; he is royalty from another country,” Naveen’s brows furrowed. “Why are you here? You hate rounding in the ED.”
Ethan let out a breath. “Ella saw the news report, she … knows the king. She fainted in the cafeteria. I’ve got scans going right now.”
“I’m sorry, Ethan,” Naveen patted his friend’s shoulder. “Well, you stay put with Dr. Brooks, I’ll round up the bunch and have them do some work.”
Ethan nodded and went to sit inside the dark control room where Ella was getting her workup done. He watched her body, still and lifeless, on the table as they took pictures of her brain. For some reason, his mind flashed to their argument at his place and how she said she was done with him. His chest constricted at the memory, and he silently berated himself for his behavior that night. Something about Ella made him crazy; he would do anything and everything for her, protect her with his damn medical license if he could, and keep her from having to endure any issues with the medical board, but he still kept her at a distance. Not wanting to get hurt, not wanting to hurt her … but he did hurt her. And had her run to the arms of her ex-boyfriend that’s a fucking king. Ethan rubbed his temples and let out a frustrated sigh.
Bryce, Sienna, and Jackie all congregated in the front of the hospital where Dr. Banerji was to make an announcement.
“What do you think is going on?” Bryce asked as he tossed a few pieces of candy into his mouth.
“I don’t know,” Baz Mirani quipped as he stood next to the group, buzzing with excitement. “I heard that there’s some king that was part of an assassination attempt and he’s coming here.”
“Can you imagine?” Sienna said with wide eyes. “A king?”
Everyone heard someone clear their throat from the front of the stairs and turned to see Dr. Banerji standing with Dr. Emery and another physician that was head of trauma medicine, Dr. Albrey.
“All,” Dr. Banerji banged his cane against the stairs to get everyone’s attention. “I called this all-hands meeting because there was an airplane incident near our waters and the survivors are coming here. If you have no cases, you will be assigned one. We need all the help we can get. I need the Diagnostics Team up front after this please, everyone else, head to your departments for detailed instructions. I don’t have the details of the injuries as of yet but once I know, you will.”
The crows dispersed and the remainder of the Diagnostics Team filtered through and approached Dr. Banerji.
“I knew it was a plane crash!” Dr. Mirani whooped. “I am so ready!”
“Yes, well, unfortunately, the team is a bit short today,” Naveen adjusted his glasses. “I’ll assist until Dr. Ramsey can join you.”
“Where is Dr. Brooks?” Harper inquired.
“She had an accident and Dr. Ramsey is tending to her in the ED,” Naveen explained. “Let’s regroup in the office, we can call and see what the ETA is.”
500 miles off the coast of the North Atlantic Ocean
The ocean waves had taken the large emergency raft back towards Boston. Burning parts of the royal aircraft were floating alongside the raft while the sun was about to set; casting the ocean in an orange glow. It was a somber, tense, and quiet time; Bastien, Maxwell, and Liam were the only survivors. Rashad, the two stewardesses, and the two pilots did not survive the attack.
Bastien had a large gash across his leg and was bleeding from his shoulder. He had taken his shirt off and tied it around his injuries like a tourniquet. When he found Maxwell in the water, he was barely conscious and bleeding from both his arms. He pulled the tall, lanky man into the raft and tore his dress shirt off to wrap it around his lacerations to stop the bleeding. It took about 30 minutes for Bastien to find Liam, who was also barely conscious, but treading water. Once he pulled him onto the raft, Liam immediately passed out. The King of Cordonia had a head injury, the dried blood had dripped down his face to his neck. Bastien wrapped Liam’s head with his shirt; then looked up to the sky when he heard helicopters circling the crash site. He let out a small sigh of relief and began to wave his good arm in the air. They were safe … for now.
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ao719 · 2 months
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Best Kept Secrets
Best Kept Secrets - Maybe We’ll Get It Right (Chapter 18)
Characters belong to Pixelberry.
Summary: An unforeseen encounter with the past proves that even the best-kept secrets eventually make their way into the light. 
Title inspiration: Hold On Tight - Forest Blakk
Book/Pairing: TRR; Liam x F!OC
A/N: Thank you to @burnsoslow for prereading most of this. Please excuse any errors. 
Rating: M • Warning: This series will contain NSFW material. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+
Catch up here
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Standing in her bedroom inside the north wing, Amara stared at her reflection in the floor-length mirror. She scanned over her outfit before meeting her own anxious gaze; she took in a deep breath and slowly let it out, trying to settle her nerves. 
Today would be Amara’s and Liam’s first public outing with Sophia since the statement had been given. It would be the first time the press would not only catch a glimpse of the heir but see the three of them together … as a family. She knew that the purpose behind the outing was to show the public that their King had moved beyond her betrayal and that they were putting the past behind them for the sake of their child. It was all in hopes of shifting the negative attention she was receiving and showing her in a more favorable light. 
Amara was nervous, however. One would think she would find this to be fairly simple; working the press to change public perception was literally her job, but it was much different being the one whose image you’re trying to change their perception of. She wouldn’t be working her PR magic behind the scenes because she was the one under the microscope. She knew her every move was going to be picked apart, questioned, and, at times, manipulated to fit whatever narrative they were attempting to paint of her. Whatever they felt was going to sell a story was what they were going to try and sell, truth or not. 
Despite knowing this was something they needed to try, Amara had second-guessed the decision since Daniel suggested it; they’d given themselves an extra week behind the palace walls to prepare, but she felt anything but because she couldn’t get out of her own head. She didn’t want her presence during these planned outings to make things even more difficult for Liam than she’d already made them. 
However, when Amara subtly brought up the concern, Liam didn’t seem all too phased. They planned to spend the day on the private beach, and he reminded her that while, yes, the press was sure to be camped out nearby, they would still be far enough away so they’d be able to enjoy their day together with Sophia and that he was looking forward to spending the day out … with both of them. He seemed to be treating it as both a casual and normal outing and not one that was planned with a purpose.
Amara wasn’t reading too much into what he’d said, however, seeing his words for exactly what they were. She knew it was nothing more than his way of trying to make her feel more relaxed because he could sense that she was on edge about it. To think he meant anything beyond that was pointless. Despite her feelings for him, she’d forced herself to face reality over the last month and a half, a reality where she knew that any chance she might have had at continuing to rekindle things between them was long gone. After what she’d done, he’d never give her a second chance, and she didn’t deserve one. Her feelings for him didn’t matter and didn’t mean anything to anyone but her, so she shoved them into a box and pushed any notion of them being anything more than co-parents as far down as she could. It hurt, of course, but it was the consequences of her actions. And she’d suffer in silence because she wasn’t going to let those feelings get in the way of his and Sophia’s relationship. 
A knock on the door pulled Amara’s attention, and she gave herself one last glance in the mirror before turning and exiting her bedroom. When she opened the door, she smiled at Sophia, who was giving her signature toothy grin.
“Mama!”
“Hi, baby,” Amara chuckled as she took her from Liam’s arms when she leaned over to her. She kissed her cheek as she ran her hand over her head of blonde hair. 
“Morning,” Liam said. 
Amara offered him a tentative smile. “Morning.” She stepped aside to let him in, closing the door behind her. “I have her stuff ready. I’ll just go get her changed real quick.” 
Liam nodded and watched the two of them disappear down the hall, listening to Sophia babble and Amara laugh, smiling as he sat down in the living area to wait. He drummed his fingers against his thighs, wondering what the day was going to bring.
They would be spending the day at the private beach, and while he knew it would be accessible to the press, it would keep them far enough away so they wouldn’t be too overbearing. They couldn’t go out in public and make it obvious that they were putting on a show for the cameras. 
Truthfully … it wasn’t about the cameras for Liam nor was it a show. Yes, he was doing this as a way to hopefully shift the narrative surrounding Amara, and he was looking forward to finally taking Sophia beyond the palace walls, but it was more than that for him. He wanted to spend the day out with Amara, too. 
Over the last month and a half since everything had happened, one of the things he struggled with most was his feelings for Amara. At first, those feelings were suffocated by anger and resentment, but once he forced himself to let go of those emotions for the sake of moving forward, they came back tenfold. Now that he’d been spending every day with her the past two weeks, practically playing house inside the palace with her and Sophia … the three of them, together, as a family … everything he felt before seemed amplified. His feelings began to consume him, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to continue to shove them aside. And maybe he shouldn’t. He’d been trying to do what was best for Sophia, but perhaps what was best for her was the very thing he’d been trying to ignore. 
Liam had a couple of reservations, however, and they seemed to be the one thing holding him back. 
The first reservation was trust. No matter which way Liam looked at the situation, he’d been betrayed. Did he now understand the place in which Amara was coming from? A little. He’d allowed himself to see things from her perspective, and he understood her headspace at the time. It didn’t change the fact that he was still lied to and kept in the dark about something as important as the existence of his child. Were there other secrets she was keeping? He didn’t know. And he didn’t know if he could trust her to not keep more in the future. 
The second reservation was fear. Twice now Liam had tried to make things work between them, and he was left broken both times. They say the third time’s the charm, but this was something that now went beyond just him. If they tried again and they failed a third time, not only would it affect him but Sophia as well. He and Amara had a knack for being unable to get their stars to align. Could he really risk Sophia being collateral damage in a game he wasn’t sure he would ever win?
“Dada!” 
Sophia’s squeal pulled Liam from his thoughts. He glanced over and a laugh bubbled out of him at the sight of her toddling towards him in a white cover-up that concealed her bright pink bathing suit, tiny aviators, and a floppy white sun hat. “Look at you looking like a little beachy princess,” he chuckled as he scooped her into his arms. “Are you ready for our day at the beach?” Sophia nodded with a clap of her hands. “Is mommy ready?”
They both looked at Amara at the same time, and she forced a smile. “I’m ready.”
****
When Bastien pulled into the private parking lot of the beach, Amara turned her face away from the window, shielding her eyes from the flashes of the cameras. The press had been camped outside of the gate when they left the palace and had followed them. Having spent so much time tracking the royal family’s movements, it didn’t take them long to realize where they were headed; they raced ahead so they were there waiting when they arrived. 
When Liam exited the vehicle, the press, who were contained behind another gate where two more guards stood to ensure they didn’t cross, began shouting his name. He turned and tossed his hand up in a wave as they snapped photos before turning back toward the vehicle. 
Liam met Amara’s gaze as she finished unbuckling Sophia from her car seat. “Here we go …” 
Liam lifted Sophia from her seat and into the safety of his arms, and when he pulled her from the vehicle, the frenzy ensued. The press shouted louder as the shutters from their cameras went off. Sophia turned her head toward the clamor as her grip on his shirt tightened. “It’s ok, little love,” he whispered. 
Occupied by their first glimpses of the princess, the press almost missed the moment Amara came into view. Almost. The moment they noticed her, more shouts ensued as their cameras continued to snap photos. 
“Why is she with you, King Liam?”
“Anything to say about your betrayal to the King, Ms. Onasis?”
“Will she be leaving Cordonia soon?”
“Will the Princess be staying?”
Amara turned so her back was toward them and inhaled a deep breath. She felt Liam’s hand on her shoulder a moment later and looked up at him; he gestured toward the path that led to the beach and she nodded before starting toward it. 
Once down on the beach, Amara set the bag she’d packed beside one of the chairs that were set up beneath an umbrella. She glanced around, taking in the silence, feeling a little more at ease, but only for a moment before she saw the press hurrying toward the edge of the barrier. The guards were already in place, ensuring they stayed on the other side, and they were far enough away where they wouldn’t be a bother, but just knowing they were there at all had her right back on edge. 
“Did you hear me?”
Amara snapped her gaze to Liam. “No. I’m sorry … what did you say?”
“Sunscreen?” Liam pointed to Sophia.
“Yeah.” Amara shook her head and crouched down next to the bag, pulling out the sunscreen she’d packed for her.
Liam set Sophia down on the chair, and Amara removed her tiny cover-up before smothering her in sunscreen. Once she was finished, she stood and turned to see a now shirtless Liam setting up the toys he’d brought on the massive beach blanket that was laid out for them; he’d slipped inside the tent just behind their chairs to change. She turned away from him and closed her eyes; between the press and him, her mind was jumbled.
“Ready?” Liam’s voice sounded from behind her, and she turned, but he was speaking to Sophia. He scooped her up and set her on the edge of the blanket so she could reach the sand before laying on his side next to her. 
Amara stood and stared at the two of them as they played. Then her gaze flickered to the edge of the beach where the press remained, continuing to snap photos. She couldn’t help but wonder what story they were going to try and spin from this. 
“Are you going to join us?” Liam asked.
Amara looked back at him. “Uh … yeah.” She kicked off her flip-flops before reaching down and grabbing the hem of her cover-up to remove it but froze as her eyes lifted to the press again. She casually brushed her hand against the fabric of the cover-up as she moved toward the blanket and sat down on the other side of Sophia. 
Liam looked up at her, squinting against the bright sun. “Did you not bring a suit?” he asked, gesturing to her cover-up that was still on. 
“I’m … I’m fine right now,” Amara lied as she looked out at the water. She wasn’t fine. 
Under the heat of the Mediterranean sun and the watchful eyes of the press, Amara was hot and flustered … but she didn’t want to take off the cover-up, afraid of what story the press would spin from it. Would they say she was trying to seduce him into forgiveness by flouncing around in a bikini? Would they criticize her for said bikini because she was the mother of the heir and not setting the example they thought she should? Hell, she was afraid to even look at Liam for a second too long, knowing what type of story one photo of that could paint. 
Liam stared at Amara as she gazed out at the water. He knew something was bothering her and he didn’t have to ask what it was. She’d been on edge the past week since they planned this first outing, and when he saw her this morning, he knew she hadn’t eased up. It was easy for him to ignore the presence of the press because he’d grown up with it and learned to drown them out a long time ago. Amara, however, wasn’t used to being on this side of things. On top of that, she was consumed by how her presence would rub off on him and Sophia and worried what stories would be in the papers the next morning. Because of that, she was being careful. Too careful, considering she wouldn’t even remove her cover-up. 
“Amara,” Liam said, and she glanced at him. “Relax.”
“I am relaxed.”
Liam snorted. “No, you’re not.” She dropped his gaze and bit her lip self-consciously. “Hey, look at me,” he whispered, but she shook her head. “Look at me.” She hesitated another moment before glancing up. “Don’t pay them any mind. It’s just you and me here, ok? Just us.”
Amara held his gaze. He knew exactly what was running through her mind without her having to say a word. And she felt the sincerity behind his words from the way he looked at her. But she needed to defuse the situation before her stupid heart took any of it to mean something more than it really did. “And Soph,” she quipped. 
“Yes,” Liam shook his head with a small smile. “But you know what I meant.” With Sophia occupied with filling her bucket full of sand one small scoop at a time, he laid on his back, tucking his arms under his head as he closed his eyes. “Take off the damn cover-up and enjoy yourself.” 
Liam heard her let out a quiet chuckle, and after another beat of silence, he could hear the quiet shift of the fabric against her skin. He opened one eye and inconspicuously slid it in her direction; his chest tightened at the sight of her body in the navy blue bikini before he quickly snapped the eye shut. 
****
That night, Liam and Amara put Sophia to bed inside her room in the north wing. They’d spent the entire day at the beach, playing in the water and lounging on the shore. Once they returned to the palace, she’d taken a bath, and barely made it through dinner before she passed out in Liam’s arms. 
The press had watched them the entire day, but Amara took Liam’s advice and ignored them as best as she could. She knew she had to come to terms with the fact that they were going to write what they wanted and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it except suck it up and deal with it. 
They quietly shut Sophia’s door behind them before creeping down the hall, stopping in front of the living area. “She racked out,” Liam quietly chuckled. 
Amara smiled as she leaned against the entryway, crossing her arms and tucking her hands beneath them. “She had fun today.”
“Minus the evil wave,” Liam quietly laughed. 
Amara jutted her lip out in a pout before bowing her head and covering her mouth with her hand to contain her laugh at the memory of the wave that washed away the sandcastle they’d helped Sophia build. She was not happy, and her extreme meltdown over the loss was when they knew it was probably time to pack it up and leave. 
“I thought she was going to try and kick that wave’s ass,” Liam chuckled. 
Amara snorted against her palm before looking back up at him, and when she did, a strand of her hair caught on her eyelashes. Instinctively, Liam reached up to brush it away. 
The air suddenly felt very thick as they stared at each other and both their smiles slowly faded. 
Snapping from his momentary daze, Liam quickly dropped his hand. “Uh … sorry. You had — your hair, I mean … it was …” He trailed off and blew out a breath. 
Amara continued to stare at him, feeling a bit bemused as her heart and mind argued over what just happened and what it meant. Nothing, she told herself. It was nothing. “Yeah … uh, thanks.”
“Well … I should probably …” Liam gestured over his shoulder to the door. “I have sand in places where there shouldn’t be sand and need to shower,” he chuckled, earning a laugh from her. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Yeah. I’ll let you know when she’s up so we can meet for breakfast.” 
“Sounds good.” 
Liam leaned down and kissed her cheek, letting it linger a heartbeat longer than normal before he drew back; he met her gaze for a split second before he turned and opened the door, quickly disappearing into the hall.
*******
Sitting inside his study, Liam read over an article from Trend magazine, detailing his and Amara’s outing over the past weekend in Applewood; he was needed there to go over a proposal to expand the orchids and invited Amara to bring Sophia. The article had several photos printed beside it, each one from a distance; a few of him and Sophia as they walked through the orchids, some of just her, and a few of the three of them together.
It had been nearly a month since that first outing at the beach, and the many they had after seemed to be doing the job they were intended to do. Most of the press — Trend being one — had done exactly what Daniel had said and followed his lead, looking beyond the past and focusing on the here and now. A few remained skeptical, however, questioning Amara’s motives for remaining in Cordonia and her intentions going forward. They didn’t know that she’d already decided to stay because he had yet to make a public statement. He knew he would need to make one soon, though; he’d spoken to Daniel, who told him the next step would be for the people to hear directly from him since they hadn’t at all since Sophia’s existence had been made public nearly two months ago. 
Liam was happy to know that things with the press were starting to settle down. What wasn’t settling down were his feelings for Amara. Each night after they would put Sophia to bed, the length of time they lingered behind got longer. They went from a few moments of simple conversation to now talking over drinks or a late-night snack about their day and making plans for the next. They had gotten closer and had fallen back into a place where things didn’t feel so tense. 
It was comfortable. 
It was familiar. 
Every day they spent together chipped away at those reservations Liam had and drew out his feelings even more. And every day he came closer and closer to throwing caution to the wind and taking that leap. 
Hearing a knock on his study door, Liam called for them to enter; when it opened, he lifted his gaze from the magazine article just as Amara stepped inside with Sophia. 
“Dada!” 
“Hi, little love,” Liam grinned as he stood and walked around his desk; he crouched down as she toddled toward him and he scooped her into his arms, smothering a mix of playful kisses and raspberries against her cheeks as she giggled.
“Hope we’re not interrupting anything,” Amara said.
Liam situated Sophia on his hip. “Not at all,” he replied before leaning forward to kiss her cheek; his hand brushed down the length of her arm as he drew back. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” 
“I wanted to come talk to you.”
“About?”
“I’m going to have to make a trip to New York.” 
Liam looked at her. “Oh?”
“My lease is up at the end of the month,” Amara explained. “I’ve been putting it off, hoping to have found a place beforehand, but that hasn’t happened yet.”
Despite the surprise her words gave him, Liam kept his expression impassive. “I hadn’t realized you’d been looking.” 
“Well, I haven’t … not really, I mean. I’ve perused some listings, but I’m still weighing my options between renting or buying and haven’t made a decision yet. But I can’t put off packing up my apartment any longer since I only have a couple of weeks. And I’ll have to clear out my office space as well.” 
Liam nodded. “Ok. Are you thinking this weekend, or …?”
“I wanted to check with you first,” Amara said. “I didn’t know if you had anything going on, and I figured you’d want Soph to stay here with you.” 
Liam thought for a moment as he glanced at Sophia; he scrunched his nose with a smile when she offered him one of her toothy grins. “How about we go together?” 
Amara’s brows rose in surprise. “You … you want to go?”
“Sure,” Liam shrugged as he looked back at her. “Let Imogen know, and we can leave Friday and take the weekend … get it all done in one shot so you don’t have to worry about going back for anything. There’s plenty of room on the jet to store whatever you need to bring back with you.”
Amara stared at him for a moment. “If you’re sure …” 
“I am,” Liam smiled. “I’ll have Bastien make arrangements.” 
*******
A few mornings later, the SUV pulled up on the tarmac, stopping alongside the waiting jet. Liam glanced out the window at the press that were huddled together on the other side of a barrier.
“How did they know we would be here?” Amara asked.
Liam sighed with a shrug. “They always manage to find things out one way or another.” He looked over to where she sat on the other side of Sophia’s car seat. “Get her on the jet. I’ll handle them.” 
Amara nodded and unbuckled Sophia’s straps before lifting her out of the seat. A guard opened the door and she and Imogen slid out; she ignored the volley of shouted questions from the press as she carried Sophia up the stairs and disappeared inside the jet. 
“Sir?” Bastien said from the driver’s seat.
Liam looked up, meeting his gaze in the rearview mirror as the other two guards took their luggage and Sophia’s car seat to the jet. “I’ll talk to them.” 
Bastien nodded before getting out and opening Liam’s door. When the King came into view, the press shouted at him; he was a picture of calm as he buttoned his suit jacket and made his way toward the crowd. 
“King Liam, where are you headed?” Donnie Brine from the CBC asked as Liam neared. 
“I’ll be in New York for a few days,” Liam answered.
Another slew of shouted questions ensued, and they were all asking the same thing in various ways: is Amara leaving with Sophia? Thinking back on his several conversations with Daniel over the past couple of weeks, and knowing he could use this as an opportunity to put any more doubts about her intentions to rest, he decided to be transparent. 
Liam held up his hand to quiet them, and once he had their attention, he cleared his throat. “We’re headed to New York for the weekend to pack up Ms. Onasis’ belongings as she will be staying in Cordonia permanently so that I may continue to maintain a relationship with our daughter.”
More questions were immediately volleyed, but one in particular had caught his attention.
“Are you concerned she’ll try to leave again with the princess?”
Liam sighed, knowing they were referring to what was mentioned in Daniel’s statement. “The circumstances surrounding Ms. Onasis trying to leave in the past were entirely different.”
“Can you elaborate?” a reporter asked, holding their recorder out in front of him.
Transparency, he reminded himself. “Ms. Onasis had been spooked by the betrothal aspect of the alliance that Auvernal had been pushing for. When she learned of the blackmail threat, she became frightened of what that meant for our daughter, and in a moment of panic, yes, she tried to leave. But as a mother, she was trying to protect her child … and that’s not something I can or will fault her for. As for the move … she’s uprooting her entire life to ensure that the princess and I stay together, and I’m extremely grateful that she’s so willing to do that.” 
The reporters stared at Liam in a bout of awed silence, and a heartbeat later, they were shouting more questions.
“Will they be staying with you at the palace?”
“What’s the status of your relationship with Ms. Onasis?” 
“Are you rekindling your romance?” 
They’d changed their tune so fast, it gave Liam whiplash. He let out a breath, feeling a bit lighter, but decided he wasn’t answering any more questions. He didn’t really have the answers at the moment anyway. He threw his hand up in a wave before turning and heading towards the jet. 
****
After the long flight and traffic-jammed ride from the airport, Liam and Amara arrived at their hotel in New York that afternoon; they’d planned to arrive early enough to leave them time for Sophia to hopefully nap off the jet lag. 
Once Sophia was asleep in the guest room of the suite, Liam sent Imogen to her own room that was situated across the hall to rest. He plopped onto the sofa in the living area while Amara stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, taking in the view. 
“Have you missed it?” Liam asked. 
Amara shrugged. “Certain things, like pizza and breakfast bagels, yes,” she chuckled. “But other than that … not particularly, no.” 
Liam stood and came next to her. “Where’s your apartment from here?”
“About 15 minutes that way,” Amara pointed. “It’s in Tribeca.” They were at the Millennium in lower Manhattan. “And my office is only a block from there.” 
“Have you made any decisions regarding your company and what you plan to do?”
“Not yet,” Amara shook her head. “We’re on a bit of a pause at the moment until I figure things out. Daniel hasn’t decided whether he’s staying yet, but with both Riley and I now there and him not having anything tying him down here …” She shrugged. “But I could still run the company from there and set up an office … or I could sell it …”
“You’d really consider selling it?” 
“If that’s what needs to be done … yes,” Amara answered. And I know a couple of competitors that would probably be more than willing to take it off my hands.”
Liam leaned against the window frame as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. “You seem pretty content for someone giving up so much of themself on a whim.” 
Amara looked back out the window. “I wouldn’t say it’s on a whim.” 
Liam’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I mean …” Amara paused, taking in a breath and slowly letting it out. “I mean that all of this was stuff I’ve thought about from the moment I found out I was pregnant.” She tucked her hands beneath her arms as she fought against the urge to look at him. “I always thought about the what-ifs … and I planned out all these different scenarios in my head for the day I finally drummed up enough courage to … to tell you. And in all of those scenarios, the outcome was the same … I was leaving New York, and either running the company from where I was or selling it. Now that I think about it … it was never really a what-if, but more of a when.” 
Liam remained silent for a moment before speaking. “I just … I don’t want this move to be something you come to regret later on.” 
“It’s for you and Sophia.” Amara looked up at him again. “I would never regret it.” 
Liam stared at her, not having realized until that moment how close they’d shifted to one another, and he saw the moment she realized it, too. Her gaze was both hesitant and questioning, but then she looked away from him and took a step back. 
“Um … I think I’m going to nap while Sophia is.” 
“Yeah.” Liam cleared his throat as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I, uh … I’m actually not that tired, so I can listen for her if you want to go lay down in the master.” He’d already offered for her to take the bigger of the two rooms. 
“Ok,” Amara nodded.
Liam watched Amara turn and heard her let out a breath as she disappeared inside the room. 
*******
The following morning, Liam and Amara headed over to her apartment while Imogen stayed with Sophia at the hotel. Liam had arranged for a moving company to meet them there to take the boxes she would be bringing back and load them on the jet. From what she’d told him, most of it would consist of her and Sophia’s clothes. Anything she didn’t need, she planned to throw out or donate. 
When they pulled up outside of the tall brick building, Liam slid out before turning to help Amara out. They greeted the staff of the moving company that was already there waiting before heading inside. 
After riding the elevator up to the seventh floor, they stepped out, and Liam followed Amara down the hall. She paused in front of a door and unlocked it, and when she pushed it open and stepped inside, he followed. 
Liam glanced around as he moved further inside. He’d never seen her apartment, but it was exactly what he pictured her having. Casual with a touch of modern sophistication. “This is nice.”
Amara looked around fondly; she’d always loved her apartment. “Thanks.” 
“Where should we start, Miss?” a voice spoke from the doorway. 
Amara turned to the movers lingering in the hall. “Uh …” She glanced around. “Living room and kitchen.” She then looked at Liam. “We can get started on Sophia’s room and then mine.”
“Lead the way,” Liam gestured. 
****
Within a couple of hours, most of the apartment had been boxed up. While the movers carried boxes from the kitchen, living room, and Sophia’s room down to the truck, Liam and Amara finished up in her room. 
“I’m going to take this out,” Amara said when she finished taping the last box of her shoes shut. 
Liam nodded. “I’ll bring the nightstand out for you.”
“Thank you,” Amara replied before pushing the box out the door and down the hall.
Turning to the nightstand next to the bed, Liam reached down and hooked his fingers under the lip of the top. He lifted it, and when he realized it was heavier than he anticipated, he tilted it to adjust his hold; the movement caused the drawer to slide out of it and crash to the floor. 
“Shit.” 
Liam set the nightstand back down before kneeling to pick up the contents from the drawer now scattered on the floor. As he scooped up the items, something caught his eye, and he froze as he stared at it. A photo. He reached down and grabbed it, bringing it closer, only to notice another beneath it. And they weren’t just any photos, but ones of him and Amara. He remembered the night the one he held in his hand was taken. They were watching a movie in his quarters and were on the sofa; she was resting back against his chest with his arms wrapped tightly around her and his face was playfully nuzzling her neck with a grin as she smiled. He picked up the other from the floor. It was of them in the maze; she was on his back with her arms looped around his neck, both of them laughing. 
At that moment, at the sight of those photos, at the realization that she’d kept them all this time, Liam felt the last of the reservations he’d been holding onto crumble. He wanted to be the two people in those photos again. 
Two people who could make each other laugh and smile.
Two people who were better when they were together. 
Two people who were happy and in love.
“Liam?” Amara’s voice carried down the hall. 
Liam snapped from his daze and cleared his throat. “Coming.” He placed the rest of the items back in the drawer but slipped the photos into his back pocket before standing and carrying the nightstand out. 
****
That night, Amara stood out on the balcony of the hotel suite while Liam put Sophia into bed. She stared out at the view of the city she’d called home all her life, but she couldn’t say she’d miss it all that much. 
“Penny for your thoughts?” Liam said behind her.
Amara glanced over her shoulder, and her eyes followed him as he came to stand beside her. “Nothing,” she said, “just … taking in the view. Did she go down ok?”
“Yeah,” Liam nodded as he leaned against the railing. “Out like a light.” He glanced out at the view, staying quiet for a moment before looking over at her. “Are you going to miss it?”
“No … not really,” Amara answered. “I think … I think I’m ready to start over somewhere else.” 
Liam stared at her for a moment before taking her answer for the opening it was. “Speaking of starting over …” He stood upright and reached back, pulling the two photos from his back pocket. “When we were packing … these fell out of your nightstand drawer.” 
Amara focused on the photos in his hand, fighting against looking at him as she blinked away the sting in her eyes. “Yeah …” 
“I didn’t realize you had them.” 
“I …” Amara let out a soft breath and cast her gaze to the ground.
Liam’s thumb slid under her chin and he lifted her eyes to his. “No more secrets.” 
Amara swallowed. “I would look at them … in hopes I could convince myself to reach out to you … to tell you about Sophia.” She fell quiet for a moment before speaking again, her next words coming out just above a whisper. “And on days when I missed you … which was all the time … I’d look at them to remind myself of what it felt like to be whole … because that’s what being with you made me feel. Whole and complete … and happy.”
Liam searched her eyes for a moment, and in the next, he leaned down, capturing her lips in his. Amara stiffened in surprise, needing to rest her hands against his chest to keep herself upright, but when his arm curled around her waist and pulled her closer, she went more than willingly. When her lips parted against his, she felt his tongue softly curl against hers, so slowly at first it was as if he were trying to savor the moment, but then he deepened the kiss, and she gripped his shirt to steady herself.
Forcing himself not to get too caught up, Liam drew back. It took her a moment to open her eyes, and they stared at each other in silence for a few heartbeats before she looked away from him. He could see the self-consciousness fill her expression and realized it was because she determined that he must have thought what just happened was a mistake … but she was wrong. 
“I want to go back to being the two people in these photos. I want this again.” Liam held up the pictures. When she looked at him again, he saw the surprise in her eyes, like she couldn’t believe what he was saying. “I want this … I want us. But I want to slow down because I want us to be sure when we go in, if not for our sakes, then for Sophia’s.” 
At his words, a tear trickled down Amara’s cheek, and he reached up, brushing it away with his thumb. “I didn’t think … after what I’d done—”
“When I told you I was leaving the past in the past, I meant it, Amara,” Liam interrupted. “I just need to know if you want the same … that you’re willing to try.”
Amara took in a shuddered breath as her tear-filled eyes searched his. And then she nodded. “I want the same,” she whispered. 
Liam dropped his hand from her face and curled his fingers around hers. “Then we take it day by day once we get back home … and we’ll see how things go.” 
***************************************
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kristinamae093 · 10 months
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Ghosted — Liam x F!MC (Riley) — Prince Liam fell for Riley Brooks hard and fast. A marriage filled with love and devotion was within his reach. But everything changed when she vanished just before the end of the social season. As everyone voices their concerns regarding her scandalous departure, a confession from an unlikely source turns Liam's world upside down and makes him question everything around him.
Here Comes The Sun — Liam x F!OC (Kyla) — Two lost souls longing for hope stumble upon each other in a random encounter. When fate brings them back face-to-face, can what should be a devastating situation end up bringing the sunshine back for both?
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A Wild Ride — Liam x F!MC (Riley) — A small rewrite of the diamond scene from Book 1 Chapter 11 (Drake’s birthday) and… beyond. 🍋
Baking Memories — No pairing — Constantine and Liam make a very special recipe. (HCTS AU)
Trick or... Treat? — Liam xF!OC (Kyla) — Constantine and Kyla enjoy Halloween... at Liam's expense. (HCTS AU)
Dashing Through The Snow — Liam x F!OC (Kyla) — A new festival commences at the palace, and the terror twins get creative to ensure their victory. (HCTS AU)
Blame It On The Mistletoe — A festive rewrite of Liam and Kyla's meeting/HCTS P1 (HCTS AU - AU) 🍋
Blame It On The Mistletoe Art
39 notes · View notes
angelasscribbles · 9 months
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Victim of Love Chapter 12: Looking Forward
Series: Victim of Love
Fandom: The Royal Romance
Pairings: Drake x Riley
Word Count: 1,852
Rating: MA
Warnings for this chapter: None, really. Some mild language.
Song Inspiration for series: Victim of Love by The Eagles
Victim of love I see a broken heart I could be wrong but I'm not no I'm not
My other stuff: Master List.
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“That’s it! The last one!” Riley declared as she removed the needle from the rump of the heifer in the chute in front of her. Turning her head to the cowboy manning the chute door she said, “Let her out!”
“I really can’t thank you for everything you’ve done for us, Riley.”
Riley turned to smile at Drake’s mother. Dressed in trousers, a flannel shirt, and boots, with her hair tied back and pushed under a wide-brimmed hat, Bianca Throckmorton Walker looked every bit the matriarch of a family of ranchers.
Riley shook her head with a laugh, “What? Administering annual vaccinations to the herd? Any of your cowboys could have done that!”
“I’m not talking about that, and you know it! I’m not sure the herd would have survived without your intervention. Walk with me for a minute?”
Liam did not follow Riley after she left Hana’s room. She hadn’t expected him to, she meant it when she said he needed to stay and focus on his wife and unborn child.
It still hurt.
She clung to Drake and poured that hurt out as she sobbed in his arms.
“Is Hana okay?” Drake asked in alarm.
Riley nodded as she lifted her head to take in the concern in his eyes and it somehow made her feel better. She wiped her face as she staunched her tears and came to a decision, “I’m going to Texas with you.”
“What?”
“You said something was wrong with the herd, but no one knows what?”
“Yes, but-“
“Do you have a large animal veterinarian on staff?”
“No, because-“
“Because there’s an alarming shortage of large animal veterinarians in the U.S.”
“Right. We have one that we use but he covers a very large area and is currently at a ranch about two hundred miles away investigating a similar issue there.”
Riley nodded as she stepped out of his arms, “Vets who work with farm and ranch animals have to work outside in the elements, no matter how hot, how cold, or how rainy, they stay on their feet all day and they work long hours.”
“Yeah, that sounds like the job description,” Drake agreed.
“They’re also on call several nights a week. Most new graduations are choosing small animal care, dogs, cats, even exotics because they have regular hours in an air-conditioned office.”
“And the fewer people that choose to go into it, the worse the workload gets for everyone else,” Drake surmised.
“Yep! And the less anyone new wants to sign up for fourteen-hour days and being on call five days a week.”
“Yeah, okay….so?”
“So, there’s a good chance that no one is coming to help you in time.”
“Yeah, but….Riley, this isn’t your problem, you don’t have to-“ he rubbed the back of his neck as he fought an internal battle. As much as he would love to take her home with him and have a chance to get to know her better, he wasn’t sure she was thinking clearly. She was obviously upset.
“Drake!” Her tone was sharp, “I don’t have to tell you that losing an entire herd could be financially catastrophic for a cattle ranch.”
The fidgeting stopped as his eyes searched her face, finding nothing but an earnest seriousness there. She was right. Losing the herd might be a blow the ranch couldn’t recover from. “Riley, are you sure?”
“I’m sure! Now come on, I need to go pack! And I’m going to need the contact information for that other vet so we can compare notes and hopefully nip whatever this thing is in the bud!”
“I can’t take all the credit for that,” Riley followed Bianca up a small hill overlooking the northern part of the ranch, “Wow, this is a great view!”
“Isn’t it? My grandfather used to bring me up here when I was a kid. He’d tell me stories about the ranch’s history, point out all the places we could see from here, and explain what each was used for.”
“That sounds like a good memory.”
“It is. Later, after he died, I started coming up here by myself. At first, it was just to feel close to him, but the more time I spent looking at and thinking about this place, the more determined I was to save it.”
Riley nodded in understanding. Drake had told her how Bianca’s father had abandoned the ranch. Preferring the cushy life of a politician to the harsh life of a rancher, he had let the ranch fall into a state of disrepair. “I get it. You love this place. It’s obvious.”
“I do. The only thing I love more is my children; you’re good for both.”
“What?” Riley blinked against the afternoon sun as she studied the other woman’s face.
“You’re good for this ranch, Riley, and you’re good for my son.”
“Oh…I…”
“I’m not reading that situation wrong, am I?”
A flush spread across Riley’s face, “No, ma’am, you’re not.”
Riley had been prepared to stay in a hotel room, but neither Drake nor his mother would hear of it. She had been given a room in the main house, right down the hall from Drake.
The first few weeks she had tried to maintain some kind of boundary between them. She was there for the cattle, she was there to give Liam and Hana space, and she was there to heal a little and figure out her next steps.
What she wasn’t there to do was jump straight into another relationship, one with Liam’s best friend, one that was likely a rebound. Especially when she was there to work.
But it had proven impossible to keep her distance from him for any appreciable amount of time. Not only did he run the ranch, which threw them into close proximity with each other as they worked to find the cause of the illness spreading through the herd, but since she had agreed to stay at the ranch rather than a hotel, they were eating meals together and spending their downtime together.
“Why have you been avoiding me?”
“What?” Riley spun toward the voice. She hadn’t heard anyone enter the stables, “What makes you think I’ve been avoiding you?”
“Because you’ve been avoiding me.”
She sighed as she tightened the girth on the horse she was tacking up, “I’m sorry, I just wasn’t sure how to handle the whole situation.”
“What situation?” He opened another stall and lead a beautiful chestnut gelding out. He wasn’t going to cancel his plans to ride just because she was there first. In fact, he was prepared to follow her if that’s what he had to do to get answers.
“You know what situation, Drake.”
“No, I really don’t. I thought we really hit it off in Cordonia. We got along well; the sex was amazing, and you spilled your guts to me on the plane ride home about everything with Hana and Liam. What changed? Did I do something wrong?”
Riley took the horse by the reins ready to lead her out of the stables, but she paused in astonishment, “What? No! You’ve been nothing short of amazing, Drake! You’ve been there for me in a way very few people ever have!”
He dropped the saddle he was about to put on the horse on the ground and moved closer to her, “Then why are you avoiding me?”
“I just…” tears welled up in her eyes, “I’m sorry. After everything that happened, what you witnessed with me and Liam and Hana….and after everything I told you….I just assumed you would want to extricate yourself from that whole mess. I didn’t want you to feel obligated-“
With almost no warning, she found herself in his arms, “Riley, look at me! Extricating myself from this situation, as you call it, is the last thing I want! And obligation is the last thing I feel when I think of you! Goddamn it, girl! How do you not know what you do to me?”
“I just thought, maybe I should get myself sorted before I get more entangled with you. I still have feelings for Liam and-“
“I’m well aware of your feelings for Liam,” his fingers traced up the side of her face and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. His eyes locked on hers, full of pleading, longing, and determination, “I’m not asking you to stop having feelings for Liam. I’m not asking you to end your relationship with him. But I am asking…no, I’m begging you, Riley, to give this, to give us the same chance! And I have never begged anyone for anything in my life! Don’t you want to know if this could be something?”
The world stood still as she stared back into his eyes for an eternity. Then she nodded.  
“Yes? That’s a yes? You’ll give us a chance? Stop avoiding me?”
“Yes.”
He surged forward and claimed her lips.
“I’ve never seen my son this happy,” Bianca told her, “And you saved this ranch.”
“I had help,” Riley demurred.
“I know you collaborated with other ranches and vets in the area, but-“
“And Texas A&M University-“
“Yes, I’m aware, but still, it was you here on our land, up before the sun came up and up after it went down, working right alongside all of us. You kept up with seasoned ranch hands, Riley, that’s impressive.”
Riley laughed, “Don’t let the title fool you, I’m no stranger to hard work. I was waiting tables in my parent’s restaurant at twelve and I could run the kitchen by fifteen.”
“And you were top of your class in Veterinarian school.”
“Bianca! Did you run a background check on me?” Riley’s mouth fell open in astonishment.
Bianca shrugged, “When my son told me he was bringing some woman I’d never heard of home to mess with my cattle? You’re damn straight I did!”
Riley burst into laughter, “Fair enough!”
“I know you’re planning to return to Cordonia soon, but I wanted to make sure you knew that you had other options.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you could stay. I’m offering you a job here at the ranch as well as a home. If you don’t want to stay in the main house, there’s a small guest house closer to the stables that you could take. And I’m also giving my stamp of approval to your relationship with my son.”
Riley sighed as she turned away from Bianca and looked out across the miles of pasture. The job offer wasn’t a total surprise. Large animal vets were scarce, and Bianca liked her.
But she wasn’t at all sure she wanted to move away from Cordonia permanently. “What if I say no to the job offer? Will you still give your blessing to my relationship with Drake?”
Bianca scoffed, “Of course, I will. I mean it, Riley, you’re good for him. Just think about the job for a day or two before you make up your mind, okay?”
“Okay,” she agreed, a multitude of emotions swirling and mixing inside her, “I’ll think about it.”
53 notes · View notes
sfb123 · 1 year
Text
Always
Book: The Royal Romance
Pairing: Liam x Riley
All characters, and some of the dialogue, belong to Pixelberry.
Summary: Liam finds a new way to express his feelings for Riley.
Rating: G
Word Count: 2,108
A/N: I am participating in @choicesflashfics, using the prompt "The word ‘love’ doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what I feel for you." It will be in bold below.
A/N 2: This is a HC I've had for my Liam and Riley for a long time, but it's not something I could just slip into stories without explaining it. I've told it to a couple of people, and @charlotteg234 pushed me to write a fic explaining it. I started it a few months ago, and it sat in that WIP black hole that is my Google Drive. Then this week's Flash Fic prompts came out and this one fit in too perfectly for me to not use.
A/N 3: I procrastinated real bad on this one, so I didn't finish in time to have anyone pre-read it, so please excuse (m)any spelling or grammar errors.
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“I think we have time for one more question.” Riley addressed the crowd before turning to Liam to confirm. He smiled at her, and nodded in agreement. 
He didn’t hear the question, or her answer, he was too transfixed by his new bride. She had only been his wife, and Cordonia’s queen for a few days, though you would never know it by the way she carried herself. She was so poised, so well spoken. Since she had arrived in Cordonia, she had surprised everyone with her ability to handle all aspects of noble life. 
As she continued to address the crowd he felt something inside of him. It was more than pride, it was more than love even. He had no words to express how strongly he felt for this amazing creature before him. 
Liam hadn’t even noticed that Riley was finished until he felt her arm linking through his. She looked at him questioningly, and all he could do was smile in return. They posed for a couple of pictures before moving inside and heading to Liam’s office. 
When they arrived in his office, he took a seat behind his desk as Riley took a seat on one of the chairs on the opposite side. He smirked and shook his head at her. She arched her brow in response, and he lifted his hand, crooking his index finger in a come hither motion. When she had made it to the other side of the desk, he took her hand and lowered her into his lap. 
“You were incredible out there, my love.” He cupped her face in his hand, stroking her cheek with his thumb. 
Riley shrugged in response. “I really didn’t do much. Just gave our statement and answered a couple of basic questions.”
Liam grinned, shaking his head in disbelief. “Riley, I wish you wouldn’t discredit yourself like that. Just a couple of months ago, you were working two jobs trying to get by in New York, and now you’re successfully ruling a country, and making my dreams come true on a daily basis.” 
She dropped her eyes to the floor, a blush coming across her cheeks. He responded by slipping a finger under her chin lifting her gaze to meet his. “I mean it Riley, I was watching you out there and trying to find the right words to describe how I was feeling. The word ‘love’ doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what I feel for you. Sometimes, I look at you, and all I want is to propose to you all over again.” 
She blinked quickly, trying to hold back the tears that were forming at her husband’s declaration. “You can ask me to marry you as many times as you want. I’ll always say yes.” She leaned in, kissing him softly. 
“Good to know.” He replied before pulling her lips back to his. 
***
“That’s correct,” Riley agreed solemnly. “I had been brought to the maze under the false pretense that my husband was looking for me. The next thing I remember is waking up, tied to a chair in a dungeon.” 
The courtroom was silent as the Queen of Cordonia recalled the events of the Unity Tour, culminating with the multiple attacks and inevitable showdown with the Sons of Earth that finally came to a head on her wedding day. Anton Severus was on trial for leading the charge against the crown, and Riley had been called to the stand to testify.
The news stories that followed the attacks spoke at a high level, and provided minimal detail about the events themselves, so most of the people in attendance were hearing the details for the first time. One person who was already intimately familiar with the attacks was Liam. As he watched his wife sit there, perfectly composed and poised, all he could think about was their wedding night, and her breakdown once they were behind closed doors.
From the time she arrived in Cordonia, Riley had faced an onslaught of obstacles, and she faced each one with the same grace that she was showing on the stand. And she went through all of it for him. 
She had always been good at masking her pain until she was behind closed doors, but Liam had picked up on her tells rather quickly. He noticed that the emotions she had felt back then were resurfacing, and that she was surprised by it. However, she was hiding it well, he was certain that no one else had caught on. 
“Thank you, your majesty, you may step down.” The judge’s voice pulled Liam from his thoughts. 
As Riley moved toward Liam, the judge dismissed everyone for the day. Liam stood, taking his wife’s hand in his before leading her out of the courtroom. They walked silently out of the courthouse where the press were waiting for the king and queen to make a statement. 
When they saw the royal couple emerge, flashbulbs started going off, and reporters started shouting questions. Liam squeezed Riley’s hand, when she looked up at him she saw the question in his eyes. She gave him a practiced smile and a nod before stepping up to the crowd. 
“Your majesties, how did things go today?” One of the reporters shouted out. 
Liam stepped forward to field the question, but Riley tugged on his arm as she moved beside him. “Well, of course we won’t know for sure until the trial is over, and the ruling has been announced, but I think it’s safe to say justice will prevail.” The crowd cheered, and the pair used the opportunity as a distraction to slip away, and into their SVU. 
“I’m sorry love, we should have gone out the back.” Liam apologized as the car pulled away. 
“It’s fine. We need to give the people what they want. It’s our job.” Riley responded as she watched the scenery pass by out the window. 
Liam placed his hand over Riley’s. “Are you alright?” Riley shrugged in reply, her eyes never leaving the window. “Riley, look at me.” She slowly turned, and he saw the sadness in her eyes. 
“Sorry,” she apologized immediately, wiping away a stray tear. “Today was a lot.” 
“Love, you have nothing to apologize for, you were amazing today.” He cupped her cheek and pressed his lips against hers softly. “I saw how hard that was for you, but I promise you nobody else did.” 
“You think?”
“I know.” He affirmed. “You are everything a country could ever want or need in a queen. You were strong, and confident. Then, you stepped right out in front of the press and, despite being drained from your testimony, gave the perfect statement.” He looked at her adoringly, as a small smile slowly spread across her face. “Marry me?” He said softly. 
“Always.” She whispered in response. 
***
Riley found a secluded clearing beside the Walker ranch and began pacing, her mind going far too fast to stand still. The music and laughter from Bertrand and Savannah’s wedding had faded, she didn’t know if it was because of the distance, or if she just had too much on her mind for the outside noise to register. 
She was going through what seemed like a never ending checklist of things that would need to get done in the coming month. She froze in place when she thought of the first, and most important thing she needed to do. She took a deep breath before reaching for her phone and sending a quick text. 
As she waited, she fidgeted with her phone, her toe tapping against the grass. She was nervous, but it was a good nervous. She heard a throat clearing and looked up to see Liam taking purposeful strides toward her with a flirtatious smirk on his face. 
“So, here we are, alone together…” He said in a smoky tone. 
Riley’s brow furrowed, too caught up in her announcement to comprehend his advancements. “Huh?”
Liam stopped in his tracks, noticing his wife’s confusion. “It sounded urgent, and you said there was a surprise… I assumed you wanted to…” 
“Oh… OH! No, actually, that;s not what I meant.” She stepped toward him, taking his hand in hers. “But I have some news that’s even better than that.” 
“Well, I don’t know if there’s anything that could be better than that,” he said with a wink. “But I’m all ears.” 
She took a deep breath and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. Liam, I wanted a moment alone… just the three of us.” 
“Three? What do you–” She watched his face as he listened to her words. Suddenly, a wave of understanding washed over him. “We’re having a baby?” His voice was barely above a whisper, still trying to fully process the information. 
Riley’s smile grew as she nodded in response. He pulled her to him, holding her close and placing a kiss on the crown of her head. 
“Riley, I’m the happiest man in the world right now. Just think, soon we’ll be holding a little baby… our baby…” His happy expression quickly turned to shock as he stepped away from Riley and began pacing back and forth. 
“There’s so much to do! We’re going to need a crib, and clothes, and a bassinet for the throne room.” He stops in his tracks and slaps his hand against his forehead. “The throne room! We’ll need to childproof it! As well as the foyer, the antechamber, the solarium…” He ticks off each room on a finger as he lists them. 
“Liam,” Riley placed her hands on either side of his face, halting his movements. “Relax, we’ll have time for all of that.”
They stood in silence for a moment, staring into eachothers eyes as they let the excitement of the moment wash over them. 
“We’re going to have a baby.” Liam said.
“We sure are.” 
Liam pulled Riley into a lingering kiss. “Marry me?” He said against her lips. 
“Always.” She responded before kissing him again. 
***
Liam entered the royal quarters quietly. He had been stuck in his office late, the children would be fast asleep by now. As much as he wanted to see them, he knew nothing good could come from waking Eleanor and David at this hour. 
Much to his surprise, when he got to his bedroom, Riley was nowhere to be found. “Love? I’m home.” He called quietly. 
“Be right out!” She called from her closet. 
He quirked a brow when he saw Riley emerged with a suitcase. “And where do you think you’re going?”
“Not me, we.” She chuckled at his confusion. “You’ve been so overextended lately, you’re getting burnt out. And I know, I know, King of Cordonia, it comes with the territory, blah blah blah.” She waived her hand, dismissing the objections she knew were coming. “But you’re not going to be an effective ruler if you don’t get time to reset and recharge.” 
“So will we be staying at Applewood or Valtoria?” He asked, knowing those were their usual getaways. 
“Nope, you’ll still sneak work there, like you always do.” He opened his mouth to protest, but she held up a hand to stop him, “I know you do, and you should know me better than to think I would believe any denial you’re about to give.” 
“Then where will we be going?” 
“The jet will be leaving first thing to take us to our island. We haven’t had a real vacation in far too long.” 
“But I have meetings and deadlines over the next week that can’t be missed.” He protested. 
“Taken care of.” She shrugged. “I spent my free time this week working with your staff to take care of things. You don’t have a single thing to worry about for a whole week.” 
“You mean to tell me, you’ve spent the last week going behind my back, working with my staff, and doing all of this without me.” He said flatly as he stepped toward his wife.
“Yeah… yes. I mean, I thought it would be a nice surprise, I just…” Riley began stuttering, this was not the reaction she was expecting. 
“You are the most thoughtful, considerate, amazing person I have ever met.” He placed his hands on her hips, pulling her close, before kissing the tip of her nose. “I can’t believe you went through all of that trouble for me.” 
“After everything we’ve been through, planning a surprise vacation was actually pretty simple.” Riley chuckled. 
“Marry me?” He said, brushing the backs of his fingers across her cheek.
“Always.” She answered, reaching up to press her lips to his. 
Permatag:
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@amandablink @custaroonie @jared2612
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95 notes · View notes
txemrn · 1 year
Text
Déjà Vu
Chapter 2
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New? Check out the first chapter HERE! (Go ahead; you're not late. Sure, we can wait.)
Series Summary: After an unforgettable night with a stranger, Princess Eleanor finds herself caught in a secret love triangle between a noble and a commoner.
Chapter Summary: Drake attends dinner at the palace, and even though some things will never change, he discovers quickly everyone has moved on without him.
Pairing(s): Liam x Riley; Bertrand x Savannah; Maxwell x m!OC; Olivia x Amalas
Word Count: ~4885
Warning: 🔞 Mature Audiences Only 🔞 language (like, a lot); references to infidelity, pregnancy; teasing/bullying
A/N: Welcome to my Crack Fic! If you are new, hi! Thank you for joining us! This story takes place approximately 2 decades after TRR/TRH. I have made some canonical changes (they will be mentioned). Characters and some plots belong to our friends at Pixelberry! This was not Beta'd; please excuse my errors.
~🖤~
Drake
The gentle purr of the engine beneath my grip of the steering wheel shoots pleasurable waves of pure octane ecstasy. My nerves ignite with palpable electricity, coursing through my every cell. The cream leather interior is like butter against my skin, and the scent of luxury leaves me completely intoxicated.
Lucky little shit.  
I still can't believe my nephew–my fucking nephew–owns this beauty. How many twenty-four-year-olds own an Aston Martin Vantage convertible? I wish I could give him more shit about it, coming from such privilege as being the oldest son of a duke, but Bartie has more than earned it. 
He may not have exactly been planned, but he was the answer, and essentially the savior, of Ramsford. Back when I lived in this God-forsaken country, some twenty-odd years ago, Ramsford was in financial ruin. My brother-in-law, Bertrand, Bartie's father, scraped, scrapped and pinched every monetary morsel to keep them afloat for years.
Then along came Bartie: finished the top of his class at some preppy private institute at Stormholt with a degree in finance, and in just three fucking years of working with his dad… well, that little shit has an Aston. 
I'm actually very proud of him. Surely he knows that. We weren't much for talking over the years, but I'd send cards telling him I loved him, and I'd ask about him during video calls with my sister.
Judging that I am sitting in his custom-painted cherry-red luxury car right now? Yeah, Bartie knows I care the world about him. The fact that he's going to allow me to drive it? Fuck, I don't think I even trust myself, especially on these European roadways. Sure, I learned how to drive in Cordonia, but that was over two decades ago. And it wasn't a stickshift.
Can't be that hard, right?
I study the mechanism of the gear shift, comparing it to a quick Google search on my phone as I wait for my nephew to return to the car with a necktie–my suggestion.  Afterall, we're heading to dinner with the royal family… A.K.A. my childhood best friend, his daughter. And his wife.
The love of my life.
Eh, don't feel sorry for me. I'm over it. Seriously. And besides, technically, Liam had first dibs on her; but then again, he had first dibs on several other women at the exact same time, social season and all for his highness, the fucking crown prince of Cordonia. Whoop-de-do.
He's the one that asked me to look after his hot American suitor during his own personal season of The Bachelor. Are you really surprised I fell for the chick? The guy was never around. And Riley and me? She... she was fun, smart. She was fucking hilarious, gave those noble bitches a real run for their money. And yet, she was still kind and caring. She was easy to talk to; I found myself opening up to her in ways that… well, no one else could. 
Riley Brooks. I guess you could say she's the reason I never settled down with anyone. No one–and I mean no one–ever measured up. 
Oh well. That was a long time ago. And she made her decision. Him. And even though he was like the brother I never had, I… I couldn't. I just couldn't sit back and watch them play house and build a life together. Well, for Liam, it was real. 
I had fallen for her. But so had Liam. I knew that if I stayed–if I had stayed, the secret of Riley and me wouldn't end. Shit, if it didn’t end after they said, "I do," when would it?
Time heals all wounds, right?
Bartie opens the door, and slides into the passenger seat with two neckties in hand, both black as he holds them up to his crisp white oxford. "What do you think?"
"Think about what? The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost? You look like a fucking mormon," I jest as I point to the one with a subtle matte paisley design. "Why are you fussing about this anyway?"
"Just cause," he passively offers as he stares in the visor mirror, knotting his tie. "I'm speaking with King Liam privately after dinner, and… well, I just want to look alright."
Sensing his raw nerves, I pause for a moment, watching him fidget anxiously with the garment. Jesus, when did my baby nephew become a fucking man?  I smile, placing my calloused fingers on his shoulder. "You do, kid." I fasten my seat belt as I turn my attention to the dash. "So, how do I put this thing into drive?"
------
It’s surreal walking into the palace after so many years away. White marble floors. Crimson curtains with gold accents.  Childhood memories flood my mind of our sword battles on the grand staircase, pretending to be blood-thirsty pirates. Or when we would gallop through the secret labyrinth of corridors deep within the estate, charging on our make-believe stallions like mighty Spanish conquistadors. 
We would always sneak to the kitchen between meals to taste the desserts being made for dinner–unless Ms. Marta was working. That fucking old hag. Most of my ass whoopings were from her tattling on us. 
Liam was a fucking weirdo on our kitchen raids.  We would slip through the window of the bakehouse, and when we would confirm that the coast was clear, he would always head straight for the pantry to a bag of pistachios. We're talking about a place that had every sweet, every chocolate, every cookie imaginable, readily available in sealed containers. And he chose nuts. 
I always had my eyes on a nightly staple in the palace: warm apple pie. They were made daily, and I could always find at least one cooling on the window sill. 
Fuck, now I'm salivating over a fucking pie.  
To this day, I humbly have to admit that Cordonia apple pies are the best–don't let the taste of a raw ruby fool you. Something about the bitter compounds reaching a certain temperature causes… something-something to do something… ah, hell. Tell you what. If you're that curious, ask Liam. I mean, I'm assuming he's still a nerd–
"Drake!" 
I startle at the greeting, instantly recognizing the tall, broad-shouldered blond striding closer to me, wearing… an apron? The fuck? The apron has the phrase, 'I love you a bushel and a peck'.
Oh, yeah. He's still a fucking dweeb. 
His outstretched hand takes mine as he shakes it before pulling me into an embrace. "It's so good to see you, old friend," he pats my back before standing back to take me in.
He looks so different, but undoubtedly, he still looks like Liam Rys. Stray pieces of silver litter his perfectly styled, perfectly placed waves. His strong jawline and high cheekbones were cut more razor-sharp by his more mature, thinned face. His strong chest and the swell of his biceps made him look like a fucking Greek god. Lucky bastard. It's like turning forty didn't wreak havoc on his appearance or metabolism, save for a few fine lines around his eyes and smile.
"Bartie," Liam smiles endearingly, "always a pleasure." He extends his arm to my nephew before the scared kid had a chance to bow. I could see the flood of panic in Bartie’s eyes, but I gave him a reassuring nod as he hesitantly took his majesty's hand.
Don't worry, kid. I won't tell your daddy about your ‘poor manners’.
"Please," Liam rests his hand on my shoulder while turning to guide us to the queen's hall, the largest dining area in the palace for private parties. The room boasted an impressive, custom eight-meter-long table that could easily fit twenty-five guests comfortably. "Come, come. Everyone is just being seated." We follow him down the east corridor when suddenly, the savory aroma of roast and… something garlicky teases my senses. Liam obviously caught the delicious waft too, turning back with a devious grin. "I hope you brought some hearty appetites. Riley and I have something special for you tonight."
Riley. Why does the mere mention of her name make me–shit. Get it together, Walker. You're over it.
As expected, my closest friends during my time in Cordonia are all present along with their families. Well, 'friends' might be too strong of a word to use on this crowd. They were nobles and friends of Liam. I was friends with Liam. Ergo, we were friends. Sorta. 
My sister Savannah and her husband Bertrand were sitting at the end towards my right, speaking in hushed tones to one another. They came separately from Bartie and myself from their estate since, well, there wasn't enough room for them and the triplets. Yes. You read right. Triplets. As in three babies at once. They had tried for years to have more children with sadly no avail, and it took a terrible toll on their marriage. I still remember Sav's tearful call five years ago, revealing to me that they were separating. I was preparing to hop on a plane to execute my brother-in-law's accidental demise for breaking my little sister's heart when I got a second call a few weeks later. They were pregnant. I got a call a week after that. I had three nieces on the way.  Sydnie, Stella and Simone: the cutest little shits you've ever seen… and not just because they have their uncle's dashing good looks. 
I'm talking about me, their uncle. Not their other uncle.
Maxwell Beaumont–said other uncle– was sitting next to his brother Bertrand. He officially married Baron Friedrich von Lehndorff twelve years ago when Cordonia overturned their marriage clause of traditional unions. One hundred forty-eight same-gender couples came forward that day to be legally married; Max and Rich led the way to the Capitol. They became a beacon of light and love, not just for Cordonia, but to the world. I remember reading about their march for equality and their victory in my local paper. Maxwell and I weren't necessarily best friends, but a sense of pride bloomed in my chest, seeing him do something so incredible and bold with his life.  
He and Rich have a 9-year-old daughter Gia and 4-year-old son Ollie, both adopted from South Korea. Don't tell them I told you, but I follow their TikTok. Those two are fucking adorable.
Across from the Beaumont-von Lehndorffs is the Scarlet Duchess herself. Olivia Nevrakis. And… I almost can't believe the sight myself–
"Hey, Walker!" She waves, a smile growing on her face.
What. The. Fuck. Was she… happy to see me?
She stands up and makes her way around the table of guests to greet me. 
With a hug.
Shock number two: she’s touching me in a friendly manner. But that's when I was hit with shock number three.
Is she? No, no… she can't be. Is that a–?
She must've seen the curiosity etching across my face as I stared down at a rounded abdomen that just pressed up against me during our embrace. She instinctively cradles her belly and giggles.
Giggles. 
Was I in the Twilight Zone?
She married Amalas a few years after I moved away. I wasn't surprised; the few times Livvy and I hooked up felt odd, like something was missing. I mean, not that I didn't satisfy her. That was never a problem for me with women. Turns out, ol' red was looking for a queen. 
Together they serve as queen and queen consort of Monterisso, and apparently are known for creating quite a riot at international events. I'm not surprised. They have four children: Macaela–Amalas’s daughter with her late husband–Josefine, Joaquin, and Joseph.  And then baby Timothy will be joining them soon. Because that name makes sense.
I'm starting to feel a little self-conscious. It's been over twenty years, and everyone seems to have grown up. Had families. Changed the world. And what did I have to show? Nothing. I mean, I did have quite a successful construction company that I developed with almost seventy employees under my leadership, but… well, that went under thanks to my business partner fucking me over. Fucking twat-waffle. 
But is this really what my life comes down to? Is this how you would sum up my life? Compared to childhood friends, I was still nothing. And here I was again on the coattails of Liam.
An abrupt delicate tink to a wine glass echoes over the various conversations and children squealing, silencing everyone as we turn our attention to the head of the table. 
And there she was. Just as breathtaking as the last day that I saw her.
"Drake," she gasps as I pull her into the dark shadows behind the barn. "We can't. Not anymore." 
I shake my head, her eyes refusing to meet mine. I took a step towards her, but she instinctively shifts, her back pressing against the wall.
"Brooks–"
"Rys," she interjects, the correction like a serrated blade piercing my skin. A sob escapes her as rivers course down the planes of her velvet skin.
Placing my arm against the splintered wood next to her head, I lean closer to her, capturing her intoxicating scent. My hand slips up her neck, my fingers tenderly lifting her chin to look at me, to captivate me with those ocean eyes.
My thumb caresses her rosy lips, feeling her breath hitch. I flutter my mouth across her wet cheeks, my feather touch kissing away her tears.
But we suddenly freeze.
"Riley?"
Liam's smooth voice carries over the moonlit pasture, drowning out our abilities to hear the bustle of the reception.
"Riley…Don't–"
But it's too late. Before I could stop her, she was gone.
I blink. Casually shifting in my seat, I glance nonchalantly around me. Whew, everyone is still staring at the head of the table. No one seems to notice that I got lost in my thoughts for a moment.  I nervously scratch through my stubble before grabbing the water glass in front of me. I take a longass sip of water, but when I pull the glass from my mouth, two crystal-blue orbs with long, flirty lashes are locked on me.
Fuck, I choke on the water on my attempt to swallow it down. I start coughing violently as Maxwell starts patting my back.
"You okay there, Drakey?"
I finally take a gulp of air, and glare at him. "Yes… and it's Drake, Maxi pad." Okay. I admit it. It was childish to retaliate by calling him the name me and some of the other guys called Maxwell growing up. But to my surprise, he laughs before finger-gunning me.
"Good one, Drake. I haven't heard that in years."
I turn back to our royal hosts just in time for Liam to give me a friendly nod, as if to ensure that I'm okay without creating more of a scene. But when I glance over at Riley, she quickly averts her eyes, slipping her hand into Liam's. 
Jesus Christ. If that was a sign of how things were going to be, her cowering and treating me like I'm some kind of criminal for something she did willingly… something she pursued… fuck that. Send me back to Texas.
"We brought wine!" Rich singsongs, pulling out two large bottles from a nearby refrigerated wine rack. "Who'd like–?"
I refused to let the poor bastard finish.
"Me."
------
I can't remember a single time in my life where I have been so positively and exuberantly grateful for Maxwell fucking Beaumont. He fended off the anticipated awkwardness and helped the dinner conversation progress, making the casual assist to include me in this special meal that was supposedly in my honor. 
I'm not saying the others were rude to me, Liam especially. He was treating me like a long lost brother, like the prodigal son that has finally returned home. And I'm not going to lie: it felt good to be reunited with him.
But Riley couldn't even look me in the eye, and judging by the flashes of guilt and her over-eagerness to leave the room every chance she got, I know she never told her husband the truth about our relationship.  He had his suspicions. And I owned up to falling for her, thus the ending of our friendship and me moving to Texas. I mean, I thought it was the end…
But, I didn't just fall for her; it wasn't pining for her from afar, hoping she would give me the time of day.
We were in love.
"This was absolutely divine," Savannah sings praises, taking a sip of her tea. Everyone begins chiming in with their sentiments, thanking the royal couple for the delicious meal. Yes, they prepared it. I know; I was impressed myself.
Individual conversations continue through dessert and coffee when suddenly, the ring of a phone interrupts us into silence.
"Excuse me," Amalas whispers with the phone against her ear, "I need to take this. It's Josie."
Liam and Riley flash looks of concern at one another. "I hope everything is okay," Riley says softly as she twirls her necklace between her fingers, turning to her husband with a more hushed tone. "Did Ellie text you?"
Liam is already looking at his phone, but he's casually shaking his head, appearing more relaxed than his wife. His gaze catches my curious look as I try to put the pieces together of what's going on this evening.
"Josie–err, Josefine–is out with our Eleanor and Madeleine's daughter Bethany this evening." 
Ah, that's right… Josefine must go by Josie, Amalas’s second daughter, her first daughter with Olivia. Shit, I can’t keep these spawn straight….
"Crisis averted!" Amalas sweeps back into the room, placing her cell into her pocket. "The girls said the restaurant was too crowded, so they're going over to the Vancoeur's for a–" she imitates an American valley girl, "girls' night."
"Vancoeur?" I mutter, turning to Maxwell. "Did he… reproduce, too?" The idea sounded ridiculous. What woman lowered her standards that low to sleep with that bastard?
"Yep," Maxwell responds, "he has a beautiful daughter." He takes an obnoxious sip of his espresso. "You know, Bethany, the girl that's out with Eleanor and Josie."
No. Fucking. Way.
"I thought Beth was Madeleine's kid?"
"It is." Maxwell chuckles as mischief glows in his eyes. "Oh Drakey, you missed it. Maddie and Neville were actually married for about ten years." Pulling a napkin up to his mouth, he lowers his voice. "Rumor has it she was about to lose what was left of her inheritance, slept with that weasel, then faked a pregnancy to get him to propose." He snickers. "I wish I could've been a fly on the wall when her fake pregnancy turned out to be a real pregnancy."
"What the–?"
"Mhrmm," Maxwell bounces his eyebrows, "she claims she had no idea." He stares at me intently before rolling his eyes and gesturing with his hand a dramatically large curve over his stomach. “Agnes, my seamstress–can you believe she’s still working for us? Well, anyway, that woman can work absolute miracles…” He takes another sip of his drink.  He quiets his voice while he averts his eyes, slowly crossing his legs. “There was no hiding that bump.”
I shake my head in disbelief, chuckling under my breath when suddenly, I feel a large hand on my shoulder. I whip around quickly, pulling my body away, when I see–
"Shit, Li–"
"I didn't mean to interrupt," he offers a friendly smile.
I blow away the air I had quickly sucked in, willing my heartbeat to slow down. I guess I'm still a little on edge being here, but fuck, that scared me.
"I thought before you left tonight, we could discuss, um… arrangements. For you."
"Yeah… yeah, of course." Following his lead, we start to make our way to the exit for privacy.
When Liam invited me to Cordonia, he was very specific that he wanted to help me get back on my feet. And I believe him. I know his generosity is genuine; he doesn't have any ulterior motives or some secret vendetta against me from the past. At least I hope he doesn't. But this isn't a vacation for me; part of the deal was I needed to work. I'm not sure if that meant finding temp jobs or something more long-term. 
“Do I smell imported cheap whiskey?”
I stop short of the door.
Fuck me. Leo Rys. Liam’s older brother and notorious international womanizer. The man just turned fifty last year, and it’s like he unlocked a new group of admirers, especially now that he’s sportin’ a little silver around the edges these days. 
He and Liam are complete polar opposites. Apples and oranges. Night and day. If Liam was thoughtful and selfless… well, you get the gist. And clearly by his entrance, I’m discovering that some things never change.
As if his deep bellow wasn’t warning enough, his black leather boots announce his presence as he struts across the polished tile, his arm hooked around his helmet. He slaps his free hand on my shoulder, squeezing it firmly as he obnoxiously sniffs me.
"Cheap whiskey… and… is that a hint of beef jerky and cow patties I'm detecting?"
"Good to see you, too." Jackass. I slap his chest before pushing him off of me. I may have used a little more force than I should've. My bad. 
"Am I late for dinner?" He slaps Liam on the back before walking towards the kitchen.
Liam sighs. "Just… a little–"
"Ahh, don't worry," he stops to kiss Riley on the cheek. "I'll serve myself."
As Leo disappears, Liam and I give each other a knowing look before leaving the room as well.
------
"Trust me, you're going to love what Riley has done with the guest quarters."
Liam and I had a good talk. A really good talk. We didn't have to say it, but it was clear: we missed each other. We missed our camaraderie, the confidence we had in one another. He was the first person I called when Dad died; I was the first person he called when Leo abdicated. We grew up and became men together.
But then Riley Brooks happened… but, I'm guessing you know that by now.
Liam has already a number of jobs for me to sift through, several carefully picked out that would play to my strengths with architecture and construction. But since these jobs were either on the grounds or here locally in the Capitol, he insisted I move into one of the private guest quarters with its own private entrance and balcony.
'You don't need to be making that drive from Ramsford everyday.' He's right. It's quite the journey, not to mention I don't exactly have a vehicle of my own here. So, I'm back in the palace. Ain't life a bitch?
"Now I hope you don't mind all-electric. The gas lines and how they were designed don’t–"
"Beggars can't be choosers, love."
Her words are like ice, the sharp chill making even her husband shudder. 
"Riley–"
"What?" She giggles under her breath. "I was joking." She turns a venomous stare towards me. "Drake knows I'm kidding. Don't you, Drake?"
I clear my throat. "Yeah," I play along, "good one."
"Love?" She slips her hand around Liam's arm, lowering her voice into a whisper. "Bartie Beaumont has requested to speak with you privately."
"Oh!" Liam brightens. "Sure. Of course." He gives me a pleasant nod. "Excuse me, Drake. And, please. Feel free to look around."  He begins to make his way towards the dining area, Riley following in step behind with no acknowledgement to me.
I breathe a sigh of relief. I needed a moment to myself anyway.
"Actually," Liam turns on his heel, waving a finger in the air. "On second thought, Love?" He smiles lovingly towards Riley, placing his hands affectionately on her shoulders. "How about you go show Drake the renovations you made?"
Shit.
------
Riley barely spoke two words to me besides pointing to the obvious fixtures and control buttons in the guest suite.
Light... Refrigerator… Bathroom… 
"This, uh, looks really nice," I try to converse, combing my fingers through my hair. "I never thought I'd see the day this room would have a–"
"We don't have to do this." She walks out of the room and into another part of the suite.
Why was she being such a frigid bitch? 
Fuck, I need a smoke.
I take a deep breath, shoving my hands in my pockets as I stroll back out into the hallway of the apartment.
"Is there anything else you needed to see?" She swallows thickly. She tries to remain stoic with a stiff bottom lip. Her jaw ticks… but her glare betrays her as something else brews that I … can’t quite discern.
But then, without warning, Riley's eyes roam down my body, catching on the crotch of my khakis before returning to my face.
Eyes up here, your majesty.
She clears her throat, pretending I didn't just catch her checking me out. "Um, anything else you wanted to see… of the suite, that is? Because, uh, we should probably –" she shuffles backwards, pointing aimlessly behind her, towards the door.
"You go on ahead," I tell her. "I'm gonna check out the balcony if you don't mind."
A heated swirl of rouge ignites on Riley’s cheeks. She nods, turning on her heel quickly without saying a word, and exits the apartment in record time. 
Thank God. I don't know what just happened, but… this is a very interesting turn of events. Does she still have feelings for me?
No. Stop.
Shit. Maybe moving in is a mistake.
I make my way outside, and damn. The view from this balcony is stunning. It actually overlooks the Cordonia countryside, which means less lights from the city and plenty of stars to be seen at night. It's... actually a nice reminder of home.
Taking a seat on the balustrade, I pull out a cigarette and nestle it between my teeth as I search for my lighter. I pat my pockets, both in the back and front of my pants before checking my shirt.
Shit. Can the universe just pass me a fucking bone?
I slump over, resting my elbows on my knees. Holding my hands in front of me, I begin to pick at my calluses as the events of the evening replay like a movie reel in my head.
But suddenly, there's a snick, then a spark; then a single flame is held in front of me. Fishing my cigarette out from behind my ear, I fix it between my lips and lean into the fire. I pull heavily, deeply until the familiar burn touches my anxious nerves, and I blow away my initial puff.
"You know smoking can kill you."
I raise an eyebrow at the deep voice, taking another inhale before blowing it in Leo's face.
"Malaka."
I chuckle at his insult, watching that smug grin pull out his own cigarette to light. He leans against the side of the balcony before hoisting himself up onto the balustrade.
"So," he licks his lips, looking at me inquisitively. "How does it feel to be back in lovely Cordonia?"
I look at him, scrunching my face. Really? That's the best you can do? I look back down, flicking some ash on the ground.
"How does it feel–" he blows smoke over his shoulder, "--being back close to Riley?"
My head shot up.
"Ohhh," he snickers, "that got Walker's attention really fast."
How the fuck does Leo know? How the fuck does Leo know anything? I can feel my heart begin to pound, my eyebrows furrowing in anger.
"Now hold up, Walker," he holds up his hands in defense. "I come in peace. I don't care that you fucked my sister-in-law once upon a time… okay, fine. Maybe just a little–"
"What do you want, Leo?"  I interrupt, irritation baited in my voice.
He looks down fidgeting with his fingers.  When he turns back to me, he has an indiscernible expression on his face, as if a wave of vulnerability is crashing over him.
"I know it can be… challenging, you know? Moving back to Cordonia after a hiatus, and I figured tonight was probably a lot for you."
And now Leo is trying to have a heart-to-heart with me… What the fuck happened to these people while I was gone?
"I thought maybe… you could use a friend."
"Well," I stand up, taking a step away. "Thanks. I appreciate it–"
"I mean it," he holds a hand to his chest. "Say–" he jumps to his feet, sandwiching himself between me and the door. "What are you doing tonight?"
Besides leading the exciting life of letting my nephew drive me back to his parent's house, eating a bag of Doritos in my boxers and getting shit-faced?
"There's a new club opening in town tonight. Tons of people. Who's who. VIP–" 
"Thanks, but–"  I try to shove past him, but he stops me, putting his hands against my chest.
"Six full bars, and–" he wiggles his eyebrows. "Lots… and lots… of fresh Cordonian-grade pussy. How do you like them apples?"
Like I said, some things never change.
"C’mon, Walker… you in?"
~🖤~
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------
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trrvisuals · 11 months
Text
My Characters
Riley is always my MC, but I have given her different last names and different middle names in different stories. All of my character's personalities vary from story to story. And Riley is perhaps the most variable of them all.
All of the Riley Campbell Chronicles: Riley Beth Campbell (after her mother Elizabeth)
Savage Love: Riley Amalas Brooks (after her aunt, the queen of Monterisso)
Star Crossed: Riley Renee Brooks (after her grandmother)
Face Claim: Barbara Palvin
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Liam is almost always an LI for my Riley, if he's not with Riley, I pair him with Maxwell. In most (but not all) poly fics, she is married to Liam. Occasionally he's in a throuple with either her and Max or her and Drake.
I've written Liam as understanding of her torn feelings about him and Drake and as more jealous of it. I've written him as sweet and innocent and I've written him as possessive and controlling.
In the tradition of most royal houses, I have given him (as well as Leo and any of his children) multiple middle names.
Liam Nicolai Ulysses Augustus Rys
Face Claim: Daniel Henney
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Drake is almost always a LI for Riley as well, either as a rival for her affections or in a poly situation with Liam. Her relationship with him is often (but not always) a secret even when all involved are in a CNM situation, due to concerns about scandal.
I've written Drake everywhere from completely no jealousy in him to murderous jealousy over her and everything in between. Depends on the tone of the story I'm going for.
I've given him the middle name of Nolan, after one of the greatest pitchers of all time, Texas Ranger Nolan Ryan. His son is almost always named Jackson or Jaxon after his father.
Drake Nolan Walker.
Face claim: Daniel Di Tommaso
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I created more boards for him during Drake Walker Appreciation Week. Here they are:
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Max is a wild card. I've written him as her best friend and I've written him as her lover. There are a few one-shots where she and Max end up exclusive but I really love him with her and Liam as a throuple.
When not with Riley, I've paired him with Liam and once with Savanah. I also have two boards for him because I created a new one for Maxwell Appreciation Week.
Maxwell Percival Beaumont.
Face claim: Xavier Serrano
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Rashad is not a LI in canon, but I went ahead and made him one in Bad Romance and was surprised at how many people enjoyed his character and his relationship with Riley.
Canon didn't give him a last name, so I did.
Lord (and eventually Duke) Rashad Faheem
Face claim: Manish Dayal
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Leo really became a more filled-out character for me when I wrote him in Bad Romance Disney Adventure. I have only paired him with Riley once so far and it was in the past tense. I have almost always put him with Olivia until it occurred to me to put him with Drake and I'm shocked at how much I love that pairing.
Leonardo Tiberius Constantine Fabian Rys
Face claim: Trevor Donovan
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Hudson Rys, Leo's eldest child, who is forever salty that his father's life choices robbed him of being king.
Face claim: Jesse McCartney
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Olivia, aka Liv or Livvie to her close friends and family. I have paired her with Leo multiple times and once with Hana so far.
Olivia Vanderwall Nevrakis
Face claim: Karen Gillian
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Kiara Theron. Sometimes romantic rival for Drake's affections. Twice I have married her to Gordon Price, the prime minister of Terrana. I have yet to write how that comes about, but one of these days maybe lol.
Face Claim: Aja Naomi King
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Hana Lee. I have paired her most often with Riley. I have put her with Lena a few times. I have made her aromantic. I have given her a fling with Penelope. In my Drake x Leo universe, I paired her with Olivia. I have never paired her with a man other than Liam. I have made her queen twice. In Dark Elf she is escorted to social events by Rashad, but she hates it and only does it to appease her parents so they leave her alone and she can focus on her true objectives.
Face Claim: Angela Yeung Wing (stage name Angelababy)
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