Royal Academy

by McKenna James

  I hated his tone. I hated that he could sense my emotions, and I didn’t want to get into it.

  “I don’t want to talk about it, okay? Can we just drop it?”

  I was harsh with him, but I couldn’t help it. He was beginning to get into a territory that I dared not tread.

  “No, we can't, Drew. This is serious.”

  He walked over to my bed and sat. I could feel the tension in his body language, as if it was speaking long before his words were. I looked at the ceiling and took a deep breath. I wanted to run away, like Eliza had done. I didn’t want to talk about my personal life with my big brother, but Edward had me cornered. I couldn’t blame the chap for his concern. Even I disliked my broody self as of late. I took a seat at my desk and listened to what he had to say.

  “Look, what happens in your life is your business, I get that, Drew. This is serious. So much, in fact, that the headmaster called Mum a couple of weeks ago.”

  Damn it, did he say what I thought he did?

  “What the bloody hell for?” I yelled out before I realized the words had left my mouth.

  “Calm down!” he chided as he stood.

  “Just tell me what reason he would have to call. I’m in university, damn it. A grown man in my own right. I don’t need everyone calling my mum and bringing her into my business!” My voice boomed as I got up and walked to the window. Staring out at the barren trees and a dusting of snow made my life seem bleaker than it already was.

  “Because you’ve changed, and we want to know why. Mum, myself, and Maggie are all very worried about you.”

  “Well, you of all people shouldn’t even question me as to how life changes a person.”

  The look on his face went from concern to hurt as I had just brought his teen antics into play. It was something I shouldn’t have done, but pain produced pain and hurt bred hurt.

  “Yes, I know. I wasn’t an altar boy when I was your age, and I was by far worse than you are now...” He trailed off, and I felt the hurt in his voice.

  “Edward, I’m sorry. I lashed out, and I shouldn’t have.”

  My apology was sincere, but I didn’t want to discuss my personal life with anyone. I had always been a private person, keeping everything to myself even as a child. When Maggie was our tutor, she had a hard time getting me to open up about the tiniest of things. So my being closed off should come as no surprise to them now.

  “It’s okay. I just want to find out what’s going on with you. I know you confided in Maggie, but she wouldn’t dare share anything with me.”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. “How much do you know?” I dreadfully asked.

  “That your grades have slipped tremendously, that you and Clayton were separated at school just before punches were thrown. The headmaster is concerned you’re having trouble with your friends.”

  Oh shit, there it was. Why in the hell did everything have to do with my friends and what they thought?

  “Your priorities change. Clayton and I don’t see eye to eye on a lot of issues, and he’s a fucking bully. Riley follows him like a damn shadow, so yeah, I guess I don’t really seem to have many friends at the moment.”

  Seeing the doubt in his eyes, I could tell that he wasn’t buying it.

  “What were you and Clayton fighting about, Drew?”

  “Nothing that is important now.” I cringed when I said the words, because there wasn’t anything more further from the truth. Eliza was all there was that was important.

  “Don’t bullshit the bullshitter, little brother.”

  “Words were said. Punches would have been thrown had others not intervened. It is what is.”

  “There’s more to it, Drew.”

  I shrugged as I walked to the bedroom door.

  “Likely so, but that’s my business, big brother. Besides, we have a gala to attend, and this is Maggie’s big night. We wouldn’t want to upset your lovely lady.”

  “Of course you’d be so low as to use my wife as an excuse to end our discussion.”

  I needed to put some distance between Edward and myself. He would interrogate me for hours if I didn’t breakaway, and Maggie had already twisted enough of my dilemma out of me; I didn’t need my brother in my business too.

  “Interrogation, you mean?”

  He nodded and patted me on the back as he passed by. “Sorry, Drew. Worried is all. I’m here if you need to get anything off your chest.”

  “I appreciate it, Edward. Let’s get to the ballroom before Maggie sends out a search party.

  His looks, questions, and concerns for me were nothing compared to my questions and concerns about Eliza. After the ball, I’d find out what was going on and where exactly we stood. It was my mission to leave as soon I could make an escape. Eliza was going to talk to me whether she wanted to or not.

  Chapter 18

  Eliza

  The ringing of my cell woke me out of a dead sleep. I was too groggy to look at the screen to see who was calling, so I just answered it without thought.

  “Hello,” I managed to say with a slur.

  “Hey,” Drew's voice said softly.

  I very quickly snapped out of my stupor and opened my eyes. “Hey.” It was all I could say. I was speechless. Why was he calling me? Where was he for that matter?

  “What are you doing?” he asked me quietly.

  “I was sleeping. What time is it?” I asked in return.

  “It's just past midnight,” he said and paused.

  There was an uncomfortable silence, but I didn’t know what to say. Had he hung up?

  “Eliza?”

  There he was.

  “Yes?”

  “I got your voicemail, and I really think that we need to discuss some things to see where this all stands.”

  I wanted to, I really did, but it was of no use. I wasn't good enough for him, and there was nothing that could change that fact.

  “Drew, I don't think that is a good idea,” I said, barely above a whisper, still trying to wake up.

  “What? Eliza, you called me and asked if we could talk. I don't understand anything of what's going on, but I think that we at least owe each other one last conversation to explain what happened. Don't you?”

  He sounded angry, although he was almost pleading with me, and his argument was legitimate. We did need to talk, even if it went nowhere; at least we could say that we tried to work things out.

  “Okay. When?” I asked.

  “Now,” he said quickly.

  “Now? I'm in bed.”

  “Eliza, please just talk to me.”

  I’d been waiting all day to talk to him, and the fact that he’d blown me off stung, but I had to end this properly with answers as to where we went wrong.

  “Okay, well where do you want to meet me?” I asked, hoping he'd say that it could wait until morning.

  “How about your living room in thirty seconds?”

  “What? Thirty seconds? How?” I asked in confusion.

  “I'm outside of the building. Buzz me up, please.”

  I rubbed my hand across my face to wake myself up. “Okay,” I whispered.

  I hung up my phone, threw on my white silk robe, and buzzed him through the door downstairs. Before he could make it up, I ran to the bathroom and gargled mouthwash. I didn't have time to brush my teeth or put on makeup, so he was going to see a side of me that he'd never seen before. It would be okay, because he had Poppy now, and I was a part of his past. I doubted that he was there to look at me in a sexual way at all.

  I opened the door when he knocked once.

  “Hey.” He nodded as he stepped inside my flat, his hands shoved inside his pockets.

  “I didn't expect to see you tonight,” I said as curled into myself in the corner of the couch.

  He stood there, looking mad at the world.

  “What's wrong?”

  “I'm sorry to come by so late. I had no idea that you'd be in bed, but I wanted to see you and set some things straight.”<
br />
  He had on grey sweats, a hoody, and trainers, and I thought that was rather odd attire for a Prince, especially if he’d taken Poppy to the Royal Gala tonight as Clayton had suggested.

  He sat in the chair opposite the couch and raked his fingers through his hair. It was evident that neither one of us knew where to begin because silence filled the air for a good two minutes before either us of spoke.

  “How was the Gala?” I asked.

  “Drab. I made my appearance and left.”

  “Oh I’m sure Poppy wasn’t happy about that, not being able to rub elbows with the Queen,” I scoffed, not liking the jealous side of myself.

  “Poppy? I went alone. Why wouldn't you answer my texts and calls?”

  I wasn't sure that I was ready for all of this, especially after midnight, but there were things that needed to be said. Whatever the outcome, good or bad, we needed to put things in their place and bury them.

  “Clayton…” I cut off, deciding that Clayton had been the catalyst of our problems from the beginning, and I had to remove him from the equation. “Never mind.”

  “No, Eliza. That isn’t how this is going to work. We’re trying to work through whatever in the hell the miscommunication was. Don’t shut me down with ‘never mind’. What the hell did Clayton do now?”

  He was right, and I decided in that moment that all of this could have been resolved had I just attempted to talk to Drew.

  “I was there the morning when you two were in the commons area at school. I heard and saw everything, Drew.”

  I choked back a sob, trying to keep my emotions under tow. “I couldn't allow him to destroy your reputation just because you were seeing me. I wasn't going to give him more ammunition than he already had to cause you more grief.”

  It was as if it all dawned on him. “So you walked away without so much as a goodbye?”

  “I thought I was doing the right thing.”

  All of my feelings and emotions were out there on my sleeve along with my heart, but I didn't care. Drew was right—he deserved to know why I’d shut him out if we wanted to work through our differences. It just pained me so much to discuss it with him.

  “It hurt, Drew. I know that Clayton has been like a brother to you, and I didn’t want to come between that friendship. But Clayton isn’t out to only hurt you, Drew. He has a vengeance against me that I don’t understand. So what if I’m not some heir to a multi-billion dollar corporation. I’m still a person. I love you, Drew.”

  “Eliza, why didn't you just tell me that?”

  “Because Clayton wasn't bluffing when he said that he would ruin you. He knows my father is a tabloid reporter, and I was afraid that he would go to him with the story about how the Prince was dating a commoner. If you weren't ready to let people at school know, then you sure weren't going to be ready to tell it to the world.”

  His brow was furrowed as if he had no clue as to what I was trying to say. “Yeah, so?”

  “So, don't you see? He would have given my father the scoop of a lifetime just to hurt us. And knowing my father, he would have ran with it. Not in a negative way, but in a “my daughter is dating the Prince of England” type of way. He wouldn't have put us down, but he surely would have printed it to make himself a huge pile of cash and to make himself look like a big shot. There is no way that my dad would have kept our secret for us.”

  I dropped my head. I was embarrassed enough with what my father did for a living, but to tell the man I loved that my father would have used us both just for his own personal gain was humiliating.

  “I had no idea, Eliza. I can see why you closed me off, but I wish that you would have explained things to me.”

  He sat on the middle couch cushion, close enough that I could smell his cologne.

  “I tried. But by then, I had seen you with Poppy, and Clayton had obviously put another plan into motion. I was only trying to protect you and your family’s name.”

  He leaned his head back and looked at the ceiling. “That bloody bastard has ruined so much.”

  It was evident that he was upset, but at the mention of Poppy’s name his jaw tightened. I wanted the conversation to be over. I wanted to back to weeks prior when Drew and I were together and everything was right in the world … when I was experiencing love for the first time as he held my body as close to his as physically possible. But I couldn’t move forward without knowing the answers to all the questions I had.

  “So what do you need to tell me about Poppy?” I asked hesitantly. If what Clayton had told me was true, then I’d need to brace myself to hear Drew admit it. I’d considered not even bringing it up, letting it be water under the bridge. But I had nothing to lose, except a little more dignity.

  “Eliza, we're just friends.”

  I felt a sense of relief when I heard those words, but the tremor in Drew’s voice gave away his dishonesty.

  “Friends? That's all?” I asked enthusiastically.

  “Yes, friends.” He shifted his body on the couch. I wondered if the questions were making him uncomfortable. “Why?”

  “Poppy is a beautiful young woman, Drew. I saw the two of you in class before spring break. Clayton told me that you two were together. You’d been … intimate.” I sighed, trying to find the courage to carry on. “Clayton had told me Poppy was going to the gala with you, and I assumed you’d moved on.” That wasn’t exactly how I’d preferred to phrase it, but just the thought crushed my heart.

  “The problem with your questioning, Eliza, is you’re basing your assumptions from lies told to you by Clayton. You want to know what happened with Poppy?” he questioned leaning close as if he was about to tell me a filthy secret.

  My eyes rounded in surprise as my heart caught in my throat, and I couldn’t find the words to speak.

  “Poppy was a pathetic distraction by Clayton to get my mind off of you. He framed it that he was concerned about the paparazzi since the gala was highly publicized. Being seen with Poppy wouldn’t raise many suspecting questions. I was so wrecked that you weren’t talking to me, I trusted the fucker. But they didn’t want me to just be seen with Poppy.” He looked away, his eyes hard and angry. “No, she wanted me to fuck her.”

  All air left my chest as I gasped; no matter how well I prepared myself mentally, I wasn’t expecting to hear this from Drew.

  “But she. Wasn’t. You. She kissed me. But she tasted too sweet. Like honey. As gorgeous as Poppy may be, and as tempting as the opportunity was, I couldn’t fucking touch her. Because she wasn’t you.”

  Tears welled in my eyes, but as I pierced my eyes closed so Drew couldn’t see me cry, he gripped my face in his hands and crashed his lips to mine. Drew was passionate and controlling, consuming all the pain I’d felt with one simple kiss.

  “Don’t shut me out again, Eliza.”

  “I’m so sorry, Drew.”

  “Eliza, I’m as much to blame about all of this as Clayton is. I put restrictions on us. I allowed Clayton to do the same. Please accept my apology. I’ll never hurt you again.” He pressed his lips to my forehead then wrapped me in his arms, and I’d never felt so safe and loved than I did in that moment.

  He held me in his arms, only the sounds of our hearts echoing filled the silence of the room.

  “Eliza, from this moment forward, promise me that you’ll always talk to me when something is bothering you.”

  “I promise, Drew.”

  “I won't lose you a second time.”

  His words were like a gentle balm on a fresh wound; healing and soothing. It was a promise, one I’d hold him to.

  I knew at that very moment there was nothing that we wouldn't be able to work through or overcome.

  “I love you,” I said. Looking at him, I wondered if he would say it back to me.

  “I love you too,” he replied, kissing my forehead again.

  We sat quietly for long moments, but something was still pestering my every thought.

  “So … what are you going to do about Clayton
?”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “I mean, if he finds out about us, he will not stop until he ruins you.”

  He cleared his throat again. “Let me handle Clayton. Don't you give it another thought.”

  His words were the reassurance that I needed to hear. My heart could beat again, I could breathe again, and the sun would surely shine again. All was good in my life once more.

  Chapter 19

  Drew

  Eliza felt wonderful in my arms. She was home to me, as if she was born for me and I for her. I didn't want to lose her again, and I’d do whatever I had to do to keep us together. It crushed her to hear that Poppy had kissed me, but I couldn’t be dishonest with Eliza. I’d already allowed too much to happen to her and our relationship. She deserved better from me, and she would get it.

  “Hey,” I said as I held her tightly against me. “All this time lost … I’ll make it up to you, Eliza.”

  “Promise?” she asked as she nuzzled against my chest.

  “I do.” I kissed the top of her head, and there it was—

  the aroma of peaches that I loved. She was fucking perfect. God, I loved this woman, and she loved me. I felt like the luckiest bastard in the entire world.

  “Drew?” she asked quietly.

  “Hmm?”

  “Would you like to go to bed?”

  “Only if you’ll let me hold you while you sleep.”

  I felt her smile against my chest, then she stood and offered me her hand. I took it and stood, allowing her to lead me into her bedroom. She removed her robe then pulled back the duvet before she climbed in. I pulled my hoodie overhead and climbed in behind her, then pulled her back to my chest.

  She felt good against my body. Her tiny frame felt as if she needed protected. She was a petite girl who looked defenseless when she stood, all five-feet-one of her. I towered over her at over six-feet. She was mine to protect, and I silently vowed that I always would. There was no way in hell that I was going to let Clayton say another word to her. And as I lay there willing sleep to come, that was the only thought that consumed my mind—how would I protect Eliza from any further harm.