Love Me Never

12| Publicity

┏━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┓

Publicity

┗━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┛

Chapter 12: Publicity (Rhys' POV)

We sat across from each other at the table, waiting for our food and waiting for one of us to say something. It's moments like these between us that I hate the most, that I dread because the first thing she asks me just might be why I did what I did to her. 

"Why did you bring me here?" She lifted a brow. 

"For publicity." I nodded towards the reporters standing outside, taking pictures. There were only three, but three is enough in a place like Kilthorne. 

"Prince Rhys caught on a date with his future sister-in-law?" 

I rolled my eyes. "His future fiancé since her sister ran away," I corrected. 

She shrugged, leaning back in her seat. She took a look around the restaurant and I started thinking about what our future will end up looking like. 

"Are you ready to get married?" I questioned, just out of curiosity. 

"To you?" 

I resisted another eye roll. "To anybody." 

"Not to you."

I let out a breath through my nose. "You must really enjoy getting on my nerves." 

"Only as much as you enjoy getting on mine," she smiled. She sighed, resting her arms on the table, and stared at me. "I'm changing my entire life for Brooke and if that means ending up with you... Well, I haven't decided yet." 

I frowned, "Haven't decided what?" 

"If I'll end up killing you or myself." 

I scoffed, my tongue poking the inside of my cheek as I glanced out the window. "You're marrying me for Brooke. You're really willing to change your entire future for her?" 

"My future?" She thought for a minute. "Well, I never knew what my future would hold, remember? But you had an idea of yours, didn't you? Why don't you tell me? Are things going your way?" 

My jaw ticked at her reference to the past. 

"Or was that just another one of your lies, Rhys?" 

The waiter came and placed our meals in front of us, telling us to enjoy ourselves before walking away. 

"I guess it was all just a lie, huh?" 

"It wasn't a lie," I blurted out. 

"Wasn't it?" She watched me carefully. 

"It was a dream." 

Her careless facade finally faltered.

"I didn't know what I was talking about." 

"You weren't a kid. You knew exactly what you were talking about. You want to call it a dream? Fine. Then I guess our fates are twisted enough to make your dreams come true." 

We were lying on the grass, staring up at the sky, trying to make shapes out of the clouds. I felt her glance over at me while I squinted slightly under the sun, looking for a shape to point out while one of my hands remained locked with hers. I brought it up, resting our held hands on my chest while still staring up. "Oh, that looks like a cake."