The Prince and the Punk [EDITING]

Chapter 40

Xavier

She's here.

I don't remember what I was doing before I saw her, but once I did, the world fell away.

I didn't think she'd be here. I didn't even know if she was alive until now, and the knowledge that she's okay causes a weight I didn't know I was carrying to lift off my back.

Something about seeing her across the room is completely overwhelming. It's enough to make my hands shake. All the time I spent trying to forget about her seems wasted, and all the progress I've made in getting her out of my head is undone as soon as I lay eyes on her.

She's captivating, demanding my attention without even being aware of my presence. She's like ice in the desert—beautiful, out-of-place, and tantalizing.

Her formerly split-dyed hair is cut into a choppy bob just below her chin, bleached blonde and dyed light pink. She looks older, due to time or experience or both. Even with the change in appearance, it's not hard to recognize her. Those same blue eyes shine with all the spark I know is in her, and her familiar smile lights up her entire face, making dimples appear on her cheeks. She's underdressed, and I love it. In a sea of tuxes and gowns, she's wearing a black dress with leggings, a jacket, and her dog tags.

Suddenly Janice is looking back at me, and her full lips part in surprise. All I can do is gape as she holds my gaze.

After a moment, she gives me a half-smile and a small wave, which I return.

There's a tap on my arm as my wife pulls me out of Janice's world and into my own.

"Xavier, where'd you go, honey?" Desiree asks, putting a hand on my cheek and angling my head toward her.

"Uh—sorry, I was... I zoned out," I stammer, shaking my head.

"Oh, I'm sorry about him," she sighs to whoever it is we're in conversation with. "He has the world's worst attention span. He's lucky he's so cute." She gives my arm a squeeze and puts her head on my shoulder. "Aren't you, bunny?"

I force a laugh. God, she's annoying in public.

The man talking to us is unimpressed, raising an eyebrow like he's questioning whether the two of us are mentally sound.

I clear my throat. "But, uh, we've completely strayed from our discussion..." I start in an attempt to steer the conversation away from Desiree's pet names.

"Yes, I'm sorry, General, you were saying?" Desiree adds.

He goes back to describing the Zinnans in vivid detail, and I dart my eyes back in Janice's direction, but she's gone.

After an eternity of making miserable small talk with various party guests, Desiree and I are called away to prepare for the ceremony.

At 18:00 sharp, my parents are facing the crowd. I stand behind them with Desiree on one side of me and Katie on the other. The relationship between the two hasn't improved at all. Katie usually likes everyone, but it seems like Desiree is the exception.

The steady chatter in the room fades without my father having to say a word as people notice his commanding presence.

"Distinguished guests, I would first like to welcome you to my home," he begins. All eyes in the room are fixed on him—even the cameras, floating above the crowd to broadcast him on the portscreens, seem to be watching, their red lights blinking as though they're nodding along. "It's an honor to have you all here. This nation can never adequately thank you for what you've done for our Earth. I only wish we could accommodate the entire Space Corps here tonight."