Take Care {Prince Royce Fan Fiction}

24. The Most Certain Uncertainty

"You're sure that I'd learn, I'm pushing through bodies, avoiding me and walking around you..."
- The 1975, "Settle Down"

///Prince Royce///

The first time I saw Aralon in months was on the cover of a magazine. I didn't know how to feel at first.

Well, for the most part, I felt relived. At least I knew she was okay.

It was some fashion or editorial type magazine and I couldn't remember the name of it for the life of me. I probably never would have seen it around any other day if Doña Francesca didn't have it posted around the corner store every place she should find.

"Doesn't she look beautiful?", she asked me wistfully. I could tell she was proud, but I could also sense an aura of sadness surrounding her. It was in her eyes too.

"Another reason for her to walk around thinking she's hot shit.", chimed Ronaldo.

"Ronaldo.", said Doña Francesca.

"What?", he asked, I could sense a tone of annoyance in his voice. This was the first time I had ever seen anyone get the slightest attitude with her. "You're thinking it too. When was the last time she called us?"

This captured my attention. I had assumed I was the only one she was avoiding, but that didn't seem to be the case. "Wait, you mean she's cut off contact with you too."

Doña Francesca sighed as she straightened out another magazine with Aralon's face on it. "I wouldn't say cut off. She is probably just busy."

"Doña.", said Ronaldo firmly. "She's avoiding us. How many months has it been."

Aralon may have been a lot of things, but she wasn't the type to ignore those she cared about most. Me? Well, I understood that one but what about the woman she swore to me she would die for? Something was up. "No.", I said suddenly. "Something is wrong."

Both of their facial expressions shifted from sadness and anger to worry. "What do you mean?", they asked in unison.

"I mean that she's not okay."

"Geoffrey...", said Doña slowly. She used my real name again, a sign that she was very serious about what she was about to say. "You know how mothers have an instinct, right? They can sense when their children are in danger or hurt or something is wrong..."

I nodded.

"I'm not Aralon's mother," she continued. "But I feel it. I know she's close and I know she's not okay. I tried my best to convince myself that that wasn't the case."

"Have you two tried to go visit her?", I asked. My concern was growing more and more by the minute.

"Either she's never home or she doesn't want to answer. I have a strong feeling its the second option.", said Ronaldo.

I racked my brain with ways I could try and get a hold of her and then it clicked. The reason I was in New York today.

"I'll see her tonight.", I stated.

Doña Francesca furrowed her eyebrows, but I did see a spark of hope in her eyes. "How?"

"There's a promotional party going on.", I told her. "She'll be there. I know she will."

"And what if she isn't?", replied Ronaldo.

Well, then I'm shit out of luck, I thought to myself. "She will be.", I repeated. "I know she will."