Royals

Chapter 16

"W-what?" I stumbled.

He gestured around the rooftop. "I can't remember a thing from yesterday," he admitted.

I forced a smile and spoke through gritted teeth, "Well, you didn't miss much."

He frowned for a moment, but concealed it seconds later. "So, um, we should probably go. I have a few errands to run and you probably have plans with your new boyfriend," he said with a smirk.

"Actually--"

"I'm going to ask Lillia to be my girlfriend tonight, I think," he disclosed.

And, once again, my heart plummeted into the pit of my stomach.

But I plastered on the most believable smile I could manage and followed him to his car.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After pathetically crying for half an hour in the shower, I encased my face in makeup and got dressed.

I was stupid. So incredibly stupid. Of course he was only speaking drunken nonsense last night. Why in the world would Joseph Blanzata like me?

Most likely, Jake already told Lillia the news of my rejection, so it was only a matter of time before I got catechized. So, I decided to break the ice and invite her to breakfast.

I walked to Lillia's house and entered, not bothering to knock. I spotted her on the couch and sat next to her

She looked at me with tired eyes and smiled lazily. I noticed the bags under her eyes and assumed that she had been up all night with Jake's ranting. I felt awful being the cause of his distress, but if I could go back in time, I wouldn't have done anything differently.

"Interested in going out to breakfast and to the mall afterwards?" I hesitantly asked.

"That actually sounds amazing, but only if we go to the spa," she stated eagerly, her eyes sparkling with excitement. I agreed by frantically nodding and grabbing her car keys.

When we arrived, we decided on a dine-in place that sold breakfast sandwiches.

"So, care to explain?" Lillia asked, breaking the silence.

"Can we please not talk about it here? I'll tell you anything you want to know tomorrow, but today I just want to relax and clear my mind," I reasoned.

She shot me a confused look, but dropped the subject nonetheless

After paying our checks, we headed to the spa around the corner.

Supposedly, I was super tense, but my massage therapist assured me that she would "fix" me. She turned up the volume of the tranquilizing music, shut off the lights, and lit a few vanilla scented candles. She recommended that I spoke my worries to the walls--she promised that they held many secrets and never ratted them out.

I figured this lady was the average gossip, waiting for me to spill, but I was so bottled up that I ranted anyways. I told the wall about the past few days with Jake and Joey and about my mixed feelings.

I didn't finish my rant until the masseuse pulled the last hot rock off my back. I must admit that she was right: talking to the wall made me feel a whole lot better.

I felt a little lighter after being able to confide in someone, seeing as I couldn't tell Joey about this dilemma. Granted, I could tell Penelope, but with the whole Olivia thing still on the surface, I wanted to give her a little space.

I met Lillia by the register, where we paid for our treatments.

After paying for our massages, we walked around the mall for a bit. We ended up in a popular department store and walked out with way too many bags to carry.