Once upon a Princess (Atypical Series #1)||✔️

20. Back to Square one

ALEXA

I tossed my phone aside on my comforter when I heard a knock at the door.

"Someone's quite popular." Graham commented, gesturing at the phone.
When I raised a brow, he further explained,
"I've been standing here for a while as your countless notifications have been going off."

"Oh."
He gave me an awkward tight-lipped smile and I patted the bed for him to join me.

He immediately obliged and made his way over, an uneasy expression across his face.

"So." I started.

His face immediately crumpled, his eyebrows creating together as his mouth twisted.

"Alexa, I can't even begin to express how sorry I am. I happen to be the world's worst fake boyfriend ever!"

I let out a noise that was a cross between a gasp and a snort because I had mixed reactions at Graham's statement.

He had just apologized.

"Took me some time, a month actually to realize how self-centered and materialistic I can be sometimes.. well Isabelle helped-"

His eyes flickered upwards as he muttered the last words.

"So.. you and Isabelle huh...?" I said, with a teasing smile.

The great Sir Graham of Yolandor, son of the infamous Duke, blushed.

"I-uh. We're not together. We're just really close y'know?"

"Mhmm."

The great Sir Graham of Yolandor, son of the infamous Duke, blushed some more.

"It's okay."

He tilted his head to one side, "What do you mean?"

I shrugged, "I mean... if we're being honest Graham... what we had was never real. Well the last year of the relationship that is."

His usual cocky smirk appeared on his lips, "Ah. You can't deny that I wooed you in our first year together. My charm never fails."

I snorted, "Well obviously your charm wore off."

He rolled his eyes playfully, a hint of a smile on his face, "Nope. It didn't wear off. It stopped existing after a while. There was no need for it." He wrinkled his nose at me for emphasis.

I gasped and slapped his arm as he doubled over in laughter.

The sound jolted me back to a few years ago before the arrangement, when I knew the infamous Graham as my friend.

He quickly sobered up and pursed his lips as he thought. After what seemed like an eternity he spoke,

"I hope you realize that I was just kidding around. It's unfortunate that we just didn't work out but you are an amazing, gorgeous girl Alexa. I was too self-absorbed at the time to see it, and I don't deserve you."

He paused as a huge grin stretched across his face, "But I think we both  know someone that possibly does."

I feigned confusion and scratched my head, "Ryan Reynolds?"

His face drew a blank and he shook his head at me.
"Don't play stupid, you and I both know that you and blondie back at the cabin in the woods had something going on."

Now I, Princess Alexandria Alesandra of the Ainsworth household of Celayise, blushed.

"Aha! Case closed! You were busy getting it on with Goldilocks in the woods!"