Royally Yours

Chapter 13

I found there's not a lot you can't do with a broken heart.

We flew back to London that night and during the course of the weekend, I had attended about 11 meetings, updated my social calendar and approved some new recruits for Jack's security company. The next week I showed my face at events and smiled for the cameras. All the while being a shell of a man.

I fielded Amara's calls and text messages, deleting them before I read them. I didn't trust myself not to give in and go back running to her if I did. I didn't trust myself to not go and once more beg for whatever scraps of attention she deigned to give me, knowing all the while that she would never accept the whole of me.

I tried reaching out Tessa to apologize for the shitty way I treated her, but surprise surprise she wanted nothing to do with me. I didn't blame her. An apology would do more good to me, and would probably do little to ease the sense of betrayal she was probably feeling. So instead of pestering her, I called  our mutual friend Jake to check on her. He reported she was mostly fine. Furious and despaired, but fine.

All this to say, I took care of business even if I didn't want to. What I actually wanted to do was find the nearest bar and get piss drunk for as long as humanly possible to forget the giant whole in my chest. But I couldn't do that. Because I was a royal.

" Well, " Jack said from the doorway, regarding me slouched over his couch, " This is depressing."

Recently, more often than not, I I found myself at Jack's penthouse during my free time. I didn't want to go home as the looming silence and space left me with too much of my thoughts. I couldn't stay at the manor with Piper's pitiful glances and Charles' smug expression. He obviously still thought the reason I had left Amara was because of her taking money from him, and I wasn't in the mood to dissuade him for the moment. But when he'd started going on about her being a gold-digger and such, I gave in and decked him on the mouth. He's never spoken about it again.

Nevertheless, I couldn't very well punch my brother every day (no matter how much satisfaction that gave me) so I decided to avoid him altogether.

Hence, spending an abnormal amount of time at Jack's, downing bottles of beer. Which is exactly how Jack found me that Saturday night.

He shook his head at me. " You can't go on like this mate. At first it was a little satisfying saying I told you so, but now it's just getting sad."

I ignored him and grabbed another Guinness from the table, taking a swig. " Feel free not to watch then."

Jack plopped down beside me, grabbed one of the unopened bottles and settled in. " Forget it. If my best mate's going to be a pathetic whining wanker, then we're both going to be pathetic whining wankers together."

We sat in silence and stared blankly at the screen for several minutes. A football game as playing but I couldn't tell you who the clubs were. All I could think of and see was Amara's tearfilled eyes begging me to stay.

Her hands pushing me away again and again.

Her anger when I blackmailed her into being with me.

I was such an idiot.

" I know you don't want to hear this, " Jack started, " But it's probably for the best. Amara's a nice girl don't get me wrong, but there was no way the two of you were going to work out in the long term. You come from two different places and you are just too different to make it work. And at the risk of getting a fist in the mouth, your girl is a mouse. Our world isn't made for mice."

The game was over. They were now giving commentary. It held no hope of distraction. I began to flip through channels.

" I mean far be it from me to judge her for it. God knows, If I wasn't your best mate this shit would piss me off to. But if she can't love you enough to take all of this with it, then she's not worth it man. It's time to let it go."

He was right I knew. I had been asking Amara to give up her whole way of life for me and that wasn't fair. At the same time, she would need to for any chance of us working together. But to lay it all down at her feet and say she had to, was unfair of me.

But damn it, I would have done it for her.

Well, it's not about you is it?

Truth be told, I was no longer even angry. Now I was just depressed.

So depressed that I almost didn't see it. In fact, flipping channels at a lackluster speed, I missed it flash on my screen momentarily.  Then, I bolted upright in my chair when it finally registered what I had seen and I frantically switched the channel back.

And I still wasn't sure I was seeing I was seeing.

" What in the ripe shit," Jack swore, which meant he was seeing it to. That it was real.

Amara was on my TV screen.
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Hi all,
So sorry for the unexplained hiatus. Last few months have been kinda crazy! Anyway the next chapter is here and looking forward to regular updates again. Thanks so much for your patience and sticking with the story. Almost to the end guys!