Chapter 8 #2
He rolls his head to look at me as he watches my mouth as the words spill out.
“I’m an only child, so you can imagine how much of a disappointment I am to them.”
“You’re not a disappointment,” he whispers and his words touch my soul.
I don’t let him see how much it affects me. I blink away the mist and ignore the burn in my throat.
“If I ever get the chance to meet them that would be the first thing I would tell them,” he says. He slowly sits up and tilts his head. I stay silent. “I take it they don’t agree with your job choice.”
I shake my head, scared that he will hear the vulnerability in my voice if I speak aloud.
“Fuck ‘em,” he says, so blasé and calm that it just rolls off the tongue. My mouth drops open, eyes pinned to him and he chuckles. “Sorry, but…” He pauses, as if thinking over his words. “No, I’m not sorry, actually. Not at all.”
I swallow.
“Because I would make sure I told you how fucking proud of you I was every single day if you were in my life. There is no excuse for that, none at all.”
I see the surge of disappointment that sheets his face.
“And I would tell them exactly how I felt if I ever got the opportunity.”
“Well, it’s good to know that you have my corner.”
“Always, kid. Always.”
Kid. If only he knew I was older than him.
“Okay, so do you need my schedule for the next few weeks? Things are going to really ramp up, and I don’t want to go back and forth with texting otherwise we will miss each other like we did today,” he suggests, and I am grateful for the change of subject.
He tilts his head ever so slightly to the side.
It isn’t fair at how handsome he is. I would even say pretty.
His face is symmetrical, with defined cheek bones and a strong jaw line.
His lips are rounded, plump, with the most perfect cupids bow giving his upper lip a slight pout.
Teeth straight, nose impeccable. He was just perfect.
Like he was crafted from stone by the gods and placed on the earth. Almost too perfect. Fragile.
“Athena?” His voice pulls me from my hazy moment and my cheeks pinken.
“Yes, sure, fine, email it to me?”
“Cool, I’ll get Nora on it.” He flashes me a toothy grin.
“So, how did you get the playboy nickname?” I ask after silence fills the room; I reach for my notepad and start jotting.
“Me? Playboy?” He half laughs, his brows sitting high in his forehead.
“Yes, you.” I point the lid end of my pen towards him and jab the air.
“I’m no playboy…” He trails off, letting his eyes drop to the duvet.
I snatch my phone from the bed and type his name into the search, then shove it under his nose. He scoffs.
“Okay, fine, I’ve had a few…”
“You’ve shagged around,” I say and he laughs loudly. Wow, I love it when he laughs.
“Fair, yes, I have slept with a few ladies.” He chuckles “Shagged… what a word.” He licks his lips.
“At the same time?” I gasp, pulling my phone away and holding it against my chest.
“Maybe?” he says so nonchalant as if it isn’t a big deal.
“Royce!” I grab the pillow and cover my face to hide the burning crimson that is slowly scattering across my cheeks.
“What? I’m a young, single man who enjoys sex.” He shrugs his shoulders as I peek at him over the pillow.
“Does it not bother you that you have the reputation of arrogant man slut?”
He laughs again but his smile doesn’t reach his eyes like it normally does. “Nah.” His large hand rubs against his chest. “Their views and opinions on me don’t matter. No one really knows who Royce Lexington is, they choose to believe what they see.”
I roll my lips, tapping my pen against my note pad.
“A lion doesn’t lose sleep over the opinions of sheep, Athena.” He winks.
“Who is Royce Lexington?” I poke and he furrows his brows.
“How about you tell me?” He lowers himself to the bed, resting back on his side with his head propped up with his hand.
Slowly pulling my phone from my chest, I flick my eyes down to the screen. “I do believe you’re arrogant.”
“Correct.” He bows his head, eyes fluttered shut for a moment.
“And someone who likes to date many women.”
He snorts. “Fair.” He is unbothered.
“But I also think you love deeply, and you’re scared to fall in love again because of your public breakup with your ex.”
His eyes narrow on me and I know I have touched a nerve.
“You keep your heart guarded because you don’t want to be hurt, so sleeping with different girls takes away that risk.”
“Do you know who my ex is?” he asks, and it’s a genuine question.
“Yeah.” I scrunch my nose. “The influencer girl, er… what’s her name?” I press my palm to my forehead and realisation smacks me in the face.
“Yeah.” He smirks, chuckling softly.
“How had I not realised? I thought I recognised her when I met her, but no one actually told me! And of course she is married to your dad…” I trail off.
Wow. “So, not really big on relationships at the moment?” I half joke.
“I mean, if I found the right girl, maybe, but then… I don’t know, I want my career more than love.”
“Makes sense.”
“How about you? Any men or…women on the scene.”
“Men.” I nod. “And no, in fact if I’m celibate any longer, it’ll be like my first time all over again.”
He chuckles softly. “That bad?”
“Can’t even tell you the last time I was with a man… in a relationship.” I clear that up quickly.
“Well.” He puffs his cheeks out.
“Anyway, back to you.”
“What is this character in your book going to be like?” he asks me and I am grateful for the steer of direction.
“Not sure yet. I think he needs to be cocky.”
“Oh yeah?” His ears perk up.
“Yeah, got to be, I suppose. Got to be hungry for success, I need that for my book.”
“Sounds good.” His lips turn slightly before he nods. “What about the main lady?”
“Not sure, nothing has clicked into place yet. I have a lot to do before I can even start writing. I need to plan and plot it out, need to make sure the characters are set and work out all the technicalities that comes with your world.”
“You’ll pick it up really quick. You joined at a good time because we’re at the start of the season, plus you’ll understand the ins and outs, and the regulations and all that.”
“Is this a good thing?”
“Yeah, it means you’ll be very accurate with your story telling.” He smiles.
“That’s good.” I nod and make a quick note to circle back to that at some point.
“I am looking forward to this and watching it unfold,” he admits and I sit a little taller.
“Why?”
“It’s cool isn’t it. I mean at first, I wasn’t really on board, but now… I don’t know maybe it’s you.”
I smile down at my notepad with its little doodles. “Do you think a relationship would help keep your name out of the news?”
“Probably, but I don’t want a relationship.
I have told the press that when I have been asked about me and Ana?s.
I actually did ask her to make a go of things again, but she turned me down and I think, maybe, it was a blessing in disguise.
We were never right for each other. We worked, we very rarely argued, and I respected her mad amounts.
” He pauses, licks his lips and focuses on the duvet.
“I want the epic love, but I want my career more. Yes, a relationship would take my name out the heat, but for how long? What if I crave more?”
I shrug because I am not someone who is able to give relationship advice.
“But what if you don’t? What if you walk into a room and find your person right there, what would you do?
If you felt that earth shattering movement beneath your feet, your heart jackhammering in your chest, your skin tingling.
Your souls entwine, you hear yourself whisper finally because right there, in that room, on a random Tuesday you saw your person… would you ignore it?”
He stares at me with a blank expression. “And that is why you write romance books.” He chuckles and leans forward before placing a kiss on my forehead, his eyes widening. “I have no idea why I did that.”
“Because I got you hooked in your own fantasy.” I laugh as he pushes from the bed and paces the room before turning to look at me.
“I’ll get Nora to send you my schedule.”
“Okay.” I smile, and within seconds he walks out the door.
Staring into thin air, I sigh. Letting myself fall back into the pillows, my mind runs wild with what ifs.