CHAPTER 25 Prince Federico
December 18, 2010
William was cooking for Nina and me at his apartment. He’d assimilated her presence and wanted to formally welcome her by inviting her over for a casual early dinner at his place. Afterward, she had an NYU Christmas party to attend, so she walked in looking stunning in a short gold long-sleeved sequin dress with a heart-shaped neckline. CJ and David would be picking her up later. William and I hadn’t left the apartment building since he arrived three days ago. But we’d hit the gym and hung out with Lily, Joel, and Tobias at Lily and Joel’s apartment last night.
Now that we’d agreed that William would accept the role of Haldor Stormbreaker for the MC Comics films, he was actually grateful that I wouldn’t be alone when he left. And I was too. Nina was the perfect roommate.
We agreed not to bring up the subject as much as we could and try to live in the present. There were still eight months left before he had to go to L.A. Wallowing about the future would only generate unnecessary stress, not just for us on a personal level but for the relationship as well.
It was all about taking things one day at a time. And I was very excited for him. A role like this one was a massive accomplishment.
“I’ll take good care of her when you’re gone,” Nina said when we shared the news. “And don’t worry.” She zipped her lips closed with her fingers. “I won’t tell a soul.”
Since William still had to formally accept the offer, it was important to prevent the information from leaking. But I trusted Nina. William had called his manager to tell him he would do it, but he still had to fly to Los Angeles for a wardrobe test and to sign the paperwork. He needed a break, though, so this wasn’t happening until January.
My phone vibrated on the counter.
Liam: Hey, Red.
Liam: Want to hang out? Or does William have you chained to his bed?
Liam: Let me know. I’m close by.
I shook my head and laughed. Liam had many friends, but Tobias was not only his best friend but almost like a brother. And they still hadn’t patched things up since their last fight. They were both too proud to seek each other out to talk. So now, Liam would call me to hang out more often than before. He obviously wanted to see Nina, too, even if he insisted they were just friends.
“Who is it?” William asked as he added white wine to the pan, the flames briefly dancing and flickering as the alcohol met the heat.
“Whoa!” Nina and I said at the same time, leaning back and away from the flames that were quick to dwindle.
“I’ve got it under control, ladies.” William chuckled as he added more seasoning to the swordfish steaks. “So, who was that?”
“Liam,” I said, catching how Nina stiffened on the stool. “He wants to hang out.”
“No.” William pointed at me with a steel spatula. “We won’t be able to get rid of him once Nina leaves, and we said we’d start season three of Breaking Bad.”
Nina squeezed my knee underneath the counter and widened her gaze at me. Please invite him over, her eyes pleaded. I lifted my brows and tilted my head toward William, who was busy grating a truffle into the pot with creamy pasta.
“I’m sure we can spare a plate for Liam,” Nina said with a sweet, innocent voice. “You’re cooking enough to feed an entire army.”
William froze and met Nina’s gaze with narrowed eyes. “Any reason in particular you’re so worried about feeding him?” He turned off the stove and carried on with the truffle grating. William suspected something was going on between them because Tobias told him about the fight and the things that were said between him and Liam. But it was only a speculation, and Liam was still in denial. And I hadn’t told him Nina liked Liam because she made me promise I wouldn’t tell anyone about her secret crush.
“I—kinda like him.” She let her hands and forearms drop against the counter in a defeated way. “A lot.”
I chuckled. I’d been so careful not to reveal that information only to have Nina do it the first moment she hung out with William.
“Ah, I see.” William set the truffle and grater aside. “Fine.” He rinsed his hands in the faucet and grabbed a towel from his shoulder to dry them off. He turned his attention to me and said, “But I’ll ask him to leave when Nina does.”
“Good luck with that.” I grabbed my phone to reply to Liam.
“Don’t make him change his mind!” She slapped my arm and then grinned at William. “You won’t, right?”
“He already said yes,” I said with an exasperated laugh. William scrunched his nose as he placed the bread inside the oven. “Besides, Liam’s on his way, so there’s not much to be done at this point.”
“So what’s the deal with you guys?” William asked Nina, grabbing a corkscrew and a bottle of my favorite Chardonnay from his wine cooler. “Does he know you like him?”
“We’re … friends.” Nina tucked her silky dark hair behind her ear. William poured two glasses of wine and placed them in front of us. “And no. He doesn’t know. I don’t want to ruin our friendship.” She sipped on her wine.
“Might he need a little … encouragement?” William mused as he poured himself a glass and I stood to set an extra place on the table for Liam.
“What do you mean?” Nina tilted her head with curiosity. “Do you have something in mind?” Nina propped her elbows on the white marble and leaned in while William relaxed against the counter with his arms crossed at his chest.
“Make him jealous,” he suggested. “He’s on his way, and you’re all dressed up for a party, so why don’t you make it seem like you have a hot date coming with you?”
“William, I don’t think—” I started to say but got quickly cut off by an overenthusiastic Nina.
“Yes!” She slammed her hands against the marble. “But wait, he already knows it’s an NYU Christmas party.”
“So?” William reached out for his wine and took a sip. “Even better. So we’ll take him by surprise when he arrives.”
“Okay, but what do I say? How do we bring up the subject?” Nina’s voice was beginning to sound nervous. I didn’t think this was a good idea, but it wasn’t terrible either. I was curious to see how Liam would react because I knew he liked her. That’s the only thing that gave me pause about this plan, but at the same time, maybe he needed it to sort out his feelings once and for all.
I couldn’t meddle. If Nina wanted to do this, it was her choice.
“Okay, so this is what we’ll do,” William started to say when the doorbell rang.
“Shit!” Nina stood in a panic. “How did he arrive so fast?” she whispered through her teeth.
“He said he was close by.” I shrugged.
“Probably waiting in the lobby for you to reply,” William said casually as he sauntered toward the front door. “Just follow my lead.”
“Fuck.” Nina drained her wineglass and set it on the counter. “I need a refill.”
I grabbed the bottle of wine and refilled her glass. “It’s going to be fine,” I whispered. “Have fun with it.”
“Good evening, ladies,” Liam said, walking in. “Thanks for the invite, mate.” He tapped William’s shoulder as he closed the door behind him.
“Didn’t you invite yourself over?” William replied.
“William,” I warned, lifting my wineglass to my lips.
Liam ignored him and greeted me first, “Hey, Red.” I set my wineglass on the counter before he hugged me, and I hugged him back.
“That’s enough,” William grabbed Liam’s shoulders and shooed him away in an almost comical way. I snorted with disbelief as he stood behind me, ran his arms around my waist, and placed his chin on the top of my head. William treated Liam like a little brother, and Liam didn’t seem to mind. He knew William well enough to know that was his way of showing him affection.
“Hey, Nina.” He kissed her cheek, like really kissed it, and I could almost feel the heat rising to Nina’s neck and face from where I stood. “You look lovely.”
“Thank you.” She smiled, but I could sense that she was nervous.
William kissed my hair and checked on the bread.
“Wine?” I offered, and Liam accepted.
William asked us to sit at the table since the food was ready to be served. As always, I offered my help, but he refused. He liked having control over the way the food was plated and presented, so I learned to stop insisting and allowed myself to be pampered by him. I normally made myself useful by taking care of the dishes.
We ate and laughed and drank wine as we enjoyed the meal. Everything was exquisite, and everyone agreed. Liam and Nina kept complimenting William on the food. I’d tried the truffle pasta before, and it was one of my favorite dishes of William’s, but the swordfish was new, and it surprised me with how good it was.
Liam excused himself to the bathroom, and we all leaned in to whisper the moment he shut the door. “Text CJ and tell him to call me in ten minutes,” Nina said. “Tell him I’ll pretend to be talking to someone else, so I’ll be acting all giddy when he calls me.”
“On it.” I grabbed my phone to text CJ and explain the situation.
“I’ll bring up the subject when Liam returns,” William said.
“I’m nervous.” Nina twisted her empty wineglass by the stem.
“No need.” He refilled Nina’s glass. “Let him squirm a bit.”
Liam walked out of the bathroom, completely unaware of what we were up to, and retook his seat at the table.
“So, what time is your party?” Liam asked. He’d made it so easy to initiate our plan without knowing it. “We could share a cab, and I could drop you off wherever you’re going so you don’t ride alone.”
He was so sweet!
Nina looked at William and me for a quick moment, and William lowered his chin to encourage her to get started. “Thanks.” She smiled and continued, “But don’t worry, the party starts in about forty minutes, so my date should be picking me up in twenty minutes tops.”
Liam choked on his wine and set his wineglass on the table. He cleared his throat and said, “Date? What date?” He tried to smile, but the chill, peaceful attitude he’d been displaying ever since he arrived had suddenly left his body. “You, um, didn’t mention you’d be taking someone to the party. Not that you have to, but I didn’t know.”
“Federico’s a real nice guy.” William wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin, and I could feel myself sinking in my chair. I felt terrible for Liam. It was easy to tell this was already upsetting him. “Sorry, Prince Federico.” He chuckled, and I almost gasped at William’s audacity. All Nina did was take a long drink of her wine. “We met him yesterday, but he prefers we call him Federico. He’s such a down-to-earth fella.”
“Prince?” Liam’s voice came out two octaves higher. He cleared his throat. “What country is he from?”
“Italy,” William replied as Nina tore her napkin into a million tiny pieces.
“Yes, he’s Italian,” Nina echoed. “But he just moved to New York for his master’s degree in—economics.”
Jesus Christ. The story was getting out of hand. And I should’ve been taking notes in case we needed to repeat ourselves at some point.
“Sounds like a smart bloke.” Liam clicked his tongue and took another sip.
I braced my elbow on the table and rested my chin on my hand, wordlessly surveying how Liam panicked, how Nina enjoyed seeing him react, and how William seemed so at ease with his improvised performance.
Nina’s phone started ringing. “That must be him.” She stood and fetched her phone from her clutch. “Ciao, Federico!” She walked away toward the living room, giggling coyly. “No! You’re not interrupting.”
“What the hell, Billie?” Liam spat. “Who the bleeding hell is this Prince Federico, and why am I just now learning about his existence?”
“Watch your tone, mate,” William warned with a soft laugh. He was enjoying Liam’s misery.
“What do I have to do with anything?” I complained. I didn’t want to actively participate in the lie because I knew Liam wouldn’t forgive me. But he had repeatedly denied his affection for her, insisting they were just friends, so he had no business getting all grumbly with me. “I thought she’d tell you since you’re friends.”
Liam drilled me with his gaze. Traitor, his eyes spoke. Nina laughed in the distance, and Liam’s nostrils flared as he blinked slowly, the sound of her laughter surely grating on his nerves.
“Is there a specific reason why you’re reacting this way?” William asked him.
“Well, yeah.” Liam shrugged. “I’m obviously worried about her. We don’t know anything about this prince person.”
“She’s in good hands. He’s an alright guy.” William stood and collected our plates. “Dessert, anyone?”
I pressed my lips together and lifted a finger. Liam shook his head no, and William walked away. Nina returned with a huge smile on her face and sat next to Liam.
“Nina, do you want some dessert?” William called from the kitchen.
“No, thanks! I’m good!” she shouted back. She took a small sip of her wine and said to Liam and me with a cute scrunched-up nose, “I want to keep drinking at the party, so I don’t want to upset my stomach with sugar.”
“I totally get it,” I agreed. Overeating, especially sweets, when drinking alcohol wasn’t a good mix for me either.
“Or you could eat dessert and stop drinking at the party,” Liam said. “Might be a good idea since you don’t know the guy well enough yet.”
“Oh, you have nothing to worry about,” Nina said, waving a carefree hand in front of her. “Federico is a gentleman. You’ll quickly notice that once I introduce you guys. I’m sure you’ll approve of him.”
Liam sniffed and offered Nina a twitchy smile. “Billie, do you have any more wine?” He lifted his empty wineglass and swayed it.
“We have plenty.” I got up. “I’ll be right back.”
“Let’s do brunch tomorrow.” William suggested when we crossed paths as I went to grab another bottle of wine. “So you can meet Federico.”
I had to bite my tongue to avoid laughing. Thankfully, I wasn’t seated at the table when William said that because I wouldn’t have been able to conceal my reaction, especially when I heard Nina saying, “That sounds wonderful!”
I returned with the bottle and corkscrew, and William helped me open it. Liam’s face was contorted with emotion.
Nina’s phone chimed. She tapped her screen and said, “He’s here.” She stood and hugged me goodbye. “I’ll see you later.” She winked at me and mouthed thank you. “Thanks for the meal, William. It was delicious.” Liam stood and accompanied Nina to the door.
“Give me a heads up if Prince Charming turns out to be a bit of a knob, and I’ll swing by to fetch you up,” I heard him say. My heart couldn’t take it. Liam wasn’t the possessive “touch her and die” type of guy. Still, he was trying to reassure Nina that he had her back while respecting her choice to go out with another guy, even though it was crystal clear now that he had feelings for her. Very strong ones.
The door closed, and Liam marched back to the table and deflated next to me as I took a spoonful of the leftover homemade chocolate cake William had baked the day before.
William extended an arm behind my chair’s backrest and stared at Liam as if waiting to see what he had to say about Nina’s prince.
Liam steepled his fingers, deep in thought.
“Cake?” I offered again.
“Yeah, gimme.” He swiveled his fingers. William cut a slice and served it on a small plate, sliding it over to Liam with his index finger, who took one of the spoons William had brought. “Mmm.” He chewed after taking a large bite into his mouth. “This is—really good,” he mumbled, covering his mouth to speak.
William nodded once in appreciation for the praise. “So you’re going to let this Prince Fedrico take your girl, or what?” William teased, and I kicked him under the table.
Liam lifted his gaze from the plate and said, “She’s not my girl.”
“But you clearly want her to be.”
Dear God.
“We’re friends.” Liam dropped his gaze to his cake and took another big chunk to his mouth.
“Bullshit,” William pressed. “Nina’s probably holding hands on the way to the party with a fucking prince while you eat cake and allow it to happen.”
Liam dropped his spoon, and it clanked against the plate.
“So I fancy her,” Liam finally admitted. “But I don’t assume that because I like someone, they are obligated to like me back, nor do I act like a bloody possessive caveman around them. Look at what it’s doing to Tobias. He’s got his knickers in a twist because he’s too upset about Cecile being torn between him and Jordan. He’s going insane over wanting her all to himself and will probably lose her because of it. And I don’t want to lose Nina.”
I widened my eyes and stared at my plate.
“So you’re open to sharing her with the prince?” William taunted, but Liam remained silent, and then the doorbell rang. “Ah! Speaking of the devil.”
William stood, and I frowned. I had no idea who that was, but I reached out for Liam’s arm and said, “I’m sorry.” I didn’t even know what exactly I was apologizing for, but I didn’t like seeing him sad and worked up like this. Knowing it was all a ruse made me feel responsible for his heartache.
Tobias walked in but stopped when he saw us in the distance. William shut the door before Tobias could even think about leaving.
“You two”—William pointed at Liam and Tobias—“will lock yourselves up in my office and won’t come out until you hash things out,” he ordered. “The holidays are coming, and I’d rather we spend them in peace.”
Liam usually flew to Australia for Christmas, but he had work obligations in the first week of January, so he needed to be in New York. He would be flying to Melbourne in mid-January for the Australian Open since attending was an annual ritual he participated in with his brothers. The eldest was a brand ambassador for Coop Craft Brewery, one of the Australian Open’s biggest sponsors, so they always received courtesy tickets.
That’s how he met Belén.
The Sj?bergs flew to Sweden every Christmas, but with their parents’ divorce, it was easier to stay in New York this year and have their parents fly in from Stockholm and L.A. respectively. Nathalie would then fly to Sweden for New Year’s with Eric. Lily and Joel were spending it with us at Sagaponack for a double celebration since Lily’s birthday was on January 1st. And Tobias was flying to Paris, but he hadn’t told anyone. I knew because Cecile told me. Jordan was going to be there too. And Zara was leaving in a few days to spend the Holidays with the Saunders in London.
“Hey, Billie.” Tobias crossed his arms at his chest and jerked his chin at Liam, looking irked. Liam echoed the gesture.
I loved Liam and Tobias so much that I hated seeing them mad at each other. They had such a special relationship, and it was time for them to talk it out. It’d been weeks since they last spoke. I’m sure they missed each other, even if they would never admit it. So I was glad William had forced them to confront each other.
William widened his eyes at Tobias.
“You wanna talk?” Tobias asked Liam, who replied with a shrug. But he stood and followed Tobias to William’s office. They shut the door, and William and I picked up the rest of the dishes and took them to the kitchen.
“I hope they can work things out,” I said, fixing myself a cup of chamomile tea. I’d drunk enough wine, and William hated it when I fell asleep watching Breaking Bad, so having something to sip on would help me keep myself awake.
“They will.”
I tasted the tea, and it was perfect. “Let’s go,” I said. “Living room or bedroom?”
“Living room.” William placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me there.
“I was a second away from telling Liam it was all a lie,” I admitted. “He was suffering with the whole prince thing.”
“Suffering is an extraordinary teacher.” William grabbed the remote and threw himself back on the comfy L-shaped sofa. “And don’t feel too bad. He did the exact same thing back in Lily and Joel’s engagement party to get Nathan and me riled up, remember?”
“You were getting back at him?”
He shot me a wicked smile. “One could say we’re now even.”