25. Alejandro
ALEJANDRO
THIS WAS NOT good.
In fact, this was a disaster.
One story about mending fences with the Valemonts, Gabriel in particular, could be brushed aside as old friends coming together for the good of our kingdoms, blah blah blah.
But as I looked at the two local papers and four global ones online staring back at me this morning, the headlines and images told a much different story.
Same headline, different connotation.
Instead of Valoria and Solterra mending fences, it now read: PRINCE GAbrIEL AND PRINCE ALEJANDRO COME TOGETHER TO FORGE CLOSER ALLIANCE
And: CAN PRINCE GAbrIEL MEND PRINCE ALEJANDRO’S brOKEN HEART?
Add in the picture: me reaching for Gabriel’s arm the night of the diplomatic gala when he’d been driving me crazy, and instead taking hold of his hand—and the rumor mill was aflame.
As in, my phone had been blowing up all morning.
This was a nightmare. I’d just gotten myself out from under one rumor involving a damn Valemont, and now here I was embroiled in another, and all because I liked being under this one.
I shoved back from my desk, frustrated by the headlines making the rounds.
It wasn’t that they were wrong or that I was ashamed to be linked to Gabriel.
It was the fact that I’d finally gotten the world to move on from the “poor Alejandro” narrative, and now they were right back on it.
But this time with a knight in shining armor coming to save me.
Well, fuck that. I was going to be king one day myself—something everyone seemed to have forgotten. I didn’t need saving, and I certainly didn’t need anyone to mend my broken heart.
It had crossed my mind that maybe I should call the paper, give my side of the story. Let them know that I was the one who’d come up with the arts initiative between the kingdoms, and that I’d been the one to seduce Gabriel, then see what kind of story they’d run.
Ready to do just that, I picked up my phone, but when it vibrated I groaned at the screen, lit up like some kind of conscience coming to pay a visit.
Mother. Great. One guess why she’s calling.
I let out a sigh, knowing there was no way of avoiding this. If I sent it to voicemail she’d just call back until I answered, and if I didn’t answer she’d call Elena and make her bring me the phone and wait until I answered.
Best to get it over with now.
“Hello, Mother,” I said, and pushed open the glass doors that led out of my bedchambers to the pool and terrace.
I’d snuck back to my own chambers just before dawn, after realizing I was becoming a little too comfortable falling asleep in Gabriel’s arms. But I had to admit, crawling into my cold, empty bed had been about as enjoyable as stepping into a cold shower.
I wondered if he realized I was gone? If he missed me?
“Good morning, carino. I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“You didn’t,” I said as I stared out at the jagged cliffs below, my shirt ruffling in the breeze, and it crossed my mind that jumping would solve all my problems.
Only issue with that? I liked living too much.
“I’ve been up for a little while,” I said. “I was just thinking about heading out for a morning swim.”
“That sounds like a great way to start the day. The weather forecast is perfect for that. You should go and enjoy it. Maybe take Gabriel with you.”
Uh huh. “Every day is perfect for swimming in Solterra. But you already know that. As for Gabriel, I’m not sure us in the same body of water is such a good idea. One of us might not survive.”
She chuckled as I turned around to lean back against the rail. “That’s not what I saw.”
And there was the real reason she was calling.
“Oh? And what did you see?” I said as though I hadn’t just been staring at pictures of me and the Prince of Valoria hand in hand.
Sure, nothing to see there, except my falling for the one man I swore I wouldn’t.
“Just a photo or two of the diplomatic summit.”
“A photo or two, huh?”
“Yes.” She paused. “It looked like a successful event.”
I snorted at her not-so-subtle way of avoiding what she so obviously wanted to ask.
But if she wasn’t going to bring it up, then I certainly wasn’t.
Gabriel and I were never meant to become a thing, and certainly not outside the palace walls.
We’d just started to enjoy each other’s company, for God’s sake, and now the papers were reporting on it.
It didn’t just piss me off because of the obvious reason—it also annoyed me because I wasn’t sure how he was going to react to this. I wasn’t sure he’d even seen the news yet, and I would’ve liked to talk to him about it before my mother.
“Alejandro?”
“Sorry, what?”
“I asked if you and Gabriel have started to organize the details for the arts initiative.”
I could see why she might think that was what we’d been doing in our spare time, and we probably should’ve started outlining some of the main things we wanted to accomplish. But we’d been too busy learning each other in detail to focus on anything business related.
“Not yet. We’re still in the…discussion phase.”
“Oh, I see.” She paused and then finally said what was really on her mind: “Is there something going on between you and Gabriel?”
There was definitely something going on, but what was the real question.
And I wasn’t one hundred percent sure I had the answer to whatever it was.
At first everything had been clear. An obvious attraction in amongst the loathing.
There had been rules before we moved forward. Ones we were happy to stick to.
But now things had gotten complicated.
“Define something.”
“Alejandro, are you being purposely obtuse?”
I could imagine her frown, that way she had that always told me in no words how disappointed she was.
“No, I’m just…” I ran a hand through my hair and moved to sit in one of the loungers. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
“But you’ve seen the—”
“Headlines? Yes, it was pretty hard not to. Especially when everyone’s been sending me links to each new one that pops up.”
“I thought Elena took care of that kind of thing for you,” she said, concern lacing her voice.
“She does, but not friends and family.”
“Ah, I see. They’re just looking out for you.”
I laughed at that, the sound derisive as I thought about the myriad texts I’d received this morning.
“They are,” she insisted. “People were very concerned for your wellbeing after—”
“Yes, yes, I know,” I bit out, hating this conversation just about as much as I thought I was going to. “But that isn’t how you show concern. By sending links to gossip articles and asking, is he better than his brother?”
Mother gasped. “Who sent you that? I’ll contact them immediately and—”
“You don’t need to do that. I was just making a point.”
She went quiet for a beat and guilt started to creep in. I knew she wasn’t calling to gossip—she was calling out of the kindness of her heart because she had been worried about me after the whole Nicholas debacle.
But everyone else? They were a bunch of nosy bastards.
Finally, I said, “I don’t know how to define what’s going on between us because I don’t actually know.” There, I’d finally said the quiet part out loud.
“But something is going on?” she gently pressed.
“I… Yes? I think so. But we haven’t really talked about it, and neither of us wanted it—”
A soft laugh met my ear. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh, but since when do you think we have a choice who we fall in love with?”
“Fall in love? No. No, no. This is not that.” I wanted to make that crystal clear. “When I said something was going on, I meant enjoying each other’s company, fu—”
“I understand,” she said in that patient way she had about her, and I wasn’t sure if she believed me or thought I was full of shit. “But would it be so bad if you were?”
“If we were…?” Don’t say it again. Don’t say it again.
“In love?”
“Yes. That would be terrible. The worst.” I sat up on the lounger. “He’s a Valemont.”
“But not that Valemont.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, baffled by her reasoning. Not to mention the fact she thought I could ever, or would ever, trust another Valemont.
“I think it does. Gabriel is a charming young man, and it’s very obvious the two of you have a connection, a spark—”
“One that explodes more often than not,” I muttered.
“But don’t you see? It’s that right there that makes what you have even stronger.
You were drawn to him even when you were at each other’s throats.
You saw something in each other, and whether it was his handsome face or his cheeky smile, you were able to look beyond his name, beyond the brother who hurt you, and see Gabriel. ”
I hated the fact that she was right. And even more, I hated the fact that now all I could think about was Gabriel’s gorgeous face and the way his eyes twinkled with mischief when he smirked at me.
“I can’t,” I said, shaking my head. “There’s too much history there. Too much distrust.”
“Distrust of his brother. Alejandro, you can’t punish Gabriel for what Nicholas did. That’s not fair. Try not to think about your distrust of a Valemont and look at him as you would any other partner. How does he make you feel?”
“He…”
I paused and tried to gather my thoughts, tried to make sense of them. But nothing made sense in that moment. Not this conversation. Not my feelings. And not how badly I wanted to go and find Gabriel and tell him about all of it.
Last night at the gala, things had changed between us. We’d broken the rules and raced headfirst into uncharted territory, and now I was spinning out of control and had no idea how to get us back on track.
“He makes me feel alive. One minute I want to throttle him, and the next I want to…”
“Kiss him?”
“Mother.”
“Well?”
I smiled despite myself. “Yes, okay, the next I want to kiss him.”
“And have you told him that?”
“That I want to kiss him? Mother, I’m pretty sure he knows.”
I could practically hear her romantic heart fluttering through the phone. “And does he want to…kiss you?”
Among other things, I thought, remembering the way Gabriel had gotten down on his knees in the library last night. “Yes. We’re both enjoying our time together.”
“Then don’t let your pride stand in the way of your happiness. Stop being stubborn and talk to him about it. Tell him how you feel.”
Easy as that. Right?
Only it wasn’t.
I’d sworn I would never fall for a Valemont. Never be fooled by one again. But what if Gabriel was different? What if my mother was right and I said nothing, and I let the best thing that had ever happened to me walk away?
I’d hate myself forever. Be miserable forever.
So maybe…
“Alejandro?”
“Sorry, I’m here,” I said, getting up from the lounger, determined now more than ever to go and find Gabriel.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I think I am. But I have to go,” I said as I headed back inside to change for the day.
“Oh, okay.”
“Thanks for calling—it was exactly what I needed.”
“I’m glad I could help,” she said, and I could practically hear the smile in her voice. “Have a good day, my beautiful boy.”
“Thank you, Mother.”
We said our goodbyes and ended the call, and as I stood in front of the mirror and swept my hair back from my face, I couldn’t help but wonder if what I was about to do was the biggest mistake of my life—or the thing that would change it forever.