18. Romeo
Romeo
The night before felt like a literal dream. A dream surrounded by people pretending to be psychotic clowns and ax-murderers, but also with Ivy Jade right next to me, holding my hand as we lazily walked around the park and looked for her rings. Kind of. Barely.
I hadn’t been getting much sleep. Staying at the Scare Park each night until after eleven, then driving back to the chateau, then being so wired that I couldn’t close my eyes, then waking up early for the wedding festivities—it was a lot. But so fucking worth it because I got to see her.
I rubbed my sleepy eyes as I stepped into the shower, letting the warm water pour down my skin.
My hands pressed against the tile, and I glanced down at the tattoos that covered my arms. Ivy Jade had seen these on High Jynx, but not Ro.
If I rolled up my sleeves at all during the day, she’d know.
I hated that I had to hide parts of myself from her because it was basically lying to her.
I couldn’t stop thinking about how deep this was going and how much I was keeping from her.
I was lying about who I was, and, worse, making her come to the park each night to look for rings I already had.
Would she hate me once she found out the truth?
If I couldn’t even be honest about this, how could she ever trust me again?
I was getting to know a side of Ivy Jade I never knew existed, and maybe she’d be sympathetic to the way I felt. She treated Ro like shit at first, but she gave High Jynx a chance. Maybe she could give Ro a second chance, too.
Maybe I’ll just tell her now before this goes even further.
Fuck. No. I can’t.
I pulled on my black jeans, hoodie, and Vans after running my hands through my hair to make it look presentable. I couldn’t remember what the wedding activity of the day was, but honestly, I’d go spend the day listening to nails on a chalkboard if it meant being next to Ivy Jade.
I found my way downstairs, wandering the vast chateau grounds.
I never thought I’d be in a place like this, let alone stay at said place, so I was trying to take it all in.
The walls were filled with Renaissance art, and the hallway was lined with long, fancy Persian rugs.
The little brochure in the room stated the place also had a swimming pool, bar, gym, garden, and library.
The library was the only thing that really piqued my interest, and since I seemed to be the only person in the wedding party who was on time, I continued past the foyer in search of it.
I didn’t have to look for long; I found the large room at the end of one of the walkways, the arch leading into it open and inviting.
The slanted, high ceiling was lined with wooden beams, and the walls were skirted with tall, large bookshelves.
There were spiral staircases and ladders, and it looked like I’d stepped into a Gothic fairytale library.
This was definitely going to be my happy place.
I skimmed the titles on the shelves, looking for something to read.
Foolishly, I checked to see if they had book five of ‘Unmasking My Bright Knight.’ Rachel wouldn’t let me leave the house with her copy, and I was desperate to finish the last few chapters I had left.
Sadly, the series may have been a little too new for the curated collection that lined the walls.
I settled with a classic, then found a club chair in the corner of the room, tucked behind a shorter bookshelf.
I was only a few pages in when I heard the click of heels on wood echoing in the room. I leaned forward, and sure enough, there was Ivy Jade. She wore a pleated skirt with tights, heeled Mary Janes, and a tight turtle-neck sweater. I couldn’t help but stare, waiting for her to notice me.
I didn’t know how it was possible for her to get more beautiful each time I saw her.
She turned to face a bookshelf, tilting her head to read the titles. Feeling like a creep for staring so long, I decided to get up and talk to her.
“Ivy Jade,” I said as I approached her from behind—and she let out a shriek I was now very familiar with.
“Oh my god!” she exclaimed as she turned, eyes wide, hand clutched to her chest that heaved up and down rapidly. “Jesus, Ro, I nearly broke a nail! You scared the shit out of me!—I mean, the crap. Shoot.”
I didn’t expect I’d be terrifying her as both High Jynx and Ro, but there were a lot of things happening this week that I hadn’t quite expected.
“Sorry,” I said with a sheepish grin, holding onto her shoulder for a moment in an attempt to soothe her.
Her breathing evened out as she let out a disbelieving laugh, shaking her head at herself.
“It’s fine. Sorry for cursing…” she said, then rolled her eyes playfully. “I mean… I’m sure you don’t care.”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I was actually going to ask you to apologize for that,” I retorted dryly.
She squinted her eyes at me for a moment, then grinned, thankfully understanding my humor.
“You’re down here early,” I said, changing the subject, glancing over at a bookshelf, nervously trying my best not to stare.
“It’s not a good look being late. It's like wearing Crocs out in public… or anywhere, for that matter,” she said with a shake of her head, like stating a fact.
It’s not a good look. Looks matter to her; optics matter to her—obviously.
“Of course,” I agreed.
I pulled out a worn-looking copy of Frankenstein from the shelf, turning the cover over in my hand.
“Ever read this?” I asked as I held it up.
High Jynx knew Ivy Jade didn’t like horror stuff, but Ro didn’t.
Her brows raised as she shook her head with a soft smile. “No. I’m more of a fan of romance and stuff. The classics…” she explained, keeping it vague.
“Like, Little Women? Right?” I asked.
She gave me a double take. The surprise on her face felt as though she wasn’t prepared for that question, and I started to wonder if she’d even actually read ‘Little Women’ before. I wanted to laugh, and she looked at me defensively.
“You saw that, huh?” she said, straightening her posture.
“You were devouring it on the bus to the corn maze. You barely looked up from it.”
“It’s actually a really moving story. Coming of age and stuff.”
“Stuff?”
“Mmmhmm.”
“And it’s a romance?”
“Duh… I've seen the movie. I’d know.” She rocked back on her heels, an accusatory tone to her words.
“Very interesting. You can tell a lot about a woman by the books she reads.” I stepped closer, wanting to be near her, but I needed to remember that Ro didn’t have a moment with Ivy Jade yet, not like the ones she’d had with High Jynx.
I wanted nothing more than to take her hand and wander the chateau with her all day.
“Truthfully, I pinned you more as a knight in shining armor kind of gal. But maybe I was wrong.”
“Not wrong actually,” she said quickly, but then calmed herself from looking too eager. She brushed her hand through her hair, feigning casualness. “I mean… I dabble in stories with knights. You know, princesses. Castles. Things of that nature.”
She stopped and faced me, her dark brown eyes looking up into mine. I loved seeing the vulnerability in her eyes now, the way her guard was slowly cracking for both me and my scary counterpart.
I grinned, tilting my head slightly. “I bet it’s hard for any guy to live up to those knights in shining armor you read about.”
She licked her lips and tried to hide a smile by biting her lip. Fuck, that look drove me crazy.
“I guess, yeah. Something like that,” she responded, mirroring my head tilt and playing with the ends of her long hair.
I let my voice drop slightly, taking another small step towards her.
“What about dark knights? Do they ever get the girl?”
All the humor in her eyes faded into something else.
There seemed to be desire, yes, but also a hint of sadness.
I wanted to cup her cheek with my palm and tell her that we could be the fairytale she’d been dreaming of if she just gave us a chance.
I still didn’t know what the hell was going on in her life, but I was willing to fight and set Ivy Jade free from her parents and her presumed engagement to Antonio.
Before I could do that, though, I needed to know what she wanted.
With her, it was hard to tell what her true feelings were.
Were her reactions genuine, or were they just a defensive measure put in place to protect the box her parents put her in?
Her eyes shifted slightly, and her attention went towards the foyer, where Tallulah stood, speaking to a few others from the wedding party.
“I, um… I guess we better get going!” Her voice was raised an octave and carried a little tension.
I nodded, clearing my throat. I wasn’t going to get anything from her yet, but that didn’t mean I was going to stop trying. I gave her a soft smile as I gestured to the foyer. “After you,” I said, settling my eyes onto her, wanting her to stay.
She hesitated for a moment, glancing between me and the foyer, but then she turned and left me on the edge of immeasurable desire.
I was coming for her.
And I wouldn't stop till I had her.