“This morning,” he replied, kicking off his shoes next to the elevator.
He was going to stay, and I couldn’t allow it. “Get out of here, Hamlet. I’m not supposed to see you right now.”
“That’s ridiculous,” he said, flopping onto the couch. “We’ve been on the phone and texting since I left. What’s the difference?”
“There’s a big difference. You have to go!”
“Why? Because your dad said so?”
I crossed my arms, not liking his tone, and added, “Yeah, and your mom.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Hamlet, I’m not kidding.”
He peered over the back of the couch at me, cocked his head, and smiled. That charm was why the people of Denmark, myself included, loved him so. Except at that moment I didn’t want to be charmed. I turned to walk away.
He said, “Ophelia, seriously, what are they gonna do about it if we hang out?”
I spun around, even more annoyed by his stupidity. “Oh, well, your mother could fire my dad, for one. I could get thrown out of here, for the other. They both told me as much.”
“I doubt either of those things will happen.”
“I can’t take that chance. I have to put everything I want aside like always. I have to wear this mask and be who everyone else wants me to be all the time.”
“And my girlfriend. Is that part of your act?” he asked.
My heart was racing. How could he even ask that? I wanted to smack him as much as I wanted to kiss him. “No. That’s the only time I get to be myself.”
“So enough phoniness. I can’t take it anymore. Let’s go be ourselves and show the world that we’re meant to be together.”
“No. One time I really cut loose and look what happened.”
“So you’re embarrassed. So what?”
He always got his way, and this time I wanted to win. I leveled my gaze at him and said slowly, “Get out, Hamlet.”
“I can’t believe this,” he said, standing. “How long am I supposed to stay away?”
“I don’t know. Until this all blows over, I guess.”
He smirked and said, “I’ve spent some time studying those pictures, and I can honestly say that if I were one of our parents, it’d be a long time till I’d let it blow over.” I nodded, and he sauntered toward me suggestively. “I’m afraid that’s going to be too long.”
Despite myself, I felt my resolve vanishing. “Then go back to school and it won’t seem so long.”
“I’m too depressed to go back to school. I can’t be without you,” he answered, creeping even closer.
My heart started pulsing, and invisible hands pushed me to him. “Yeah, you seem real depressed.”
Standing right in front of me, he winked, and it was over. I gave no resistance. My dad wasn’t there, and there were no cameras in the apartment, so what harm could it do? I stretched up and let my lips brush his. His mouth twitched into a smile and he took a mini step forward; our bodies were close enough to exchange heat, but we didn’t touch.
“Should I go?” he asked.
I shook my head, took his hand in mine, and walked him toward my room.
He stopped in the doorway and kissed me, pressing his whole body against mine.
Something in his sweatshirt pocket jabbed into my ribs. I yelped and stepped back.
“Oh,” he said, frowning. “Sorry.” He stepped away and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a gun and set it on my dresser. Seriously. A gun.
I took a few steps back, my face suddenly numb. “Why do you have that?” I asked, afraid I might know.
“Claudius is trying to have me killed. What am I supposed to do?”
I leaned on the wall, unable to take my eyes off the jet-black handgun, as if watching it closely could keep it from firing on its own. “I’m not a fan of Claudius either, but are you sure you’re not just being paranoid?”
“He canceled my security detail, for starters. That’s how the photographer was able to get into the party. And I got some information from Marcellus that makes me really suspicious about Claudius’s other plans. I’d rather be paranoid than dead.”
The word dead hung in the air between us. Hearing it felt no more significant or real than talking about characters from a play. Yet this was his life, our life, so I tried to be sensible. “So you’re not planning to, like, do anything to him first, are you?”
Hamlet grabbed a hat that was hanging on my closet handle and threw it