Up for Heir - Stella Starling Page 0,73
hmmm… okay!… Oh my God, really?”
She hopped off the bed, twisting nimbly out of Edvin’s reach when he grabbed for her again and sticking her tongue out like she was still five as she scampered backwards.
“Give. Me. The. Phone,” Edvin said sternly, holding out his hand.
She covered the receiver. “Leo says my dress for the ball is done!”
“And… and I say you’re going to be on d-d-dish duty for the rest of the month if you don’t… don’t g-g-give me my phone right flipping n-n-now, Astrid,” Edvin said, not even feeling guilty about the threat because it was his room and his phone and his boyfriend-slash-unofficial-fiancé, and dang it, Edvin wanted to talk to him.
He… he missed Leo, and sure, it was kind of silly to say since they’d talked every night and texted throughout each day, but it was Friday and Edvin hadn’t seen Leo since the weekend before, and even knowing that he would soon—the ball was just two days away, after all—it didn’t feel like it was soon enough.
Somehow, over the last month, Edvin had gone from shocked that he’d get any of the prince’s attention at all to greedy for it, and the lingering uncertainties that had been stirred up by his coworkers at the beginning of the week only added to the undercurrent of urgency he felt, as if he’d better enjoy as much of Leo as he could get while he had him, in case… in case… well, in case Edvin’s worries proved true.
In case, despite what it increasingly felt like each time they talked, it turned out that Leo didn’t love him in return.
Edvin still hadn’t found the courage to ask, but maybe this time he would…. if he ever got his phone back.
Astrid glared at him, but Edvin stood firm, keeping his hand out until she finally sighed and slapped the phone onto his palm.
“Fine,” she snapped. “But if my hair looks frizzy at the ball, you need to put Tilde on dish duty.”
She flounced out and slammed the door behind her, and Edvin followed behind to lock it—quite literally the only way to ensure privacy in the Blom household—bringing the phone up to his ear as he did so.
“Hi,” he said, a smile breaking out on his face when Leo’s low, sexy chuckle came through in response.
“Please tell Astrid that I’m sure they’ll be able to tame her hair at the spa tomorrow,” Leo said, which instantly wiped the smile off Edvin’s face.
Oh, Lord. He’d been putting off mentioning that he’d have to skip the Saturday spa day to Leo all week, more out of denial than anything else, but now he had to come clean.
“Um, about th-th-that,” he said, clearing his throat. “Turns out I’m, um, actually needed at the library tomorrow. But will it… I mean, could… c-c-could Ollie and the girls still go to the spa thing, though?”
If he’d ruined the chance for his siblings to get pampered, he was never going to forgive Hans.
Leo was quiet for a second. Then, “You have to work tomorrow?”
“I’m sorry,” Edvin said with a sigh, slumping down on the edge of his bed.
“Darling, that’s not something to apologize for,” Leo said. “And of course Oliver and the girls will still go, but I’d really like the chance to spoil you, too. Are you sure you can’t get out of it? I thought the library was closed weekends.”
It was, but Edvin had already promised, and the director had set something up with the visiting scholars for the following week based on that promise, so the work had to be done. His throat tightened at the thought of disappointing his prince, though. It was exactly why he’d avoided saying something up until now, and the fact that he’d be spending the next day with Hans just added insult to injury.
“Let me see what I can arrange,” Leo said before Edvin could respond, the firm, take-charge tone making Edvin’s stomach flutter despite the dismay he was already feeling about needing to say no. He could hear the smile in Leo’s voice as Leo added, “I may be able to have it declared a national holiday. I do have a little pull, you know.”
Edvin giggled despite himself, but then sighed, scrunching up a handful of his duvet with frustration. “I really c-c-can’t,” he said. “I’m helping out with… with a restoration project in the archives. I promised, and… and it’s kind of time s-s-sensitive.”
Leo was quiet for a minute, then gave another one of those