The Princess and The Jester - A.D. McCammon Page 0,29

about a boy, and I want to hear all about it. Lord knows you’ve listened to me talk about guys enough times. Besides, it doesn’t sound like refusing to talk about him is helping with your cause, love.”

She’s right. He’s still at the forefront of my thoughts.

I sigh. “There isn’t much to say. He hasn’t spoken to me all week.”

That isn’t a total lie, but it isn’t exactly the truth either. Cole hasn’t said a word to me, but he still sends Phantom Girl flirty messages every day. After the odd exchange we had while he was at work Monday, I was a little surprised he didn’t cut her off too.

“Like, he’s giving you the cold shoulder?” Mia asks.

“No. Like, I haven’t even seen him.”

“I know you live in a mansion, but how is that possible? He’s sleeping in the room right next door to yours.”

I shrug. “I think he’s been going out of his way to avoid me.”

“Why would he do that?

“No clue,” I lie.

There are a number of reasons he might want to avoid running into me. I imagine the list looks similar to the one that’s kept me from seeking him out. The kissing, touching, fighting, crying, and holding. It was overwhelming.

“I don’t buy it. The last time I was there, the guy cooked for you then looked at you like he wanted to make you his breakfast. And you told me yourself the two of you went at it in the kitchen the day before. There’s no way all of that changed by the time I dropped you back off on Sunday. So, what really happened?”

“Okay, fine,” I relent with a sigh. “When I got home, Cory’s shirt was in shreds on my bed.”

“Oh my fucking god! He ripped up Cory’s shirt? Damn. He went all possessive caveman on you. Why does that sound so hot to me?”

I laugh, shaking my head. “Because you have some deep-seated issues when it comes to men.”

She feigns being hurt, her mouth falling open as she places a hand over her heart. “That’s so hateful, but true.” She smirks, gesturing with a wave of her hand for me to continue. “So, what did you do?”

“I went to his room to confront him, and things got a little heated.”

She gasps, reaching over to swat my arm. “You guys screwed, and you didn’t tell me?”

My brow bunches as I rub the sting from my arm. “Jesus, Mia. No, we didn’t have sex.”

She quirks an eyebrow, crossing her arms. “Why do I feel like there should be a but at the end of that sentence?”

I cover my cheeks as they warm with embarrassment, grimacing as I reply. “There may have been a little bit of touching and kissing.”

“Please tell me the bastard didn’t leave you hanging again.”

And I officially want to crawl into a hole. “Uh, no. He completed his…task. But then I freaked, and he acted like an asshole. I cried, he screamed. The whole thing was…”

“Intense,” she breathes.

“Exactly. The craziest part is he came into my room afterward and held me. I’m pretty sure he slept in my bed all night.”

I wonder if that’s what freaked him out the most. It’s pretty clear he still doesn’t trust me. Maybe he’s worried about getting too close to me—that I’ll only hurt him again.

“That’s so sweet. And you haven’t seen or talked to him since?”

I shake my head. “Nope. He’s completely ghosted me.”

He’s been gone by the time I come down in the mornings and doesn’t come back home until after I go to sleep. I have no clue what he’s doing or where he’s going. There’s no way he’s working that many hours at the hotel. I’ve thought about messaging him a few times to see what he’s doing but worried I wouldn’t like his answer.

“So, do something to get his attention.” She makes it sound so easy.

Mia has a freaking master’s degree in gaining interest from the male population. But I’ve spent a good portion of my life trying to avoid being noticed.

“Yeah, sure. It’s not that simple. He spent two years acting like I didn’t exist.”

“The keyword there is acting. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. Like you’re not only a part of his world, you’re the center of his entire damn universe.”

Her words cause an ache in my chest, my face tingling as I fight back tears. “I believed that to be true once. Before we were destroyed.”

The person responsible for ripping us apart only set out