Chapter 40 Princely duties

Chapter 40 Chapter 40
Sleep eluded me for the rest of the night. I laid awake replaying the dream over and over, wishing I could go back to sleep and maybe continue the dream from when it stopped. But I stayed wide awake for hours.
When sleep finally came, dawn had begun to peek over the horizon. And ten minutes later, two small gremlins were crawling into my bed asking me to wake up and face the day.

“It's Sunday. Go back to sleep." I mumbled, dragging the covers over my head.
They took that as an invitation to play get under the covers with mummy the quickest. I had no other option than to get up.

By the time chores were done and four hotdogs were sizzling away in a pan, my eyelids were so heavy it was a miracle I was still standing on my own two feet.
I yawned for what felt like the fiftieth time that minute and transferred the hotdogs into a plate. As I turned around to grab some eggs, I heard someone yell out, very clearly in my head, " Catch!”

I swiveled around and diced for the plate of hotdogs, managing to catch both the plate and all four hotdogs before they tumbled to the ground.
" Oh my God “ I gasped. Looking around me to make sure nothing else had fallen. In my drowsy state, I must've placed the plate on the edge.

But how had I known to catch it? And to do do it so quickly. The plate was halfway to the ground already.

Catch.
I'd heard it. I was almost sure……

“Moooommmm!! I'm hungry." Asher skipped into the kitchen with Ashlynn right on his heels.
“Right. I just need to scramble the eggs . Set the table please,both of you." I shook my head to clear the confusion.
I hadn't heard anything in my head. It had just been a coincidence. Maybe my brain registered the plate falling before I turned away.

Bree took me bowling. Well, Forced me to go bowling would be more accurate. She all but dragged me to her car, stuffed me in and drove off with the brakes squealing.
I didn't care much for bowling but she said she was bored and needed something to do.

“A make out sesh already? Oooh, look who's moving fast huh?" Bree teased as she warmed up.
I shrugged, “Well, it was, you know, nice."
“Nice?" She rolled her eyes, “Petting a puppy is nice. Spending a day with your kids is nice. A make out session being nice is not a good thing."
I snorted in amusement. Spending a full day with the kids was nice? Oh the innocent ignorance of the single and child free. “Okay maybe nice isn't the word. It was great, honestly."

“Did he bring you anything?"
“Just his daughter, Jane. But he asked me out to dinner again Tuesday.”
Bree chuckled, " At this rate You'll go through the diners in Hallowden within the month.”
" Then we'll go out of Hallowden probably. I'm sure he can afford it.” I smiled to myself. It felt great having a rich boyfriend.

Bree punched my arm and rolled her eyes, " Yeah probably.”
I waited for the string of sentences I would usually expect from her. Like how I was so lucky or my lady parts were finally going to catch a break, breathe some air. But she remained silent, eyes focused on the ball in her hand. I decided to wait.

She narrowed her eyes, blew out a breath, took a swing. Her fingers clenched and so did mine involuntarily as we watched the ball careen down the aisle and straight into the pins.
" Whoohoo! Strikedown!” She exclaimed and did a little shimmy shake of celebration. " Rissa, your turn.”
" Aren't you going to say it?”
" Say what?"
“You know, how lucky I am? How much you look forward to me telling you all about finally going all the way with Zayne?" I held the ball underneath my arms as I waited for an answer.

Bree grimaced, “Going all the way? What are we? High school seniors?”
" Ugh..you know what I meant.”
" Yeah. You meant sex. And yeah I do expect gory uncomfortable details when it happens.” She turned away from me to grab a ball.
" Is something wrong?” I asked, blocking her path to the lanes.
“What do you mean?" She was trying to sound breezy but one of the things I loved about Bridget, the one thing that I can say has made me stay friends with her for so long, was her inability to pretend.

Bridget was like an open book. She could act and put on a show for laughs but she was never able to hide true emotions or thoughts. She called things what they were, related people for who they are, would never tell a lie to make you feel good about yourself and could not hide her worry or concern for the people she loved.
Which was exactly what I could tell from the stiffness in her shoulders and the way her eyes wouldn't meet mine. She was worried about me. But why?

“Bree, come on. You know I know you better than that. You're worried about me being with Zayne aren't you?"
She shook her head in the negative at first and when I wouldn't budge or look away from her, she sighed, shoulders slouching in defeat, ‘’Ok, fine. Not worried really but….."
“Oh God." I groaned, “And you didn't want to tell me?"
“How was I supposed to? I've been on your ass for forever to get a man and you finally get one and I don't like him? Don't you hear how insane that sounds?” She scoffed and dropped the ball back on the rack.
“Of course it sounds insane. Because I don't get why. I know Zayne's a little snobbish and eccentric…..”
" I wouldn't use the word eccentric. And ohh it's more than that.”

" Huh?”
She collected my ball and placed it on the rack as well, " Not here. Let's go grab a bite to eat.”
" But the game only just started.” I protested weakly as she tugged me along.
" We'll play some other time. I was getting pretty bored anyway." That wasn't true. She'd won the first frame already and knowing how good she was at bowling, she would've gone on winning the rest of the night. Probably entered into random competitions with other players while I looked on. Really I was just there to provide her company.

We made our way to the Korean fried chicken stand downstairs. Less than ten minutes later, we sat across from each other with two greasy paper plates heaped with chicken wings and two sides of dip.
“So, I did a little digging…” Bree began with no preamble. " I mean, rich guy from New York, there's sure to be something about him online. Social media pages and what not.”
" Not sure I'm ok with you stalking my boyfriend but fine. And?”
I waited while she tore into a piece and chewed.

“And nothing. I found nothing." She replied finally.
“What do you mean you found nothing?"
“Exactly what I said. I found a handful of Zayne Blackwoods, none of them him. Your boyfriend doesn't exist on social media.”