Twisted-Games

My heart crashed against my ribcage. “But you did it, anyway.”
Rhys’s mouth flattened into a displeased line, like he was angry at his
own actions. “Yes.”
“Why?”
He finally lifted his eyes to meet mine. “Because I understand what it’s
like to be alone.”
Alone.
The word struck me harder than it should’ve. I wasn’t physically alone—I
was surrounded by people all day, every day. But no matter how much I tried
to pretend I was a normal college student, I wasn’t. I was the Princess of
Eldorra. It meant glamour and celebrity, but it also meant bodyguards and
round-the-clock protection, bulletproof vests and a life that was planned, not
lived.
The other royals I knew, including my brother, were content with living
life in a fishbowl. I was the only one clawing at my insides, desperate to
escape my own skin.
Alone.
Rhys somehow recognized that inherent truth about me before I did.
“Thoughtful and observant.” He was observant of his surroundings, but I
hadn’t expected him to be so observant of me he saw parts of me I’d hid from
myself. “You really are full of surprises.”
“Don’t tell anyone, or I’ll have to kill them.”
The tension cracked, and a small, genuine smile blossomed on my lips.
“Humorous too. I’m convinced aliens have hijacked your body.”
Rhys snorted. “I’d like to see them try.”
I didn’t ask any more questions after that, and Rhys didn’t offer any more
answers. We finished our dinner in companionable silence, and after he paid
—he’d refused to entertain the idea of splitting the check—we walked off the
food in a nearby park.
“You’re really letting me walk around here without my vest?” I teased.
The bulletproof vest hung in the back of my closet, unused since our trip to
the mall.
An image of Rhys’s hands on my skin in the dressing room flashed
through my mind, and my face heated.
Thank God it’s dark out.
“Don’t make me regret it.” Rhys paused before adding, “You’ve proven
you can handle yourself without me breathing down your neck.” He said it