#anna grey

He drifts off as they stop in front of the hospital. And then Drake sees it… in front of his childhood ranch, a man dressed in a plaid red shirt, a huge smile spreading on his face when he recognizes Drake, his son. He never thought he would see his dad again, the memories he treasured so much are now somewhat palpable. Jackson is drinking his favorite whiskey and he hesitant walks to him, wondering where the hell are they. Even though Drake knows he should get some answers first, he can’t help to wrap his father in a hug, needing to feel if it was just an illusion. When he feels Jackson hugging him back, tears start building in his eyes, because after all this time is finally true.

“I gotta say, didn’t expect to see you here so soon. Makes me feel sad, but you probably enjoyed the time you had, right son?”

“Time? Here? What-what are you talking about?” 

“And I can’t say I’m not glad to have company.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

At this, Jackson takes a long sip of his drink and seems to reflect on which words to use next. Drake motions to the drink.His father nods and he takes the cup, drinking it all at once.

“Well, if you don’t know yet, it’s not my place to tell you.”

“I never thought I would see you again.”

“Never is a strong word Drake. Even though you loved to use it when you were a kid, remember?”

“What happened?”

“If I didn’t go play with you, you would say ‘I’ll never forgive you’; if you didn’t catch any fish, it would be ‘I’ll never go fishing again’; if you and Savannah fought, it would go like ‘I’ll never be friends with you again’; Good times huh?”

He looked around and everything was exactly like when he was a child. The little garden with gardenias and other flowers his mom used to cultivate on their summers there, the wood bench with his and Savannah’s names scrapped in their ugly childish letters. It was so much like old times that his father guitar layed over the bench, like he was about to play something for them. Everything was the same but something felt incredibly wrong.

“Why I am here dad?”

“It doesn’t… matter.”

When he looks at the cup in his hands, previously empty from his quick drinking, it’s completely full again. Jackson has a bittersweet gaze, giving Drake a half smile because that’s probably all he can say. His son sighs, watching intently the brown liquid in the glass, humming incoherent words for no reason, then he stops altogether.

“Did you hear that?”

“What?”

“Someone… there’s someone crying.”

Drake can hear the crying sounds, even though they seem to be coming from somewhere distant. He walks around the front porch, trying to follow the sound and find what the hell is going on. Until Jackson puts a hand on his shoulder, bringing his attention back to the man who was supposed to be dead. And suddenly a very bad idea strikes him like a wave, is he dead too?

“I don’t hear anything son. Perhaps you’re still connected. Or it might be a memory. But I can assure you, here, nobody has reasons to cry.”

“Connected? What the hell are you talking about? And why don’t you answer my questions?”

Drake’s almost yelling at this point, because none of the options of why he can see and touch his father are nice: either he’s dead and this is literally some weird dying thing, or he’s lost so much blood and is delusional to the point of making a hallucination sound real.

“I already told you Drake. It’s not my place to tell you these things. Not the ones you’re asking anyway.”

“Which ones can you respond?”

His dark chocolate eyes are wet with tears, he doesn’t really know why but maybe it has something to do with seeing his father after so long. Drake sees the tears building up at his dad’s eyes too, and they share another long hug. He needs to allow himself to enjoy this moment, it might be all in his head, but it’s still his father.

Drake has been fighting to remember anything that could help, however it seems like his memory turned to jelly and only his childhood memories flow through his mind. That is, until a very known - and now sounding very distant - voice says:

“I love you. I love you so much, so don’t you dare dying on me Walker. Just don’t… please don’t. I can’t lose you, alright? I just can’t.”

Grey. Her voice echoes over and over again in his ears, pounding as strong as her crying sounds. She was the one crying and he gets desperate when she speaks again, her voice a whisper of pain and worry:

“Drake, please please don’t leave me. I love you. I always will. So please, let them take care of you. Because I need you to come back to me.”

What was she talking about? Why was she crying and why the hell can he hear her but not see or feel her? It doesn’t make any sense and hurts him like hell, causing all his tears to fall quickly over his cold cheek. Drake has never heard Grey sound so desperate, so hurt, in fact, he never heard her beg for anything. Not the way she was begging for him, and what hurts the most is that he can’t give her what she needs. He looks at Jackson, searching for answers again and finding a longing in his eyes he’s not seen in many years.

“You don’t hear anything? Why can’t you hear her?”

“No. But this person, is she important to you?”

“She’s the love of my life. And now I remember… the ball… she almost - I almost lost her. I took… a bullet...to keep her safe… and now…”

Before he can finish tying the dots, his dad stops him by hugging him strongly. He caresses Drake’s head, then moves away enough to look him in the eye, tears pilling up on his eyes when he whispers:

“You’re not staying. At least, I hope you’re not staying because it is too damn early for you. So I need you to know two things: I’m very proud of you and who you’ve become. And that love… love is the most important thing in the world. Don’t take it for granted, alright? If you take a bullet for someone, if you can hear them here, that’s… that’s love.”

Everything goes black again and Drake feels nothing for a long time. Like he’s immerse in a black ocean where nothing happens, there’s no pain or suffering, just empty waves. Silence and waves, blending together in a way there’s no how to how where one begins or finishes. He feels addicted to the waves, something interesting about all that darkness, something he can soak himself in.

Then he feels a tug, and there was no longer the ocean of emptiness, but a comfortable solid reality. He could feel his body again, the weight of it where he lays, his calm breathing sounds and the warmth of something holding his hand. Still, it takes him a while to control himself again and it feel like he’s learning to be here again. When he finally does, causing his eyelids to open slightly, there’s a lot of blank white in front of him.

He can hear people moving and talking, his eyes are so heavy it’s hard to try and open them completely, but the minute her voice reaches him, it’s impossible not to. 

“Drake?”

Drake’s eyes finally see her gray ones, the freckles of light now slowly returning to them as she watches him wake up. The tears in her eyes are big and they spill slowly over her cheeks, just as a beautiful smile spreads over her face and she squeezes his hand - which she’s been holding for the past four hours.

“How are you feeling?”

“Fi-ine.”

“Really?”

He squeezes her hand back, tracing little circles in it with his finger and giving her his best smile. Anna can barely believe he’s awake and well, according to the nurses and himself, even after they said the surgery went well every bone in her body was terrified of what could happened. After all, he took a shot to protect her and now she could’ve lost him.

“Yes. What happened? Are you ok?”

“You had to go to surgery because the bullet was in a dangerous place, but the doctor said the procedure when well and that you’re likely to have a great recovery. But are you feeling alright, really?”

“Grey. I’m fine. I promise.”

His words make her sigh with relief, then she kissed his hand, letting more and more tears fall over their twined fingers. Drake uses his other hand to cradle her head, wanting more than anything to pull her close and keep her as close as possible for as long as possible.

“Everybody else?”

“They’re all ok too, only a couple of people got hurt and nobody died. Savannah and Bartie got away with no bruises, just as Hana, Maxwell and Liam. Bastien got shot in the leg but he’s already being treated here. Our friends are probably at the cafeteria, getting me some food. They’ve been trying it for about eight hours.”

“When was the last time you ate? And how long was I in surgery?”

“I’m alright. Don’t you dare worry about me, Mr. Hero. And your surgery lasted ten hours.”

“Mr. Hero? Really?”

“You took a bullet for me. You… took...a… for… me. To… pr-o-otect me.”

She speaks slowly, as if the words have such a strength against her that they held power over her whole body. He caresses her cheek, bringing her face close enough to give her a chaste kiss on the lips and forehead. Drake enjoys that their faces is so near to whisper:

“I’ll always keep you safe. And I don’t regret it for a second Grey, because taking a bullet is nothing compared to the possibility of losing you.”

She kisses him this time, her lips brushing slowly against his as if she’s tasting them for the first time and doesn’t want to let go. The kiss is deep, and she takes a long time to bring their lips apart, giving him a couple quick kisses afterwards. 

“I almost lost you. So I took the liberty of picking something borrowed from your suit to ask you something.”

Anna wiggles her eyebrows and at first Drake has no idea what she’s talking about, until she kneels and picks up his well known green velvet box. She smirks at him, takes a deep breath and presents the open box to him, between the stubborn tears - of joy this time - that escape from her eyes, she says:

“I almost lost you today, and I was so angry because damn, it took me a lot of convincing and fighting and waiting to get you in the first place. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t planned, because I don’t think anything this amazing could ever be.It was probably the hardest thing in my life, getting you to open up to me, challenging that snarky grumpy adorable man, pretending I wasn’t crazy about you since that moment in Olivia’s cellar. When you made me realize the moments in between were what made me fall for you, what made me stay when I was ready to leave, they kept me going because I knew there were many other to come, with you. Pretending not to love you was the hardest thing in the world, even though loving you was the easiest. I almost lost you today, but you came back to me. And with this, I promise I’ll always come back to you. Drake Walker, the most grumpy man I’ve ever met, who has the biggest marshmallowist heart in the world, would you give me the honor of marrying me?”

He doesn’t interrupt her because he was so surprised that his breath is caught in his throat. By the end of her speech, he’s crying too, overwhelmed with so much love and joy for the woman in front of him. 

“I think that’s my line, and also my ring. But, as if there was any other answer, yes.”

She jumps up with a huge smile on her face, giving him the box and the ring so that he can put it in her finger. Then she puts both of her hands on his cheeks, staring intently at the man she’s going to marry before kissing him deeply and lovingly.

“Did she woke him up with a true love’s kiss?”

Maxwell says loud enough for the couple to hear, while he enters the room with a smirk on his face, Hana and Liam on his toes. And just as this unplanned love story began, it ended. 

...

Savannah knew where he would go to think, to be away from the crowd but still close enough to come back in case she needed him. Because in the end, all he wants is her, Anna. She’s known this for a while, by the way he looks at her when she’s not looking, by the smile on his face whenever she’s around, by how she can make him chuckle softly even though her brother doesn’t do anything softly, for her, he does. Because he’s in love with Anna Grey. And he’s letting her slip through his fingers over something stupid.

When she entered the barely lit labyrinth, some of her confidence disappeared and she was afraid after all this time apart he wouldn’t go to “their” place. The guilt of abandoning him became stronger and stronger by the second, and she stopped herself before passing the opening on the grass leading to the back of the castle where a wood bench horribly build has Drake sitted on. They built that bench with his dad in a sunny monday morning that for a miracle, their father had free. He wanted them to learn and do things on their own, so he kept their bad quality design and just made sure people could sit there. It was one of her only memories about her father and it sounds like a lifetime ago.

He lifts his head the minute he hears her leave the labyrinth and she quickly sees they’re teary red. They don’t maintain eye contact for long, when she gets closer his gaze drifts to the floor out of shame, or maybe just to let it clear he’s not in a chatty mood.

Savannah sits in silence next to him, interlacing her hands over her lap. She wants to give him time to speak but after ten long minutes of hurtful silence, she realizes he’s not gonna talk at all and takes the first step.

“I’m surprised you don’t have a whiskey bottle to keep you company. They ran out of those?”

“Wasn’t planning on staying too long here.”

“Do you have someplace to be?”

“Far away from Grey.”

Her name is an almost painful groan and he presses his mouth into a thin line after saying it. She can almost feel how much that’s breaking his heart and she’s glad he was the one who brought the subject on. 

“Why?”

“If you’re here, you already know.”

“She said no to Liam.”

She said remembering Hana’s words when they parted from the group, not wanting to tell Olivia just yet.

“Yes.”

“And she said yes to you?”

“I-I.. didn’t ask.”

“Do you want to?”

“It’s not that simple Savannah. She should’ve said yes to Liam.”

“And you shouldn’t have fallen for the woman your best friend loves, but you did. Because somethings Drake, somethings… you can’t help it.”

She was talking about him and Anna but also about her and Bertrand, about the choices she made after falling for someone who she wasn’t supposed to. A heat came to her cheeks suddenly, when her mind visited the memory of their last night together and how that changed everything. But as quickly as the heat came, another sensation washed over her, a much darker one that brought tears to her eyes. The love of her life never proposed to her and probably never will, taking away her chance to say yes in spite all of the reasons she has to say no.

Drake’s also lost in his own thoughts after Savannah’s words, a million flashbacks passing by at the same time. When she reflects on her own life, she sees how much her decisions affected him too, in a deeper way than the would expect.

“It wasn’t you.”

“What?”

“It wasn't you who made me leave Drake. You didn’t fail me. You didn’t ruin me. You don’t ruin people by loving them. It’s not your fault what happened to me or to mom, you didn’t push us away, it was quite the other way around so you don’t get to feel guilty. Because this… this  is what’s stopping you from asking the woman you love to marry you, to embrace happiness for once in your life after dad died and mom left. And they both would want you to take that chance with Anna, as do I.”

“He can give her so much Sav.”

“Don’t you see what’s obvious Drake? She doesn’t want ‘so much’. She wants you. Just you is enough for her.”

…

  She knew her friends little reunion had something to do with the mess between her, Liam and Drake. Though she had no idea why, since then Hana’s been glued to her side, not letting her out of sight even when they went to the bathroom. Other than this odd behavior, everyone else seemed quite worried and cautious around her. Which is expected and actually a good thing for her right now, because she can’t talk about anything that happened. Not even think about it without the tears threatening to fall. 

That’s why she has to take a deep breath when Liam starts walking towards her and Hana. She also tensed beside Anna, squeezing her hand through their linked arms and taking a step closer to her, as if that can protect her from the complicated situation. However they’re both surprised at the smile on Liam’s face and the cheerful tone of his voice.

“Hello Lady Hana, Duchess Anna. How are you two enjoying the ball?”

The king emphasizes her new title, trying to show he’s proud and happy for her. Even if that’s taking use of his acting skills, at least all those classes are coming in handy tonight. Anna responds with a big smile but she’s not as good at pretending, especially when it comes to Drake, who seems to never leave her thoughts. It’s easy to notice it, especially by someone who is as close to her as Liam, by the way she’s staring at random places for long moments with an empty look, and the way she holds Hana’s hand in a way too strong grip. But she doesn’t seem bothered by it.

“It’s been… magical. I believe that was the theme, right?”

She jokes and sweetly smiles to him, quickly turning her gaze back to Anna, who simply agrees with a nod. He’s been wondering for a while why isn’t she beaming out there with Drake on her arm, and deep down he knows she’s not alright.  She immediately stops avoiding his gaze and stares straight at him, as if she read his mind. Again, it takes a lot of pretending when he sees tears building on Anna’s eyes.

“Yes. And I’m glad you’ve been enjoying it.”

They maintain eye contact for a long time, until she has to blink back the tears. Liam takes a deep breath and reminds himself that she just turned him down. It’s not his place to comfort her, as much as he would like it to be. So after another deep breath he assumes his kingly duties and touches her arm gently to bring her attention back to him. Regretting that instantly, because the grey eyes pierce his again, with a longing expression on her face and he begins aching for more contact, more time, more of her.

“I have to go, it’s time for the speech. Can you come when I call your name? It’ll be your formal introduction as the Duchess of Valtoria.”

“Of course.”

He expected her words to follow a little joke, as always, but they didn’t. That’s when he knows it’s something more serious than expected. Trying to shake it out of his head, he lets go of her arm and finally says:

“Thank you. If you’d like to say something too, I’m sure we would all appreciate your wise words.”

“I-I… don’t think I could. Not tonight.”

“Are you alright? Did something happen?”

Liam’s voice is barely a whisper, not wanting to attract preaching ears to what seems to be a delicate matter for Anna. He moves to catch her hand, already preparing himself to take her somewhere quiet and let herself lean on him. Hana’s eyes widen when she sees what he’s about to do. She can’t let him create hope again, or Anna to feel even more guilty. They would both open a door that should remain closed, because even if Drake doesn’t come around, he’s the one Anna loves. And getting involved with Liam again would cause more pain for everybody. For that and many,many other reasons she speaks fastly:

“I think your father is requesting you Liam.”

He turns around and finds his father’s eyes searching him, the glass of champagne in hand, ready to start the toast. Then, he excuses himself from the girls with a weird feeling in his gut. Part of relief because he knew touching her like that would cause both of them confusion but also hurt, for seeing Anna so vulnerable and not being able to help.

“Thank you.”

Anna speaks in a weakly voice, thinking that after the speech she can excuse herself and go to bed. Her warm and comfy bed, where she can cry or scream and nobody will want answers from her. Because tonight, she just can’t take it anymore. She’s too distracted daydreaming about finally ending the night, that she doesn’t pay attention to Liam approaching his father or Drake entering the ballroom again. She hears Hana saying something about getting champagne for the toast and then she leave her side.

He felt many things tonight, from being happy in a bed with Grey to being miserable outside the palace thinking he ruined everything, but hopeful wasn’t one. At least, until Savannah’s words hit him in the face like a well deserved slap, and suddenly he allowed himself to hope. As he walks purposefully towards her, Drake wonders how could he be so dense about the situation, it was clear all along. What he wanted was her, always. And now she wants him too. So how could the fear of jeopardize her future, the fear of committing to someone and risking to be left all alone once again, get in the way of their love? How could he think she would ever abandon him? That’s what he’s thinking when he hears Liam starting his speech.

Anna pays close attention to Liam’s words, but starts worrying about Hana taking so long to find two champagne glasses. After a few seconds she understands that Liam’s still addressing Cordonia’s challenges and his style of leadership, and turns to go look for her friend, bumping straight into a broad chest. Her breath gets caught in her throat when she sees those chocolate dark eyes staring into her, the surprise keeps her from doing anything but gaze up at his, also surprise expression, that quickly turns into a longing one.

Drake prepared himself for this moment, choose his words carefully and played how it would go in his head, however he didn’t expect her to turn so fastly in his direction that they would bump into each other. And when he looks at her beautiful face, those so sweet and always so sarcastic lips, the delicate nose she loves to brush against his as a caress and he simply knows. By the time he’s reached her eyes, he’s surprised she still hasn’t pushed him away. He knows it’s the time to do his damn proposal, and yet he’s so lost in her that everything else seems to wander very far away.

“I thought you left.”

He doesn’t dare to take her eyes out of his focus, even when she whispers the words with a slightly shaky breath. Anna stands firmly in position, she can’t let him get to her, not again. She was done letting him having so much impact over her. But his next statement shake her to the very core.

“I thought you wanted me to. And maybe you do, but I can’t go before telling you...Grey, I love you. I always will.”

They hear clapping and celebrating, but none of them moves an inch to see what’s it about. Drake almost can’t breathe, scared he’s too late and perhaps more scared that if he moves she’ll tell him exactly that. She can’t breathe either, but for entirely different reasons, she’s too stunned by his declaration of love when she thought there was nothing left for the two of them.

Her mind takes a moment to understand what he said. He feels like it’s been forever since he spoke, when it actually has been only a few seconds, until his eyes dart to her lips and time seems to stop at her smile. Anna’s smiling so happily at him, her eyes twinkling with tears of joy that soon are reflected on his too. He touches her chin gently, running his thumb over her jaw and cheek in a loving move.Then he tries to pick the little box in his pocket while saying:

“It’s a late answer but still, I want everything with you. So.. Grey...will”

“To Duchess Anna… the newest member of Cordonian nobility!”

Liam calls her from the stage and the crowd applauds, interrupting the moment between them, even before Drake could take the velvet box from his suit. She squeezes his hand. Reluctantly saying ‘sorry’ and turning around to walk towards the stage, where the King watches her with a brightness in his eyes and a smile on his face. There’s only time for her to walk until near the stage before the lights go out and someone screams. An explosive popping sound tears through the air, then another. Terrified guests screams and she hears someone yelling about gunshots, they try to flee and the crowd surges around Anna. 

“Anna! Get down! Now!”

Drake yells and tries to get closer to her. The guests keep pushing him in different directions, making his work harder and he’s trying to think clearly but with Grey in danger every thought blurs together.

“Anna!”

She hears Liam scream too, from upstage, his voice full of terror that doesn’t help with the mind-stopping fear she’s in right now. Drake’s command doesn’t register in her brain, which seems to be having a breakdown, and all she can do is look for him in the crowd.

The lights come out again and she sees he’s only a few feet away from her, just as she turns to him an assassin points his gun at her. A sharp breath and he pulls the trigger.

“NO!”

Anna hears him scream, and suddenly he’s jumping in front of her, putting his body between her and the bullet… Saving her.

“I thought you wouldn’t come.”

Hana smiles at him, holding his face on her hands and giving him a peck on both cheeks before adjusting his tie. Everything he can give her is a weak smile.

“I almost didn’t, we both know how much I hate this Han. I’m here because of Liam.”

And Anna. That’s what he almost blurts out, luckily he caughts himself and then a well known voice came from behind him.

“As always.”

She looks as beautiful as ever in a red dress, but doesn’t have her usual amazing smile, instead she has tears in her eyes that quickly start falling. He cleans them with his thumb, wondering what happened to leave her like that.

“What happened Grey?”

“I’m just giving you what you want.”

She’s sobbing now, her always so strong and fierce eyes look empty and so lost he can’t help to embrace her. Bringing her body close to his as a relief for both of them, kissing the top of her head when he wants to be kissing her lips and telling her everything will be alright.

But the minute he pulls her close she disappears from his arms, becoming just a puff of nothing, a void of pain. Drake searches the room for her or any sign that he didn’t just dream that, but it all seems normal, even Hana standing next to him with a friendly smile.

The night goes on as if nothing happened and when he asks about Anna to people, they simply ignore and go on about their lives. After a lot of whiskeys he forgets about the incident and searches for her in the ballroom, hoping his partner of sneaking out of parties will be with him soon enough. Except that soon never comes because she’s nowhere in sight, like she’s been erased from his future.

“It’s not too late you know.”

Hana’s real voice brings him out of his trance. She’s standing next to him with a sympathetic smile and two glasses of champagne. Her eyes are focused on the other side of the ballroom and Drake follows her gaze to Anna, the sight of her makes his heart flutter. And then break, because as soon as their gaze meets he can see the teary eyes, that immediately turn to Maxwell asking if they could go out for air or something. She just can’t stand him looking at her like that and he knows it.

“Are you sure Han? Because this time it’s all a hundred times more fucked up than before.”

He takes the champagne she offered and drinks it at once, trying to ease the pain it was to see her leaving like that and worse, to know he’s the reason why she’s hurting so much.

“And I have no idea how to fix it.”

“Oh honey, that’s easy.”

She puts a comforting hand on his shoulder, shifting his attention from the place where Anna were to her own friendly face. Even after all of this, he’s still not sure how he got such an amazing friend like Hana, especially when he keeps screwing up with everybody. But Hana sees it differently, she acknowledges how deeply he cares about the people he loves and how Drake has no idea about showing that care. So the next words come out of her mouth naturally:

“I know you love us Drake and we love you too, however you really have a hard time showing it. Something inside keeps you from truly showing this, and right now? Anna needs it. She needs to know you love her. Because we both know you do, completely, inevitably, deeply.”

“Bu..”

“And telling her that doesn’t erase or change your love for Liam. You’re not hurting him by loving her, in fact, I think it hurts him to see you walk away from your love.”

“She wants to know about the future. If I want one with her.”

He lowers his head and lets out a shaky breath, the subject and her words tossing and turning in his thoughts. Hana touches his chin to make him look at her, and Drake’s very surprised to see her grinning at him and then moving her hand from his chin to his chest, right over the heart.

“I believe the answer is right here and it’s been there for a while.”

He doesn’t know if she’s talking about his heart or the box she just squeezed on his left pocket, but either way, it takes him to another reverie.

It’s been a fucking long long day for Drake, who angrily walks away from the castle doors, his footsteps strong and firm as his deadly gaze. Liam follows close behind with a huge tension vein popping just between his eyebrows and the million meetings he’s been attending might be the reason why. Or maybe he is simply guilty about how he’s been asking so much from Drake, causing those wrinkles on his forehead or the red eyes that betray his lie: “I’ve been sleeping just fine.”

He stops before entering the car and looks back at his friend, gaze softening at the worry clear in Liam’s features. Drake opens the door without saying a word and then drops his head, thinking of how to say for him to get the hell out without being rude. Then he realizes that every second he wastes thinking is a second longer away from home, so he takes a deep breath before staring back into those blue eyes.

“It’s fine Liam. I didn’t mean to storm out, but I’ve been in this castle, on those dreadful meetings, for over a week. Do you have any idea what another week would be like?”

“I’m aware of that and I’m deeply sorry but I don’t know what I could do to change. You are in charge of security and it’s necessary that you’re here for this, it’s about bureaucracy but also about danger. I thought we both knew that.”

Drake stiffens his hold on the door, letting out a gasp of incredulity towards his words and then more aggressively than necessary he answers:

“And we both know Valtoria is in danger too, my wife is in danger and I can’t stand here another day without her, without making sure that I can protect her.”

He enters the car and closes the door, quickly sending a message to his staff about going home when Liam’s head pokes inside his window. Drake couldn’t leave him alone to deal with that, not before the agreement has been signed.

“Drake..”

“No Liam, I won’t change my mind. I gotta go.”

“I need you here Drake.”

“And I need her, more than anything.”

Drake takes off. The trip isn’t long but for him sure does sound like it, especially since he spent half of the time staring at their beautiful wedding pictures on his phone. It’s been barely over a year since they got married and he’s still crazy about her, so much that those two weeks away, those two weeks where he couldn’t touch her or protect her because he was protecting the kingdom were the hardest of his life. 

When he finally reached door to their bedroom, his heart was beating so fast it was almost like he was having a heart attack. Happens whenever they spend time apart but he’s not used to it yet, nor the butterflies still on his stomach by the time he opens the door.

She’s sleeping peacefully, since the clock on the nightstand marks 2:34 AM, and her breathing eases the worries he had. The slight sound of him closing the door wakes her and it takes about two seconds until she has a huge sword pointing at his chin’s height. This time away made her think a lot about safety, because her source of safeness was all the way in the palace and after everything she couldn’t take any more chances.

Her moves don’t scare him, there’s even a hint of a smile for how she’s capable of defending herself, which he already knew, but they hurt him because he can see how unsafe she feels without him around.

“What a welcome huh?”

“I thought… YOU DON’T WALK INTO A ROOM AT 2:34 WHEN SOMEONE’S ASLEEP AND EXPECT THEM TO WELCOME YOU!”

“I’m sorry… I didn’t know there was a right time to enter my bedroom.”

“Our bedroom.”

“Yes, our.”

Once the shock is gone her eyes light up like they only do for him and her arms embrace him so tightly he can barely breathe. Then he kisses the top of her head and hugs her back, caressing her exposed back.

“I thought you would stay for another week.”

“I thought you didn’t allow a sword in the room.”

“I was sca-…”

“I know Grey, I was too. But I’m here now and I’m not planning on leaving you again.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, especially when you point my own sword to me.”

The vision is all it takes for him to know exactly what he wants, and he kisses Hana’s cheek as a ‘thank you’ before starting to walk fastly out of the ballroom. It isn’t hard to find Maxwell and Anna hiding near the font, Drake tries to create the necessary courage to say what he needs and approaches them slowly as to not make her run away like last time.

“Grey… I need…”

“NO!”

Anna says a little too loud, attracting some looks and then to smooth things over she continues in almost a whisper, but a firm one:

“You don’t get to talk to me again. Don’t you get it? You broke my heart Walker, you don’t get to try mend it now, or ever.”

With that she walks away, not even asking Maxwell to follow or saying anything, simply leaves him there. All the bad scenarios in his head become true at the same time and Drake feels like he’s wasting his time being around. Especially when neither her or Liam want him near.

“I’m leaving.”

“What?”

“Drake, no.”

Says Hana, surging from the ballroom doors and understanding the situation quickly. However Drake ignores their words and starts walking away, not before hearing Hana’s last question and answering:

“Why?”

“There’s nothing left for me here.”

New York is one of the biggest and most populated cities in the world, with the amount of bars almost as high as the people and yet Maxwell and Drake choose exactly her bar to celebrate Liam’s bachelor party. It was a hot and busy night, Anna was counting the minutes until she could get home to her comfy and lonely bed, well actually she wasn’t looking forward that much. Times were rough for her with the actress future seeming every day further away from her, the weight of having nobody to lay on besides herself and with her annoying boss reducing her pay she was broke too. That’s why when Daniel asked her to take care of the bachelor party that had just arrived she said yes, having nothing better to do and hoping the tips would be good, not even in her dreams wandering she would be meeting the love of her life. But most importantly, this was the night that changed everything.

Anna’s had a few really memorable nights in her life but none of them could compare to tonight.

She knew that the minute Liam came out of the shadows, a tiny smile hiding in his expression as he steps closer to her.

“Was that Olivia?”

“Yes.”

“Did she bother you?”

“No. Not at all, she told me something I’ve been needing to know for a long time.”

“Oh.”

Liam looks truly surprised and shrugs at the subject before giving it too much thought, because he has something more important do deal with right now.

“I’m glad you’re here Liam, I needed to talk to you alone.”

“Then why don’t we go to the maze? It’s a more… private place to talk.”

He nods in the direction of a few drunken nobles who stumble at the palace garden door, only a few feet from them. That makes Anna agree, placing her hand on his arm and starting to plan a speech in her head while they walk.

“But first…”

Liam stands in front of her and touches her nose with his hand, causing Anna to chuckle and blush in an adorable way as he holds her face with his hands. Their eyes meet and with her still smiling they share a gentle but passionate kiss.

“You look cute when you blush.”

“Well, you would know since you’re the person that makes me blush the most. Like in the entire wide world.”

Anna knew she was dodging the subject, letting herself get loose in the caring way Liam treats her and how good it feels to have someone who truly loves you. Her guilty thoughts are interrupted by his voice.

“Would you mind if I speak first?”

“No. Not at all.”

‘One hour you’re gonna have to face him, but maybe later tonight?’ The American hoped as the classic music coming from the ball slowly started to get lower and lower.

The night was chilly and she could feel herself growing colder, hints getting herself closer to his body that emanates heat. Before Liam can offer her his blazer they arrive inside the maze and a shiver runs all over her body, knocking the wind from beneath her.

Anna always thought the maze was a special and beautiful place, very meaningful to both of them but tonight it looks just breathtaking. There are fairy lights everywhere, creating a romantic and cozy atmosphere, a trail of red roses traces the path to the swing, where a huge bouquet awaits with roses matching the maze’s. Liam grins proudly at her side while they walk towards the swing, her hands touching the lights around the bushes and a huge smile forming on her lips.

“This… is…”

There aren’t words to describe her surprise as she stares at the beautiful man standing in front of her, handing her the bouquet.

“I meant to do this in New York, at our spot near the Statue of Liberty, where it all started, however with my father’s condition and our rushed back here I thought it was better to wait. To do it in the right way.”

“Liam it looks beautiful. Reminds me of…”

“The Coronation.”

She nods smelling the flowers and Liam reaches for her hand, feeling overwhelmed by the beautiful woman he’s about to propose to.

“That night didn’t go as planned and I promised there would be another night where I could make everything right again. I was going to propose to you that night, in front of the entire court. Not doing so will remain the deepest regret of my life. Still, perhaps it’s destiny that it happened this way because tonight’s perfect, just you and me.”

Liam’s ocean blue eyes are burning onto her grey ones as Anna’s mind wanders to the memories of Coronation, the night everything went down for the first time. She fights the images in her head, from the first time she kissed Drake and the first time he wore a suit to impress her, taking her breath away with the glimpse of his smile until the moment he tried to protect her from the guards. She’s not supposed to be thinking about Drake right now so she closes her eyes for a second and focuses on the memories of Liam’s promises that night, the way he looked at her and how she felt utterly happy that someone cared about her again. How their connection made her heart feel warm and safe again, that she’d finally have somebody who wouldn’t leave her. That night she would have said yes to him, but tonight she’s not that sure.

“Well, not exactly just you and me.”

There’s a sneaky and playful smile on his lips as he whistles, pats on his leg and calls Dude who comes running from a near bush in his adorable little suit. She notices there’s something bigger than his normal dog collar, Anna’s still stunt with the surprise.

“I hope you don’t mind my borrowing him tonight. He looks too good in his suit to pass it. Don’t you Dude?”

“What’s he here for?”

“I’ll see in a minute.”

“Anna, you’ve opened my eyes… It has been a true honor to witness your strength in the face of every challenge you have overcome. It’s a strength which lends me courage. I know that I will be a better man for having you by my side. All I want in this world is to dedicate my life to being the best man and king that I can be… for you.”

The king sinks to one knee, taking the little box that hangs from Dude’s collar and presenting it to Anna.

“Duchess Anna Grey, queen of my heart, I have yearned to say these four words for a very, very long time…”

“Liam.”

Both of their hearts are beating so fast it seems like it might come out of their bodies, emotion taking control of every single nerve inside them but for completely different reasons.

Liam opens the box with the biggest and brightest smile he’s ever had, exposing a ring as bright and beautiful as his own smile. The words that waited so long finally coming out of his mouth and Liam knows they’re probably the most right thing he will ever say in his life.

“Will you marry me?”

The answer makes time stop for Anna, her head being crashed with memories of those few memorable nights and the many more there’s to come, it’s time to decide with who she wants to spend it. She thinks about how this decision will affect every single relationship she has, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that this sets not only her future but Liam’s, Drake’s, House Beaumont's and even Cordonia’s.

And her decision is taken by that same thought, because as soon as his name appears in her mind, it’s like she can feel him here again and all those sentiments floating around her and as usual, he doesn’t leave even when she desperately wants him to. Anna finally sees that there was never a decision to be made, they’re completely in love with each other and as much ash they fight against it, it’s the simple and plain truth.

Drake.

“I can’t marry you. I’m in love with someone else.”

Liam stands up again and Anna puts the bouquet back in its place over the swing, her grey irises cautiously looking for his blue warmth but finding and ice cold instead. Tears start to build in both of their eyes as they hold each other’s gaze.

“Who?”

It’s like there’s a knife entering his heart, the worst part being that he knew something was going on between her and his best friend however Liam was fool enough to believe in the end she would choose him.

“Drake.”

The name is almost a whisper that they both say, a taunted and sour taste to Liam’s mouth since there’s a hint of love for him on her sweet tone. He can see how sorry she is, Anna’s face is twisted in a pain expression that makes his anger dissipate just a little bit.

“You knew?”

Liam inhales deeply, focusing his gaze on one of the sparkly lights behind her because to him face those grey big eyes would be to much. Her question makes him regret saying anything, the fear of admitting how he ignored their feelings and blindly choose to believe on her sentiment for him prevent him from answering right away but Anna is waiting anxiously.

She knows how hurt he must be so she lets him take his time, simply stands there with her hands fold and the eyes staring at the blankness of the night. Hoping the hard part of the night is over and in just a few hours she will realize just how misplaced that hope was. Liam sits on the swing and gives space so that she’ll sit by his side, both without the courage to look anywhere but their own feet.

“I didn’t knew. I mean, I saw the long looks and the way you both seemed happier around each other. You’re a pretty good actress so you made a really good job hiding your feelings but Drake, not so much. Especially for someone who has known him his whole life.”

At the mention of him she turns to him, a big and heavy question forming inside of her head as she calculates either to ask it or not.

‘Hell, I’ve already broken his heart by saying no, how can one question make it worse?’ is the thought followed by her shaken voice in a:

“Then why did you propose?”

“Because I thought in the end, you’d choose me.”

Finally she looks up, staring at his lowered head and feeling the pain in his words and taking a deep sigh before caressing Liam’s arm. The words that leave her mouth are so true, so full of sentiment that Anna plans to keep hidden for a long time but that somehow found their way out.

“Who I love was never a choice.”

It’s time for Liam to look up, the blue-green-ish irises filled with tears that he planned to hide from her because he knows she’s telling the truth however he too sees her when she answers his next question.

“But lying to me was, so it’s my turn to ask, why?”

The moment she sees his tears, her own start forming and she understands just how much her past made her who she is now. Her scars appear from beneath the surface and she feels everything again so intensely.

“Because of this…”

Anna picks up the hem of her dress and lifts it up enough for him to see a charm bracelet wrapped around her ankle, with four gold charms hanging over and immediately he recognizes it. It’s the bracelet she always has on her wrist, he also remembers that she never mentioned anything about the jewelry.

“You always use it in your wrist.”

“Yeah, Olivia didn’t approved with the outfit so I had to hide it under the dress.”

“I’m still not sure how that explains your lying.”

“My parents got me this when I was seven, after my first school play. The caduceus symbol represents my father, since medicine was his passion and the shell represents my mother, considering how much she loved the sea and it reminded her of the Greek Islands where her parents met. And the big heart in the middle, that’s my symbol, it’s supposed to express my biggest feature. They told me that night that this bracelet meant hope, that it was supposed to be filled with dreams and important things to me, it’s meant to make me embrace the past and believe in the future.”

Tears leaver her eyes and the last words are no more than whispers, memories echoing in her mind by the mention of Ian and Eleanor. Liam cleans them with his thumb and waits for her to continue.

“They died two years later in a car accident. Leaving me alone with only my grandma Athena, who took me into her home and raised me until I was fifteen. My father’s family was small and by the time I was born, he had already lost most of them and had only me and mom. My mom’s family, or better saying, my grandma Athena’s family lived in Greece where she was born but expelled from because she got pregnant before the wedding. So when Athena died I was fifteen and completely alone, I ran from my hometown Chicago and got shelter at New York so that the social service wouldn’t find me and send me to a foster family. The owl represents my grandma Athena since the it’s the symbol of the great goddess, it was the first thing I bought when I arrived in New York.”

“I had no idea that you’ve had such a difficult childhood.”

“I don’t usually talk about this with anybody.”

“Why?”

“Because I had to keep that hidden for a long time, until I was eighteen nobody could know that I was totally alone. I guess I got used to hiding it after because it just hurts too damn much, so it’s not something I bring up in a date with the King of Cordonia.”

She lets out a smirk and holds his hand, not so sure if she’ll be able to fully express her feelings without breaking down in sobs and tears. But she has to try, she owes him to at least try.

“The thing is Liam… I lied to you because my whole life I’ve been alone, felt so lonely that sometimes it was hard to even breath, I had nobody on my corner outside from the ghosts of my family. So I hold on to anything that means love and when I came here, there was so many amazing people who seemed to care for me and I was so scared that if I hurted any of you, you would leave me. And I couldn’t be alone anymore. But I guess I hurt you even more by lying, I’m so sorry.”

His gaze softens when he looks at her again, the tears rolling down her face in silent and the grip on his hand becoming stronger. Anna can’t control the emotion inside herself, talking about the past and her parents, revealing to him how vulnerable she actually is makes her wounds too exposed to cover.

Liam catches both of her hands on his and turns to her, looking into her eyes to assure her of how sure he’s at the next words.