#choicescreates 15

Drake liked to think he was pretty level-headed, the reasonable sort. He didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about things that he shouldn’t. Usually, he wasn’t the sort to make these kind of mistakes.

Yet here was, pacing back and forth outside of Prince Liam’s room, unable to make the decision he knew he should. He should ignore his own feelings for Riley; he shouldn’t care about her the way he does and yet he cannot stop himself from doing so. 

He was at the front of Liam’s door with a confession on his lips; a way to admit to his best friend he had feelings for the same woman. It wasn’t the brightest of plans, but Drake had enough whiskey to convince himself that it might not have been such a bad idea after all.

He reached for the handle and hesitated when his fingers finally touched the knob. Was he really going to go through with this? Was he really going to step in the middle of Liam’s happiness? Doubts began clawing at him, until he had no choice but to step back. 

It’s not the right time. He turned to leave except his feet wouldn’t let him. But maybe there’d never be the right time, and maybe waiting will only make it worse. He turned around, and wrenched the door wide open. Before he could think any better of it, he fumbled through his half-thought out explanation. “Hey Liam I’ve got something - ” He stopped short once he glanced down at his friend and squinted at him. 

Liam looked as if he had no intention of leaving his room any time soon. His shoulders were slightly slumped and he was sitting on his bed, reading a parchment inside his hands. There wasn’t an inkling of movement for Drake to think he was paying any attention to him.

“Liam..?” Drake muttered questioningly, closing the door behind him.

Still nothing.

Drake waited a beat. He wondered if he came in at a bad time. Curiousity and concern eventually triumphed over his need to give Liam privacy. “C’mon Liam, you’re kinda creepin’ me out here.”

Finally, his friend’s gaze swept up to meet him. His eyes were panicked, confused and Drake’s own chest seized in response. “What’s going on?” He asked. Tension radiated off his friend as he sat down beside him.

Wordlessly, Liam handed him the letter. “She’s gone.” He mumbled under his breath. “She’s really gone.” 

Drake stiffened at the hollowness inside his tone. He had never heard the prince sound so desolate, looked so defeated before. His ignored the sudden apphrension that crawled across his skin as he impatiently took the paper from him. 

Apprehension spiralled into doubt. Liam couldn’t be talking about her, could he? No, there was no way Riley would simply leave without saying anything. There was no way she would leave without telling them goodbye. 

His eyes quickly scanned the sheet of paper and with every word, his heart began to sank.

Dear Liam,

I don’t know if you’ll ever find it in your heart to forgive me when you find this. In fact, I don’t expect you to. The reasons I stay in Cordonia have become less and less significant; shrouded by doubt. And I don’t have a legitimate reason to stop all of it anymore. There are four other woman that are a lot better at this than I am. Four beautiful women that would love to be your wife. Your queen. And…I don’t know if I could ever be one of them. I like you, truly I do and maybe if we had more time, maybe if there wasn’t this deadline hanging over our heads - I don’t know. Maybe things could be different. But my feelings aren’t strong enough; they aren’t strong enough to fill the void that you want to fill. Maybe it’s because you aren’t the last thing I think about before I fall asleep, and I can’t promise to be the woman that you want if I can’t even give you that. So this my goodbye. My cowardly goodbye. I’ve left a letter for Maxwell too because I knew I couldn’t leave without telling you both the truth. At least, this is the part of the truth that doesn’t hurt as much. You deserve that much. When you think of me; years later - you’ll realize I was right to run away. 

See you in another lifetime,

Riley.

Drake reread the letter - over and over again until his hands begun shaking. He hoped that his eyes were deceiving him. He hoped that this was all some kind of joke. “That’s it?” He muttered in disbelief. “This is her goodbye?!” He didn’t know why the thought alone made him so angry but before he could think better of it, he tore the paper in two. 

“Drake!” Liam yelled in alarm, grabbing the two pieces from him before Drake could shred it any further. “That’s the last thing I have of her!” He sighed, before he rolled the papers together. 

“Sorry.” Drake grumbled without showing any repentance. He rose to his feet, “But I don’t believe it. I don’t believe it one bit. This is bullshit.” He was hurt, confused, angry - all of these things at once. 

The worst part of it was that she hadn’t done the same for him. She hadn’t written him a letter. The thought alone was nearly enough for him to swear every little word he could think of about her out-loud. 

They sat in quiet silence for a few minutes until Drake sprang up with purpose. “I’m going to stop her.” He said abruptly, surprising them both. 

Drake couldn’t let her leave; not without telling how he felt. Not without seeing the way her eyes sparkled after his misplaced jokes or sarcastic remarks, or her smile that disarming smile of hers whenever they finally found something to agree on. Or the way her eyes were the first to find his, no matter the crowd. No, he couldn’t let her go. Not yet.

“I’m coming with you.” Liam said softly, intruding inside Drake’s private thoughts. He stood and nodded once as if trying to convince himself that this was the best course of action. “If we take the car, we should be able to stop her before she get’s on the ferry.”

“No, no!” Drake’s voice rose an octave. He tried for an aloof tone as Liam’s brows went up in alarm. “I mean - you’ve got your duties here.” He lowered his voice. “And you can’t leave without people figuring out you’re gone. It doesn’t make sense. I should just go alone.”

Liam searched his eyes.

Drake wasn’t certain what he expected to find, but he ensured to carefully vield his expression into a cool mask. He couldn’t allow Liam to see how much Riley’s words had shaken him. 

“Is there something you’re not telling me?” Liam prompted. When Drake didn’t respond right away, he pressed further. “Something that has to do with Riley perhaps?” He asked cautiously.

The question hung between them at Drake’s hesitance to answer. This was his moment, this was the chance he was waiting for. He could end all the uncertainty, all the jealously - all the hurt by just telling Liam the truth. 

But he couldn’t. 

Looking at his best friend; the way Liam slightly held himself back in expectancy. Holding his breath as he waited for his answer. Drake knew he wasn’t ready to hear the truth. 

Instead, he snorted before responding. “Believe me, the only reason why I’m going out of my way to do this, is so that you and Maxwell won’t spend the next few weeks crying over her.”

The relief in Liam’s eyes appeared just as quickly as it vanished. “I do not cry over women.” He scoffed. Noticing Drake’s sordid expression, he added. “But I would feel glum for a little while if I never saw her again.”

Drake swallowed the lump inside his throat, and offered him a weak smile. “I’ll bring her back.” He clapped him once on the back before escaping the room.

- 

He grumbled on the whole trip down to the small ferry. He grumbled about the inconvenince of having to find her. He grumbled about Liam and Maxwell’s insistence and affection for her. He even grumbled about his own damn confusing feelings. None of it was helping, but all of it he couldn’t help thinking.

He thought of how much hell she had already put Liam through. Even if some of it was indirectly; every time they snuck off together only made it worse for him once they got back. He even thought of Maxwell and his family - this meant more to him than it did for the rest of them. Riley could change things, shake some of the foundations those snooty nobles had always relied on. And lastly as he parked his car, he thought about how much he’d miss her if she left.

He slammed the door roughly shut and quickly jogged through the parking lot. Even if he couldn’t admit it to Liam, he knew better than to lie to himself. 

His stupid confused feelings for her. Really confusing feelings, and dammit - if she left without ever knowing; well she’d put him through hell too. Remembering her and the absence of her would put him through hell.

-

Riley saw him first. 

His hair was tousled as if he’d just gotten of bed, and his clothes were all wrinkled. She couldn’t see his expression very well, not from here. But he looked like a mess. Much like herself; he seemed as if he had a hard time sleeping the night before. And yet; he was the perfect mess she had ever seen.

She pursed her lips as she watched him frantically search the crowd. She shouldn’t be watching; she should be putting him out of his misery. But he looked so wonderfully irritated with every movement, that she couldn’t help the laugh bubbling inside her throat. 

It was Drake that had came after her. And the sudden recognition made her laugh disappear. Instead, it caused butterflies to flutter inside her stomach and reminded her why she couldn’t stay. Why she had to get as far away from this place as possible. 

Cordonia was beautiful a place. She had come to learn that in every good memory it brought her; whether with Liam or Hana, Maxwell or Drake. It brought her good memories; and the good ones outweighed the bad. Both, she would cherish for a long time. 

It was as close as to living a fairy-tale dream than she ever imagined.

But sooner than later; most good dreams ended. They had to fade away and remind her of the gritty harshness of life. Real life wasn’t this nice, wasn’t this beautiful. She had friends back in New York and family - important family ties that she didn’t have here. 

And inevitably, things would continue to grow more complicated, the longer she stayed. The other suitors were a complication. Bertrand’s attitude was a complication. Maxwell’s friendship which she would miss deeply was a complication. And finally - Drake. He wasn’t the biggest problem of them all; rather he was the only one which lingered most of the time. 

The terminal staff was beginning to direct the crowd. She forced a smile as she handed one of them her ticket. She was hoping to be on board before he could find her.

It didn’t take long for them to be seated. She closed her eyes briefly while the staff waited for the rest of the passengers before they could begin their journey. Familiar tinges of weariness she had fought off all morning crept upon her. Mainland wasn’t far; still, it was enough time for a quick nap. 

She hadn’t rested her eyes for more than a couple of minutes when she felt someone tap her shoulder. Once, twice and a third time until finally irritation propelled her eyes to snap open. “What?” She hissed at the passenger beside her.

The person was a meek, older gentleman and had gestured apologetically at her. “I’m sorry mam. It’s just there’s a man that really requires your attention.”

She followed the direction of his hand prior to her eyes spotting him. And her heart strained at the sight. Drake was on this ferry too, sitting more than a dozen seats behind her and glaring until his eyes had turned into slits. “Drake?!” She yelled in disbelief. 

He was saying something but she couldn’t make out his words over the sound of the engine roaring to life. “What?” She shouted.

“What?” She repeated louder this time.

The older gentleman beside her tensed. When she yelled a third time, he inexorably stood. “Okay, okay - he can have my seat.” He grumbled.

“That’s really not necessary,” She objected thinly, but the man waved at her dismissively. Before she could protest again, she felt Drake’s gaze on her back until he finally seated himself beside her.

Neither one of them spoke at first as the ferry began moving. She folded her arms and his jaw had tensed with anger. Eventually, she turned to him. “What the hell Drake?”

“Don’t what the hell me. I should be saying that to you!” He gritted his teeth in silent fury.

This was it. 

This was the argument she had been dreading. The only one that persisted inside her head and stopped her from writing him a letter. “You’re the one that wanted me to leave in the first place, remember?” She gestured wildly with her hands. “This should make you happy.”

“You don’t really believe that, do you?” His eyes searched hers. They were getting farther and farther away from Cordonia, and with each passing second - he knew he was losing her. “None of us want you to go. Not me, not Maxwell and certainly not Liam.”

At the mention of the prince’s name guilt prickled until she covered her face in exasperation. “That is exactly why I wrote letters in the first place, so I wouldn’t have to face anyone.” She wailed.

“Except, you forgot mine.”

She peeked at him through her fingers at the sound of his voice cracking. His expression surprised her. She was so used to seeing the bitter, sarcastic Drake that seeing such softness in his features was something she never thought as possible. Passionate sure, she knew he could be passionate - driven, and stubborn; these were things she was beginning to become accustomed to. But Drake was too hard around the edges to have even a smudge of softness. Yet, here he was - looking at her the way she only dreamed he would. “I couldn’t.” She said simply.

His eyes narrowed at her. “That’s it? That’s all I get for coming all the way out here to find you?”

“No one told you to.” She said ruthlessly, “Unless Liam did. He probably did, didn’t he?” She shook her head. “He’s too sweet for his own good.” 

Drake didn’t bother to correct her. “I think I deserve more than that for making the trip out here.” He appeased his tone. He knew the telltale signs of when she wanted to avoid a subject. The way her shoulders stiffened, the fact that she could no longer meet his steady gaze. Carefully, he tucked a hand under her chin until she met his eyes. “You can do better than that Riley.” His voice had turned oddly quiet.

She hesitated, then finally her shoulders relaxed. “For some reason when I picked up that sheet of paper, I just couldn’t.” She dropped her hands inside her lap. “Every time I tried, words just failed.” 

She watched his eyes darken. The way they swam with something more than the simple worry of a friend. As her eyes searched his, she began wondering if she was truly awake - if it was possible that she somehow managed to slip out of conciousness, and inside her dreams. “It was simple with the others; I was sad sure - and yet I did it anyway. But with you, it’s different.” 

The space between them was nearly no more. “With you, it’s never easy. It’s complicated, and it drives me crazy.” She gave a short laugh, only to lose herself in the intensity of his stare. “And I can’t stay knowing that doing so hurts. Knowing that it’s you I think about when I fall asleep.” She added before she lost confidence in herself. Staring into his eyes, she felt like she could have told him anything and everything. “It’s you I think about when there’s no one else around to tell me what to do, or what to say.” Her voice finally broke.

Silence had been his only reponse, but his eyes had conveyed so much more.  “This isn’t fair Riley, you don’t know what you’re asking.” His voice has gone hoarse.

“And you think this is fair for me?” She reached out to place a hand on his cheek. “I’m not asking you for anything. I’m just telling you why I can’t go back.”

She watched as he sucked in a breath. “The problem is,” he muttered as he leaned in closer until their lips have almost touched. “If I kissed you, I don’t think I’d ever be able to stop.”

It was her move, she could tell that he was giving her an out. The way he paused before his eyes fell to her lips. Her throat had suddenly gone dry. “And I wouldn’t want you to stop.”

And without hesitation, they both with an exaggerated slowness, moved closer. Closing those last few inches between them until their lips had finally met. Hers were softly plushed, velvety and slide against his slimmer, warm ones; fitting together like the final pieces of a puzzle. A sigh of pleasure escaped her lips as it dawned on her; her quiet dream had finally become reality. 

The tenderness lasted seconds before he kissed her firmer, more possessive this time. His lips were a hot demand which she was more than eager to reciprocate.  Her hands moved to clutch his back, while his went to unfold the dark tumble of her hair. His insistent mouth parted her lips, over and over again; sending wild shivers down her spine - inflicting sensations she had never thought she was capable of feeling. She had expected the fireworks, but not this. This nearly all consuming need for him. 

His fingers roughly stroked her hair, and she arched her chin forward to meet his lips. As their tongues danced, entertwined by unbridled lust, she shivered in a way that had nothing to do with the crisp afternoon. Desire for him blossomed inside her chest and her knees grew weak once he shifted closer.

-

When he finally pulled away, his breathing was as ragged as the uneven sounds of his own heart beat. “Stay.” He muttered; one simple word that carried the weight of his own feelings. 

He watched the whirlwind of emotions sweep across her face. “Stay.” He repeated. He brought a thumb to graze her bruised lips. “I want you to stay.”

He would have given anything at that moment to hear her thoughts. To know exactly what she was thinking because he knew his own. This was it. This was the other moment he had been waiting for. He was being selfish; but dammit he wanted her to stay. “I want you to say for me,” He took a deep breath, “and not for Liam. Not for this competition - not even for Maxwell.” He knew those were reasons she wrestled with, but he hoped if they weren’t enough. He would be. He knew he wasn’t being fair; but he had never wanted anyone as much as he wanted her. “Stay, for me.”

He couldn’t tell how long they sat there, staring at each other as he gauged for her reaction. Eventually, she nodded and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “Yes.” She mumbled against his mouth. “I’ll stay.”

A surge of monumental joy overwhelmed him; unfamiliar because he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt such pleasure. He grinned before sweeping her off her feet. Her cry of surprise quickly turned into outbursts of laughter. 

“Put me down before you make a scene.” She half-laughed, half-yelled.

It was too late. Most of the other passengers were cheering as he kissed her again, and she immediately softened against him. She weaved her arms around his neck, and this time he didn’t let go until they nearly stumbled back inside their seats. When she was on solid ground again, they sat. “Are you telling me you don’t do PDA? I always pegged you as the sort.” He teased.

“And I always pegged you as the brooding sort.” She clicked her tongue. “Happy to see we’re both wrong.”

“Sarcasm doesn’t become you.” 

She laughed and relaxed beside him.

He swore when he checked how far out they were at sea. He could still see the dock, if he squinted hard enough. “Well, any ideas on how to get back?” By the time they got to mainland, it would be too late to board the last ferry ride back.

“What about jumping?” She pointed at the ocean.

He blinked at her in dismay. Jump? He echoed his thoughts aloud. “Jump?” When she nodded, he scrutinized her. “As in jump here? Really?” At her nod of impatience, he stared at her incredulously. “So let me get this straight - you want to jump?”

“Have you suddenly gone deaf Drake? Yes jump. Jump and swim towards the dock.”

“Good swimmer, then?”

She lifted a shoulder and shrugged.

“What about your luggage?”

“I didn’t carry much.”

“Your carry on?”

“I can replace it all.” She said dismissively. She wiggled her eyebrows at him. “Besides haven’t you ever wanted to do this before?” She gestured to the open sea. 

“Yes. As a child. But I’m an adult now with thankfully better sense.” When she grabbed his hand, his body went ramrod stiff. 

“C’mon, this’ll be fun.” She squeezed his hand. “Let’s go before security realizes what we’re planning.” She lowered her voice as one of the staff that passed by them. “Besides, how else will we get back to Cordonia in time for dinner?”

He should tell her no. He should tell her this entire idea was stupid. That they should wait until tomorrow for the earliest ride back to the docks. But he doesn’t. Instead, he fed off the sizzling energy he experiences whenever they were alone together. He allowed the inexplicable pull to inspire courage, and nodded once in agreement before they withdrew from their seats.

Drake kept a look-out as Riley hooked one foot over the ferry’s railing. His eyes scanned quickly until he begun to notice people pointing in their direction. Knowing his luck, their anonymity wouldn’t last very long.

As Riley scampered over the railing, she held a hand out to him. He took it without hesitating and swiftly swung a leg over before his other followed. 

Seconds later, she pointed behind him. “Two of them; hot on our heels.”

“We’ll be off before they have a chance to catch us.”

They both stared at the sea, and any last ditch effort for common sense to return had been shattered as soon as he felt her smaller hand grip his.

Their feet titter off the edge at the same time; hearing warning shouts from voices that scrambled by to grab them just before hitting the water’s surface.

It was colder than he expected. Gooseflesh erupted across his skin as he sank; and his grip around her hand loosened before falling completely short. He sputtered as the waves smacked into him and coughed until his head resurfaced. This was a terrible idea. A terrible stupid idea. 

He could still hear the sounds of people yelling above him. He blinked a few times and rubbed water out of his eyes while waiting for RIley to resurface. When she didn’t, his forehead creased with worry. “Riley?” He scanned the area frantically.

Then he felt it. A sharp tug on his right leg that nearly pulled him under. An outraged cry left his lips involuntarily; and his submerged feet kicked wildly until a moment later Riley surfaced beside him laughing. “Not cool, seriously not cool.” He scowled.

She couldn’t stop laughing. She splashed him as they waded through the ocean. “You should have seen your face.”

His face, doesn’t budge in it’s stern expression.

“Seriously, that was fun!” She beamed a smile at him and his frown wavered. “Let’s do it again sometime!”

Drake finally gave in to her infectious enthusiasm and grinned. 

He hated to admit it but every moment he spent with her was a moment where he forgot everything else. 

She wasn’t a girl competiting with four others for some ridiculous notions of love and the crown. He wasn’t the best friend of the man she was supposed to pinning after.