Chapter 23: Player (Aria's POV)

We were both just sitting in silence on our respected sides of the bed, waiting for time to speed up. I glanced at the clock. It's only been fifteen minutes since we got here. 

"Have you seen the pool on the rooftop?" 

I turned to him in confusion. "Huh?" 

"The pool on the rooftop. Have you seen it?" 

"No, last time I came here, I didn't get to go to the rooftop," I blurted out, my eyes widening in realization. 

"When was the last time you came here?" he questioned. 

"It was a while ago," I cleared my throat. 

"With who?" 

"Just... someone." 

"Someone special?" he asked, his tone accusing. 

"No, with a friend." 

"Your only friend is Riya." I glared at him. "Sorry, but it's true. Who did you come here with?" 

I fidgeted with my earring, not looking at him. "With my ex-boyfriend," I mumbled. 

"Your... Who was he?" he questioned. 

"Nobody," I huffed. 

"You went out with someone rich and people didn't talk about it?" 

"I didn't go out with someone rich," I sighed, turning to him. "I was eighteen. We snuck into the hotel. He... was a thief like me. He stole someone's key card, there was a couple going out for dinner. And we crashed in the room for a few hours, that's all." 

He narrowed his eyes at me, "Crashed in the room? That's all?" 

"It was my birthday. He brought me to show me the hotel." 

"And he couldn't afford to get a room in it so he just stole one, right?" 

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Right. Because he sincerely wanted that night to be special." 

"He stole just for your birthday? That too a room someone else was staying in?" 

"Yes. And not just because it was my birthday but because he wanted the night to be special," I spat. 

"Why was that night so important if it wasn't your birthday?" 

"Because it was my first!" 

"Your first what?" he smirked. 

"My- Why are we talking about my first, let's talk about yours. I bet she was a princess. Come on, tell me all about her, dear husband." He rolled his eyes in response but I continued. "This is a great idea! Why don't we talk about our exes and all our first times, right?" I asked sarcastically. 

"Well, what happened to your thief of a boyfriend?" 

"He got caught stealing from some mighty rich people. Then the police threw him out of Azura. He can't come here anymore," I mumbled, fidgeting with my fingers in my lap. 

"Would you still be with him if he was here?" 

I shrugged, staring at the blank TV screen. "He took care of me the best he could. Always. Probably, yes." 

He hesitated but asked his next question anyway. "Did you love him?" 

"I don't know. What about you?" 

"Did I love your ex-boyfriend? From what I'm hearing about him, no, I don't love him." 

I rolled my eyes, "Your ex-girlfriend. Did you love her?" 

"She didn't love me," he replied. 

"That's not what I asked." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Did you love her?" 

"It was complicated." 

I hummed in response. "She was a princess, wasn't she?" 

"She was, but nobody knew about us. It was... forbidden if you will." 

"Oh, Romeo and Juliet, huh? What happened?" I genuinely was curious. Did she break his heart? Were they forced apart? How does nobody in town know about this? 

"She left." He turned to me. "She left me." 

"She broke your heart then, right?" 

"No. I didn't love her more than I respect myself. And if she wasn't willing to fight for me, I wasn't willing to drop down to my knees for her either. She chose herself and so did I." 

"But only because you had to, right? If she would have picked you, would you have married her?" 

"I was nineteen. Marriage was out of question. It was a dead end. It never would have worked." 

I watched him with a scrutinizing gaze. "Do you still think about her?" 

"Sometimes," he nodded. "Do you still think about him?" 

"Sometimes," I replied. "Are you still in love with her?" 

"No," he answered almost immediately, sounding very sure about himself. 

"I bet you'd change your mind if you saw her." 

"Well then, it's a good thing I never have to see her again." 

I frowned in confusion. "Where did she go?" 

"She could have gone to hell for all I care. You should change into the dress. We should get there a little early to make sure all the guests are here." He changed the subject but I'll let him. I don't want to strike a nerve or hit a sensitive spot. 

"Okay." I slid off the bed and grabbed the dress that hung from the closet. I went and hung it behind the bathroom door before going back out and standing in front of him. 

"Now what?" 

"I have hooks that need to be opened." I sat down beside his legs, my back facing him. 

He pushed my hair aside after sitting up and opened each of the hooks, humming when he finished and flicking my back. I stood up, going into the bathroom, and locking the door behind me. 

I wonder who he's talking about. Who did he fall in love with? 

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I sighed in exhaustion as we walked back into the room, both of us drained of all our energy. He closed the door behind me while I kicked my heels off. I leaned against the wall, resting my head on it and catching a break. And then someone decided to knock on the door. We both groaned together while he opened the door. 

"Is Aria here?" 

I pushed myself off the wall and went to the door in confusion. "Oh, Adrian. Hi," I said, still confused. I just saw him, why is he here? 

"You left your purse." He held it out. 

"Oh, thank-" 

"Thank you, goodbye." Alexander snatched my purse out of his hands and slammed the door in his face. 

"Why did you do that?" I asked while taking my purse out of his hands. "That was unnecessarily rude." 

"What was unnecessarily rude was him coming to our room on our wedding day." 

"He came to return my purse. He didn't even-" 

"I'm tired, okay?" he sighed. 

"So am I," I said slowly. "But I'm not slamming doors in anyone's face." 

He rolled his eyes, loosening his tie and then going into the bathroom, closing the door in my face as well. What happened to him? He was fine just a few minutes ago when we were seeing all the guests out. I fell into thought, realizing that his mood turned sour when one of the guests said something to him about our wedding. I didn't hear it, I was showing someone else the exit. 

I stood there, waiting for him to come out. I went and grabbed my pajamas from my suitcase in the meantime and my toiletry bag as well. "Alexander, will you be long?" I called out, knocking on the door. I really just want to get out of this dress. The little sequins on the neckline are starting to irritate my skin now. 

He didn't answer me. 

I huffed, setting my stuff on the bed. "Don't come out, okay? I'm changing!" 

Still nothing. I pray he heard me. 

I reached the back of the dress and pulled the zipper down. I shimmied it off and then stepped out of it, folding it up and tossing it on top of my suitcase. I pulled my sweatpants on and was tying the knot on the string when I heard the bathroom door open. I kept my back facing that way, quickly grabbing my shirt. "I thought I told you to stay in there," I said without turning around. I grabbed the shirt, pulling it over my head. "I was changing." 

"I can see that," he nodded, his eyes going up and down my body. "You got your sweatpants?" 

"Yes," I answered. I walked over to my suitcase, tucking the dress into it before grabbing my toiletry bag from the bed and brushing past him, into the bathroom. I threw my hair up in a bun and freshened up. 

When I opened the bathroom door to go back out, he was standing right there, his arms up, holding onto the doorframe. 

I gasped, stepping back quickly. "What are you doing?" 

"You're from Nethilore, aren't you?" 

I blinked once. Then twice. "What?" 

"That's how you knew the king and queen from there?" 

"Yeah, so?" I mumbled, letting my hair down. 

"Why does Adrian keep insisting that he's met you?" He narrowed his eyes at me. 

"He has. When I was eight years old, he came down to town with his parents. They stayed for a while at my dad's shop. We played tag." I pushed past him, going and sitting on the side of the bed I claimed. 

"Are you telling me he remembers you because you played tag with him once at the age of eight?" 

"No, I'm just answering your question. We've met before," I shrugged. 

"What game are you playing?" He stood in front of me. 

"What?" I laughed. "What game?" 

"I just... I don't understand yours and Adrian's dynamic." 

"There is no dynamic. I haven't really met him until the engagement party, what are you going on about?" 

"You're here to play a game anyway, aren't you?" 

I rolled my eyes, "Are you drunk?" 

"I'm tipsy, that's beside the point." He sat down beside me. He has no idea what he's talking about. I think he's just acting like Sherlock and overthinking things. "You're a player," he glared at me. 

"I'm a player?" 

"Yes. But that's okay." He stood back up, stumbling. "You play your game. I'm a player too. I'll play mine," he slurred a little. 

I stood up, guiding him to his side of the bed. "You're drunk. Sleep." I pushed him down on the bed before going back to my side. I really have married an idiot.

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Chapter 23

okay so I put the title as 'player' yesterday but when I got to writing this chapter today, I kind of forgot where I was going w it and why I made that the title, so I just had to slip it in there at the end, don't mind it pls

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