Loving The Corporate Prince Ch. 17-18

"Whatever you need, I'll be here for you."

"Me too," said Steph.

"Same," said Cas. "Hell, I don't even know the guy but I'll kick his ass if he tries to hurt any of you again."

"Thanks, guys." I laughed. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to move out officially, I just need to find a new place first."

"Um..." Dustin began but let his voice drift.

"What?"

"Why don't you stay here? I mean, I have an extra room so it's not like you won't have your own space but you know... You don't have to use it or anything."

I paused, staring at the apartment I now stood in, imagining living here. Never in my life did I think I would ever be able to afford living somewhere like this. I still can't.

"I don't think I can afford half the rent here," I said.

"Why don't we figure the money out later and work on getting you to a safe space first?" said Dustin.

"Yeah, besides, you know rent will be covered whether or not you can afford it. You know he doesn't work for it!" Cas laughed.

I looked at Steph for any amount of her wise, motherly guidance, but she only wore a large, bright smile on her face.

"I think this is the universe or gods and goddesses or fate, pushing you two together. You've never taken chances with anyone, the way you have with Dustin and I've never seen you happier. So... Why not?"

✧

The cold air hitting my face calmed my nerves. I stood by the front door of my apartment. The front door with no screen and chipping paint. My stomach dropped when I turned around and saw Cas, Steph, and Dustin sitting in his car, watching empathetically.

'It's going to be OK, River. It's going to be OK.'

I knew Gil was home because his car was parked in the driveway... Unless it had broken and he walked to work, but I'm fairly certain it wasn't there when Dustin and I stopped by earlier. The sun began to set, lending an eerie feeling to the scene. I took a deep breath before opening the door and moving down the stairs under the cover of our low, dark ceiling.

"River?" Gil asked, coming to the door in a panic.

"Yeah?"

"Jesus, dude." He exhaled with his hand on his chest. "I thought you were some kinda intruder or somethin'. I was about to kick your ass!"

"Sorry," I chuckled.

"Well, it's been so damn long since you've been here... Where the hell have you been? I've been worried."

"I didn't get a call or text or anything from you so I thought you didn't really care." Gil glared at me, silently, sending ice shooting down my spine. "I was at Steph's."

"Why?"

'Holy shit, he's gonna be so pissed. Just get it out, River. Be strong. Defend yourself. You can do this.'

"Well... We found out... Um..."

"What? Spit it out, dude."

"That you were the Oracle Insider's source."

If I thought Gil's stare was cold before, the one I received after that was so much worse I couldn't even look at his face if I wanted to continue the conversation.

"No, I'm not," he said, nonchalantly.

"Dude, we've known for a week."

"Where's your proof?" he spat.

"Stephanie heard you talking to the editor."

"When?"

"I don't know? What does that matter?"

"Well, maybe she was lying. Did you ever think about that? Maybe she's the source and she's trying to pin it on me to make herself look good!"

"What reasoning does she have for doing that?!"

"Maybe she's jealous? Maybe she has a crush on you or Dustin and wanted one of you to herself."

"Is that why you did it?"

"I said I didn't fucking do it!"

"You have a history of outing me without my permission and ever since Dustin came around, you seem determined to... I don't know... Keep us apart or something."

Gil scoffed and crossed his arms.

"Fine," he said.

"Fine? Fine what?"

"I did it. It was me. What are you going to do about it now?"

"Not much, Gil. Not much, but I hope the fucking payout was worth it because you get to find a new roommate and new friends." I scoffed, ready to turn around and leave.

"Good luck with your perfect little relationship," Gil said, the venom dripping from each syllable he uttered.

"What the hell did I do to you to deserve this!?"

Gil's face twisted into a snarl. His breathing became heavy. Suddenly, he was not the Gil I knew any longer. He was someone much larger and angrier.

"D-daphne?" he said.

"What? Daphne? Who -"

"Daphne?!"

I stared at Gil, frozen. I had no fucking clue what he was talking about, or who for that matter.

'What does he want me to say?'

"You really don't remember yet?"

I shook my head.

"Gil, I have no idea what you're talking about. Regardless, do you think putting my safety and Dustin's safety at risk, is a fair solution to whatever your problem is?"

This put Gil over the edge. His face burned dark red and his jaw clenched. I could see his fingers curl, turning his hands into fists, ready for a fight.

"How about you call me when you remember?" He said through clenched teeth.

"Fuck you." I spat. "How about you call me when you're ready to apologize?"

With that, I turned around and slammed the door shut as hard as I could. My rage burned inside me as I stomped toward the car. The energy felt overwhelming and I didn't know how I would react when I went to go sit in the car, but when I sat in the passenger seat and closed the door, no one spoke. I sat there, breathing and shaking. Both fearful and pissed off. We didn't have a physical fight, but I felt like we were close. Too close.

'Who was that Gil? I don't know him.'

Dustin started the car with one hand on my leg, anchoring my mind down to Earth, and we all rode back to his place in silence.

"Thanks for giving me a minute to cool down, guys," I said as we pulled into Dustin's apartment. The second I broke the silence, all three of them shot questions at me over each other.

"Was he mad? Did you yell? Did he yell? Who ended the fight? What did he say?"

I laughed and recounted the story to them as we entered Dustin's apartment.

"It was so bizarre when it ended, though," I said. "He said something about someone named Daphne. He was like, 'Don't you remember?' And obviously, I don't. He told me to call him when I remember and I told him to fuck off. Steph, does that name Daphne sound familiar to you?"

Stephanie shook her head.

"No, but I'll think about it. Maybe if you get some rest and sleep on it, something will come back to you."

"I second that," Dustin said. I looked at him and saw the dark circles forming under his eyes and completely forgot that he and Cas had just gotten back to town.

"You're right, I'm so sorry. You guys must be so exhausted."

"Yes!" Cas cried. "Sorry, I'm beat. Steph, are you staying the night?"

Stephanie beamed and her eyes grew wide.

"Can I!?"

Steph followed Cas for some extra pajamas and Dustin grabbed extra pillows and blankets for Steph. The apartment settled down and soon, the night grew calm. We all said our goodnights, and Dustin and I moved to his bedroom where we stripped and cuddled under his large, warm sheets.

The two of us laid on our sides and stared into each other's eyes. Dustin let his hand rest on my face.

"Are you sure you're OK?" he asked.

"I'm finer about the fight than I am about the fact that I apparently don't remember something this important as someone named Daphne..." I laughed.

"Did you date her or something?"

"No, no. As far as being in any kind of relationship - you're it."

"You're it for me too," Dustin smiled before he leaned forward and softly kissed my lips. "You know, this could be our every night from now on."

"I'd love that," I whispered.

"Me too." Dustin yawned and closed his eyes. "I love you," he said.

"I love you."

Within minutes, Dustin's breath and evened out and I could tell he had entered a peaceful sleep. He was beautiful. His lips were parted slightly and his face was half-buried in his pillow. Never in my life did I think I'd be able to sleep next to someone so perfect, let alone do it every night, and yet somehow, this became my reality.

Eventually, I closed my eyes. Though today hadn't gone at all how I planned, I savored my wins and let my thoughts drift, hoping and praying that any memories would emerge from the other world of dreams The last thing I remember from that night is thinking how perfect it would be if Steph and Cas fell in love...

The End

...For now.