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He shook his head. "I'm telling you that you're not. I'm not a prince from one of the books you read."
She sighed again and sat cross-legged, facing him. "First of all, I'm not into reading kids' fairytales, so my line between good and evil is pretty blurred. Second, who told you that I even wanted a prince? Maybe I wanted a warrior. Maybe I wanted a knight. Maybe I wanted someone, prince or not, who would treat me as his princess."
"What if the guy who treats you as a princess is a man wearing a black cape?"
She rolled her eyes. "Like a Dracula?"
He looked away, shaking his head. "Forget I said anything."
She stifled a laugh. "Okay, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I was just trying to lighten the mood. Hey..."
He looked at her with red brimming his brown eyes. He said, "I'm serious. What if I was a villain?"
She grimaced. "What are you talking about?"
He shrugged. "If you can't get a hint, I'm not wasting any more time."
She closed her eyes and exhaled, pushing back the retort she wanted to throw at him. "You scare me sometimes."
He leaned in, placed his hands on her shoulders, and held her firmly. "I'm not asking for you to leave me. I can't live with that. Just don't ask me questions that have the power to break your heart."
She clenched her teeth. "And how would I know what these mysterious and powerful questions are?"
He stared at her, then glanced over her head, left her shoulders, and looked away. "What is it?"
"Wha—"
"Sean's looking for you."
Giselle’s heart jumped at a stranger's voice that came from a few feet behind her. She looked back at the man who gave her a boyish nod as if he knew her. Her heart sank at his attire; black leather.
"Fine. I'll see him tonight. And tell him to use his phone next time."
Giselle turned back toward Xavier who stared at the sky ahead that bore the last light of the day as if nothing had happened.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and warmth crawled up to her cheeks. Was he one of the men terrorizing Petrichor? The clothes, the people he hung out with, and the multiple mentions of that man...
"Who is Sean?" Her voice was steady.
Xavier's surprised eyes scanned her face, and then the corner of his lips twitched upward.
"Have I told you a joke?" she snapped.
He looked at her like she'd lost her mind. "Are you okay?"
Her eyes stung. "I'm tired! It's like I've talked to an entirely different person these past two years. You don't treat me like you love me, Xav. You write me a poem about how you'd do anything for my happiness but refuse to answer my question with a straight answer.
"Who are these people coming up to you all the time? Why did you say you were the man in the black cape? Who the hell are Ashley and Sean?"
He licked his lips. "It doesn't matter, okay?"
"It matters to me!"
He let out an exasperated sigh. "Drop it, Giselle, it's not important."
"It is important, and don't tell me what to do!" She got up on her feet. "Either you tell me exactly what I'm asking you without filters, or I'll walk away." She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. "Whenever I'm with you, I feel like you're hiding something from me. Maybe Chris was right. I don't know you at all."
He stood up, too. She blinked several times to keep the wetness at bay.
