Chapter 8
“Um, thanks for giving me a ride home.” Rosalie had her arms around herself, because she didn’t know what to do with her hands. She didn’t really trust them with her being this close to Eric. He was still as attractive as he had been when he caught her eye, but the personality that went with it was giving her whiplash. Nice one minute, then a self-satisfied ass the next.
“You’re welcome. I’m sorry that Vanessa didn’t bother to monitor herself so you could get home safe. I wouldn’t have let that happen if you were with me.” His voice was soft, and it made her look at him under the cover of her lashes. Was he trying to be sweet? This was a complete change from trying to force her to go to the party with him because he’d never been turned down before, but she was still a little wary of him. The playboy attitude that he had wasn’t going to fly with her, and if he tried any funny business, then she would get out of the car and try to find her way back to campus on her own. It didn’t matter how late she got there, as long as she made it back safely. She didn’t trust herself to say anything else, because she was naturally too inquisitive not to ask what was on her mind. Right now, what was on her mind, was why he had such personality shocks every now and then when she saw him. She gritted her teeth and looked out the window to keep herself from asking. They lapsed into silence.
“So why didn’t you come to the party with me?” Apparently, he had an inquisitive mind, too, and he just had to have answers to whatever questions popped up into his head. She let herself have a little half smile, because it was something that they had in common.
“It wasn’t so much the company, as it was the way you asked…well, told me to go.” The bitterness that she always tried to keep out of her voice came out, and she winced. She really could be a bitch at times, and this time she’d acted like a scorned high school girl instead of a mature college woman. He chuckled, but there was no humor in it.
“You’re right. I wasn’t exactly Prince Charming when I tried to get you to come with me. I want to apologize.”
“It’s ok.” She was in shock. He was being a decent guy, and he’d even apologized for being so rude. What was going on here? A personality transplant? Her curiosity raised its ugly head, and she could tell that a barrage of questions were going to come spilling out. She needed to keep the words behind her teeth before she said something that ruined this car ride home.
“Would you have gone if I’d been more of a gentleman?” The question caught Rosalie by surprise. She thought about it for a minute, then blushed as she answered.
“Um, yeah. Actually. I would have probably tried to talk myself out of it, but if you’d been nice about it, I would have.” Now she needed to shut her mouth. There was nothing else that needed to be said between them, and it was still at least a ten minute drive to the campus. If she wanted to get home quickly, she had to muzzle herself. Rosalie bit her lip. She could feel the word vomit coming up that she wanted to keep deep inside. “Why are you so nice to me one minute, then a complete ass the next? That makes no sense to me.” She winced as the words left her mouth, but there was nothing she could do now.
“It’s complicated. I’m not sure that you would understand.” There was a little sting to his words, and she immediately got up in arms because he was insinuating that she wasn’t smart enough to follow along if he explained it.
“Try me.” He looked over at her and studied her face, his eyes resting longer than they needed to on her lips. A blush crept up her cheeks again and she was glad that it was dark. Maybe he wouldn’t see it. He gave her an impish grin.
“Alright. Try to pay attention.” She wanted to growl under her breath, but she fought the urge. “I’m not what you think I am. I’m not this slacker, greaser wannabe that it looks like I am. It’s a part that I play to disguise who I really am. I come from a very wealthy family, and I don’t want to be looked at just for the weight of that name. I want to be looked at for who I am. So, this is the cover I use when I’m in school. My last name is actually Flinton.” Rosalie could only stare at him. What? He was part of the Flinton family? That’s impossible. This egotistical brat was really social royalty? No way. His manners were too rough, and he didn’t know how to treat a woman. She couldn’t believe that at all. She arched an eyebrow at him, the look of disbelief plain on her face. Her silence made him glance over at her, and the look he gave her was unintelligible.
“I understand what you’re saying, but I’m having a very hard time believing it. Sorry, but you just don’t strike me as the Prince Charming type.” There was a heavy layer of sarcasm in her voice, and it made him laugh out loud. His laughter was infectious, and she couldn’t help but smile at him a little.
“I deserve that. No, you’re right. I haven’t been acting like the Prince Charming type at all, but then again, that was the whole point. I wanted to act as different to who I really am, as I could. This was the most unconventional role I could come up with.”
“So, is that why Blaze hangs on to you like a little puppy?” The bitterness that she felt made its way into her voice, and she instantly wished she would have kept her mouth shut. Maybe he would take this all as curiosity rather than her admitting that she cared at all about what went on between him and Blaze.
“No. No one knows about who I really am.” He whipped around towards her with a fierce expression on his face. “And I don’t want you to tell anyone, either. This is something that no one knows, so if it starts to spread, I’ll know it came from you.” She leaned a little away from him, wondering if it was still too late to jump out of the car if he went completely crazy and started foaming at the mouth.
“I wasn’t going to say anything. I’m still not sure if I believe it all myself.” She winced. She hadn’t meant to add that last part, but she lacked the filter between her brain and her mouth that kept some things from being said when the situation wasn’t right for it. He turned to her again, and the glare he gave her was an indignant one.
“You don’t believe me, do you?” Rosalie knew they were almost on campus, so if she could draw out the conversation a little longer, and not get him too hotheaded, she could still make it home unscathed. He stared at her until she squirmed. If she didn’t answer him, he might keep staring and run them off the road.
“I’m sorry, but no, I don’t believe you. From what I’ve seen of you, you fit the profile of the slacker more than anything else.” She bit her lip, expecting him to explode.
“I guess I played the part so well that you wouldn’t see anything else. Listen, I’ll prove it to you. How about Thursday night I’ll pick you up around six? I’ll meet you at the library, because I can’t be seen picking you up. My sister has her cotillion, and I was going to blow it off, but I guess I’ll go and just take you with me.” She looked at him for a few long minutes, to the point where she missed that they were at her dorm. “You don’t have to tell me now, you can tell me if you want to or not in class.” She still sat there, staring at him like he’d grown an extra head. “I believe this is your stop.” His voice was starting to sound like he was getting irritated, so Rosalie snapped herself out of it and made sure she had everything she’d brought with her.
“Thanks again for the ride.” He simply nodded at her, and she took that as a dismissal. Opening the door, she almost jumped out of the car in her hurry to get out of that situation. She kept walking, refusing to look over her shoulder, even when she heard his tires squealing out of the parking lot. Everything that he’d told her was just too much for her to take in. A secret prince? With the attitude of high school drop out? No, there was no way. The offer of the sister’s cotillion piqued her interest. What if it was true? Rosalie battled back and forth with herself, trying to figure out if she believed it or not, but she couldn’t come up with a definitive answer. She shrugged as she let herself into her room. Like he said, she didn’t have to answer right now. She could tell him in class.
That night she fell asleep thinking about a wonderful prince with startling blue eyes, dressed in ripped jeans and a leather jacket, riding on a motorcycle with an extra padded seat for his princess. She smiled, watching him completely out of his element in her dream, in the ballroom of a castle, dressed to the nines in a suit of white and cream, his hair immaculate, little white gloves on his hands, bowing to her in a ball gown, and asking her to dance. It was a nice dream to fall asleep to, and that was exactly what it was. A dream. There was no way that what he was saying was true. How could he be two so completely different people? He wouldn’t be able to keep his worlds separate like he claimed he was. There was bound to be a crossover now and again, and she didn’t believe him to be anything more than what she saw on a daily basis. Blaze could have him. She followed him around like a sick little puppy anyway, and she was cut from the same cloth as him. Rosalie was the type of girl who could be taken home to a mother and a family, whereas Blaze was the fling of the week. As she fell asleep, after considerable scenes of Eric in both roles, she decided that she wasn’t going to go. Let him throw his pretty stories in Blaze’s face if he wanted someone to confide in. She wasn’t going to say anything to anyone, because she didn’t want them to think that she was nuts, not so much that she wanted to be his confidant.
Tossing and turning for a long time, she finally let herself fall asleep to the image of him that she preferred. The man in white and gold, standing tall and proud like a king, with the leather gloves and the palace manners. Being a hopeless romantic like she was, she often wished that she’d been born into another time and place. One where princesses and knights existed, where things were simple and seemed to make sense all the time. Granted, that would never happen without a time machine, but hey, in the land of hopes and dreams anything was possible. It would be something that she’d hold to herself on the nights where she needed a happy place to cheer her up, but no one would ever know about it but her.