When I got back to my apartment, I just wanted this day to end.

Emma had closed the shop while I met with Laura and had messaged me telling me that someone had dropped something off while I was out and that she put it inside my apartment.

When I opened the door, it was something I wasn't expecting.

It was a parcel, and once I was comfortable with a cup of tea, I opened it up and stared at what was inside with confusion.

Inside was a phone, with a note attached to it on a pink stick that said ‘use me’.

Who the hell would send me this? Was this some kind of sick joke?

When I tried to think of who would do this, nobody came to mind, nobody I knew was this weird, but then it dawned on me that someone I did know was weird, if not the ghosting type.

Nicholas, but why?

I turned the phone on and saw that there was a text message, and once I clicked on the text, I could feel my insides twisting uncomfortably, the same way it did when I saw Nicholas with his new girlfriend.

Unknown:  Charlie, I really need to talk to you, it's importantI can't discuss it openly due to personal reasons.
Can you meet me at the hotel XXX tomorrow at 12? I will explain everything.
I know how you must feel about me, but I will
wait for you for as long as it takes.
I miss you, and want to explain myself.
Nicholas.

What the fuck was this?

After two weeks he acts like I don't exist, and then when he sees me with someone else, he sends me this?

Was this a sick joke he was playing on me?

If he thought I would meet him, he was out of his damn mind, even if something was happening between us before, there was nothing between us anymore.

We were practically strangers now, and whatever was going on with him, didn't involve me.

The claims that Nicholas was a sex addict and his new girlfriend… It was just drama waiting to happen.

Drama I didn't want or need in my life right now.

I delete the text, turn my phone off, and then wrap the box back up with the phone on it to return it to the sender in the morning.

Nicholas would be waiting a long time, because I won't be going.

*****

It's been two days since the package with the phone came, and since then, things have slowly gone back to normal.

The bakery was doing well, because of rumours that it was ‘Prince Nicholas's favourite shop’.

Emma even suggested we use that to our advantage and do royal cookies with the UK flag on, and since then they've been a hit with tourists and locals.

The news had also died down with Nicholas and his girlfriend, so much so that he hadn't been spotted since that day in the park where we saw each other.

Things were normal, and even though the text message he sent on that damn phone made me seething mad, I dropped it and moved on, after all, he had dropped me just as fast, so why could I do the same back to him?

“You can go now Emma, I'll close up.” I tell her, looking outside as it starts to get dark.

“Are you sure, I don't mind sticking around.” She says as I wave her off, shaking my head.

“I got it, good work today and I’ll see you after my break.” I tell her, as she smiles and then grabs her coat and bag.

“Enjoy it while you can, and please… don't just stay inside your apartment, enjoy your week off!” She lightly scolds me, making me laugh and nod my head.

“I will try.”

I watch her leave the bakery and I follow after her and lock the door, then go back to cleaning up after the long day.

I was about to turn off the lights once I was done, and then head outside to secure the locks, but a knock on the window made me freeze, and my heart almost beat out of my mouth.

I turned around, expecting to see Emma, as she usually forgot something, but it wasn't her, infact, it was nobody I expected to see anytime soon.

Nicholas was outside, but something was off about him.

“Chaarrlieee…” He knocked again, leaning his forehead against the window with his eyes closed, slurring his words.

What the?

“Wee need to talk… are yoouu ignoring me again?” He slurred, opening his eyes to see me, then chuckling when our eyes met.

He said something but I didn't quite catch it, as he sunk to the floor and groaned.
I grabbed my keys and then ran to the front door to unlock it, once unlocked I kneeled down next to him and then unexpectedly smelled a strong scent of alcohol coming from him.

Nicholas was wasted and I took a look around, but I didn't see anyone with him, no friends, no girlfriend, and no bodyguards.

“Nicholas”? I call his name, but nothing as he mumbles to himself, sitting on the floor with ruffled clothing, and his eyes clothes.

He was completely out of it.

“Jesus.” I rubbed my forehead, looking at him. “Just how much did you drink?”

I stand up and then bend down to pick him up, putting his arm around my neck as I get him to his feet, the smell of whiskey so strong I almost tasted it on my tongue.

Nicholas groans out, then chuckles drunkenly as I walk us into the store and close the door behind me with my foot.

I put him down on a seat inside the bakery and then looked around to make sure nobody had seen him, and luckily it was dark, and the street was quiet, so nobody must have noticed him.

Nicholas had slouched forward and rested his head onto his crossed arms on the table in front of him, obvious that he was totally out of it.

“I miiissed youu…” His eyes opened slightly, before closing and then smiling.

Then suddenly, he turned his head and then I could hear him groan, and then start to sniffle as I thought of what to do.

Nicholas was drunk, and I couldn't risk anyone finding us like this, but he couldn't stay here in the shop, the lights were on and any moment someone was going to come by and see the Crown Prince of England drunk in my store.

“For fuck sake.” I mutter to myself, as I rub my face with both hands.

I had never seen him like this before, just how much did he drink to end up like this? And most of all, how did he get here? Did he walk?

“Nicholas?” I shook him gently, making him groan and then turned his head to face me.

His eyes opened, and once he saw me, he smiled that breathtakingly captivating smile that I, and the whole nation loved, but it didn't reach his eyes.

His eyes were glossed over, and while looking at me, a tear fell from his eye and went down his cheek, as I watched, my heart squeezing so tightly I felt like I was dying.

“Why didn't you come?” He asked me, his voice was quiet, his eyes filled with sadness as he looked at me.

“I… waited so long, but you didn't come.”

Nicolas hid his face in his crossed arms. “I missed you.”

Oh, Nicholas. “Why are you doing this…” I say to myself, walking away from him as I try to get myself together.

I needed to call someone, but who? I didn't exactly have numbers for his security detail.

“Did you… miss me?” Nicholas asked, as I turned and looked at him, to see that he was sitting up in the chair, looking at me, more sober than when I found him.

“Probably… not.” He chuckled slowly, his eyes dropping to the ground. “I always mess things up, I tried to fix everything but… I'm not very good at it.”

“I just wanted to protect you.” He mumbled slowly, not looking at anything in particular. “I’m still useless, just like then, I couldn't protect him either.”

“Now you hate me, don't you Charlie?” He laughed, putting his head back and staring up at the ceiling.
“You must think I'm so pathetic, and you wouldn't be wrong.”

I couldn't listen to him anymore, he wasn't making sense, and he didn't look so good, if anything, he looked like he needed a shower, and some food.

“Nicholas you're drunk, and you need to leave and sober up.” I go behind the counter and go into the fridge to grab a bottle of water, then go back around to give him the water.

His eyes slowly move to mine, then he smiles and reaches out to take it, but his hand rests above mine, and then he holds onto my hand.

A few moments passed, and as much as seeing him hurt me, I knew I couldn't just ignore this, Nicholas was hurting, and something had upset him enough to show up here drunk out of his mind.

I wasn't going to ask unless he told me, it just felt like he really needed someone to be with him, so that's what I did.

He was hurting, and he needed help, so that's what I was going to give him, help.

“Come on, let's go.” I say to him, as his eyes widen slightly.

“Where?” He asks, his eyebrows furrowing. “I don't want to go… we still need to talk, I have to explain.”
I just stared at him, and then sighed.

“You need to sober up.” I tell him, holding up the keys to my apartment.

“Unless you want the world to see you drunk outside my bakery, we are going to my apartment so you can take a shower, and change into clean clothes that don't smell like a pub's floor.”

He looked at me seriously, before snorting with a smile on his face, and a nod of his head.

“Alright Charlie…” He smiled up at me handsomely, before moving his chair back to stand up with his hand still wrapped around my hand.

“Lead the way.”