"Are you sure you have everything you need?" Caspian asked me for the fifth time in the past two minutes.

"Yes," I groaned. "I'm not dumb, Cassie."

"Really?" He asked in disbelief. I rolled my eyes and shoved him away from me making him stumble backward and burst into laughter.

"You're so annoying," I joked as I checked my suitcase once again.

He composed himself and came back to my side. "I'm glad you think so. Also Cassie? You need to stop calling me that."

"It's cute, though. It suits you," I argued.

He squinted at me and shook his head. "I'm not going to even ask why you think so."

"It's only fair since you call me names," I said with a shrug.

Caspian threw himself backward onto my bed and laid his arms behind his head. "All the names I call you are fitting though."

"Chipmunk...? That's fitting?" I scoffed.

"It's your cheeks, Queen. There so..." he trailed off as he quietly squealed and moved his hands through the air in a pinching motion. I ignored his statement with an eye roll and zipped up my suitcase. "So are you ready for Earth?" He asked.

"As ready as I can be," I muttered.

"Still miss Syn?" My eyes snapped to his and he winced. "I'm sorry, I forgot that was a sore subject."

I sighed and shook my head. "Honestly...I do. I don't know how I'm going to react when I see him."

"You're going to jump his bones," he said casually.

"Not happening," I replied dryly. "He broke up with me, remember?"

"I mean...some exes have sex," he added with a shrug.

"That's not me though."

"That's boring, Mother Teresa," he teased.

"Cas, if I followed all of your advice I'd end up in a brothel."

"At least then you'd get some di-"

I threw a pillow at him and he laughed as he caught it with one hand. Cas had spent the past week comforting me after Syn and I broke up and although he was now the most annoying man I knew, I appreciated him. He and Cleo had decided to stay here at the palace the for week until our trip-which I had no clue why I was still going, but he and Cleo heavily insisted upon it.

"But seriously, he's going to be with us sometimes, I'm sure," he added softly.

I sighed as I thought about that. Syn moved into another room in the palace and every time I tried to speak to him, he completely ignored me. I didn't know my heart could break anymore, but every time he rejected me, it shattered. Over and over again.

"I'll just stay away from him," I said nonchalantly as if it was going to be easy for me. Caspian gave me a disbelieving look and my solid composure faltered. "Ugh fine, I don't know what I'm going to do."

"We'll figure something out." Cas stood up from the bed and walked towards the door. "Check that you have everything one last time."

I looked around the room one last time and then back at Caspian. "I'm ready." I walked next to him and he crossed his arms as he looked down at me.

"It just slipped your mind that you've left all your suitcases?" he questioned as he pointed to my luggage that was still at my bedside.

I shook my head and pursed my lips as I walked past him. "Nope, you're carrying them."

I heard him laugh from behind me as I walked to Xavier's room. I hadn't spoken to him since everything happened so that was going to be awkward too. Every time I even glanced his way he acted strangely.

The door was open and I peeked my head in to see Gen hugging Xavier and Cleo. "I'm going to miss you guys. I wish I could come, but...you know." We did know. A certain fairy still had a problem with Cleo, and Genesis's loyalties understandably lied with her best friend of all these years.

I walked into the room nervously and they all turned to me. Xavier glanced at me, quickly looking away like usual as Cleo and Gen rushed to me and pulled me into a hug. I smiled as I hugged them back tightly.

"Have fun," Genesis said with a sad smile.

"I'll try."

Multiple loud thuds from the door made us turn to see Caspian walking in with my bags. I laughed as he struggled and he shot me a glare. "I don't know why you're laughing, you hyena."

"That's a new one," I pointed out.

"So we're pretty much ready?" Cleo asked as she clapped her hands.

"Yeah," Xavier said. "We're just waiting on Syn."

"I'm here." Everyone turned to look at who was now here, but I remained looking away. I thought I was more prepared to see him than this, but just hearing his voice made my anxiety resurface.

"Okay make the damn portal," Xavier said with an excited grin on his face.

I heard Syn's thundering footsteps as he came closer and closer to me. I held my breath and kept my eyes on my feet. As he passed me swiftly I got a hint of his smell, the smell I had been desperately trying to forget. It took all of my energy to not fall to the floor, but I somehow managed. I lifted my head to see Syn in front of us all creating a portal. When he was done he turned back to us and we momentarily locked eyes. I saw nothing in his as he looked at me...I wondered what he saw in mine. Desperation? Hope?...Love?

I immediately shifted my eyes elsewhere to stop my wandering mind and I heard him clear his throat. "Is everyone ready?" I stayed quiet as everyone around me gave him a response. When my eyes moved back in his direction I saw his on me, but he quickly looked away when I caught him.

With him no longer looking at me I took the chance to study him. How dare he have the AUDACITY to not look as miserable as I felt? He looked like his usual ruggedly handsome self-like nothing had happened. Like our breakup didn't affect the perfection he possessed.

"Okay, let's go," Syn said, stepping into the portal without another word.

"Wow...he didn't even say bye," Genesis said with a frown.

"I'm sure he'll miss you," Cleo assured her, making a smile appear on her face again.

"Make sure to give us updates on James and we'll pick him up on the weekends," Xavier ranted to Gen.

"I know I know, he'll be good. Ethan will be staying here with him the majority of the time."

"Keep me posted," Xavier said with a small smile as he picked up a bunch of luggage.

"I will, bye you guys."

Saying our last goodbyes we all walked into the portal and stepped into a large modern condo. I looked around in awe and gasped when I noticed the floor-to-ceiling windows that displayed a bright city with skyscrapers. Caspian dropped the bags and scoffed smugly at my fascination. "New York is pretty sexy, isn't it?"

I nodded as I continued looking and he laughed. I finally tore my eyes away from the windows and turned around to see Syn standing directly in front of me. My breath hitched as we locked eyes and I froze. I wanted to desperately step away from him, but I couldn't.

"It's been a long fucking week, Princess."

Huh?

Before I could respond to him, his lips gently moved to mine and he cupped my cheeks softly. I remained paralyzed and in shock, the stillness that captured my heart this entire week beginning to dissipate.

What the fuck is going on?

I pulled away and frowned as Queen recoiled from my touch. I would've thought that a week of us having to pretend to be broken up would've made her more receptive yet here she was, pushing me away and I had no idea why.

"What's wrong?"

She looked at me in confusion and opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"We're going to just-..." Caspian said as he pointed to somewhere behind me. They must've gotten the hint and left the large space for me and Queen to be alone. Her eyes widened at their departure and my brows furrowed. Did this week suddenly make her lose feelings for me? That was never the plan.

"Queen," I said.

"Why did you kiss me?" She whispered as she looked down at the floor. I put my finger under her chin to get her to look at me, but she took a step away from me. When she moved to look back up at me her eyes were completely red and I saw nothing but anger staring back at me. "Why would you kiss me?!" She yelled. "You can't just break up with me and-"

"I didn't-"

She shook her head and pointed her finger up at me. "Just stop talking. You have no right to just leave me and then pretend nothing happened."

I attempted to open my mouth to speak, but I couldn't. My words went mumbled into my mouth. I rolled my eyes as I noticed what Queen had done to me and as if she just realized it as well her teary eyes moved away from mine nervously. I couldn't understand why she reacted the way she did until I studied her sad expression. Her words repeated in my mind once again and I closed my eyes.

She thought we broke up.

We had a plan, granted we had to improvise but I thought she was going along with it. Lilith had been watching us on that balcony and I believed Queen knew. But she must not have.

I spent the week fighting the urge to speak to her or go kiss her. Pretending I hated her was one of the hardest things I had ever done. I couldn't imagine how hard this week must've been for her if she thought it was real.

"Why are you playing with my feelings? You're mean, Syn," she cried in a broken voice as she walked past me.

I watched her in an involuntary silence as she walked into the restroom and closed the door behind her. She must've forgotten the "spell" she cast on me and I still couldn't speak.

My eyes fell on a notepad and pen on a nearby table and I grabbed them. This would have to suffice until she allowed me to talk again. I scribbled down what I wanted to say to her and shook my head. I fucked up. This entire week she tried to speak to me and I believed she was acting for Lilith. I was unknowingly hurting her, and that was never my intention.

I quickly folded the note in half and walked to the restroom, knocking three times before sliding it under the door. From the other side, I could hear Queen crying and I hoped she'd notice the note.

After a few moments, I knocked again and heard her footsteps approach the door. Before she opened the door I heard her stop walking and I let out a sigh of relief. She had to have seen the note right? What other reason would she have-

Before I could finish that train of thought the door flew open and Queen flung herself into my arms. I stumbled backward at the contact but caught myself at the last second before we both plummeted to the hard floor.

"We're still together?" She mumbled into my chest. I grunted in response and she looked up at me. "Why aren't you talk-....oh I'm sorry," she said as she smiled nervously. "You may speak."

"Please never do that again," I muttered.

She grinned up at me and shook her head. "It was an accident."

"Hmm." I hummed. I wiped the remainder of the tears from her face and brought my lips back to hers. I needed as many kisses as I had missed out on this week, but I had things planned for us right now. I pulled away from the kiss and she pouted. "We have all our lives to kiss, Princess. But get your things, we're not staying here."

"What do you mean?"

"We're going to be staying at a place of mine," I said as I moved a stray curly hair from her beautiful face. "If you want to stay here we can, but I'd like to be alone with you completely." She looked away from me as she bit the inside of her cheek nervously. "Think about it, Princess. You could finally scream as loud as you want when I f-"

"I'm in."