Cal's POVWhen I woke up the house was silent.I rolled over in bed, groaning to myself. It felt like I hadn't slept much at all. The press conference had already got me worked up and then with the news leaking…Lena was heartbroken, and out of anger, we got into another argument.Then she had the nerve to compare me to my father and ask if I was putting on an act…if this was all a campaign to smear her and her family’s reputation. I didn’t know how she could think that of me…but then I thought about it more and realized, I hadn’t given her much to go off of, had I?The idea didn't sit right with me and I swung my feet over the edge of the bed. The clock on my bedside table told me that it was nearly six in the morning.That should be just enough time to squeeze in a gym session before our planned appearances around the city today; the ones we orchestrated before the news spilled.Let’s just say, neither of our families were happy about it—my father b
Lena's POV"Shoot!" I exclaimed as I saw smoke starting to come off of the pan on the stove.There was a little oil in the pan and I was trying to preheat it to cook up some eggs for myself, but I had obviously not been paying as close of attention as I should have been.Granted, I had never really been a great cook, but my head was even more distracted than normal as I thought about the situation I currently found myself in. And the distraction made my already poor cooking absolutely abysmal.There was a noise from behind me and I snapped around to see Cal entering. I quickly turned my head back in front. I didn't really want to see him right now because I didn't really know what I wanted to say to him.At least the pan had stopped smoking. It was embarrassing enough that I had to witness that."Hey," Cal called out.I heard the door shut, but I continued to focus on my task, not even acknowledging him.I grabbed a couple of eggs out of the cart
Lena’s POVAs the clock struck noon, Cal and I stepped off the train at King's Cross Station. Returning to London after a whirlwind of an engagement announcement was both exciting and nerve wracking.Our kiss had made the news and we were praised as everyone seemed even more convinced of our relationship than ever. Cal was right, his father did eventually call,and he was not pleased that the news leaked.He was demanding to know how it got out, but neither of us knew anything. When we couldn’t respond, Cal’s father sighed and, in political fashion, noted that it at least allowed the perfect opportunity to hold another press conference to address the engagement and our planned trip to London.Only, he ended that with the demand that we return to America as soon as possible. I ignored the frustration building in me. I was eager to get back to normal life, though I knew that was wishful thinking now.Cal was the perfect gentleman during our travels. It seemed we w
Cal's POVHer eyes bore into mine, doe-like and glossing over. She wanted to say something—I knew she did—but she didn’t. Her gaze tore away, but I held onto her all the same. "Lena, you don't have to pretend with me," I said softly.I could tell that the party was a lot for her, and I could relate to the social anxiety that parties like this tended to induce. And even though she looked put back together now, I swore I heard her puking when I got to the door.I had waited to knock to try and make her feel like I wasn't invading her space. It would just embarrass her further to know that I had heard it all…My words were meant to comfort Lena, but right in front of my eyes, I watched her gaze return to mine, sharp and piercing. She pulled her arm out of my grip. "What's that supposed to mean?"Oh, crap. Her voice was irritated now. What had I said wrong? I thought I was helping her, that we—I shook my head. "I, uh, I don't know. I just meant that I am here for
Lena's POVMy eyes stared at the door of the study that my father had just walked into. Part of me wanted to go in to see what they were talking about, or maybe just to be close with Cal again."Would you like another, madam?" a waiter asked as he walked by with the glasses of wine."Yes, please," I said as I grabbed another one and gave him my empty glass."Geez, Lena, slow down," Emily cautioned with a laugh, though she sounded a little concerned.I couldn't blame her, I was definitely feeling a good buzz and probably shouldn't drink anymore. They were just going down so well and they were making me feel so much better—which made it hard to stop."Okay, okay, last one," I replied, bringing the glass up to my lips.Emily laughed in response.I looked around at the rest of the room and found that it was just Emily and I left now. Our mum and dad had said goodbye and walked everyone out. Mum was probably off making sure the staff knew that everyone was gone and l
Lena's POVMy head throbbed as I slowly blinked away the remnants of a restless sleep. Sunlight streamed through the curtains, casting a warm glow on the disheveled aftermath of last night's engagement party. The memory of my parents' extravagant celebration for Cal and me rushed back like a whirlwind.And my conversation with Charles.I groaned and rolled over in the bed as the feelings of guilt and self consciousness hit me again. The feelings weren't quite as impactful since I was no longer drunk, but that didn't mean they didn't hurt.I opened my eyes, realizing that something was missing. Cal.Sitting up, I looked around, but Cal was definitely no longer in my bed, which made me feel even more depressed.He had agreed to spend the night with me, and then I had pushed him down onto the bed, but before it could go any further than that or anything could happen, he put a stop to it. Cal had said that I was too drunk and upset, and that he just wanted me to get some
Lena's POV"Oh goodness, Emily!" I yelled out reaching for her arm. "What's wrong?"She looked at me, her expression a mix of hurt and confusion. I wondered if she knew about what happened last night. Did Charles tell her? Would Charles really spoil his own proposal just to vent to his girlfriend?"I think Charles is cheating on me," she said, fresh tears welling in her eyes.Well, that wasn't what I expected."What?" I asked, flabbergasted. "How-Why do you think that?""I just do," she cried, stepping further into my room. "I already told you he's been acting distant lately. It's like he's hiding something. And then he was gone all night last night and didn't message me at all. He could have been at a girl's house for all I know."Nope. He was here…chewing my ass out.Relief washed over me nonetheless, because I realized she was wrong. Charles wasn't cheating on her. He was just trying to figure out how to make her proposal special after I stole his thunder.
Cal's POVI hadn't even realized I was going to do it until it already was happening. But there I was. Kissing Lena.And wow, did it feel amazing. Just like our kiss in front of the paparazzi, the heat started to build as she seemed to melt into me. Kissing Lena was unlike kissing any other girl before, and I never wanted it to stop.It had to stop though. What the hell was I doing?Using all of my willpower, I pulled away from her and those delicious lips. Both of us were breathing hard, as I stepped back.Her grip tightened on me though, and I wasn't able to step away completely. My eyebrows raised as I looked down at her in my arms. However, she seemed to notice what she was doing and blushed as she pulled away from me.Why had I kissed her? And why didn't she pull away?I was sure that I knew the reasons, but I still wasn't ready to admit it to myself…"Sorry," I said quietly. "My emotions were just heightened. I don't know what I was doing.""Oh, okay."