Page 55 of Wicked Prince

That's the primary reason I've been avoiding Anthony lately, even if he is the only thing keeping me sane. That, and the promise of escaping this hellhole.

Tonight, I promised I would finally meet up with him. I feel bad for putting it off for so long, but the truth is, I'm not very good at letting people in.

We agreed to meet at a restaurant not too far off campus, since he understands my reticence to be out and about where I risk running into the happy couple.

Oh, yeah. And Lorenzo decided to go public about his relationship with Kayleigh, so there's that.

I don't know if our conversation had anything to do with it or not. The timing seems a bit coincidental, but who the hell knows? I gave up pretending I know what's going on in Lorenzo's head a long time ago.

I gave up on wanting to, for that matter.

It's a few minutes past the time we agreed to meet, and there's still no sign of Anthony in the quiet café, so I take another glance around. I'm not going to lie, I momentarily consider whether I could get away with sneaking out since I did my due diligence by showing up.

I stay, though. Not only is that a shady thing to do, but I do miss him.

A second later and he shows up anyway, still wearing his uniform blazer even though he's got his tie halfway undone and is wearing slacks just a shade too dark to be regulation.

Leave it to Anthony to flaunt the rules just for the hell of it. I can't help but smile at the sight of him, and when he walks over, a look of dismay on his face, I roll my eyes.

"Well, as I live and breathe," he says in a scandalized tone. "Is it actually Amelia?"

"Very funny," I say flatly, standing to give him a hug. He embraces me with a hearty squeeze, a reminder of just how big the difference in size is between us.

"Air, Anthony," I croak.

He pulls away with an apologetic grin. "Sorry. Just making sure you don't run off again."

I laugh a little. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise. Well, not anytime soon, at least," I say with a sigh, sitting back in the booth.

Anthony sits in the booth across from me, propping his elbows on the table with a knowing look. "I take it waitressing isn't as lucrative as you hoped."

"It's decent with the tips, actually," I admit. "It's more the logistics that are getting to me."

He nods in understanding. "Yeah, I can see that. I mean, I've sure as hell never lived on my own, so I'm afraid I can't be much help in that department."

"I guess I'm not in that much of a rush," I say. "Not for any practical reasons, at least. If I had to, I could technically leave right now, but honestly, even if I can afford a few months' rent at a decent place, I don't know where I would go or what I would do when I got there."

"I hear you," he says. "That’s the primary reason I still stick around. God knows I have no interest in inheriting the family business."

"I don't know. I can see you being a glamorous crime boss," I tease. "Don't knock it 'til you try it."

He rolls his eyes. "Please. I'd cave at the mere threat of torture and divulge all our family secrets."

"It does raise the question, though… Whatareyou planning to do when you graduate?" I ask.

"Bold of you to assume I have any long-term plans beyond this weekend." He grows serious. "Honestly, I don't know. My parents just insist on me finishing up at this place, and I'm sure when that day comes, they'll stick me somewhere obscure where I can't be an embarrassment to them."

I frown. "I'm sure they don't feel that way. And if they do, that's on them."

"See, what am I supposed to do without our meetups so you can be my own personal cheerleader?" he teases.

I can't help but laugh. "Okay, point taken. I promise I won't go MIA again."

"Good," he says pointedly. "So, any news on the Lorenzo front?"

I grimace. "No, and no news is good news as far as I'm concerned."

"I hear you," he says, looking up as the waitress comes over with our two iced coffees. "Aww, you ordered for me?" He presses a hand to his chest.

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