A Love that Endures

by Forrest, Bella

  Before she could second-guess herself, she hit send. There. Wasn’t so difficult, was it?

  Still, she didn’t miss her increased heartrate.

  Then she realized she’d foolishly forgotten to include her name. Ugh. She’d have to fix that when he replied.

  She returned the phone to her pocket and glanced back over at her cousin, who was still distracted by Mrs. Clarke. Cassie was gazing at her absentmindedly. “Maybe you should just privately reveal to her that you’re Princess Katerina De Courtes,” she said in a low tone. “I bet that would make her clean up her act.”

  The very thought of manufactured niceness made Katy want to barf. “Ugh, please no. That’s just gross.”

  Katy didn’t want to relate to others like that—she wanted genuine relationships. It was one of the things she truly enjoyed about being at Harvard. She had complete anonymity; people treated her just like anybody else. In Mrs. Clarke’s case, the anonymity might have been a disadvantage, thanks to the woman’s uncalled-for bitchiness, but Katy wasn’t going to let it get to her. She loved being part of this student organization too much to let some sourpuss ruin the experience.

  “The Dramatics” was filled with mostly non-theater students who did improv, read plays, and wrote their own miniature performances for the end-of-year showcase. Katy was looking forward to the latter way too much to even consider dropping out. She didn’t have any ideas quite yet for her own mini play, but she figured she still had time to come up with a good one.

  An extra good one, just to spite Madame Cranky.

  Cassie gave a wry smile. “You really do love this group, don’t you?”

  “Of course,” Katy said. “Theater’s always been where I’ve felt most alive.”

  It had been her favorite subject ever since she was a child, when she’d been introduced to acting at an exclusive summer camp in Switzerland. She’d spent as many hours as humanly possible in the drama classes, and it had given her the bug. Although she knew she was only an average actress and couldn’t sing to save her life, she truly enjoyed pretending to be other people. She supposed that was also why she enjoyed changing her appearance, and of course, it went hand-in-hand with her other lifelong love, reading.

  “That was a very entertaining performance.” A deep, masculine voice approached from behind them.

  Katy almost jumped out of her skin. She twisted around to see a tall, lithe man with swarthy skin and a pearly-white smile taking a seat in the next row of chairs. Mr. Clarke. He worked in the sports department and made a habit of sitting in on his wife’s sessions for entertainment when his breaks coincided with them. But Katy hadn’t noticed him enter at all. She prayed he hadn’t overheard their comments about his wife . . .

  “Thank you,” Katy replied, flashing him a smile. I am glad someone found it entertaining.

  He pulled out a sandwich from his backpack and unwrapped it, taking a bite. “I think you’ve made a lot of progress since you first started,” he replied.

  “You do?” Katy asked, feeling half flattered by the compliment, half skeptical. She had always been her own toughest critic when it came to acting.

  “Yeah. It seems like you’re really getting comfortable with the group.” He chuckled and gestured at Connor, then dabbed at his mustache with a tissue.

  Cassie smirked. “I must agree with that.”

  Katy had to agree too. She had definitely been more reserved in the beginning, though that had largely been because she was new, and it had taken a while to get to know the other students in the group.

  “Do you act at all?” Katy wondered. Despite having chatted quite a lot with the guy over the past few months, she realized she’d never asked. He showed such a keen interest in his wife’s work, after all.

  It looked as though he was contemplating his answer. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but before he could, a sharp voice called Katy’s name, pulling her back around to face the stage.

  Mrs. Clarke was positively glaring at Katy, hands planted on her hips.

  What the . . .

  “Katy,” she repeated. “Would you come back to the stage, please? And you, too, Cassie. Time to switch things up again.”

  The students who had been on the stage shuffled off, and Katy glanced at her cousin tentatively. Cassie just gave her a clueless, bug-eyed look, before shrugging and making her way over. Katy followed after a quick glance of apology at Mr. Clarke, though she wasn’t quite sure what she was apologizing for when it was his wife calling her away.

  “I would like the two of you to improvise a scene based on the prompt of ‘betrayal,’” Mrs. Clarke announced once they reached her. “Katy, you are the betrayer. Cassie, the betrayed.”

  Katy scowled—because of course Mrs. Clarke wanted her to play the villain again. A dog was about the most neutral role she could expect to get assigned by her. And that seemed to be a statement all by itself . . .

  She and Cassie made their way to the center of the stage. When they reached it, Katy made eye contact with her cousin, her brain working quickly to try and whip up a scenario.

  “Do you want to start this off or should I?” she murmured.

  “I just had an idea,” Cassie said, a slow smile stretching her lips. “So, I will.”

  Katy drew a breath and spread her feet in a more confident posture, trying to be ready for whatever Cassie threw at her.

  Her cousin took a moment, then abruptly dropped to the ground in a heap and exploded into hysterical sobs.

  “We are sisters!” she rasped, her anguished voice half muffled by the floorboards. “How could you do this to me? How could you sleep with him?!”

  Oh boy. So they were going down this route, then . . .

  Katy quickly snapped into the role, though she felt extremely uncomfortable about it, even more so than she had anticipated. She hated being in the heart and mind of a betrayer . . . a betrayer just like Alexei. How could she even begin to justify such an act? Screw that. She couldn’t.

  “I’m sorry,” Katy managed, dropping to her knees on the floor beside Cassie. “I just . . . I don’t even know what I was thinking.”

  What had Alexei been thinking? Katy’s mind wandered rapidly away from the scene. Yes, he was a horny bastard who’d had no business hanging out with a virgin princess. But had there been more to it than that? Had it really just been about the lack of sex, as he’d claimed? If they’d slept together, would he still have cheated? Her throat tightened as the unwelcome thoughts washed over her.

  Ugh. And just after she’d vowed to forget the guy . . .

  “Of course you knew what you were thinking!” Cassie sobbed, bringing her face up to look at Katy head-on. She pointed a furious finger at Katy. “You knew exactly what you were doing with my husband! Nobody put a gun to your head!”

  “I—I know, I know,” Katy said, her mouth going dry. She really must have been putting on a convincing performance here. She could feel the blood rising to her cheeks in a hot flush. “Look. You’re right. Nobody forced me to do it. And I’m really not trying to justify it. It was wrong. So awfully wrong. And I wish I could turn back time and erase what happened. Keith and I, we . . . ” Katy blew out heavily, her hands clenching into tight fists. “When we were all staying together in the chalet last Christmas, we both got terribly drunk and it . . . just happened.”

  The words felt like poison even as they rolled off her tongue. Drunkenness was no excuse. It merely brought out what was already there.

  “You bitch!” Cassie wailed. She dropped her head back down for another wallow, her fists beating the floor in torment.

  When it came to acting, Cassie had always been the more melodramatic of the two. But her theatrics were playing on Katy’s nerves a little too hard for comfort right now.

  “I know it’s no excuse!” Katy added hurriedly, tentatively reaching out to touch Cassie on the shoulder. The second her hand made contact, Cassie lashed out like a panther, forcing her back.

  “Don’t touch me!�
� she growled.

  Katy’s mouth worked, trying to find words to express what she needed to say.

  “I’ll tell you the truth,” she finally said after a tense pause, her voice thick. She ran nervous hands through her hair, before settling them over her face. She closed her eyes, reaching for the answer. “The truth is, Keith took you for granted. He took you for granted, which is the perfect recipe for boredom. And boredom is what led him to want to try something new. The same was true for me, with Sean. You were just collateral damage.”

  The truth hit Katy hard, and it hurt. But she knew it was the truth. All things lost their shine after a while, no matter how new and sparkly they were in the beginning. The excitement and passion that drew people together was never quite as strong on the other side of a few years. If she were to be truly honest, she had noticed it even in her own parents, who prided themselves on how close they were even after thirty years of marriage. Deep down, she sensed they were secretly bored and merely kept up the act for appearances.

  Was it even possible to never take your partner for granted? For true appreciation to last?

  Katy swallowed the lump in her throat. In a way, Alexei had stolen that innocence from her, stolen her optimistic view of the world where Happily Ever After was simply automatic (particularly for princesses). And although she was glad to be free of that embarrassing naïvete, it also left her feeling daunted.

  Relationships were clearly super hard work. Like walking a tightrope, both dangerous and fickle. You had to somehow stave off familiarity while living with the same person every single day, or else . . . kaboom. Up in smoke.

  “You selfish slut. You selfish, selfish slut!” Cassie screamed.

  “And on that note, let’s end here, girls!” Mrs. Clarke called out.

  * * *

  Class ended shortly afterward, and the moment it was over, Katy quickly checked her phone. Seeing that there was still no reply from David, she asked Cassie to wait for her outside.

  She wanted a chance to speak to Mrs. Clarke alone.

  Once all of the students had filed out of the room, she approached the woman, who was packing up her bag by the edge of the stage. Mr. Clarke had gone outside to take a call, so this was perfect timing.

  Mrs. Clarke glanced up as Katy approached her. She straightened immediately, assuming a poker face.

  “Mrs. Clarke,” Katy said, clearing her throat. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but I feel there is something we need to talk about.”

  Mrs. Clarke stared back at Katy, a muscle ticking in her jaw. “Hm?” The noise was tight, accompanied by a quick lift of her perfect brows.

  “Well . . . ” Katy sighed. There was really no pussyfooting around this. “I can’t help but notice that you seem to be constantly giving me a hard time. And I have absolutely no idea why. If I’ve done anything to offend you, would you please let me know so we can get past this?”

  Mrs. Clarke blinked; clearly she hadn’t expected Katy’s forwardness. The woman coughed, her eyes flitting toward the exit, then back to Katy. “Is that so?” she asked, her words tart as lemon juice.

  Katy stared back at her, frowning. What, had Mrs. Clarke just expected that she would act as though this wasn’t happening? After that last round of improv, she was feeling more than a little bit peeved.

  “Yes,” Katy replied curtly. “So, I’d appreciate it if you would explain.”

  There was a moment’s pause as Mrs. Clarke continued to glare at her. Finally, her lips twitched, and she fidgeted with the wedding band on her ring finger. “All right, I’ll tell you,” she said, a low edge of anger tightening her tone. “I’ve heard that you like to flirt with married men. And I’ve seen you with my husband these past three months. Don’t tell me you haven’t been flirting with him. I’ve seen it.” Her voice finished on a crescendo, her cheeks flushing a hot red.

  Katy simply gaped at the woman. “Wha . . . what now?”

  Katy, flirting—with married men? What on God’s green earth?

  Anger rose in her own chest, adding steel to her tone. “Well, I have absolutely no idea who is spreading such nonsense, but it is completely false!” Katy snapped. “And whatever you think you’ve seen, I have absolutely no interest in your husband.”

  Her genuine rage must have carried across to the older woman, because Mrs. Clarke’s glare wavered a touch. A flicker of doubt crossed her expression.

  “Do you have any issue with me besides ridiculous rumors?” Katy growled.

  Again, Mrs. Clarke hesitated, and the color of her face seemed to intensify. “It was just a rumor, I admit,” she said finally, after a long moment. “But I also saw you talking with my husband, and . . . well, the rumors didn’t seem too far off base.”

  “I was talking to him just like any other student talks to him while we’re sitting on the sidelines! It’s called being polite!” Katy fired back, exasperated. “Who did you hear this lie from?”

  “Connor,” Mrs. Clarke muttered, glancing down at her hands.

  Katy’s jaw dropped. This was getting weirder by the second. Connor? This seemed too immature even for him. And why the heck would he spread such a rumor? She didn’t even know the guy that well outside of drama classes. It made no sense.

  “Well, please rest assured I am not that kind of girl,” Katy replied, feeling the heat on her face flaring in her voice as well. “And if it makes you feel any better, I am quite happy to ignore your husband from now on!”

  With that, she whirled on her heel and stalked from the room, steaming. Oh, if Connor really was behind this, he was going to rue the day he set foot in this university with his overly bright, polyester shirts.

  Still, she couldn’t help but wonder if there was just something deeply wrong with her. Wherever she went, she seemed doomed to attract drama.

  9

  David

  David sprinted so hard across the campus that by the time he reached the Wolf Club it felt like his heart was battering his windpipe. Zeke had ignored all his calls along the way, and David arrived in their dorm room to find it empty.

  “Zeke!” he shouted down the hallway like a madman. “Has anyone seen Zeke?!” No one answered. There was hardly anyone in the house at this time of day anyway.

  He was on the verge of searching the lower floors when an idea struck him. He darted for the stairs and scaled them two at a time to the top floor, where he skidded to a halt. He looked up at the ceiling, at the open trap door which led to the roof, then at the empty chair positioned beneath it.

  His heart beat faster as he leapt onto the chair and hoisted himself up.

  David remembered his and Zeke’s first night at the Wolf Club. They had explored the whole house at two in the morning and found a way to climb onto the flat-topped roof. David would have smiled at the memory, but fear for his friend turned the thought from joy to panic.

  Rising to his feet in the dusty attic, he quickly crossed the floorboards to the open skylight frame at the far end. Boxes were piled beneath it. David leapt onto them, grabbing the edge of the hole above and pulling himself upward, out into the daylight and the chill breeze. His eyes darted around as his hands and knees found purchase on the flat surface.

  Zeke was there, sitting at the far end of the roof. His back was facing David, his legs dangling over the edge.

  “Zeke,” David called, cautiously rising to his feet. Momentary relief flooded him at the sight of his friend.

  The man didn’t budge. It was as if he hadn’t heard.

  Trying to steady his rapid breathing, David slowly made his way over to Zeke, stopping a few feet away.

  “Zeke, please,” David pleaded. “Talk to me, man.”

  When his roommate still didn’t move, David inched farther forward and lowered himself gradually to Zeke’s level. He tried not to look down as he gingerly slid his butt close to the edge.

  Finally, he could see his friend’s face. The guy looked catatonic.

  David placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him gent
ly. “Zeke,” he said. “Come on. Come back inside with me.”

  Zeke continued to stare blankly ahead, his eyes glazed and his face muscles loose. Then, after another agonizing pause, his lips parted.

  “But what’s the point, David?” he croaked. “Nothing matters.”

  “How can you say that?” David asked. “Everything matters. And you matter, to a lot of people. To me.”

  Zeke exhaled and dropped his face in his hands. “I am failing in two classes, and I can’t bring myself to tell my parents. They would be devastated. You have no idea how hard they worked to get me here. How much money they poured into extra after-school tutoring. How much they expect me to go on to do great things. I can already imagine the look on my mom’s face.” He groaned in apparent agony.

  “And it’s not just academics that I’m sucking at. I’m a screw-up at all this social stuff too. I suck at making friends—you’re like the only one I have. And I think the only way I’ll ever get a girl is if I become a millionaire. Plus, I’m pretty sure I’m going to go bald like my dad, so that will really lock in my fate as a miserable, worthless, broke bachelor.” Tears filled his eyes, clearly unwelcome, and Zeke wiped them away furiously.

  David sighed. “Look, Zeke—”

  “Don’t ‘Look, Zeke’ me,” Zeke snapped. He turned on David with a glare. “I’m not the tall, hunky-chunky blue-eyed guy who can charm the pants off of anyone and get literally any girl he wants. I’m just this small-handed man-child who was never designed to grow up.” His face crumpled as he spread out his palms. “I mean, just look at how small they are.”

  David frowned, glancing down at them for a moment, then back at his friend. “Hey. I honestly think you’re—”

  “Like I said, there’s just no point.” Zeke looked out ahead of him firmly. “I’m useless. And a coward. I’ve been trying to build up the courage to fall off the edge, but I’m too much of a chicken even to do that.” He shook his head, hands clenching the edge of the roof.