“Then what happened?” Jacki asked, her voice gone gentle. “Did he freak out on you?”
Philippe brought in two plates and put them down on the small table. “Breakfast, your highness. And I’ve made a plate for you as well, Miss Jacqueline, just in case you’re still peckish.”
Jacki bounced out of her chair. “You are a treasure, Philippe. Don’t let Yuri ever tell you different.”
Yuri also stood. “Toady. Aren’t you eating with us, Philippe?”
The valet shook his head. “I’ve already had my breakfast, sir, and am quite full, but thank you.” He went to tidy the kitchen.
Jacki scooped up beans onto her fork, ate them, then asked, “So, come on. Tell me what happened next. Did he freak out?”
Yuri, who no longer felt like eating, toyed with his mushrooms. “Not… exactly. He more kind of… spaced out.”
“God, this is like pulling teeth.”
“Maybe,” Yuri shot back, “it’s because I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You owe me for worrying me sick last night.” She took a vicious bite of toast.
“Ugh. Fine. I asked him if he was still straight after he’d come all over me and he just looked at me blankly like I was mental. Like how could I possibly question his sexual orientation after he’d kissed me like that and gotten both of us off and…”
“Don’t stop now.”
Yuri sighed with frustration. “I tried, I really did, to be good with whatever he’d be able to give me. But it turns out I was just fooling myself because I want it all and I’m never going to get it from him. Ever. Even after shooting his load on my chest he still thinks he’s straight.”
Jacki was quiet for long enough that Yuri got nervous. “Well?”
“I was thinking,” she said, cutting her sausage. “I totally see where you’re coming from, mostly because I’ve been your best friend forever and I know how you work. But I know Angel, too, and I thought you would’ve known him better by now, as well.”
Yuri gaped at her. “What?”
“Yuri, sweetie, try to have some empathy, seriously. Put yourself in Angel’s shoes. Pretend it’s you, and Angelo is an Angela. You’re still engaged, but to a princess instead of a prince, but you’re still gay as hell. You’ve known her forever, and you two fight sometimes, but you like her a lot, too. And you’re protective of her. Even though you know she wants to bone you and boning her is like the last thing you’d ever want to do. But you still have feelings for Angela. You can’t help that. And you know you need to put up a good front, so you hold her hand and kiss her in public, even though she’s a girl and you don’t like girls and never have. But. Maybe kissing Angela isn’t as bad as you thought. The more you do it, the less weird it seems. And then one day, it goes a bit further than either of you planned, but she’s over the moon because she’s wanted this for so long and asks if you’re straight now. How do you think you’d respond?”
“Fuck,” Yuri said, feeling like he wanted to vomit up what little he’d eaten. “Fuck fuck fuck.”
“Yeah. I mean, I could be wrong, but—”
“You’re not at all wrong, Miss Jacqueline,” Philippe said, coming back to take their plates even though Yuri had barely taken a bite. The valet took a look at it and asked, “Would you like that warmed up?”
Yuri shook his head.
“Very well, sir. And I might add, because I’ve known both of you boys since you were infants, that Miss Jacqueline’s assessment of Prince Angelo matches my own.”
“I fucked this up, didn’t I?”
Both Jacki and Philippe nodded at him. Philippe added, “I’m afraid so.”
“This isn’t fair, though!”
“Life, Prince Yuri, is rarely fair. I would think you’d have learned that by now.”
Jacki was still nodding her head. “Life is totally not fair.”
“I need to like, apologize, don’t I?”
“It’s worth a shot,” Jacki said.
“If I might venture a suggestion,” Philippe added.
Yuri waved his hand. “Don’t let me stop you. I never have in the past.”
Philippe’s mouth twitched into something that was almost a smile and his dark eyes had a glint of humor in them. Sympathy, too, if Yuri wasn’t mistaken. “Yes, sir. I think what you really should do is talk with Prince Angelo. I doubt an apology on its own will be a complete solution. A conversation won’t be, either, but it’s a start. Tell him how you feel.”
“I have!” Yuri shouted, making Jacki jump. “Sorry,” he continued in a lower voice, “but I have told him.”
“Have you tried asking him what he wants?” Jacki asked.
“Of course, I—” Yuri stopped speaking. Had he really? He couldn’t remember. “Maybe,” he amended. “Probably. But if I did, he definitely never gave me a useful answer.”
“Then ask him again.” Jacki took a sip of her tea. “And this time, listen to what he has to say.”
“And if he won’t talk to me?”
“Keep trying, I think. Philippe?”
Philippe nodded gravely. “Yes, sir. Keep trying.”
Yuri sighed. “Right. I’ll try to talk with him. But later. I need to lie down. My head is killing me.”
Jacki finished her tea then stood. She walked over to Yuri and kissed his cheek. “If Angel won’t talk with you, let me know. We can stage an intervention for him, too.”
“That’s terrifying. I wouldn’t wish that on even Francis.”
“Idiot,” she said affectionately, then left.
“Do you need anything else, Prince Yuri?”
Yes, Yuri thought, but it’s not something you can give me. “I’m fine,” he told Philippe. “I just need to lie down and get rid of this headache.”
“I’ll leave you to it, then.”
“Thanks.” Yuri went into his bedroom and plugged in his mobile. While it powered up, he undressed and considered taking another shower, then discarded the idea. Just a nap would be good. Walking back to the bed, he looked at his mobile, which had dozens of notifications. Most
