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From her place on the bed, Rapunzel watched as Cassandra stared pensively into the roaring fireplace. She traced the movement of her hand as she lifted a clear glass to take a sip, then let her gaze linger on her lips long after she’d swallowed.
“It’s always so cold up here,” the princess said, trying to break the uncomfortable silence in any way she could. She tugged a quilt around her shoulders to demonstrate, even though the guest room Anna had given her was plenty warm, and Cassandra looked perfectly comfortable standing where she was. She wasn’t more than a couple meters away but the distance felt insurmountable.
“So,” Rapunzel said, interrupting the silence again, “You’ve been spending a lot of time with Elsa.”
“Yeah,” Cass answered. She couldn’t help the way the corner of her lip tugged upward just at the thought of her. “She’s great.”
“Hm.” Rapunzel nodded. She’d clearly been hoping for a more substantial answer, but she should have expected as much from Cass. She’d been as laconic as ever the whole visit.
“She’s great? That’s all you have to say?” Rapunzel asked, finally frustrated enough to push for more.
“Uh,” Cass finally looked over at her, an eyebrow raised. “I mean, she’s a lot of things. I just chose ‘great’ as a catch-all.”
“No, I mean,” Rapunzel sat up straighter. “We’re finally bringing this up, so let’s get it in the open. No more hiding it.”
“Hiding what?” Cass asked, setting her glass on the vanity.
“You’ve clearly been seeing her for awhile,” Rapunzel said. “And you didn’t tell me.”
Cass laughed, rubbing her arm uncomfortably.
“Why is it any of your business who I’m seeing?”
“Well, I think that’s pretty obvious.”
Cass didn’t appreciate her tone in the slightest.
“Last time I checked, Raps, you and I aren’t dating—,”
Before she could finish the thought, the princess was interrupting.
“Well, yeah, of course we’re not.”
The added ‘of course’ struck a particularly sensitive nerve, and Cass folded her arms across her chest.
“So then I don’t actually have to tell you anything about who I may or may not be spending my time with.”
“You don’t have to, sure, but I’m your best friend. Best friends are supposed to know about their best friend’s girlfriends.”
“Who said anything about a girlfriend?”
Rapunzel pouted.
“I saw you go into her room last night, Cass. It’s pretty obvious you and Elsa were… intimate.”
“Yeah, well,” Cass scoffed. “Newsflash— just because two people are having sex doesn’t mean they’re dating. Ask your husband and the multitude of people he used to—,”
“Please leave Eugene out of this.”
“Oh, now you want to leave Eugene out of something? Because usually he has to be the center of everything.”
“Cass, you know what? You’re being really hostile right now.”
“And you’re being really possessive. What is going on, Raps? What’s the problem?”
“I just—,”
“Just what?”
“I thought you loved me.”
Cass stepped back, and the look on her face was so offended that Rapunzel immediately regretted what she’d said.
“Raps—,” Cass’s expression twisted in disgust. “You’re married.”
“I know,” she said quickly, hoping to fix her mistake, but it was too late.
“You get to be married to the person you call the love of your life, and you expect me to, what? Hopelessly cling to you forever so you can feel good about yourself? Unbelievable!”
“Cass, please, that isn’t what I meant. I don’t even know why I said it!”
“I know why you said it,” Cass jabbed a finger through the air at her. “You said it because you can’t stand the thought of my life not revolving around you.”
“No! I—,”
“You can’t stand the thought of me being happier with someone else.”
Rapunzel’s heart hurt where it pounded in her chest. The silence hung heavy in the room.
“Now you know what I felt like,” Cass added coldly as she strode toward the door.
Rapunzel expected her to pause. To continue the conversation, no matter how painful. To wait. But the sound of the door closing sharply made Rapunzel jump, and she felt the tears hit her chin before she could even think to wipe them away.