This is a follow-up to Chapter 14, aka the only Selection fanfic I've ever written that doesn't blatantly go against canon. Maybe go reread that to refresh your memory?

Anyway, holy shit. I've been trying to write this forever, so many drafts and backspaces, only to realize IT NEEDED TO BE FROM KILE'S POV! As soon as that happened I knocked the whole thing out in one sitting, because he had a LOT TO SAY. There will eventually be a third part to this (in Erik's POV which will be…interesting) and probably an epilogue knowing me. I love epilogues.

ONE MORE THING! It is so amazing to have 500 hits and 100 comments on this goofy one-shot collection. TO CELEBRATE I HAVE POSTED THE FIRST CHAPTER OF MY MULTI CHAPTER FIC; IT'S CALLED THE ROAD NOT TAKEN AND IT'S IRONICALLY VERY SIMILAR TO THE VIBE OF THIS CHAPTER. Please please read it; I'll love you forever.

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO...CONSEQUENCES PART 2

Suddenly, showing up at the palace for a surprise visit doesn't seem like such a good idea. Over my mom's shoulder—she's been hugging me for almost five straight minutes—Eadlyn is frozen on the stairs with this deer-in-the-headlights look that really isn't very princess-like. It's gone in an instant. Queen of Illéa is a largely symbolic title these days, but she's very much still the Queen of Pulling Herself Together. It takes a lot more than an unplanned visit from an ex to rattle Her Royal Majesty.

"Eadlyn, get in here!" Mom orders when she finally releases me from the hug. She has some nerve, bossing the queen around—that must be where I get it from. "Look who decided to show up! Does this have anything to do with you?"

"Not in the slightest," Eadlyn says flatly, descending the staircase somewhat reluctantly. She's thinner than the last time I saw her, almost worryingly so. "Hello, Kile."

She doesn't sound happy to see me, but I didn't expect her to. Actually, I avoided formulating any expectations for this trip whatsoever, because the more I thought about it, the less likely it was I'd go through with it. Coming back to Angeles after so long was a bandage to rip off, a pool I had to jump into without testing the waters first.

Maybe I should've given it a little more thought. The sensation of Eadlyn looking me up and down is uncomfortable; I don't have the slightest idea what she might be thinking. She could kill or kiss me in the next breath, and I'd hardly be surprised.

"It's good to see you again," she says, but I don't think she means it.

Mom doesn't seem to notice the elephant in the room. She gives my shoulder a squeeze. "I'll go get your dad! He'll be thrilled!"

Eadlyn's princess face drops as soon as Mom is out of sight. "Why didn't you warn me?" she demands, hazel eyes narrow and deadly. "You had plenty of opportunity!"

I don't know if I'd say Eadlyn and I are close anymore, but we do talk on the phone fairly often, and she doesn't usually sound this angry. It's different, the two of us in person—maybe I've been trying to ignore it, me, her, and the way things are, but there's no ignoring the effect she has on me when we're close enough to touch for the first time in years. She's as beautiful as I remember, maybe even more so. She lights me up, even when she's clearly not happy with me.

She's also married. To someone you consider a friend, I have to remind myself before I do something even stupider than showing up here out of the blue. Talking on the phone, it's shockingly easy to pretend none of that is real and everything is the same as it's always been, just on opposite sides of the country. She hardly mentions Erik when we talk; I'm certainly not going to bring him up.

I wish things were different. I want to beam it directly into her brain; there's no chance of me saying it out loud. There's a whole different set of rules now that we don't have all those time zones between us. Physically, we're closer than ever, but mentally, drastically further apart. I wish I could take back the last five years.

Eadlyn's voice rings in my head as clearly as if she had beamed it directly into my brain. What the fuck were you thinking, Kile?

The actual answer is that I had not been thinking at all when I impulsively bought a plane ticket and dumped a bunch of work on my assistant, but I have to admit the Eadlyn in my head has a point. What the fuck am I thinking? She's married, and I am clearly still in love with her, as demonstrated by the sweaty palms and dry throat.

She's still waiting for an answer, staring me down. I try to be honest without actually revealing anything. "If it helps at all, I didn't know I'd be coming here as of last time we talked."

Also, I'm in love with you. Also, you have beautiful eyes.

Eadlyn's expression doesn't soften. Those beautiful eyes flicker back and forth, making sure we're still alone. "Are you insane?"

Yeah, probably. Not going to admit that out loud, though.

She goes on, furious. "How could you do this to me, Kile? Erik's going to be so pissed! Don't you get it?"

"No?" I attempt. "What's the problem? It's not like we have anything to hide."

"I know we haven't done anything wrong, but, Kile, you shouldn't be here."

I didn't expect her to be happy to see me, and I'm not even sure I'm entirely happy to see her, but I didn't expect her to chase me out of the palace. I'm confused. I'm a mess, obviously, and there's a good chance my intentions aren't as pure as I initially tried to frame them (I miss my family! sounds a lot better than I am going to try to win my [married] ex-girlfriend back! Not that I'm even sure that's what's happening. I think it is, though. What is wrong with me?) but those are my problems. This is the Queen of Pulling Herself Together we're talking about. Eadlyn's immune to things like butterflies in her stomach and idiotic crushes on someone you supposedly left behind five years ago, so why would she have any problem facing me? More importantly, why would Erik?

My stomach drops; I can think of exactly one reason why Eadlyn wouldn't want her husband and I in the same room. Suddenly, this is a lot more serious than a surprise visit and me needing to get my head out of my ass. "Oh my god, are we having an affair?"

"No!" she hisses, eyes wide. "Don't say that, Kile! We're friends. Good friends."

Right. Good friends who talk on the phone late into the night, and I can't stop thinking about her, and I showed up here without any warning or thought behind it. That kind of good friends.

I don't believe it, but I'm not the one she's trying to convince. It's herself. Eadlyn's trying to convince herself that we haven't done anything wrong, and I don't think it's working very well. "Don't talk to me," she orders when we hear the click-clack of Mom's heels from down the hall.

I obey, heart sinking, keenly aware that there's nothing I can do. As much as I still love her, and as much as it seems she still has some lingering feelings for me, we are stuck. We made our choices, and now we're stuck living with the consequences. For example, I think this is going to be the worst weekend of my life.

Dad hugs me; Eadlyn makes her exit. My gaze follows her—she's wearing this goofy Christmas sweater even though it's barely November—even though it probably shouldn't. I assume she's going to see Erik, I assume.

I was right with my original assessment, I think.

This was a terrible idea.