My back hit the door with a heavy thud, and I sunk down to the ground again. It was familiar, curling up into a ball, my head resting against my arms as they folded on top of my knees. Familiar in the way it made me feel safe, secure in knowing nobody was going to breach my apartment or the safety of the armadillo ball I always found myself in.

“Stupid,” I chided myself, squinching my eyes shut lightly. I could see the fire against my eyelids. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!”

I felt like the village idiot. Why on earth had I thought it had been a good idea to leave my room and try to socialize with people? It always ended up in disaster. I was Rapunzel locked away in her tower, sheltered and protected- and I never wanted that to change. I didn’t need some dashing Prince Charming to come reach out his hand, calling for me to let my hair down so he could take me out of my tower.

I liked my tower. My tower was safe, and comfortable, and I had everything I needed. And nothing I didn’t want ever got inside- nothing, like Kisten Jones. Who had reached out his hand for me like he thought he was some kind of savior.

My laugh tore at my throat on its way out, and I shook my head, my hair tickling my arm. “Stupid,” I repeated, but this time I wasn’t talking about myself.

Other Prince Charmings had come along and offered their hands to me, though none of them had names quite as pretty as Kisten’s. And every time I let them fall to be blinded by the rose bushes like in my favorite version of the tale. There was never a happy ending riding off into the sunset- because I didn’t want one.

I just wanted to stay in my tower, where nobody could touch me. And where I couldn’t set dinner tables on fire.

I groaned, smacking my head against my arms as a sort of punishment. I really should have known better, no matter what Elizabeth had said. I hoped she felt terrible when I told her what had really happened. In fact, I was going to get up and tell her! She needed to know how much she had hurt me by forcing me to go to that dinner party.

Determined, I uncurled from my ball and stood up, heading for where my phone rested on a table- because I had flat out refused a cell phone when I spent all day in my apartment anyways. She was on speed dial, and my finger was about to hit the call button when a loud knock on the door made me jump.

The cordless phone slid out of my fingers as I turned to face the door, pressed back against the table with my breathing already speeding up.

“Joe Taylor, I know you’re in there.”

Damn that voice, and the man it belonged to. Couldn’t he see I didn’t want him and his Prince Charming attitude anywhere near my tower?

“Listen, I know you’re probably going to go hide somewhere and ignore me. You seem like a skittish pound kitten, and that’s what they always do.”

He had just compared me to a kitten; anger began to boil, twisting my mouth down into a frown and curling my fists at my side. I hated that, hated being called cute- it made my skin crawl. I couldn’t, I just couldn’t take it.

“But, just hear me out for a minute. You can do that for me, right?” He paused for a second, and I heard a light thump- like he had let his head fall against the door. He must have, because I heard his next words even though he was muttering. “Jesus, he probably isn’t even listening to me. This is the most useless thing I’ve ever done in my life. But I… just can’t abandon him like that.”

My eyes widened as I stared at the door- and then narrowed to tiny slits. I had been absolutely right. Kisten was a Prince Charming who felt like he had to climb the tower. I wanted to tell him to just leave me where I was, but that would have alerted him that I had been listening. And if he knew that, he’d probably try to come inside and I had forgotten to lock the door. So I was stuck stewing in my silence as he didn’t go away.

“I know that dinner party didn’t really go the way anybody had expected it. But you lasted through the whole thing, right? I know you were terrified at first- I would have been stupid not to notice.”

I very kindly refrained from saying I thought he was stupid anyways.

“But you did relax, Joe Taylor, and I swear you started to enjoy yourself. Didn’t you?” It was almost an accusation.

I wanted very much to say no, but… he was right. It hadn’t been terrible, until he-

“And I know I screwed it up when I tried to touch you.”

Seriously, I hated this boy and his apparent ability to read my thoughts. I pressed back harder against the table, even though it hurt where it dug into my back- I just wanted to get away from him.

“So, hear me out. I promise I won’t try to touch you again, ever, without your permission- if you let me come over sometimes.”

I opened my mouth to yell at him, but his next words had my voice dying in my throat.

“The building manager owes me one. If you agree to this, I’ll convince him socializing with me qualifies you to stay in the building. Otherwise, you’ll have to keep coming to the weekly dinners and you risk any one of the dozens of tenants trying to touch you.”

My mouth opened and closed as I tried to formulate a response, but since he couldn’t see me, he just kept going.

“Does that sound like a deal to you?”

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair.

I should have said no. I should have cut the rope and let Prince Charming fall to his death in the rose bushes. And yet… there was something about his plea. Maybe it was purely selfish; dealing with one person who swore he wouldn’t touch me versus dealing with dozens of things with needy hands. It was an obvious decision. But it didn’t feel like that was why I found myself walking across the room, opening the door.

“Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays only. And you have to sit down and keep your mouth shut while I work, otherwise I’ll kick you right out of my apartment.” I glared at him, a hand on the door to keep it open only the smallest amount possible. “Got it, Prince Charming?”

I didn’t realize I said it aloud, called him Prince Charming, until he was grinning broadly. Heat spread across my face, and I dropped my eyes, slamming the door shut in his face.

“Got it! See you Sunday, Rapunzel!”

I whipped around to stare at the door again, my mouth hanging wide open. I couldn’t believe he had understood. It was nearly impossible.

“Screw him,” I muttered to myself, shaking my head and stomping through my apartment to my writing room. But there was the smallest of smiles on my face as I sat down in my desk chair, booting up my laptop to email Elizabeth about my success in remaining in my apartment- and to tell her we had to cancel our appointment on Sunday.