11. Daniel
11
DANIEL
D id last night happen? Because this morning when we woke up and had breakfast together, Rosie acted like she had yesterday and ignored me the entire time while letting her friend continue to flirt as if she hadn’t rocked me last night in bed. Her walking in, covering my mouth, and telling me to be quiet while she took what she wanted was one of the hottest experiences of my life. Then when we dropped the girls at Louis’ apartment, she didn’t even acknowledge me as we said goodbye. I’m not used to being ignored. I don’t like it. Then the thoughts of what she might be doing tonight at the club while I’m stuck here with my brother and cousin is slowly driving me mad. Yes, she is free and single and can do what she wants, but the thought that someone else might be touching her, tasting her when I’m here, ready and willing.
“You seem quiet tonight?” Matthieu states as we sit on his sofa watching football.
“Am I?”
Louis walks back in with fresh beers and takes a seat. “Wonder how Emily is going? You don’t think she would do anything with someone else, do you?”
Matthieu and I turn and look at each other and burst out laughing which makes my brother flip us off.
“She has you well and truly pussy whipped.” My cousin laughs.
“So? I’m fucking happy, unlike you two.”
“Hey, I’m happy,” I argue, which is bullshit because a certain English Rose has me all kinds of messed up.
“And I’m happily single,” my cousin adds.
“Just you wait. A woman is going to come into your lives and knock you off your feet like Emily has done to me,” my brother warns my cousin and me.
“Doubt it,” I grumble, sipping on my beer.
“Ava couldn’t keep her eyes off you,” Louis teases. I ignore him and continue to watch the football. “You didn’t?” he asks, jumping to all sorts of conclusions thanks to my silence.
“When do you think I would have had a chance to do something? That’s Emily’s friend,” I ask him, annoyed by his accusation.
“The other night when we all got a little drunk,” Louis states.
“She’s beautiful, but no,” I tell him, taking a sip of my beer.
“I think Daniel was more interested in Rosie,” Matthieu adds with a chuckle. I almost choke on my beer as I glare at my cousin.
“Rosie? You didn't, did you?” Louis asks.
“No. I’m not a man whore like you,” I answer, irritated by this line of questioning from him.
“A reformed man whore, thank you very much.” He sneers at me, pointing his beer bottle in my direction.
I huff. “I’ve met Rosie before back in London.”
“Rosie?” Louis asks.
“Yeah, she’s an interior designer at Alex’s fiancée’s company.
Both Louis and Matthieu seem surprised by that admission.
“Well, Ava seemed smitten with you, not Rosie.” My cousin chuckles.
“She was being friendly,” I tell him.
“But your attention was being pulled by Rosie?” my brother questions me.
“We were talking, we have friends in common. I was being polite.”
“The way Ava was looking at you and you were looking at Rosie smells like a triangle to me.” Matthieu chuckles.
“Would you stop it. You’re acting like a gossiping woman.” I let my irritation about the subject boil over.
“Don’t fuck either of them around.”
It’s been hours and we’ve moved on from the football game to some action movie that has me falling asleep. The sound of someone's phone pulls me from sleep and when I look over, I see it’s Louis’ and his face is white.
Shit.
The world that we knew implodes and my brother’s life changes in the blink of an eye.
“Are you okay?” I catch Rosie by herself while her friends rally around Emily. She shakes her head before bursting out crying, reaching out, I pull her into my arms and hug her tightly. She instantly pulls herself out of my arms and hugs herself.
“No, don’t. I don’t deserve an ounce of your sympathy.” She looks up at me, those green eyes haunted by what’s happened with Emily.
“Why would you think that?”
She shakes her head as the tears continue to stream down her face. “I should have been watching Emily. It’s my fault he took her. Me,” she says, thumping her chest.
My heart breaks for her. “No, this isn’t your fault. Yves is the monster.”
“No. I am. I’m the one who was kissing someone else while that man took her. I let some guy distract me from my friend.”
Her words hit like an arrow to the chest. She was with someone else tonight. It doesn’t matter, not now, not after what Emily has been through.
“This isn’t your fault, Rosie. How could you have known that would happened.” I try to reassure.
“I was trying to forget you,” she whispers.
My heart tightens in my chest. “Rosie,” I say her name softly as I reach out and pull her into my arms, she comes willingly this time. “I understand,” I tell her, kissing the top of her head.
“You should hate me, too,” she says, mumbling into my chest.
“I could never hate you,” I confess. Her arms come out and wrap around me tightly as she breaks down until she collapses.
I pick her up, take her back to a spare room, and tuck her into bed, I kiss the top of her head as she slides into sleep.
When I walk out, Matthieu has his arm around Georgia.
“Rosie is in the end room.”
“Thanks,” Georgia says, pulling herself from my cousin’s arms. We watch in silence as she walks away and closes the door behind her.
“Louis has gone to his room and asked for us to leave him alone. Emily didn’t want to see him.” Fuck. I run my hand through my hair. “How’s Rosie?”
I shake my head. “Not good. And Georgia?”
“Not good.”
It’s been a couple of days since Paris, and I haven’t heard from Rosie, not that I am expecting to as she has a lot going on with Emily staying with her. But I want to be there for her.
Matthieu: They charged Yves with sexual assault.
Daniel: Finally. Thank fuck. Does Louis know?
Matthieu: Yes.
Daniel: How is Louis?
Matthieu: Relieved that they are pressing charges. He’s hanging in there.
Daniel: He hasn’t disappeared into the bottle again.
Matthieu: Not every night.
Daniel: Most nights?
Matthieu: Do you blame him? I can’t get the images out of my mind of what we saw when the door was opened.
Daniel: Neither can I.
Matthieu: I wanted to kill him.
Daniel: I do too.
Matthieu: Just when Louis was finally happy. Why?
Daniel: Because Yves is a sick individual.
Matthieu: How are the girls?
Daniel: Haven’t heard from them, but my security guards tell me they are safe.
Organizing security for Emily was the only way to placate Louis into letting her go back to London.
Matthieu: Good.
Matthieu: Do you think Louis and Emily can ever get back together?
Daniel: I hope so, but I don’t know.
Matthieu: He sends her sunflowers every day.
Daniel: He does?
Matthieu: Louis says it reminds him of her. She was his sunshine.
Daniel: Fuck that’s heartbreaking.
Matthieu: I know.
There’s a knock at my door, I’m not expecting anyone.
Daniel: Have to go, someone’s here. Keep me in the loop.
When I open the door, I’m surprised to see the entire gang there.
“We didn’t think it was good for you to be alone at the moment,” Alex says.
“And we bought cupcakes,” Eloise adds.
“And alcohol,” Jasper says, waving a bottle of scotch in his hands.
These guys. “Guess you better come in then.”
The gang comes in and starts to make themselves at home. Thankfully, they decide to steer the conversations away from Paris, knowing that I might not want to talk about that just yet, and I’m grateful for that.
“I can’t believe Rosie is best friends with Emily. How small is this world?” Ivy states after one too many champagnes.
“Who’s Rosie?” Jasper asks.
“She’s the cute redhead from work?” Lauren asks.
“Yes,” Ivy answers.
“Is that the girl you warned Daniel not to touch a while ago?” Eloise asks.
“Yes.” Ivy nods. I feel like I’m in a ping-pong match between these girls.
“And has he?” Lauren asks.
“What? No,” I answer way too quickly.
All my asshole friends burst out laughing not believing me.
“But he wants to,” Jasper adds, holding up his scotch.
“No, I don’t.”
“She’s cute,” Lauren states.
“Rosie would be kind of perfect for Daniel. And if Emily and Louis get back together you could be a foursome. But she’s my best designer.” Ivy giggles then frowns.
“Don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon,” I say sadly, taking a sip of my scotch.
“Whatever you need, we’ve got you,” Alistair says, getting up and giving my shoulder a squeeze as he walks past.
“Things aren’t good. I’m worried about my brother,” I confess to my friends, the room falling silent.
“It’s an unfortunate situation. You remember Nate and Camryn went through something similar. And, of course, my Ivy with her crazy ex,” Alex adds as he leans over and kisses Ivy’s temple. I remember all those dark days with my friends.
“They are all going to need time,” Ivy says quietly.
“I know.” I nod, sipping my drink.
“It’s not just the people who went through the tragedy that it affected, it’s the people who witnessed it, too. You, your cousin, Rosie and her friends, you all need people around you,” Ivy explains.
“I can’t imagine what pain my brother is going through right now. I just want to fix it for him.”
“Spoken like a true big brother, this time you can’t, you can only be there for him,” Alex says.
“And be there for Rosie, too. I’m not sure when she is coming back to work, but I’ve given her whatever time she needs. I understand Emily is living with her,” Ivy says. I nod. “I’m sure that must be tough. But hang in there.”
“Tonight, I want to forget, can we all get fucked up?” I ask my friends.
“Hell yeah,” Jasper calls out.