Chapter 24 Archer
Archer
It's been a week since London and I hooked up at the restaurant and things are back to being awkward and tense. She's quiet, reserved, and if I'm not mistaken, she's hiding something but I'm just not sure what.
I thought things went great. I thought we connected again. I thought we might be able to see our way through this and here she is, icing me out again.
I guess it isn't entirely bad. It just isn't what I wanted from this.
I want her to want me the way I want her.
If life has taught me anything, it's that we don't always get what we want, and right now, I'm going to have to settle for what I can get because the thought of anything less makes my chest ache.
If simply existing in the same space as London is what I get, I'll accept that, even if it hurts a little bit, too.
"Hey," she calls from the kitchen. "Do you want to split this bagel?"
I shrug and keep my eyes glued to the screen in front of me, typing away at some code to strengthen the security at August's headquarters. It's been a while since I've reinforced things, and if he found out how much I've dropped the ball recently, he'd have my head. "You can have it," I tell her.
London doesn't respond, and I don't expect her to.
Except, once a few minutes pass, she comes over and places a plate next to me, half of a bagel with cream cheese on it. "Here."
"Thanks." I look up at her, her glowing green gaze locking onto mine and reminding me of her watery eyes as she was swallowing me down. I reach for her when she walks away, catching her hand gently. "Hey."
She stops, her back still to me. "What's up?"
"Are we good?" I ask her, but the second it's out of my mouth I realize how stupid and insecure it sounds.
What's wrong with me?
London clears her throat. "Yeah. Why wouldn't we be?"
"For starters, you'll barely look at me."
Slowly, she turns around. "I'm looking at you right now."
"Because I said something about it."
"Say what you want to say, Archer." She chews at her lip and crosses her arms, a dead giveaway that she's trying to put a barrier between us.
I stand from my computer chair and step toward her, her neck tilting up to keep her eyes on me. My hand grazes her cheek and tucks her red hair behind her ear. "Why do you keep pretending like there isn't something between us?" I whisper, still caressing her face.
She swallows harshly.
"You drive me fucking insane, London. But I don't want it any other way.
The thought of you with another man…" My jaw tenses and my heart pounds harder at the image of anyone else touching her.
I wanted to keep things platonic with us, but how can I do that when I want to kill anyone who breathes the same air as her?
"I can't deny this anymore. Tell me you don't feel the same and I'll let it go, but until then, I'm not going to stop pursuing you, pursuing us. "
"Archer…it's not that simple."
"It doesn't have to be simple." I skim my thumb over her soft skin and linger my sights on her lips. "Nothing worthwhile ever is."
"It's too complicated. You don't even know me, not the real me."
"You're right," I tell her. "But we've lived together for five weeks.
Spent every single day together. We've had meals and fights and intimate moments.
That must count for something. I know how you like your coffee and I've picked up your little quirks, like how you don't wait for your food to cool down before you eat it, how you can read a book in record speed, how you insist on doing things yourself, how you pretend everything is fine when there's a tornado brewing inside here.
" I place a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"I've seen you battered and bruised, and polished and put together.
I adore both versions of you, all versions of you.
" I take a breath and continue. "It doesn't have to be forever, I'm just asking that you give me a chance.
A date, a real one. Let me take you out.
Just the two of us. Let's forget about everything else and just focus on us.
If you hate it, if you don't feel anything, we can go back to the way things were before, no harm, no foul. One chance, what do you say?"
London takes a long breath in, her bottom lip trembling ever so slightly. "What if we can't go back to the way things were before?"
"Would that be such a bad thing?" I ask her and withstand the urge to quiet her mind with my mouth on hers.
"One date," she says and pokes my chest. "But nothing fancy. I'm serious. I want something simple, like pizza on the roof.”
“Do you want me to stand outside your window with a boom box, too?
“I'm not impressed by money, no matter how materialistic you think I am."
"I don't think you're…"
But she cuts me off. "I'm going to stop you there, big boy. One thing I don't tolerate is lying. Don't lie to me. Ever. I don't care how bad you think it will hurt my feelings. Tell me the truth."
I shake my head. "No lying."
"Now eat your bagel," she instructs me, that adorable playfulness I've been missing returning in full force.
I glance at my watch. "Family will be here around noon for lunch. What do you say I pick you up at your place around seven?"
"Tonight?"
I nod a bit too enthusiastically. "Too soon?"
London rolls her eyes and walks away, her jeans hugging her ass in all the right ways.
When I open the door to let my siblings in, Ivy homes in on me immediately. "Why are you smiling?"
"I'm not smiling." I step out of the way to let them enter.
Ivy's heels clatter on the hardwood floor, Leo pushes past her to get in, walking right by and plopping down on the couch, his phone glued to his hand.
August finishes up a call, his face pinched like he's annoyed by something, and Seven drags his feet, quite literally, his entire body sluggish as if he doesn't want to be here at all.
"Brother," I say to Seven and wonder if I'm going to have to swing on him again today.
He slaps me on the shoulder, his glassy eyes meeting mine.
Seven is already drunk and it's barely noon.
Part of me worries for him but the other half, the more rational side, recognizes that he's a grown-ass adult who can make decisions, and mistakes, on his own.
My only hope is that they don't impact our family and everything we've built.
One bad move and Seven could crumble our entire empire. Perhaps I could care more after all.
Ivy scans the apartment and I follow her over to the table where she drops a bag of food and takes the other one from under August's arm. "Where's the princess?"
"Excuse me?"
"London. Where is she?" Ivy drags out box followed by box of Chinese food, the one meal we can all agree on.
"She's in the bathroom, is that okay with you, sister?"
Ivy continues getting the food out of the paper bag. "Something's off about her, Arch. I just know it."
"Something's off about all of us, doesn't mean it's a bad thing."
She stops and looks directly at me, her gaze daring me to understand. "I'm not wrong about this."
"Maybe you are, have you considered that?" I walk away, go into the kitchen, pull out plates, forks, and napkins, and bring them back to the table.
"What are you two going on about?" Leo says, his attention split between his phone and us.
"Get over here and help us, you lazy shit," Ivy teases him and glances over at Seven who's wandering toward where I keep my liquor. "God damn it." She breaks away to go over and redirect him. "You're already piss-drunk, Sev. Can't you go one meal without getting hammered?"
Seven pouts but otherwise complies, letting Ivy push him into the dining room and onto a chair. He slumps there, his mood more subdued than usual.
"What's he on?" I ask Ivy quietly.
"Beats me." She shrugs and plops a container of food in front of him. "Eat this. Sober up."
Seven shoves it, pouting like a child and folding his arms over his chest. "I'm not hungry."
The door to the bathroom opens, London darting out a second later and going into my bedroom. I close the distance between us in a few long strides and lightly tap on the door, my other arm pressed against the frame, waiting for her.
London peeks her head through the doorway "Yeah?"
"Come on. Eat with us."
"Enjoy your time with your family. I don't want to intrude." London averts her gaze like she's looking past me but at nothing in particular.
"You're not intruding." I pause then add, "And besides, when has that ever stopped you?"
London doesn't laugh at my joke and I worry I may have ruined things before they even started. I just got her back; I can't lose her already. "I don't know," she says.
"Don't know what? I want you to eat with us. Please?"
London sighs, tugging her bottom lip into her mouth. I want to reach out and make her stop, but we aren't there yet. Not when things are too up in the air between us.
"Fine," she says finally. "I'll be out in a minute."
"You promise?" I ask, that desperation in my tone I wish I could get rid of.
I'm a fucking simp and I can barely hide it.
"Yes, Archer, I promise." London closes the door and I return to my siblings, all four of them now at the table.
"Nice of you to join us," Leo mouths off. "Where's Little Miss?"
"She's coming, don't worry."
"I'm sure that's not the first time she's come for you," he replies.
I stare directly at him, my cheeks no doubt turning red from his out-of-place remark.
He throws up his hands. "I'm just saying, you two came back to dinner pretty flushed the other night."
Ivy stops scooping noodles onto her plate. "You went to dinner? Without me?"
"It wasn't that kind of dinner, sis. More like a double date." Leo grabs an egg roll out of the sack and holds it in front of himself.
"And who was your date?" she asks him without realizing the weight of the answer that's to follow.
"Grace," he says without skipping a beat.