Chapter Eight #2
The corners of my mouth curved. “Really? Who does? Ash?”
“Both of them. It’s like they met two days ago. Everything is polite as hell, and you know Ash—he doesn’t even cuss around him.”
“Did you ask him about it?”
“Yeah, and he told me to mind my own business too, which is what I should be doing right now.”
I bit down on my lip. Interesting. And frustrating as hell. Why was he still with him?
“Thanks for being honest with me.”
“It was a terrible idea. I can see the little cogs turning from here.” He twirled a finger toward my head, and I leaned out of reach. “Please don’t do anything rash. Maybe just sit Sebastian down and have a conversation like two adults?”
I shrugged, grabbing another bite just to busy my mouth.
“Right, where’s the fun in that? Let’s cause more trouble for Henry,” he muttered.
“What trouble?”
“Having to deal with you and Ash in crisis mode at the same time, and the club, and Mateo’s incessant, unwelcome flirting, and I have to go back to the States next weekend because Vivian is terrible at handling anything with our dad.”
“Wait.” I held up my fork. “What about your dad?”
Henry’s shoulders sagged, his expression going from sullen to vulnerable. “He’s got some tests he needs to get done, and it’s kind of a mess. He doesn’t want anyone to know because reputation or whatever. It’s fucked. He hasn’t even told Oli. And he keeps asking about Ash.”
My stomach sank, fingers tightening around my fork. “Like he’s sick?”
Henry made a noncommittal gesture, then fixed his gaze on me. “Actually, now that I think about it, you could help me.”
“Anything. I just don’t know how much help I’d be…” I had zero medical expertise, but, fuck, if something was wrong, I wanted to do something.
“Could you talk Ash into calling him?”
My jaw dropped. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, he listens to you. And look, I know right now you’re in the dads-suck club and all, but you worked with him. You know he’s different. He’s trying. He’s just old and shit at showing it. But he’s our dad, you know. I don’t want both of them to live with regret forever.”
It made my heart ache. And he was right—they did deserve that chance.
Even if it was just for closure.
Maybe?
All my dad had ever done was fuck my life up.
Teddy had changed, though.
Henry must’ve seen the uncertainty on my face because he shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’m putting you in a tough spot right now. After what you’ve been through…”
“No, it’s okay. If it’s important to you, of course I’ll try. I just don’t know how much Ash will be willing to talk to me about that.”
Henry gave me a wry smile, leaning his elbows on the table. “Are you kidding me? You’re literally the only person in the world Sebastian has ever opened up to.” His voice softened. “He doesn’t let people in when things are falling apart. If he’s letting you in now… that’s not small.”
The butterflies kicked up a frenzy in my stomach. I was stupidly pleased by it. “I’ll try.”
Henry smiled again. “Just don’t use that as an excuse to keep hitting on him.”
“That’s not what I’m doing.” I stared down at my plate, lips pulling into a tiny smirk. “If I were, he wouldn’t know what hit him,” I muttered.
“Heard that.”
Casa Umbral, in the Carabanchel district, used to be an old warehouse before it was repurposed into a contemporary art gallery. I hadn’t explored much of the west side of the city, but the industrial landscape was just as striking as anywhere else I’d been.
Inside, the place was crowded with modern and abstract pieces, everything arranged in those clean, impossible-to-replicate lines that made you stand a little straighter.
The room buzzed with the artsy crowd of the city.
Servers drifted by with trays of champagne, though plenty of people clutched small beer glasses instead.
It didn’t feel overly pretentious—more like a niche corner of Madrid that somehow managed to feel exclusive without crossing into annoying.
I was—however—annoyed.
First, because the reason I was here at all was to be the emotional support friend of Henry Langley, who had decided at the last minute that bringing a date was better than bringing me.
Something had definitely happened between him and Mateo this week, but he wasn’t sharing, which meant I was free to keep being irritated about being abandoned tonight.
The second reason was currently holding a glass of champagne in one hand while his other arm was looped through Sebastian Langley’s, posed like a polished little ornament.
They’d walked in looking like the perfect couple, and even though Sebastian refused to take any official pictures, the people orbiting them—presumably Luca’s friends—were all about the selfies.
And I was wandering around aimlessly—alone—while the Langley brothers annoyed the hell out of me. Again.
It didn’t help that Sebastian looked fucking impeccable as always. I took some small comfort in the fact that the second he spotted me, his eyes dragged over me appreciatively before landing on mine. He threw me a wink, and my stomach did that traitorous dip I absolutely did not authorize.
“Ethan!”
My head snapped in the direction of the voice, and I immediately lit up, arms open as one of my favorite people in the world barreled toward me.
“Ari,” I laughed as she wrapped her arms around my neck.
“I’ve missed your face,” she said, squeezing me a little too hard.
“Very much the same. Please tell me you’re staying for more than a day this time.”
She stepped back, whiskey in hand. “I wish. Henry’s here, so I’ve got to take care of the rest. I’m off to Greece tomorrow night—still a few weeks left before offseason.”
“Work, work, work.” I lifted my glass with a smirk.
She mirrored me. “Learned from the best. Or maybe the worst?”
“Definitely the worst.”
“Speaking of which…” She craned her neck, eyes sweeping the gallery like a hawk tracking prey. “There’s the devil and… the devil’s new boyfriend?” Her gaze flew back to me.
“Yup. That would be him.”
“And do we like him? What are we doing? What’s the plan?”
“We are attempting maturity, but…” I made a face. “We might be failing a little.”
“Sounds about right.” She bumped her shoulder against mine lightly. “How’s school?”
“Great. Actually a little overwhelming, since I started at VistaReal a couple of weeks ago.”
She froze mid-sip. “Excuse me? Started as in… working?” Her eyes widened. “Are you Sebastian’s employee? Did you two somehow manage to make your relationship even more complicated?”
“There’s no relationship to complicate this time,” I said. “We’re just friends. And I’m just part-time, so don’t look at me like that.”
She rolled her eyes so hard it was a miracle she didn’t sprain something. “Most unrealistic thing I’ve heard this year.” Then, more seriously, “So you know about the whole thing? How’s he holding up? Those fucking articles—I swear—people just love making him miserable.”
My eyes flicked to Sebastian. To anyone else, he looked the same as always—composed, untouchable, perfectly put together.
But I could see it. The faint shadows under his eyes.
His hair was getting longer, like he hadn’t had time to maintain it.
The tightness in his shoulders even when he stood still.
Stress clung to him. It was unsettling seeing him like this—scrambling, carrying too much, looking one bad turn away from drowning in it.
“They’ll figure it out,” I said. “Ash, Elena… everyone at the company is pulling their weight. And if they can’t resolve the freeze, they’ll find another way to absorb the hit.” I said it with complete certainty. Because I believed in them. I believed in him.
“I’m sure they will.” Her eyes lingered on me. “Did he get Oli on board?”
I opened my mouth to admit I had no idea when she edged closer, leaning in.
“Incoming,” she murmured.
“We all know each other. Don’t be weird.”
Sebastian was already walking toward us, smirk firmly in place and aimed at Aria. “Well, well, well—if it isn’t my favorite oathbreaker?”
Aria laughed. “Gosh, you’re still such a geek.”
“You got the reference, though,” he said, wearing that ridiculously attractive, warm smile as he hugged her. “Please tell me you’re turning your back on my brother and coming back to me.”
“Not a fucking chance,” Henry said, appearing out of thin air. He handed an empty glass to a waiter and grabbed a new one in a single smooth motion. His date—a beautiful Spanish woman whose name I wasn’t a hundred percent sure of—stood beside him.
Aria stepped back. “Plus, you can’t afford me anymore,” she said, eyes on her former boss.
“I can barely afford her,” Henry muttered, half hidden behind his glass.
Aria shoved his shoulder before extending her hand to Luca. It was curious how nobody seemed to know he existed until recently.
A second later, Raúl and Mateo joined us, and once the introductions wrapped up, I took a quiet sip of my drink just as Luca tightened his hold on Sebastian’s arm.
Interesting.
Luca always seemed to get a little more territorial when I was around. I caught one of the glares he shot my way and had to fight the urge to smile. I was guessing he’d found out I was working under his boyfriend. That probably hadn’t gone over well.
I hid my amusement behind another sip of my drink.
Mateo ended up beside me, looking smart in a linen suit with his shoulder-length, dirty-blond Viking hair down. He also looked a little sad, gaze drifting to Henry, who downed his entire drink in one go. Something was definitely off there.
“It is an incredible piece, Mateo,” Luca said.
“Thank you. Do you like sculptures?” Mateo angled his body toward him.
Luca nodded. “All art.”
I scoffed under my breath. Truth be told, it sparked every one of my insecurities. Luca, I’d learned during my light stalking, was an art major—just like Charlotte. So not only was he older and attractive, but he was cultured and smart too, and that really rubbed me the wrong way.