Chapter 22
VINCENT
If Brooklyn saw my phone reminder, she didn’t let on. I felt bad about being so curt with her earlier, but I’d panicked.
It was stupid of me to set that alert in the first place. October third was bad enough, but after last year’s spiral, I’d set one for my birthday too. Seeing the command in black and white helped rein me in. The last thing I needed was to blow everything up on what should be a happy day.
Thankfully, the rest of the afternoon passed without incident. After I finished working out, I joined my friends for lunch and a movie in the screening room. It was just the guys since the girls went sightseeing.
I was a little disappointed I didn’t get to see Brooklyn, but it was probably for the best. The less we interacted in front of the others, the better.
Scarlett had freakishly perceptive powers, and I was convinced she’d pick up on the newfound tension between us if she saw us together for more than two minutes.
Hopefully, Asher could distract her enough during dinner and clubbing that she wouldn’t notice.
I was getting ready for my official birthday night out when my phone rang. My lips curved. I’d been waiting for her to call.
“Happy birthday!” my mum sang after I picked up. “How’s my baby boy doing? Are you having a nice time in Budapest?”
“Thanks, Mum. Yeah, it’s great. We’ve been at the villa all day, but we’re headed out to dinner soon.”
“Good, good. You work so hard. You should have fun with your friends, and I adore Budapest. Did I tell you about the fling I had there when I was on holiday from uni? Oh, he was gorgeous. I could’ve been an exiled prince’s wife, but alas, I married your father instead.
” Her deep sigh rattled with regret. “The follies of youth.”
“Mum, please.” I grimaced. “I love you, but I don’t want to hear about your love life. Ever.”
“Fine, but learn from my mistakes. Be very careful about who you attach yourself to, especially given who you are. There are all sorts of people just waiting to take advantage in the wings.”
“I know.” That was why I had such a small circle of friends. It was hard to trust people. Everyone wanted a piece of you, and sometimes, those pieces ended up as sensational headlines in the tabloids.
Fame and money corrupted, but so did proximity to fame and money.
“Speaking of love lives…” I knew what my mum was going to say before she said it. “How’s yours going? Meet anyone special yet?”
No. My default answer teetered on the tip of my tongue, but it didn’t feel quite right.
I glanced into the bedroom, where the rest of Brooklyn’s birthday gift lay neatly folded on the bed.
“Vincent?” my mother prompted.
I shifted my attention back to the mirror. “Not yet.”
The half-lie tasted metallic on my tongue.
“Oh.” Her disappointment was tangible. “Well, you still have time. I thought Scarlett would never date again after Rafael, but look at her now. She and Asher are just darling together.”
“Mmhmm.”
We chatted for a few more minutes about my birthday plans and her work. She was a nurse, and she always had wild stories about her patients.
“I won’t keep you any longer,” she said after a somewhat nauseating tale involving a patient’s rectum and spiky fruit. “I just wanted to call and wish you a happy birthday. I love you.”
A lump formed in my throat. “Love you too.”
Do Not Contact. I blinked away the image as I hung up, but guilt shredded my insides anyway.
“Not today, DuBois,” I muttered. It was my fucking birthday. I was not going to spiral again.
I finished getting ready and went downstairs, determined to enjoy myself instead of feeding my neuroses. It was easier when there were people around. It gave me less time to be alone with my thoughts.
“There he is!” Adil spotted me first. “The birthday boy! Looking quite dapper, I might add.”
I adopted an easy smile as I went around the room and greeted everyone. I’d seen them all earlier, but dinner marked the official celebration. Their presents were already piled up on the coffee table next to glasses of champagne.
My mouth quirked as I remembered Brooklyn’s gift.
I’d kept my promise and was wearing the boxer briefs with my face on them for our night out.
They were hands down one of the best gifts I’d ever gotten—not because they were the most expensive or the most aesthetically pleasing, but because of the time and thought she’d put into them.
She didn’t explicitly say it, but I knew she’d chosen the underwear because I told her I bought one style at the arcade. It was the only explanation, and the fact she’d remembered such a small detail made my chest ache a little.
“Happy birthday, my man.” Samson clapped me on the back, interrupting my train of thought. “One year closer to being geriatric.”
I flipped him off with a good-natured grin.
“This is for you.” Seth handed me a glass of Veuve Clicquot. “Thanks for inviting me. This is, like, the coolest trip I’ve ever been part of.”
“Anytime, man. You’re part of the team. You know that.”
He ducked his head, his cheeks reddening. He was twenty, making him the youngest kit manager in Blackcastle history. But he was good at his job, if a little too earnest, and he was shy enough that I’d made an effort to include him in as many group activities as possible.
Noah gave me a terse hug, which I didn’t take personally. Everything he did was terse. I was honored that he’d even shown up.
Then he stepped aside, and there she was.
My breath caught. Brooklyn was laughing with Carina about something. She hadn’t noticed I was nearby yet, and I took the opportunity to drink her in.
I’d seen her in every type of outfit possible—pajamas, workout gear, fancy dresses and sexy dresses and a lady pirate costume for Halloween last year. She looked great no matter what. But there was something about her tonight that stole the air right out my lungs.
Her red dress clung to her waist and flared around her thighs, revealing miles of smooth, bare skin.
Her heels added at least three inches to her height, and her hair fell in soft golden waves down her back.
It wasn’t just the way she dressed or looked—it was the way she moved.
The way she smiled. The way she could switch from playful and charming one minute to warm and empathetic the next.
It was…fuck, it was her. Every piece and facet of her. They shone so brightly I couldn’t look away.
The truth had always been there, waiting for its moment in the sun. It’d compelled me to invite her to Budapest even though I knew it was a bad idea, and it’d made me want to kill anyone who made her cry.
But I’d never been able to put my finger on it until now.
Fuck. Me. I wasn’t just infatuated with her. I—
“Happy birthday, DuBois.” Her smooth greeting carried an amused lilt.
While I’d been reeling from my revelation, she’d come up beside me, her expression quizzical as I stared at her like I’d suddenly forgotten English.
“Merci. I mean, thank you.” I chugged the champagne Seth gave me, which was a mistake. Champagne wasn’t meant to be chugged. “You look…nice.”
“Merci.” Her eyes crinkled at my expense. It was adorable.
“Carina!” I turned abruptly to the brunette. “You look great too.”
“Thanks, but not as great as Brooklyn,” Carina chirped. “Right?”
I blinked. What the fuck did that mean? Was she on to me? Could she read minds? Did everyone in Scarlett’s friend group have some freaky ability to mess with my head?
Brooklyn glared at her, but that didn’t wipe the devious smile off Carina’s face.
Thankfully, Scarlett came over at that moment to hug me and say it was time to open presents. By the time we finished and arrived at the restaurant, courtesy of the SUV limo I’d hired, I’d regained some semblance of control.
I did, however, make sure I sat as far from Brooklyn as possible. I couldn’t afford to slip up at a group dinner with my sister and closest friends.
As a result, I was quieter than usual, but Adil made up for it with his chatter.
“Quick! Check your texts before he gets back,” he said when Samson left to use the toilet. “I have another gift for you, but I don’t want to make Samson feel bad because he’s not included.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Your gift is a text?”
“No. Just open the message I sent,” he said impatiently. “You’re gonna love it.”
Somehow, I doubted it. Nevertheless, I did as he asked and found a new text from him that read, “Open me!”
I clicked into it, confused, until I saw the name at the top. It was a group chat called Blackcastle Baddies. Besides Adil, the only other members were Asher and Noah.
“You’ve been added to the club’s elite chat!” Adil beamed. “We took a group vote, and we’ve decided to initiate you as a Blackcastle Baddie! Congratulations!”
“I tried to veto you, but I was overruled,” Asher said. Scarlett elbowed him with an exasperated laugh.
“Wait.” I held up a hand. “You’ve had a separate chat going this whole time? I’m the captain!” I didn’t actually care that much about the chat, but it was the principle of the matter. “How the hell did Noah make it in before me? No offense, man,” I added.
“None taken,” Noah said, his tone dry. “Trust me. I didn’t want to be there in the first place.”
“Shocker,” Carina murmured under her breath.
His mouth tightened, but he didn’t acknowledge her comment.
“Well, I started the chat when you and Donovan hated each other,” Adil explained. “He was being shunned. I felt bad, so I added him to our bromance.”
“We do not have a bromance,” Noah said.
“Yeah, what the fuck?” Asher crossed his arms. “Don’t make it sound like a pity invite. You begged me to join.”
“Uh, negative. I don’t have to beg anyone to join a group chat. I can just add them, which I did. You’re welcome.”
“What’s the difference between this chat and the book club one?” I asked. “Besides the number of people.”
“Nothing,” Noah said. “You just get double the notifications.”
“It’s a sign of prestige—oh shit, Samson’s back.” Panic spread across Adil’s face. “Tina, don’t tell him about the chat. I don’t want to exacerbate his feelings of inadequacy, or he’ll try to overcompensate on the pitch, which never ends well.”
“My name’s Tamara.”
“Whatever.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine. I won’t tell him.” She returned to taking selfies on her phone.
We used to try and keep up with Samson’s dates, but we eventually gave up. The guy went through girlfriends faster than Adil went through erotic novels.
Dinner ended with Samson being none the wiser about Blackcastle Baddies. I’d successfully avoided looking at Brooklyn throughout the meal, but I could hear her from all the way down the table.
Her laugh when Seth made a bad joke, her excitement when Scarlett started planning for her birthday trip next year, her disbelief when Noah said he had to take part in the bachelor auction.
It was infuriating.
“I’m so excited to go out with you guys,” Seth said when we left the restaurant. The limo was waiting for us a little further down the street. “I’ve never been to a proper club.”
“Never?” He was young, but there were plenty of eighteen-plus clubs in London.
“No.” He flushed. “My friends aren’t the clubbing sort.”
“That’s a tragedy.” Samson overheard him.
“Seth, mate, we gotta show you a good time tonight and get you laid. Tell me. What’s your type?
” He slung an arm over the kit manager’s shoulder.
“I’ll wingman for you at the club. You can’t work for Blackcastle with no game—it looks bad for the rest of us. ”
Seth was still stuttering and fumbling his way through a response when they disappeared into the limo.
I glanced at the restaurant entrance. Brooklyn and Carina were still in the restroom. I should—
My phone pinged. I checked it, expecting another birthday message from a friend. I was only half right.
Unknown Number
Happy birthday
Unknown Number
I hope you had a nice dinner in Budapest :)
I came to an abrupt halt. It was freezing outside, but that didn’t compare to the ice rushing through my veins.
This was my private cell. Only a handful of people had the number, and it wasn’t searchable anywhere online.
My birthday trip also wasn’t public knowledge. It was possible someone recognized me at the airport or in the restaurant and posted about it, but a quick Google search didn’t turn up anything about me being in Budapest.
Even if a random fan knew I was here, how the fuck did they get my number?
Me: Who is this?
I waited, my breaths forming small white puffs in the air.
But a reply never came.