9. Duncan #2
"Your sister snagged the world's most eligible bachelor?"
I got out my phone and pulled up a photograph of Delia, Hunter, and me together from a weekend trip I took to NYC to see them over the spring. I swiped to show her a pic I took of Hunter, Delia, and Sebastian, my nephew. "That's them with their son."
Lindsey sighed, disgusted. "Well there goes my fantasy of Hunter Hawkins sweeping me off my feet and taking me to his private island estate in the Mediterranean for a week of swinging-from-the-chandeliers sex."
"He sold that estate off last year," I said.
She frowned at me. "That was a joke."
I cackled. "Well, he really did have a Mediterranean estate, and he did have a habit of bringing girls there, before he met Delia."
"So I could have had a week of hot monkey sex at Hunter Hawkins's Mediterranean estate, but I'm too late?"
“Yup."
She shook her head. "There's no justice in this world. I swear." She eyed me speculatively. "You have any brothers?"
I stared back blankly. “Yes, one. He's an ugly old troll who lives under a bridge."
"I can't tell if you're joking or not, Dora."
Rune crashed our conversation, then. "Stop gossiping about me, you two."
Lindsey flipped her off. "You could have told me his brother-in-law is Hunter Hawkins. You know how I feel about that man."
Rune rolled her eyes. "I only found out myself recently. And you were never gonna get with him, babe."
"I could have, you don't know. I can be very alluring, I'll have you know." She tossed her hair with a funny little bob-and-shake of her head and a faux-prim expression.
Rune just laughed, wrapping her friend in a side hug. "Never change, Linz. I really do love you, even though you're a crazy woman."
"SHOTS IN THE HOTEL BAR!" someone yelled, and the wedding crowd herded into the hotel bar, swarmed the bartender, and then it was off to the races.
To say mayhem ensued is to vastly understate the case.
Rune's friend group could seriously drink, and this is coming from someone who grew up in bars, with a family that took partying to a whole other level.
Even though no one knew who the fuck I was, they included me without question, especially after I beat their reigning chugging contest champion. I tried to behave myself at first, but by the time the fourth round of tequila shots had been passed around, there was no holding back.
My shirt came off, as usual.
I watched Rune throughout the evening—she was obviously avoiding me, choosing to spend most of her time flitting from person to person, group to group.
She was one of the most popular people in the group, too, along with Lindsey and Raquel.
Those three, at some point in the evening, took up spots together at a round high top near the center of the bar and held court there.
In some ways, it was fascinating seeing Rune in the context of her friends—she was loose, wild, effusive, loud, funny, and charismatic. And by loose, I mean free and uninhibited, not loose as in free with her sexual mores. I couldn’t look away from her.
Specifically, I found myself staring at her mouth. Her plump red lips, moving as she spoke, wide as she laughed. I couldn't stop thinking about how soft they were, how they felt slicking against mine. How they looked wrapped around my cock….
Fuck.
"You're pinin’, lad," A Scottish-accented voice said to me.
Startled, I turned and saw Hamish beside me, a fresh pint of beer in his hand, looking as tipsy as I felt. "I'm not pining."
Hamish laughed into his beer as he took a long swig, lowering the glass to show foam sticking to his bushy red mustache. "You are so." He gestured at the trio of girls. "You haven't taken your eyes off our Rune the whole night."
I rubbed my upper lip. “You've got foam on your stache."
He took another swig, letting even more foam coat his upper lip. "Aye, and dinna try an' change the subject on me."
"I'm not pining. She's avoiding me and it's annoying."
"She hasn't seen her friends in two months. Don't read too much into it."
“Yeah, but it's not just that. She's definitely avoiding me."
Hamish snorted. "She is no."
"Watch." I took my pint glass and wandered casually across the floor, dodging people.
I reached the table where Rune, Lindsey, and Raquel were camped out, pretending to not realize who was at the table until I made a show of noticing.
“Oh, hey," I said. "Lindsey, Raquel, Rune. Having a fun night, ladies?"
Raquel, who at some point had acquired a bride-to-be sash and a plastic-and-glitter crown, lifted a rocks glass toward the ceiling. "Best night ever!"
Lindsey lifted her glass in support. "So far!"
Rune, however, chewed on her black cocktail straw, eyeing me warily, as if I were a wild beast she wasn't sure it was safe to approach. "I need the ladies' room," she said. "Linz, you coming?"
Lindsey allowed Rune to haul her away, leaving me alone at the table with Raquel. I tried to think of something to say to Raquel, but I was saved when a cluster of four drunk blondes accosted her. I left the table and wandered back to Hamish.
"See?" I said. "Avoiding me."
Hamish pulled a face, nodding. "You may have a point, anyway." He had wiped clean his mustache at some point and was already on a fresh beer. His gaze narrowed, anger clouding his features. "That hackit wee jessie's got our girl cornered."
I stared at him. "The fuck does that mean?"
He gestured with his glass at the hallway where the bathrooms were—Hayes had one hand braced against the wall, blocking Rune from exiting the hallway. Whatever he was saying, it was only pissing her off.
I started toward the hallway, but Hamish's blocky big fist caught my arm and held me in place. "Nae, lad, let the numpty dig his own grave. This is a confrontation two months in the making. He's been spoutin' shite about her since she left him, and now it's all come due. It's her fight, Duncan."
"Maybe so, but I'm gonna be there just in case." I jerked my arm out of his grip and pushed through the crowd, taking up a spot near the hallway mouth where I could watch and listen without being obvious.
"…Didn't give me a chance to explain, Rune!" Hayes was saying. "You popped off and threw my trophies at my fucking head!"
Rune growled in frustrated rage. "Hayes, you fucking moron! There’s no explanation you could possibly give that would make anything better!"
"But—"
"No, stop—just fucking stop. Did you or did you not put your penis in that girl's vagina?"
"Well…we…I…"
"It's a very simple question, you lumpy sack of fucks. Yes or no ?"
"Yes, but—"
"Ohmy god , Hayes! Just fucking stop ! The cheating was just the last straw, you do realize that, don’t you?
" She got in his face, shouting. "You are a terrible human being!
You were a terrible boyfriend. Yes, you have a pretty face, but you're a pathetic piece of shit!
You know how many different mental and emotional hangups you gave me? "
I noticed a distinct reduction in the volume of the bar; a quick glance told me people had noticed the confrontation and were tuning in.
"What are you talking about?" Hayes demanded. "I loved you!"
"Oh fuck you ! Fuck you till the end of time, Hayes Mother fucking Willoughby. If the way you treated me when we were together was love, then I shudder to think how you treat people you don't like. You fucked me up, bad ."
Rune hadn't noticed that everyone was watching and listening, and something told me she wouldn't want this kind of attention. I had to do something.
I shoved through the crowd, climbed up onto the bar, and held my pint glass up. "I'd like to propose a toast!" I shouted, drawing everyone's attention to myself. "We're all here for two people! Raquel and Hamish!"
Everyone cheered, and glasses were lifted to the ceiling.
"I just met you guys yesterday, but I can already tell that you're my kind of people. My toast is simple, you two. Here's to a long and happy life together."
I hopped down, ignoring the dirty look from the bartender, and stole a look around the room—I spotted Rune exiting the hotel bar and vanishing into the lobby, her keycard for our room in hand.
I set my nearly-empty glass down on the nearest table and hustled after her.
She vanished into a full elevator, the door closing on her; she was breathing hard, visibly upset.
I couldn't tell by her face if she was crying or not since her head was ducked, chin to her chest, but judging by the way her shoulders were heaving, she was definitely crying.
I snagged the next elevator and rode it up to our floor, arriving at our room right as it the door clicked closed.
I opened it with my card and stepped inside. Rune was facing away from the door, shoulders shaking. "Go away, Duncan."
I halted behind her, close enough to touch, to wrap my arms around her—I didn't, yet. “’Lumpy sack of fucks’ was a truly inspired insult. I’m for sure stealing that one."
She sniffled a laugh. "Thanks. Doesn't do him justice, though."
"No, it certainly doesn't. What did you ever see in that putz in the first place?"
"I wish I could say. I don't remember. He's not even as good looking as I used to think he was." She inhaled, held it, and let out a long shuddery breath. "Why did you do that, Duncan?"
"Do what?"
"Oh, I dunno, bait Hayes? Kiss me like that in front of the whole bar? Jump up and do a big toast when you don’t even know anyone?"
“Well, answering in order…" I cleared my throat and started over. "Number one, I baited Hayes Motherfucking Willoughby—"
"I think we can just call him Hayes at this point. The whole name thing is getting exhausting, and I’m tired of giving him my time, attention, or energy."