CHAPTER 8 FAE #2
Exposed beams run overhead, rough and unapologetic, holding everything together in a way that feels both controlled and chaotic.
The globe lights cast a calm that doesn’t quite match the energy I know this room can hold.
The black-framed windows still draw my eye as the greenery presses in from outside, offering a kind of peace.
The room goes silent, as one by one Felix, Atlas, Riggs, and Victor notice me.
“Fae?” Felix questions, looking me up and down.
I curse myself for not asking for some trousers from Roman when I had the chance.
“Fairrry!” Riggs cheers, rounding the central island and scooping me off my feet.
I chuckle and squeeze him back. I must have been cuddling him for all of two seconds before another set of hands comes under my armpits and I’m dragged back into the solid form of Roman.
If he could breathe fire, I’m sure Riggs would be ash right now.
“No touching.” Roman barks, pointing to Riggs like he’s a dog. I round on him and push him off me.
“Fuck off, Roman.” I snap, walking back over to Riggs and giving him a gentle squeeze.
I can’t ignore the tension in the room and I watch with sick satisfaction as Roman grapples with the fact I’m touching someone else. His hands flex into fists at his side like he’s trying his best not to reach for me again.
Letting go of Riggs, I walk back up to Roman, pat his chest as he leans down, and I whisper in his ear, “Good boy, learn to share.”
His growl is audible and I bite back a laugh. Annoying Roman is easy, but his reactions are still always hilarious to me. Turning, I realise everyone is watching our interaction and it feels awkward and weird. I walk up to Atlas and he embraces me, giving me a peck on the cheek.
“Are you okay?” He bites his bottom lip so much that I’m worried it will start to bleed.
“I’m okay.” I smile, patting his face and using my thumb to pull his lip from his teeth. “Chill, okay?” I ruffle his red hair and his light blue eyes sparkle with mischief at the act.
Atlas nods as Victor puts his cup of coffee down by the sink and rounds on me. Picking me up, he deposits me on the cool stone countertop and lifts my chin with his finger, giving me a once over. Whatever he sees, he is obviously happy with, as he nods before giving me a peck on the cheek.
“I have a lead; I thought I should let you know,” he says as pimples crawl up my skin. “Willow told me that she saw Robyn getting into an argument with an unknown man in Colchester near the leisure centre, so I’m off to get that checked out today.”
I nod numbly, trying to figure out when and why Robyn would be at the leisure centre in the first place.
I shiver, maybe Roman is right, maybe she did run from us.
But why? And why not just tell me she was leaving?
Would she really leave all the things she loved behind?
And I’m not just talking about the people.
When Robyn arrived, she had one small duffle bag full of clothes.
Over the last three years, she was finally able to stock up and get things that she wanted and needed.
I just can’t see her running away and starting again from scratch.
“I will let you know if I find anything, okay? In 36 hours we meet and I will bring you everything then.”
“Thanks, Victor.” I smile, keeping my musings to myself.
“Anytime, fairy.” He looks over his shoulder at who I presume is Roman, then pins his different coloured eyes back on me.
Victor is two inches shorter than Roman and Felix, but his commanding presence is no different.
His mousy brown hair is longer on top, flicking up into a quiff, while the sides are cut shorter, fading into skin.
Giving me a knowing look, he steps back and walks out of the kitchen, picking up an apple from the fruit basket as he goes.
“So.” Felix’s voice comes from behind me and I take a deep breath, knowing exactly what his next question will be. “Are you two fucking?”
I reply with no at the same time Roman says yes. I scoff, jumping off the kitchen counter and turning towards him.
‘Don’t start,” Roman muses just as I open my mouth before I sigh. Looking up at the white ceiling I count down from ten so I don’t lose my shit. “I’m not going to hide you, Fae, and I’m certainly never going to lie.”
“We didn’t fuck.”
“We will.”
“Augh, we aren’t fucking, we just…” I shudder as I look at my brother. “Don’t make me go into details with you.”
“Oh no, please do,” Riggs says with a wide smile and I groan.
“He scratched his itch and I needed a place to crash because I trashed mine yesterday. That’s all.”
“Get the popcorn, Atlas,” Riggs cheers from somewhere to my side.
“Shut up!” Felix, Roman, and I bark at the same time.
“Eeee, no can do.” Riggs claps his hands and jumps up onto the counter. “Honestly, fairy, I for sure thought I’d be the one you fucked before graduation.”
A spoon flies across the kitchen. With perfect precision, it hits the side of his head. If that were a knife, he would be dead instantly. Riggs whinges as he rubs the spot before giving Roman a death stare.
“Don’t ever think about my woman and sex in the same sentence again, pup, or it won’t be a spoon I throw,” Roman commands.
“Easy tiger,” Riggs chuckles at the same time I say,
“I’m not your woman.”
Roman ignores Riggs and pins his intense chocolate browns onto me.
“Yes, the fuck, you are. The sooner you come to terms with that, the better.”
It is too early to deal with this shit.
“Felix, drop me home please,” I ignore Roman and start to make my way upstairs to grab my phone.
“I’ll be the one to do it,” Roman motions to follow me.
“No,” I snap, then inhale deeply. “Roman, let my twin brother take me home. You can pick me up in an hour before the debrief.”
Something passes through Roman’s eyes before he concedes with a small nod and hangs back.
The men are talking by the time I leave the kitchen, but it’s too quiet to make out what they’re saying.
And quite frankly, this has been the weirdest twenty-four hours of my life, and I don’t think I even want to know.
My body feels sore, but it’s my mind that’s taken the worst of it. Collecting my belongings, I make my way back down and motion for Felix. He follows me to his car in silence.
I hope I can put off this awkward conversation for the rest of my life. That being said, he does want to marry my best friend, so is fucking his really the worst?