2
Luke
“How’d it go with Grant?” I asked.
I sat on a neutral-colored chaise lounge with Al, her legs thrown over my lap. We were outside on Rhett’s veranda enjoying the last few hours of the temperate day. Rhett was leaning against the railing, staring out at the town below the High Court with his back to us.
Al lived with Rhett in the Rein manor. After the Spring Ball, she just never vacated her room at House Rein, eventually moving all her stuff over from Jay’s. As a result, I found myself spending even more time than before at House Rein, usually in Rhett’s wing, since Al enjoyed the balcony and bar off Rhett’s quarters.
“Ughhhh,” Al bemoaned in reply.
“That good, huh?” I said with a sympathetic chuckle, giving her legs a squeeze before letting my hands rest on her calves.
“We’re making progress, Al,” Rhett said, turning toward us. “Once we get Grant on board, the rest will follow House Preston’s lead,” he continued, tracing a hand through the waves of his head of blond hair.
“I can put in a good word with Jamie,” I offered. We all knew that High Lord Preston’s husband, Jamie, harbored a soft spot, or perhaps something a little stiffer, for me.
“I know you’re right,” Al replied to Rhett. “I just hate how everyone looks at me these days like I’m a lost little girl who should just go back to flirting and looking pretty,” Al lamented.
“Fuck that, Al. You’re not lost,” I said, entwining my fingers with hers. “You’re a fucking trailblazer. These idiots are just too slow to tell the difference,” I said, gripping her hand tighter.
“It’s true, Al. Plus, everyone knows I’m the looks of this operation,” Rhett said with a grin, his bright blue eyes dancing with mischief.
No one could deny Rhett’s good looks. There was a reason every available lady, and a fair number of taken ones as well, at the High Court threw themselves at my best friend.
“I’m the one out of my element here,” Rhett said. “They should be telling me to do what I do best and go back to looking pretty. You’re the brains of the operation, Al. How did you trick me into doing real work, again?” he jested.
“If anyone was tricked, it was me, Rhett,” Al retorted. “You’re the one who asked me to speak to your father about all of this. And then he’s the one who stuck us with this task that neither side seems interested in,” she chided him.
“Oh, yeah! Guess I’m the looks and the brains, then!” Rhett joked.
“No offense, mate, but I think she has you beat on both counts,” I chimed in.
I absentmindedly glided my fingers over Al’s smooth skin. Thoughts of how she’d come alive under my hands this morning filled my mind. I consciously stilled the movement of my hands before I ended up finishing what I had started earlier in the day.
“You’re just saying that because it’s true,” Rhett countered.
All three of us laughed.
“Hey, I know what will cheer you up, Al. Let’s go off campus tonight,” I suggested.
All of us, even Rhett, had been focusing so much on our duties at the High Court lately that it had been entirely too long since we’d spent a night away from the Court.
“Isn’t Stefan playing somewhere in town?” I asked.
Al let out an exasperated sigh, and something inside my chest growled with approval. Al was dating Stefan. Al dating wasn’t what I had a problem with. My issue was with her dating Stefan. But it was my own fucking fault that they were dating, I thought, not for the first time. When Stefan had come back from his tour of playing at the northern houses, I’d stupidly talked Al up to him, and he’d been interested ever since. I couldn’t blame him, but what Al saw in him was an entirely different story. He had the musician thing going, and I know girls are into that. But that was all he had going for him, as far as I could tell.
“Yeah. He’s playing at Lucky Heads or something like that,” Al replied.
“Lucky Hearts, you mean?” I asked, chuckling at her dismissiveness. Al just shrugged. “Rhett, are you and James in?” I asked.
“James went back home for a few days, so it looks like the original dream team is back in action tonight!” Rhett exclaimed.
It had been an even longer time since just the three of us had gone off campus. These days, James and Rhett were nearly inseparable if they were in the same town.
“Luke, don’t you have a date with Lauren tonight?” Al asked me.
Oh. Yeah. I’d forgotten all about Lauren LaFleur, which was saying something. She was the hottest commodity around the High Court recently. Lauren had been in a relationship for years with Timothy Durand, but they’d recently split, opening the field for her many interested suitors.
“She can come too,” I said. Problem solved.
The dream team plus Lauren, I amended.
* * * *
Stefan was playing at Lucky Hearts, a bar that usually had a decent game or two of cards going in the back. He sat on a stool, guitar in his hands, and winked at Al as we entered the bar. If Al acknowledged him, I didn’t see it. She walked right past Stefan and the women crowding the dance floor around him and to the bar to order a drink.
With half a beer still in my hand and after only a few songs, Al surprised me by suggesting that we move on to another bar. Stefan hadn’t even finished his first set. He still sat perched upon his stool and surrounded by women fawning over him.
Unsurprisingly, we ended up at Bar Louie. Al walked straight to the bar again.
“Three lagers,” I overheard her say.
“Oh, and, hey, Lauren, what do you want?” she called out over her shoulder.
“A glass of white wine would be great. Oak-barrel, if they have it. Thanks, Alarie,” Lauren replied politely.
Lauren didn’t seem like the type who left the High Court very often. Her gaze bounced around the shabby but clean main room of the bar full of bar games and locals you would never see up at the Court.
“It’s kind of a hole,” I admitted. “But it’s a good time,” I promised Lauren. “Hey, I’m going to help Al grab our drinks. You want anything else?” I asked, already walking toward the bar. Lauren shook her head.
“Want to talk about it?” I asked, bumping into Al to announce my arrival.
“Talk about what?” she asked, half turning her body away from the bar and towards me.
“Why we just left Stefan’s gig as soon as we got there?” I replied.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” she answered too quickly, tossing her long espresso brown hair over one shoulder.
“Ooook,” I replied skeptically, raising my eyebrows.
The bartender slid our three beers onto the bar behind her. I reached my arms around and behind her, grabbing the beers. My arms caging her in, I looked down into her green and gold eyes. They held a steely determination, challenging me to ask more about the subject. I grinned down at her, admiring her feistiness. Al and Stefan were very hot and cold these days. I was happy to stay out of it as long as that’s what she wanted.
“I’ll get this round,” Al offered.
“Not a chance,” I replied, indicating for the bartender to put the drinks on my tab.
“Come get your ass kicked at some bar games and maybe I’ll let you buy me a drink,” I teased, easily lifting the three flagons of lager directly over her head.
“Here’s your wine, Lauren,” Al said, meeting us at the table Lauren sat at by herself. Rhett was already in the throes of a game of darts with a stranger.
“Hey, you want to play?” Al asked Lauren, gesturing toward a dartboard that had just opened up.
“Ummm, no. I’m just awful. You two go ahead, though,” Lauren suggested.
“You sure?” I asked.
Lauren nodded her head. “I’ll just watch from here,” she offered.
I shrugged. “Okay, let me know if you want another glass of wine,” I offered, making my way to Al and the dartboard.
We were on five out of twenty in a game of around the world when Rhett walked over.
“I play winner,” he declared.
“You play winner? What happened over there?” Al joked.
Rhett had very clearly just lost his ass in a game of darts to a lesser fae man about five hands shorter than him.
“He may look small, but that guy’s a ringer!” Rhett said in his defense.
The tally at the end of the night was two wins for me, two wins for Al, and zero wins for Rhett. I beat Al and Rhett in darts. Al was pretty good at most bar games, but I think the lack of stability she had in the tall heels she perpetually wore put her at a disadvantage in darts. Al beat Rhett and me in pool—she was a straight shark when it came to billiards.
Desperate for a win, Rhett tried to talk us into starting up a game of horseshoes, but I looked over at Lauren and decided we should probably wrap things up. Lauren declined our invites to play any of the games the entire night and instead opted to stand by and observe or go back to our table to sit down by herself, claiming her feet were beginning to ache.
We took a carriage into Court because Lauren didn’t want to walk. When we got to my front door, I invited everyone in for a round of cards.
“I think I’m going to head,” Rhett declined. “I don’t think my pride can handle any further losses tonight.”
“What’s the matter? Are you so lovesick without James around that you can’t even catch a win?” I teased.
“That must be it!” Rhett exclaimed. “This is all James’s fault!” he said, relieved. “I can’t wait to tell her.” And he looked like he would have rushed home then and there to tell James if only she were in town.
Al was already inside. She sat on my tufted couch, making herself at home. I saw her kick her heels off and tuck her legs under her as she looked around for a blanket. I looked back over at Lauren, who still hovered inside the doorway.
“Lauren?” I asked, inviting her in by extending my arm inside to the house.
She tucked her shoulder length, blonde hair behind her ear, uncertainly peeking her head into the room where Al sat.
“I… You know what? My feet are really killing me. I think I’ll just head home,” Lauren said, retreating from the doorway. “Rhett, would you mind if I walked back with you?” she asked.
“Not at all,” Rhett replied, already offering Lauren his arm.
“Night, Lauren,” Al called out from inside.
“Yeah. Good night, Lauren. I’ll see you...” My goodbye ineloquently tapered off when I realized that I had no intention of promising to see Lauren again any time soon.
Lauren’s eyes hardened in disappointment, but she opted not to say anything, mercifully ending our awkward goodbye. Rhett turned away with Lauren walking toward my front gate. But before they reached the gate, he turned his gaze back toward me, catching my eye before I shut the door and joined Al on the couch.
I knew from his look that I was going to catch hell from him tomorrow. But it wouldn’t be his usual “I went home with your date last night” or some other nonsense. He was going to accuse me of abandoning my date for the night in favor of Al. I’d deny it and say Lauren made her choice. But the truth was that, seeing Al waiting for me, I didn’t really care what people thought.