Alex’s expression shifts, humor giving way to something more intense. “What would you prefer we do?”
Before I can answer, Kayla appears beside us, glowing with excitement. “Vincent! Look at these candles. They cost like a hundred bucks each!”
She’s holding a large, pristine candle in a glass jar, inhaling its scent with an expression of pure bliss. I didn’t even know Kayla was into fancy candles.
“They’re nice,” I say noncommittally.
“Take them if you want,” Alex says with a shrug. “Jess bought them when we were still together. I don’t need them.”
Kayla’s eyes widen. “Are you serious? These are like, the holy grail of candles.”
“Completely serious,” Alex confirms. “Take all of them. There’s a whole cabinet full in that guest bathroom.”
Kayla doesn’t need to be told twice. She disappears, presumably to raid the candle cabinet, while I fix Alex with a questioning look.
“What?” he asks innocently.
“Why are you bribing my friends with expensive candles and sushi?”
Alex leans closer, his breath warm against my ear. “Because I want your friends to like me.”
Before I can ask anything else, the front door opens, and a familiar voice cuts through the growing noise of the party. I turn to see Jess—Alex’s supposedly ex-girlfriend—standing in the entryway, looking gorgeous and slightly uncomfortable.
Alex stiffens beside me. “What the fuck?” he mutters, scanning the room until his eyes land on Ed, who’s suddenly very interested in his drink.
Ed notices Alex’s glare and approaches with a guilty expression. “Look, I can explain. Some of the girls from our Comparative Literature class were talking about your party, and Jess overheard. I couldn’t exactly tell her she wasn’t invited.”
Alex’s jaw clenches. “You could have warned me.”
“Sorry, man,” Ed says, looking genuinely contrite. “I didn’t think it would be a big deal. You two are still friends, right?”
Alex doesn’t answer the question, but the look he gives Ed could freeze hell.
Jess spots us and waves, starting to make her way through the crowd. Alex takes a deep breath, then gives me an apologetic look. “I need to handle this. Will you be okay?”
I nod, pretending that watching him greet the beautiful blonde woman with a kiss on the cheek doesn’t bother me. “Yeah, I’ll mingle.”
I drift between conversations for a while, then catch up with Mark, who’s deep in conversation with Ed about some video game they both play. Rina is holding court near the windows, surrounded by three guys hanging on her every word. Kayla returns with an armful of candles, looking like she just won the lottery.
To my surprise, the two groups—Alex’s rich college friends and my work friends from The Siren—mesh pretty well. There’s none of the awkwardness I expected, no clear division between our worlds. Maybe because in this setting, with expensive alcohol and food smoothing the way, the differences aren’t so obvious. Or maybe because Alex has clearly gone out of his way to make my friends feel welcome.
I watch him from across the room as he navigates the party. He keeps a careful distance from Jess, I notice, never allowing himself to be cornered by her. Occasionally, his eyes find mine through the crowd, each glance charged with everything we’re not acknowledging.
Ronan appears at my side, offering a fresh drink. “So,” he says casually, “you and Alex.”
I accept the drink without responding.
“He’s different around you,” Ronan continues, undeterred by my silence. “More… I don’t know. Present. Engaged. Like he’s actually in the room, not just going through the motions.”
I take a sip of my drink. “We grew up together. Sort of.”
“Yeah, he mentioned the stepbrother thing.” Ronan’s eyes are assessing. “But it’s more than that, isn’t it?”
I meet his gaze steadily. “What exactly are you asking, Ronan?”
He shrugs, a smile playing at his lips. “Nothing. Just makingconversation.” He clinks his glass against mine. “For what it’s worth, I haven’t seen him this happy in years.”
Ronan drifts away, leaving me with thoughts I’m not ready to process. I finish my drink, the alcohol creating a pleasant warmth that spreads through my body, dulling the edges of my anxiety.
