“What inspired the style?”
“The need to rebel.” She smiles, and I realize she doesn’t do that often, and it’s a shame.
The lighting here makes her glow, her face almost angelic.
“Against?”
“My father mostly.”
And here is my other opening, and this time, I take it. “I take it he doesn’t approve.”
“Which is why I never outgrew the phase and instead grew into liking the style. In a world where everything is expected by peers, bosses, colleagues, families, I have my wardrobe to choose the unexpected. To fight against convention.”
“Or to create your own.” I raise my glass and take a decent sip this time.
“Or create my own.” She smiles again.
Our gazes lock, and we linger in a moment that feels too raw to digest. And yet too real to ignore.
The intimacy of it scares me, so I focus on my mission here. “Are you close to your father?”
“Are you close to Xander and Lottie?” she counters, tapping her fingers on the table, avoidingthe answer.
And while her question falls out with ease, and she doesn’t break our gaze, her shoulders stiffen.
She’s trying to navigate away from her family, and failing to hide her discomfort with the topic.
“That’s not fair. You know a lot about my family, and I know nothing,” I push.
She looks down and plays with a simple band on her finger. She either contemplates her answer or whether to share at all.
Finally, she looks up. “I have three brothers and a sister.”
Not very good at sharing, I see. Or I’m still on her shit list. Gaining her trust might be impossible. The idea of failure doesn’t sit well. I must break through her wall.
“What do they do?” I decide to keep her engaged. I also realize that I want her to share.
Not because of my agenda, but because of her. I push the notion aside. This is getting too convoluted.
I need to focus.
She is a means to an end. And, as I’m learning, she’s only a stepping stone to her father, and probably not the best one.
“My brothers? Just like you, they plow through life doing our father’s bidding while believing they are building a legacy.”
I frown. “Is that what you think of me?”
She drinks more water, leaving her wine untouched. “Isn’t building the Stone legacy your birth-given purpose in life?”
“Fuck that. Would I be here if I were into that legacy bullshit?”
“I guess not.” She studies me for a beat. “You keep surprising me.”
I chuckle. “You are not what I expected either.”
Shit. I shouldn’t have had expectations. She believes I came to New York to get into Merged.
“You didn’t answer me before. Are you close to Xander and Lottie?”
