AllFreeNovel
Share Us
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 isallJames’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.
3
Alarie
“Missed you last night,” he said, lying next to me in his large, canopied bed. He was propped up against the wooden headboard with only a corner of the white sheet covering his naked body.
“Oh.Yeah. I’m sure it was a good time,” I said unconvincingly, turning my face to him as I lay naked on my stomach.
“Where’d you go off to?” he asked directly.
“Bar Louie. Then Luke’s,” I responded, not feeling the need to provide any further explanation.
I stayed at Luke’s often these days, but not for the reasons Stefan assumed. Luke and I actually had not had sex…yet. Last night, Luke and I didn’t even so much as kiss. After Rhett and Lauren had left, I’d been happy to curl under Luke’s arm and fall asleep without pressing for anything more. But Stefan didn’t need to know that.
I rose from Stefan’s bed, looking for my clothes. Then I remembered he had started stripping off my clothing as soon as I had walked through his front door that morning.
“Come over tonight?” he asked tentatively. “I’m going to get done a little earlier than normal.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I responded noncommittally.
