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“Friends,” Piper repeated stoically. She put her napkin on the table and stood, her back to Andy. Alex and Vic stared at her as she turned slowly to face him. “We weren’t friends when we were fucking, Andy, and we aren’t friends now.” I blinked at her. That was the first time I’d heard her speak about whatever it was they had together, and her plainness surprised me. “So please, get your ill-fitting suit and your…” she leaned forward, sniffing, “whiskey breath out of here before your coach informs your mother you’ve been speaking to me.” She nodded over his shoulder, where, sure enough, Coach Vaughn was sipping at a cup of punch.
Andy didn’t know what to say. Hell, I wouldn’t know what to say either. It was like the months since the incidents in the fall had steeled something in Piper.
I took the opportunity to lead a slow-thinking Andy back to our table, where he mumbled under his breath for the remainder of our time in the room.
Present Day
“Iwillliterallypayyou any amount of orgasms if we can turn around and walk back out this door,” I breathe in Piper’s ear as we stand in the lobby of Starlight Grove, one of the WHG properties on the west side of Fort Worth. She laughs, the sound making me smile, even though she smacks my chest.
“You couldn’t pay me any amount of orgasms to leave.” The line in front of us moves, and I follow behind her, watching the way she teeters on her feet like a kid in a candy store.
I can’t blame her. The atmosphere for this event has always been exactly what Piper loves so much about her fantasy novels, or so she’s told me. Extravagant outfits, beautiful makeup and jewelry, whimsical decor and worldbuilding. It’s a night that drips otherworldly, and it’s right up her alley. It’s absolutely not even near mine.
“There you two are,” I hear from behind me, and we turn to see Frannie striding toward us.
She stops about five feet from us, taking in what we’re wearing, eyebrows shot to high heaven. She crosses her arms. “Damn, y’all. I look like a kid in a costume compared to you two.” She gestures down to the frilly blue dress she’s wearing, her hair pulled back by an elaborate tiara.
“You do not,” Piper muses, reaching out to take Frannie’s hand. “You look great.”
“Youlook great.”
“Yes, we all look great,” a man behind us in line cuts in. “Can we please move, now?” I look behind me to see that the line has, in fact, moved, and we’re holding it up.
“So sorry,” Piper cries, stepping out so they can move forward, as Frannie mutters “Rude.”
“Everyone else is already at the table, well, except Liam and Jesse,” my sister says, still holding Piper’s hand. She pulls us toward the open double doors behind the registration table. As we pass, she leans over to one man wearing prosthetic pointy ears and a green suit covered in fake ivy. “These two are with me, WHG table.” He nods up at Frannie like he’s been taking orders from her all day, which he likely has, if she’s been here helping organize like she normally does.
The inside is just as eccentric as the exterior, with fake tree limbs climbing up the corners, lanterns hanging from the branches. It gives an air of mystical forest, which is why this event is held here every year - and why it’s quickly becoming one of our most popular venues.
A string quartet is already playing in the corner by the door, situated close to a short stage that has more trees, lit by candles and strings of tiny lights weaved through the branches. The room is dark enough that the lights on each table sparkle, giving the silky linens and mossy centerpieces a mystical glow. I look to Piper, who’s gazing around the room like she just walked into heaven - for her, this probably is akin to that.
“What do you think?” I ask, leaning over to whisper in her ear. She doesn’t respond, just keeps swiveling her head around so fast, I’m worried she may crack her neck.
When we make it to the table, Freddy, Mateo and Chloe are already seated with a couple of people I don’t recognize - a girl, who introduces herself as Amy, Mateo’s date, and Chloe’s date, Tyler. All of the other men are in plain suits, and I instantly feel a surge of heat as they look over my choice in outfit.
In my defense, I had argued with Vic for about twenty minutes when he finally showed me what he’d done with the shirt I’d ordered and had sent to his house. It was frilly and not my style, but seeing Piper’s reaction made it worth it.
Fuck me, Piper’s reaction - seeing Piper in that dress. All I’ve wanted to do since she walked out of her room is rip her out of that dress, but that seemed like a poor decision, so I’ve settled for ogling like a schoolboy.
“We would have been here sooner, but someone decided halfway here they needed caffeine.” I throw Piper a pointed look, and she scoffs.
“You try getting in and out of the MK in this thing.” She lifts her skirts slightly, and Chloe just reaches out, her fingers sliding over the fabric.
“It’s gorgeous.” She looks up at Piper’s face. “Did you make it?”
“Sort of,” is Piper’s response.
Before Fred can ask the question I know he’s about to, someone says from behind me, “Drinks, losers?”
Fuck me, she’s everywhere.
“Two more Modelos,” Mateo calls as I turn around, finding Seer standing close with a tray of empty glasses and beer bottles.
“Usual for me, Blue Moon for Fitz, and…” She trails off, looking at Piper, who shrugs, taking in Seer’s appearance. She’s dressed in a deep green velvet jumpsuit with prosthetic ears, a pair of iridescent wings jutting a foot out from behind her. Used incorrectly - or, correctly, I guess, if you’re Seer - they could double as deadly weapons. She seems taller…but then I look down, and see she’s got at least three inches of platform on.
“Surprise me,” Piper answers with a shrug, and she reaches out, touching Seer’s shoulder, which is dusted with a sparkly powder. “You looksocute.”
“Right back atcha, hot stuff,” Seer says with a shoulder shrug, and then waves me off like I’m an annoying gnat. Piper finds a seat next to Chloe, and I sit next to her, watching people mill around while we wait for our drinks. From across the room, I see Liam and Jesse slide through the door, and immediately feel better about my outfit, no longer the man at the table in the most elaborate outfit. They’re both dressed in matching deep green blazers, the same velvet as Seer’s jumpsuit, with the same kind of pointy ears. The top of Liam’s hair is braided back into a sort of half man bun, and Jesse is wearing smudged eyeliner. Piper stands from her chair, greeting them with the rest of the table. “Ah, I see my dates have arrived,” Seer observes as she comes back with a tray of drinks.
