I bite back a laugh, but I feel the heat creeping up my neck. “Yes. On purpose. But not in front of his posse this time. I’ll convince him to meet me alone. No audience, no posturing. Just… him and me.”
Cleo speaks; her voice is measured. “That’s risky. But if anyone could get him to lower his guard, it’s you.”
I catch the glimmer of approval in Cleo’s eyes, and for a moment, my heart steadies.
“I’m not saying it’ll work,” I admit. “But sitting here, chasing dusty records and dead ends, isn’t working either. And I’m running out of time.”
Holly sighed, folding her arms. “I still don’t like that you have to cozy up to that pompous douche after the way he treated you. But… I’ll back you. Just—be careful, Arwen. He’s still the Councilor’s son, and he could do a lot worse than throw cruel words your way. "
Tabby groans, slumping over her books dramatically. “If this goes horribly wrong, I reserve the right to say, ‘I told you so.’… Loud and often.”
I grin. “Fair enough. And now you’ll have your time back to bed hop.”
Tabby perks up at that thought.
The four of us sit in the thick quiet of the library again, but this time the silence hummed with anticipation.
***
It’s been two days since our conversation in the library, and I have found it is absolutely impossible to find King Atticus alone. Everywhere I see him, his army of prideful dicks is close by. It’s infuriating.
I watch as he enters the cafeteria with his friends and breaks off towards the espresso machines while the rest of his posse heads towards their table.
“This may be my only chance,” I whisper to Holly.
She looks to where Atticus is standing and then back at me. “I don’t know, Arwen. It’s still so public.”
“I’m just… going to grab a coffee and see if we can talk somewhere private. It’ll be fine,” I mutter, hauling myself out of the seat. Here goes nothing.
My pulse is doing gymnastics in my chest—flipping, tripping, trying to escape. For two days I’ve been psyching myself up for this: just ask Atticus if we can talk, like real people, somewhere far away from his ever-present entourage of perfectly polished annoyances.
Walking over to the coffee station, I feel like there are more eyes on me than usual. Atticus is waiting for his cup to be filled at the machine, and I notice he is on his phone. Crap. Now I have to find an excuse to dawdle.
I grab a to go cup and act like I’m reading the big coffee machines, pondering what to get. I can’t help hearing snippets of his conversation as he speaks in a hushed, frustrated tone into the phone.
“Yes, Father. I understand.” A pause. His jaw works, the muscles ticking. “I didn’t mean to disappoint you.”
My stomach knots, my limbs refusing to obey. I shouldn’t care this much. I shouldn’t be here, hovering like a stalker. But his voice… faltering just slightly… pins me to the floor. I can feel my bond tugging at my ribs, screaming to get out and fix him, and all I can do is stand here like a useless idiot.
“No—I wasn’t making excuses. I was following protocol. Just as you’ve always taught me.”
Another pause. He pulls in a breath through his nose, almost shaky.
“Of course I want to reflect well on the family. On you. I only thought it was better to wait before making a move.”
The words drip with frustration, but there’s something else too—something that sounds dangerously close to pleading.
The silence on the other end stretches. Atticus’s fingers curl around the edge of the counter until his knuckles whiten.
“Yes, Father. I’ll do better.” His tone softens, forced, like he’s swallowing broken glass and calling it honey.
“I won’t disappoint you again.”
Something inside me twists as he hangs up. I’ve seen Atticus unshakable, unreadable, his pride wrapped around him like armor. But right now? He sounded… small. Human. Like a boy trying too hard to live up to something impossible.
I don’t think. My hand just… moves, like it has its own plan.
I’m trying to give him something, anything, a little lifeline. My fingertips brush the sharp edge of his knuckles, a quiet, trembling offer. A spark of comfort I didn’t know I had the courage to give.
