Elliot had briefly introduced him to me before I fell asleep. I think his name is Merrick?
His gaze sweeps over the table briefly, clearly eyeing the nearly empty bottle, the flood, and our flushed faces.
Or, more precisely, eyeing Sue.
There’s also no mistaking the faint twitch of disapproval at the corner of his mouth.
He pauses, shakes his head slightly as though we’ve personally offended him, and then continues without another word.
“He hates us,” I whisper, watching him disappear into the next room.
Sue snorts into her glass. “He does not hate us. He is just… Merrick. Always judging, always…” She waves a hand. “Dignified.”
A sudden thought strikes me. “Wait. Is there something going on between you and Merrick?”
Sue nearly chokes on her drink. “What? No! Absolutely not.”
“Come on,” I say, grinning as I lean forward. “Hesojust gave you one of those looks.”
“He gives everyone those looks,” she says firmly, though the pink creeping into her cheeks tells a different story. She’s even redder now, if that’s even possible.
“Mm-hmm,” I say, swirling my glass. “So you’re saying you’ve never…”
“Adeline, stop this nonsense,” Sue says, pointing a finger at me. “It is… ridiculous.”
“Ridiculouslyplausible,” I counter, grinning. “You two would be so cute!”
She gives me another one of those looks. “You are very curious about me and Merrick,” she says slowly. “But what about you and Kai?”
I freeze, my glass halfway to my lips. “What? No. There is no me and Kai.”
Sue’s expression doesn’t budge. “You are here. That is not normal. Not for him.”
“It’s complicated,” I mumble, taking a long sip of champagne to avoid elaborating.
“Complicated,” Sue repeats, her voice dripping with scepticism. “That is a word people use when they mean…” She snaps her fingers, searching for the phrase. “When they mean ‘something is happening, but I do not want to say.’”
“Nothing is happening,” I insist, my voice rising slightly. “He’s… he’s—” I falter, hiccupping. “He’s Kai Steele.”
Sue takes another sip, staring at me suspiciously through the cup.
“Why?” I cry out, slapping the table and almost knocking over the bottle suddenly, making Sue jolt. “His stupid face! And his stupid coat! And his voice? And hishair?” Oh, don’t even get me started on his hair. “It’s…” I wave my hands in the air, searching for the words. “The way it moves in the wind. It’s unnatural, Sue.Unnatural!I mean—it’s entirely unfair that he looks likethat!”
I sob, clutching a napkin. “And… and sometimes, he’s…” I hiccup again. “He’s… nice? Like, weirdly nice? It’ssoconfusing, Sue.”
Sue’s brow furrows, her lips twitching. “I can’t believe it.”
“Men are theworst!” I sob, tears streaming down my face.
Sue raises her glass. “Except French men.”
“Except French men,” I agree, raising my glass too. “Cheers.”
“Cheers!” Sue echoes.
We both drink, and then…
“Wait,” Sue says, blinking. “Kai is a French man.”
