Lilia loops her arm through mine and tugs me away, toward the wide archway that leads to the ballroom. “Come on,” she says with a grin. “You’re about to be very impressed.”
***
The lights inside the Steele house ballroom are warm and golden, and everything sparkles. From the chandelier overhead to the champagne flutes catching reflections off the marble floor.
We step in slowly, the music is low and orchestral, and voices rise and fall like waves around us.
“I feel underdressed,” Bea mutters, tugging at the hem of her dress.
“You’re not,” Lilia says, adjusting her earrings. “You could never be.”
Christian hums in agreement beside me, and I almost turn to him in shock before Liam reappears before we’ve moved ten feet in.
Before anyone can stop him, he’s grinning and offering Kym a hand. “Come on, Spooky. Dance floor. Now.”
Kym blinks. “What?”
“You heard me.”
“I don’t dance,” she replies flatly.
“I’ll lead,” Liam says, already tugging her toward the centre of the room.
Her eyes go wide. “Liam—”
He’s gone, dragging her along, and the rest of us are left watching, vaguely stunned.
Lilia snorts. “He’s going to lose a finger.”
My eyes drift past the crowd, landing on familiar red hair. Ajax, who unlike last time, doesn’t spare me a glance. He looks happy, though. With the usual company.
But naturally, almost instinctively, my gaze moves toward the far end of the room where Kai is. He’s leaning against one of the high-backed chairs, half turned toward a group of girls. They’re laughing at something he’s said, heads tilted, eyes bright. He’s not laughing though, just smirking faintly, effortlessly magnetic in that way only he can be.
Effortlesslyput on.
“Jealous?” a voice asks, too close to my ear.
I turn to find Will there, drink in hand.
“I’m not,” I say, but it comes out sharper than intended.
He doesn’t blink. “You should be. He’s very pretty.”
I frown. “Aren’t you supposed to be his friend?”
Will sighs. “We’ve never needed a label for it.”
I study him, trying to decipher what’s real and what’s just for show. With Will, it’s hard to tell.
Still, I nod, letting it go for now. But something itches at the back of my mind.
I glance toward the other side of the room where Kai is still standing, laughing at something one of the girls says, but there’s something vacant about it. Like he’s present and somewhere else entirely at the same time.
“Is he okay?” I ask, quieter this time. “Kai?”
Will downs the last of his drink, sets the empty glass on a passing tray, and then finally glances at me with something almost… tired in his eyes.
“Between us?” he says, leaning in close. “I don’t think he’s been okay a day in his life.”
