Just before the staircase, a Tiffany lamp lay broken into tiny shards. I don’t know how that could happen from a fall ontocarpet, but I'm not exactly thinking straight as I dodge over the pieces of glass, running down the corridor.
That kiss was mind altering, but another reason I needto stay away from Wren Hastings.
A knock on my door has me nearly levitating out of bed, the sheets tangle around me and pillows are scattered all around the floor. Breathily, I scramble as the knocking persists and throw open the door, to be greeted by an exhausted smile and messy blonde hair.
“Morning Princess. Wild night?” Phoenix asks, lifting his eyebrow light heartedly. I can already tell my hair must be a mess, my skin feeling dry and dull from a restless sleep. It felt like all I did was stare at the ceiling, until I heard birds singing and the sun kissed my windows.
Rolling my eyes, I let go of the door and out of habit, trying to locate my phone for the time before realising it won't be given back till after the game. I expected him to have followed me in, but he’s still leaning against my door frame; the space between us is painfully taut with unspoken words.
“Not coming in?”
“No, erm—we all need to talk. Can you get dressed and meet us in the library downstairs?”
I straighten from where I've picked up fresh clothing from my suitcase, not into the idea of having an audience for the conversation that desperately needed to happen for us to continue the weekend amicably. I was meant to be his best friend, his family—he was meant to be able to tell me anything. Right now he's unable to look me in the eye. I know I should give him grace, but things were coming harder between us.
“Yeah, sure,” I say, clearing my throat. “I’ll be down soon.”
Nodding a couple of times and still not meeting my gaze, he closes my door.
AFTER taking a quick shower, detangling my hair and brushing my teeth, I put on a little light makeup which I would usually skip, and throw my curls half up with a black bow. I find my sage mini dress in my suitcase and make a mental note to come back up and put stuff away. The dress has the cutest puff sleeves, with leaves embroidered around the elasticated cuffs. The same leaves trail along all the hems and whilst the bodice is fitted, the dress floats out nicely to mid thigh. Everything always falls a little long on me, so I've gotten quite crafty with my little sewing machine to make things fit just right. Slipping on some sandals, I lock the door and slip the key into my dress pocket.
Yep, this dress is just that good it has pockets.
I can hear talking in the kitchen as well as someone opening up the conservatory beyond the dining room, and I hesitantly make my way downstairs.
Wren is the only occupant in the library, lounging in one of the armchairs by the dark fireplace, a warm ray of sunlight falling over his messy curls and sharp jaw. He wears a loose Nirvana band t-shirt, with dark cargo shorts that make his tattooed, toned legs look so good. He doesn’t have shoes on, but instead socks with pizzas on them. I can’t help but soak in any minor details I can get my hands on. He’s reading my novel again and only has a couple of pages till the end, but those forest shaded eyes immediately meet mine and he closes it.
“Ah, my lovely Wife! Sleep well?” He asks with a smirk, like he knows otherwise. Sitting back into the chair, he crosses his ankle over his knee. “This book is riveting by the way. Well done. Top marks.”
I hold in my blush on my cheeks back for dear life. After last night and the way he kissed me, I think my brain is permanently fried.
“Robin Otilie Osbourne, I found you!” Lil sings as she strides in, radiant as always in a white crochet vest and denim skirt.Casual, but able to pull anything off and make it look out of my budget. Her hands snap to her hips as she runs her gaze over both of us. “You’re being way too friendly, what's going on between you?”
Bloody hell, does her subtlety know no bounds…
“Lil!” I hiss, stopping only because of his joyous laughter.
“Your initials spell Roo?” His tongue pokes his canine as he looks at me with fire sparking in his eyes.“That’s so fucking cute. I think I’ll call you my Roo, instead of my Wife.” He teases.
With more strength then I expect, she grabs me by the arm and moves me further into the room. Knowing she’s incapable of keeping her voice down, I try to keep her back to him, but she’s not budging. “Tell me you didn’t sleep with him Rob? After Wednesday you said he was the biggest arsehole, remember?”
Wren stands and there’s confusion on his face. “What happened on Wednesday? We only met yesterday?”
I’m frozen on the spot, mouth ajar as no answers to his questions come out. Her nails dig harder with each small movement he makes to close the space, but then the wooden door opens again; Phoenix and Merle enter with Cardinal trailing in after them. He looks refreshingly awake, in running shorts and a long sleeve work out top. All black and I’m surprised to see intricate, dark tattoos down one of his muscular legs.
“You didn’t have to say that so loud.” I whisper shout at her, ripping my arm from her grasp finally.
“Just stay away from him. I’ve told you what he’s like. He’ll only mess you around.” Maybe sensing my anger, her tone is quieter, almost like she's trying to comfort me. “He’s not good for you.”
I know she's just trying to look out for me, but I can't connect her disdain for the man I've started to get to know. The gentleway he touches me, the teasing but respectful conversations we have and once again, it all boils down to thatkiss.
It's ingrained in me to not trust anyone after what I've been through, but my instincts don't flare with the urge to flee whenever I'm with him. I try to remind myself that no way would he be in Phin's life if he was truly terrible. Maybe I've just gotten everything completely wrong about him, like so many others have. I also need to consider that despite being one of my best friends, she could very well be giving me sisterlyadvicebecause she's interested in Wren; after all she’d practically begged to go see the gig. Just because I wasn't out at their elite parties didn't mean I wasn't privy to what goes on. Lil always has a way of getting what she wants when it comes to men.
Conflicted, I find a middle ground and sit at one of the large reading tables in the center of the room. The library door remains closed so I assume this is everyone for our morning meeting, the others sliding into their seats. Wren hesitantly sits back down, whilst Cardinal takes the seat opposite me at the table and Lil leans against the far desk, leaving both my friends standing. Phin's eyes are blood shot and puffy blotches litter his cheeks, meaning after waking me up this morning he probably had another moment to process. Having always worn his emotions on his sleeve, it kills me to think of how much pain he's been hiding from everyone.
Merle is tense behind him but squeezes his boyfriend's hand, his usual pressed outfit incredibly crumpled. I'm pretty sure his light blue shirt is buttoned in the wrong order. Letting out an exhale that Phin mimics, he turns back to us all and rubs his stumble with his free hand.
“I won't beat around the bush, Phoenix and I stayed up all night talking this through. Whilst I am still hurt, I’m no longer mad. It’ll take some time to recover that trust, but I forgive him and want to get past this,” he starts, giving his hand anothersqueeze and I watch my best friend's eyes become watery. He rests his blonde head in the nook of his shoulder. “The rest of the weekend is going to go ahead as normal. We’re going to celebrate the opening of the hotel together, united and hope to god this murder mystery doesn’t ruin anything else.” He then goes on to thank Wren for his help in getting Phin better. “It’s an incredibly unfair position he put you in, but I also understand how stubborn he is, and it's hard to say no to him.”
