As her face fills my vision, the worry seeps away with ease, and I meet her halfway, sharing a deep, necessary hug. Her perfume and the smell of champagne surround me at once, reminding me of all the other times we’ve done this. Back when I had less to fret over, and when things were simple.
“God, I missed this,” I catch myself murmuring, slipping back into my old self.
“We’ve all missed you more. It feels like forever since we’ve been out like this,” she says, tone warm andunderstanding as she pulls me along with her, gesturing to where the others are waiting by the bar. “Come on, join us!”
Without needing to be told twice, I let the prospect of a night well spent with the girls guide me forward, lifting the heaviness that has been following me lately.
Before long, I’m enmeshed in the group again while Lily and Kat greet me too, pulling me back into the fold without hesitation. It happens so naturally that I almost forget how my evening started. I almost forgot that I didn’t come here with them.
But even as we drink and talk, I can still feel it.
From across the space full of moving bodies and flashing lights, I feel Wyatt’s eyes on me. Even now, surrounded by my brothers, trapped in a quiet standoff, he finds me. He watches.
I know this has to be a foreign thing to him…being witnessed and known to my family, caught in their scrutiny, whether he likes it or not.
While sipping my drink, I glance back at him, catching his eyes already on me, and even from there, something passes between us. It’s unspoken, like a question, or maybe reassurance.
Well aware that he’s biding his time, I can’t help but lift my glass in an ironic toast.
He almost smiles. It’s a slight movement of his lips, but my heart pulses twice as hard anyway.
Turning back to the girls again, I force myself to stay as present as possible. I spent far too long wearing disguises and hiding behind Wyatt just to avoid any kind of nuclear fallout, but here and now, I just want to enjoy whatever I can of this moment.
Remembering all the ways I used to have fun before, I find myself dancing with the girls, letting the more chaotic atmosphere free me from the danger circling overhead.
Tonight might feel borrowed, but after it, I’ll eventually have no choice but to acknowledge the fact that Wyatt’s world isn’t too different from the one I’ve brushed against my entire life.
And despite the risks, I chose him.
With Roman’s demands being met, I don’t know if this will lead to more freedom or ruin. But for now, I don’t care to think about either.
Chapter 21 - Wyatt
From across the club, I tell myself I’m fine with the distance between us. Fine with watching her from afar.
Elena laughs with the girls, drink in hand, while she sways to the music, looking the most joyous and carefree I’ve ever seen her. As hard as I’ve tried to give her what she needs and deserves, I know I can’t bring her this kind of familiar ease. The kind of fun that can only be had with her circle. I’d be delusional to think I could.
But when the lights catch in her hair, and the sea of people around her swallows her up, she looks like she belongs here. Untouched, unburdened, and completely unafraid. She looks at home in the kind of environment I don’t frequent often enough.
Despite all my self-assured ways, something about that makes me feel inadequate in ways.
I prefer the quiet, still, predictable motions that come with being at home. After handling what I need to get done, I’d rather relax and enjoy what I can of limited peace. In that sense, I’m boring, and I won’t deny it.
Compared to the life she has known, my habits are like being splashed with cold water. Seeing her in her element here makes me question if I’ve been selfish beyond measure for bringing her into my orbit.
When I see the other guys lingering nearby, an annoying voice reminds me that they’re closer to her speed, and that only makes the urge to go grab her even worse.
Tearing my eyes away before those thoughts can get out of control, I force them down.
They might be closer to her in age and lifestyle, but they don’t have her like I do. If she hasn’t gone back running and screaming for her family, then obviously I have something worth sticking around for.
That helps settle my nerves enough to keep my cool.
Roman leans back in his seat as he brings a glass of whiskey to his lips, taking a slow, deliberate sip without looking away from me. Mikhail, Sergey, Ivan, and Nikolai lounge around too, alternating between drinking, watching the dancers, and studying me. They aren’t subtle in the slightest, and they apparently don’t care to be.
It’s just my luck that Elena would have this many brothers…all for me to contend with.
The pounding music punctuates the grating silence, and for a moment, I start to wonder if this is a quiet test. If they’re waiting for me to speak first.
