Bellamy stares at him without blinking for a long moment before shaking his head. “You can’t say things like that so nonchalantly. You almost fucking broke me.”
“Abbott enjoys his low key grand gestures,” I say with a grin. “Maximum impact while appearing to be no big deal.”
“It’s a huge deal,” Bellamy growls, his hand grabbing Abbott behind his head before pulling him closer to kiss him.
“You’re welcome,” Abbott murmurs, drawing the kiss into something filthier with lots of tongue.
“I’m going to check on Winter,” Cassidy chuckles. “Try not to scandalize anyone.”
Bellamy pouts in her direction. “They’re very straightlaced here.”
“Trust me, I know,” she sighs. “I just saw my mother. Please avoid her at all costs.”
“Sounds like I should hide him so I can keep kissing him,” Abbott says.
“Ya know, I’ll greenlight this because it’s tradition to get into trouble at these things,” Cassidy says with a grin.
Bellamy grabs Abbott’s hand and pulls him further into the museum in search of a dark corner while I glance at Cass.
“I just want to make sure she’s okay, and then you can spend some time showing me how good you can be,” she says with a grin.
“Yes, please!”
Cassidy’s laughter makes people glance in our direction, but I couldn’t care less.
WINTER
I’m fiddling with a pin and annoyed that it won’t slide back into place. My hair is pulled back into a sleek chignon, and while I really don’t want to fuck it up, the damn pin is currently bothering my scalp.
“Having trouble?”
A woman with long dark hair beside me dries her hands as she glances at me. She’s left her hair to curl down her back, and she’s wearing a deep burgundy gown. Her shoulders are thin,but they’re pulled back and she seems confident as she gives me a polite smile.
We’re the only ones in the bathroom right now, so I sigh with a nod.
“I can’t fix this pin, and it’s currently stabbing me,” I confess. “Can you help me?”
This bathroom has a sitting area and she motions to it since she’s a lot shorter than I am. Our heels click on the tiles, and I sit down so she can fiddle with my hair.
“I can’t wear these cute styles,” she says under her breath as she repositions the pin. “My hair is just too thick.”
“You have all these pretty curls,” I retort. “I guess it's true that we can admire what we don’t have, right? We’re like night and day with differences in our features, but both are pretty.”
“And you’re so nice,” the girl adds. “I had a feeling all girls were catty.”
“Then you’re hanging out with the wrong girls,” I tease her. “I’m Winter.”
“Does this feel better?” she asks. “I’m Avery. I’m new to town. I’m visiting a business associate. My mother left me her company, and now I’m trying to figure it all out.”
“This is so much better,” I say happily. “You seem so young to run a company, Avery.”
“I’m twenty,” she says with a proud smile. “It’s a lot of work, but when she died, she also left me her contacts. You should be good to go now. I’ll see you around, Winter.”
She slips out the door as I stand. Well, she seemed nice. Turning my back to the mirror, I check my hair as Cassidy walks into the bathroom.
“Hey,” I say with a smile.
“Ansel was about to come in here himself,” she says with a grin.
