Page 6 of With You

“What do you think of this one?” Grayson slips his arms through the sleeves of a navy suit jacket before turning to face us.

The whole store has been closed off for the seven of us, so we’re scattered on various couches and chairs as Grayson tries on every suit that catches his eye.

“I think it looks exactly the same as the other five you’ve tried on,” Damien tells him, unable to hide the boredom in his voice.

“Ignore him,” Evie says, gently shoving Damien’s shoulder and pushing him back into the loveseat they’re sharing. “I preferred the other one, with the peak lapel.”

“Thank you, Evangeline,” Grayson says. He always calls her by her full name, even though no one else does.

“Oh, yes, I liked that one, too. Layth has something similar, I’m sure,” Zena adds.

It’s near impossible for her to add anything to a conversation that doesn’t mention him in some way. Almost as impossible as it is for her to exist more than five feet away from him when they’re in the same room, which is always. The two of them are sat on the largest couch here, yet there’s barely an inch of space between them.

“Aren’t you going to buy them all anyway?” River drawls with a yawn.

I’ve tried to ignore his presence the whole time we’ve been here, but his voice grates on me every time he speaks. He’s sprawled out on a chair, legs hooked over the armrest as if he owns the place.

“Well, yes. But where’s the fun if I don’t try them on?” Grayson smiles as the rest of us groan.

He’s only been part of the group for less than a year, but we already know his habits well. Our opinions on his purchases don’t really matter to him, and he asks merely for the fun of it. Grayson spends his money differently from the rest of us, too. We’re not frugal by any means, but Grayson acts like his card will freeze if he goes a single day without tapping it.

“Is it our turn now?” Evie asks. “There’s a beautiful atelier around the corner that caught my eye on the way here.”

“I’m heading back,” River says, running his fingers through his dark brown hair.

He swings his legs over the armrest until his feet are firmly back on the ground, and he makes it look graceful the way only a dancer can. He stands upright, adjusting his dark pants, perfectly tailored to his irritatingly long legs.

“No, you’re not,” Evie tells him, and he stops midway through stretching his arms above his head. “We had to put up with watching you all try on suits; you can do the same for us.”

“I didn’t try anything on,” he points out. “I didn’t even want to come in the first place.”

“Well, thank you so much for gracing us with your presence,” I murmur under my breath.

“What was that?” He turns his attention in my direction, steel-grey eyes observing me.

“Nothing.” I stare him down.

“Could have sworn it was something,” he counters.

“Not everything is about you,” I remind his ego.

River lets out an exaggerated gasp. “I had no idea. How ever will I live?”

I push up off my chair and make my way toward the exit. I’ve behaved well enough the whole time we’ve been here, but he always brings out the worst in me.

“I’ll meet you there,” I tell the girls as I open the door.

“Why do you do that every time?” Damien chides him, but I don’t look back or linger long enough to hear whatever response River might give.

The streets of the 8th arrondissement are quieter than usual, a combination of fewer tourists at this time of year and the fact that most of these stores are closed now. We called ahead to make sure we had enough time for them all to try on a few suits for dinner, and to let the staff know they’d be well compensated for working late. It’ll be sheer luck if the atelier that Evie wants to visit is still open with how much time we’ve already wasted.

“Amelie!”

I turn around to see Zena and Layth a few feet behind me. A cool breeze floats through the air, and in the space of the ten-second walk between the exit to the store and where I’m standing, Layth manages to take his jacket off and drape it over Zena’s shoulders.

“Is it still open?” she asks, reaching up to pull the jacket tighter over her.

“I’m not sure; I was about to check,” I reply as she links her arm through mine, and we continue walking. “Have they finished up in there?”