23. “Just pretend to be my date.” elorcan light the sparks
I’m getting really excited about this au, just FYI…
“All I’m saying, Lorcan,” Fenrys said around a mouthful of his sandwich, “Is that you should have some fun.”
“I don’t need your opinion, Moonbeam,” Lorcan bit back, crossing his arms over his chest.
“When was the last time you went on a date? Or even just, you know,” Fenrys asked after swallowing his sandwich then waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“What if I don’t want to date?” Lorcan countered.
Now Vaughan lent forward, brows high. “Is that true? Don’t lie to us.”
Great now they were ganging up in him. Lorcan stayed silent, but that was answer enough for them it seemed.
“Come out with us tonight then,” Fenrys said. “See what we can find.”
Lorcan just rolled his eyes. He didn’t want to see what he could find, he knew what he wanted. He just didnt know how to get it.
“We’ll all go!” Vaughan suggested eagerly.
Rowan scoffed from where he sat. “No thank you.”
“Wedding planning, is it?” Fenrys said.
“As a matter of fact yes,” Rowan admitted, but didn’t seem disappointed by the fact.
“Already on a tight leash then. Such a good dog,” Lorcan muttered.
“There’s no leash,” Fenrys chimed in. “The lucky bastard is just in love.”
Rowan grinned. “Exactly.”
“Rowan’s out, but everyone else is in, no buts,” Fenrys declared fixing Lorcan with a stare that told him he would not give up until he agreed to come.
They had ended up in a bar on the nicer side of town. The place was brighter, smelled cleaner, than some of the other places they frequented. Drinks were a little more expensive but they tasted better too.
The night was turning out as miserable as Lorcan felt, the skies were letting out a downpour. So much so the steady stream of rain could just be heard over the music and the voices. Well, from where Lorcan was sitting at by bar. By the door. It wasn’t even late yet but lorcan as considering leaving, they’d come here as soon as their shift had finished and they’d been here for a while. Fenrys, Connall and Vaughan had all gone chasing after one drink, and that was when Gavriel had excused himself, claiming he was too old for such pursuits. He was probably right.
So that left Lorcan to mope at the bar by himself, pointedly ignoring anyone who looked his way. He’d been nursing the same drink the whole time, no desire to lose himself in alcohol tonight. 10 more minutes and then he’d go, Lorcan decided.
There was a burst of noise from the door as it opened. The rain must be pelting down outside. The emergence of a soaking wet figure confirmed his suspicions. It was a woman, most likely ducking in here to escape the weather. It took him a second to recognise the small figure and dark hair, but when she turned Lorcan looked away quickly.
He didn’t know what to do, whether or not he should call her over. He took a glance around the bar, all his friends were occupied. But then his eyes connected with someone else, someone who was vaguely familiar. She was pretty with red hair, and she smiled at him when she caught him looking. She was one of the girls from that night they’d gone out for Vaughan’s birthday. One of the girls Aelin had lied to. She was part of the reason he hadn’t dated in a while, the redhead and her friend seemed to know everyone and spread the false information around.
But the way she was looking at him, the way she smiled as she began to stalk over to him, she either forgotten or didn’t care. Lorcan looked away, hoping that she would take the hint. He chanced another glance at Elide and it seemed she had spotted him too, because she gave him a smile and flicked her wet hair over her shoulder and started walking towards him as well.
And here he was. Caught in the middle. What cruel twist of fate was this?
He hoped Elide would reach him first, leaving the redhead to take the hint and leave. But given her behaviour with Rowan the last time, he wasn’t too hopeful in that regard. He’d been all too eager to chase her that night, but once was enough when it came to dealing with her vapid personality.
Elide did reach him first, soaked to the bone but still smiling. “Fancy meeting you here,” she said as she occupied the empty stool beside him.
Lorcan glanced over his shoulder and Elide followed his gaze. As he had suspected the redhead hadn’t given up her pursuit. Elide didn’t baulk though, she just asked, “Not a friend, I assume?”
Lorcan shook his head, “No.”
Elide gave him a smile he couldn’t read, then she put her hand palm up on the bar counter and wriggled her fingers. Then she whispered, “Just pretend to be my date.”
Elide thought she had sent Lorcan into shock from the look on his face. It took him only half a moment to comply though, and more gently than she expected he took her hand. She gave him a smile that she had seen Aelin give Rowan a hundred times, and he returned it with what could only be described as a grimace. That had Elide had laughing, louder and more obnoxiously that she would normally but the non-friend redhead had reached them and it was time for a show.
“Hey, handsome,” she said, ignoring Elide completely.
Elide moved their entwined hands to draw her attention to them and she saw the redhead’s eyes narrow.
“This new? I don’t remember you being attached last time we met,” she said with a disarmingly pretty smile and a tilt of her head.
“Very new,” Lorcan said, as he gave Elide a sideways glance. No doubt meant to be endearing, but he just looked awkward.
Elide held in her sigh, she needed to get this over with before Lorcan blew their cover with his tactlessness.
“If you don’t mind, we’re in the middle of something,” Elide lent her chin on Lorcan’s bicep. Good gods, he was solid muscle.
The redhead’s eyes flashed with a flicker of anger, she’d lost and she wasn’t happy about it.
“Just some advice,” she said, a look of triumph on her face replacing the anger. “You might want to make sure he gets checked before take it all the way.” Then she gave a pointed look at Lorcan’s crotch and his face went a deep shade shade of red.
Elide watched her walk away, brows high and a slightly incredulous look on her face as she sorted through exactly what the slighted woman had implied. Lorcan dropped her hand as the redhead disappeared from sight. That made Elide look at him.
“Nothing,” Lorcan said and took a sip of his drink.
“As your girlfriend a think I’m entitled to know,” Elide said, failing to stop her amused smile.
“It’s not true,” Lorcan said.
Elide elbow on the bar. “What, pray tell exactly, isn’t true?”
Lorcan turned towards her, not returning her smile which only made Elide smile more.
“We were out for Vaughan’s birthday a few months ago. Her and her friend joined us. They were pretty keen on Rowan and when Aelin came to pick him up she got angry. I called her a bitch, she told them I had herpes.”
Elide tipped her head back and cackled. Then asked through her laughter, “What?”
“She told them I was her ex and that I’d given them to her. I swear it’s not true,” Lorcan said so earnestly Elide almost felt sorry for him.
“Well,” Elide said but started laughing again. Lorcan’s lips twitched up in a ghost of a smile, then he turned to her.
“What has you stumbling in here soaking wet?”
Elide had been so distracted by the recent events she had almost forgotten about her sodden state. “I was heading for the bus top to get home and the rain came out of no where, this was the first place I could find that was open. Did you know there are practically no awnings along this entire street?”
“I did not,” Lorcan added. Then there were a few beats of awkward silence before he said. “Do you want a ride home?”
The offer came as a surprise and Elide sat up a little straighter.
“I don’t want to ruin your night by ending it early, I can just wait the rain out,” Elide said, now feeling a little awkward herself.
“I was about to leave anyway,” then when he saw her questioning look he added, “truly.”
Elide thought for a moment, the rain was coming down pretty heavily and the streets were getting slick. She really didn’t live that far.
“Yeah, okay. That would be great.”
You’ll find the incident Lorcan is referring to in the Drabbles section of the Striking Matches masterlist under drunk Rowan says the wrong thing.
