Still the shy new person, but I'm finally ready to put myself out there a little more. I'm obsessed with Choices, especially The Royal Romance, and I love the fan fiction everyone's been sharing! Thank you! Masterlist
A/N: I thought it would be nice to see things from Bastien’s POV. Any similarities to anything else out there is unintentional and is purely coincidental. I fell in love with the TRR series late and have only just got into it. I felt that some of the chapters just needed a bit more - it goes along with my previous fanfic where Riley went back to New York briefly after the coronation ball.
All characters belong to Pixelberry.
Apologies in advance for any typos, grammar or spelling errors.
Chapter 2
A few days after the masquerade ball there’s a knock at Bastien’s office door ‘Come in.’ He summons. The door slowly opens and Maxwell Beaumont stands on the other side his hands wringing themselves together nervously, his eyes darting from Bastien’s face to the back wall, his voice small and unsure ‘You asked for me?’
‘Ahh Lord Beaumont yes I did, come in.’ Bastien pulls out a leather computer chair from the desk next to him and places it a foot away directly in front of his own, as he sits down in his own leather desk chair he he motions for Maxwell to sit down. The poor young lad looks uncomfortable and nervous as hell as he sits on the edge of the chair. Bastien enjoys tormenting Maxwell too much, toying with him is just too easy he thinks to himself.
‘So, Lord Beaumont’
‘Please call me Maxwell all my friends do.’ Maxwell tries a smile at Bastien, he doesn’t know why the bodyguard makes him so nervous, well it’s probably got something to do with the silent but deadly looks he gives, that and the all the muscles that strain beneath the older mans suit. Oh, and the fact that he could snap him in half in an instant doesn’t help.
‘We’re not friends’ Bastien deadpans, the stern look on his face unmoving. Maxwell audibly gulps.
‘I need to know everything you know about Lady Riley Taylor.’
‘I’ve already told you everything I know about her.’ Maxwell looks at the bodyguard in confusion ’She was our waitress, we ordered whiskey and burgers, well Drake ordered whiskey and burgers, the rest of us actually wanted steak but you know how Drake is about these things, and she said the closest we’ve got to filet mignon is...’
‘Maxwell’ Bastien growls leaning forward.
‘Sorry’ Maxwell blushes, he knew he was babbling, he had a tendency to do so when he was nervous, he sat back in his chair, trying to put some distance between himself and the intimidating bodyguard.
‘She seemed to get on with Liam well- in fact I haven’t ever seen him so happy as he was when he was with her, so the next day me and Drake went back to her bar and waited for her. We asked her to come back with us and she did. That’s all there is to tell’
Bastien nods his head. ‘So you didn’t go back to her apartment with her?’
Maxwell shakes his head ‘No, we waited for her in the limo.’
‘And what about since then? She’s been living with you right? You must have learnt something about her.’
‘Oh yes!’ Maxwell exclaims, suddenly animated ‘She’s amazing, she knows all the best dance moves and has great taste in music, she puts all the other suitors in their place and yet still holds herself with grace and dignity, errr sometimes she swears but me and Bertrand are trying to drum that out of her, well Bertrand is, I think it’s kinda cute.’ Maxwell’s cheeks grow pink once again.
Oh great him as well, what the fuck has this girl got that’s got them all acting like dribbling idiots? Bastien wonders.
‘No, no, I mean what do you know about her, about her background where she’s come from, her past? Has she told you anything about her family? Her parents? What school she went to? Where she grew up? Anything like that?’
‘Oh um...’ Maxwell looks up to the ceiling tilting his head to the side thinking about the last few days with Riley ‘No, no she hasn’t. We don’t really talk about stuff like that to be honest, we’re too busy teaching her about the court and it’s many protocols.’
Shit. He knew it was a long shot asking the young Beaumont, as nice as the guy is, he’s not the brains of the family. Maybe he should have asked Bertrand he thinks, but the more astute of the two brothers would know that Bastien hasn’t been able to do his job properly, hasn’t been able to find out about the American’s past. He doesn’t want it to get out that he’s so far failed, he’s got enough on his plate with Constantine’s demands on him and arranging the security for the social season. Damn it.
‘Ok Beaumont you can go, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone about this meeting.’ He gives Maxwell his most menacing stare toying once again with the poor lad, chuckling to himself inside.
Maxwell’s up like a shot reaching for the door handle ‘oh yes of course, my lips are sealed’ he makes a key locking motion on his lips and hurries through the door.
Back to the drawing board Bastien thinks frustrated. He picks up the phone to give an old friend of his in the FBI a call, he needs help on this one, it is as matter of national security after all.
The weeks of the social season pass in a blur, Bastien is rushed off his feet organising the palace guards and personal security teams for the nobles and the Royal Family.
He gets a message that Constantine has summoned him to his chambers. He knocks on the Kings sitting room door and waits.
‘Enter’
Bastien opens the door to find the King standing at the large lead lined window
looking out over the lush green lawns of the palace grounds.
‘Ah Bastien there you are my fellow’
‘Your Majesty’ Bastien bows to the King and enters the sitting room closing the door behind him ‘You wanted to speak with me?’
That in itself wasn’t strange, they often discussed the palace security details outside of their morning briefing, especially when it involved leaving the security of the palace walls.
‘Come, have a drink with me.’ The King walks over to a drinks cart stocked full of decanters of spirits, without waiting for an answer he pours two glasses of amber liquid.
‘Your Majesty, I’m on duty’ Bastien’s not a big drinker at the best of times, preferring to keep a clear head in case he’s needed to respond to a threat at anytime.
‘Nonsense, you can indulge an old man this once.’ The King hands a glass to Bastien and knocks his own against it.
‘What are we drinking to?’ Bastien asks
‘Hmm’ The King pauses thoughtfully ‘to creating our own destiny’
Bastien raises an eyebrow and his glass to The King.
‘Ya mas’ he toasts before taking a sip of the fiery liquid. He remains silent waiting for The King to fill him in on the reason for this impromptu drinking session.
‘Bastien, I need you to do me a favour.’
‘Of course Your Majesty, anything.’
The King runs a hand along his cleanly shaven jaw thoughtfully. ‘It’s of a delicate nature, I need your discretion on this.’
‘Your Majesty I have served you faithfully for over twenty years now, you know my discretion is guaranteed’
‘Of course I realise that Bastien, it’s just, this is for The Prince, it’s in his best interests, only he might not see it that way.’ Lines crease the old mans forehead.
Bastien nods ‘Ok, go on.’
‘I need you to get rid of the American’
Bastien’s eyes widen and his voice falters ‘Ahh. Sir I understand, but Prince Liam is really quite taken with her, it wouldn’t be right to, um, get rid of her.’
The King lets out a deep throaty laugh ‘Good God Bastien what do you think of me! I don’t mean kill her!’ He laughs again and Bastien lets out a breath thank God for that he thinks. He’ll do a lot to serve his crown and country but murdering a suitor is way past his job description.
‘I mean get rid of her from the running, make it so she can’t stay as a suitor. Preferably before the coronation, it won’t give the right image to do it after he’s chosen her. And knowing my son as I do, he will choose her.’
‘Yes Your Majesty, I think he will. However surely it’s his choice to make. Are you sure that’s what you want? You must have noticed as well as I have how happy The Prince is when he’s with her. And the press seem to love her.’
Constantine straightens his posture and takes a sip of his scotch ‘It’s not really his choice to make. This whole ridiculous farce is just for show. He will marry the best choice for the country, not whoever he wants. That’s why I’m asking you. I’m not a fool Bastien, I’ve seen the looks he gives her, you’ve kept me updated on their antics, their romantic rendezvous. He’s just lucky he’s got you looking out for him, not letting him get carried away and caught in a compromising position by the press. It wouldn’t do for the crown to be dragged down in some gutter press scandal involving my youngest son. I don’t want Liam to be likened to his brother and the reputation he made for himself.’
Bastien clears his throat. ‘Your Majesty he’s been quite the gentleman so far.’ He feels bad that he’s required to report back to The King on Liam’s life, but that’s part of his job and he knows if The King found out something that Bastien hadn’t told him there would be hell to pay.
‘Exactly - so far. He’s a young man Bastien, and as old as I am I do remember what that’s like, he won’t be able to keep that up for much longer.’ He gives a rueful smile and turns his back to his bodyguard, moving to stare out of the window once again at the palace gardens beyond. He shakes his head.
‘Bastien I am quite sure. She needs to be gone. She can’t compete to be Queen. She’s not the right fit for Cordonia. She’s not a noble, she’s a mere commoner. Your dossier on her was...enlightening, it’s clear where she gets her stamina and veracity from, however it also made it clear that she was born beneath us, that she’s not fit for our world. As pleasant as she is she’s not good enough for my son or my country.’ He pauses thinking for a moment. His lips turn up at the thought of the pretty American woman ‘Hell, if I was a young prince I would chase after her too for some fun. But even Liam, as soft as he is, can surely see that’s all it can be, that she’s not worthy to wear the crown.’
‘Your Majesty...’ Bastien starts but is cut off.
‘And while you’re at it get rid of that damn Nevrakis woman too, she’s far too feisty and hot headed to be Queen. What with her family’s past I wouldn’t want him choosing her as some kind of consolation prize.’
‘Your Majesty, please I don’t think...’
‘I don’t pay you to think Bastien, I pay you to do. You have my orders. I don’t care how you do it I just want it done. Some kind of scandal should do the job, get it out all over the press, make sure she’s humiliated enough to leave immediately afterwards. Do you understand?’
‘Yes sir, but there has to be another way, please Sir, talk to The Prince...’
‘Bastien’ the King raises his voice an octave ‘Do not overstep the mark.’ Bastien closes his mouth and nods silently. He makes for the door.
‘And Bastien, not a word of this to anyone.’
Bastien places his barely touched drink on the antique sideboard. ‘Very well Your Majesty.’ He bows and leave the room.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. His mind is whirling, how the hell is he going to do this, Liam is never going to forgive him. He’s seen how much the young prince cares for Lady Riley. She’s done so well in her time here, even Bastien can now see what it is they all love about her, she’s got them all captured with her majestic beauty, her uncompromising strength, quick wit and dazzling personality. Even the stone cold Drake Walker has totally fallen for her, much to Bastien’s chagrin. That boy is gonna get his heart well and truly broken going after his best friends girl. Ever since Jackson Walker died in the line of duty Bastien has looked out for Drake and Savannah. Drake’s not going to forgive him for this either. He has no choice, he can’t go against the direct orders of The King.
Regretfully Bastien sets up a trap for Riley. He gets that idiot Tariq to try his luck with her, knowing that the fool couldn’t resist the thought of getting one up on The Crown Prince by getting his end away with the favourite suitor. It was easier than he thought it would be. The only thing he didn’t count on was that Drake would go piling in to save her. Still, they got the photos they needed. He sent them to the press anonymously. Constantine had orchestrated it so that it would happen at the Coronation Ball for maximum impact, Bastien was not in agreement to that, the public humiliation was a step too far in his opinion. But The King was ruthless and Bastien had no choice but to go along with it.
I love the interactions between Bastien and Maxwell. I can completely see this dynamic! I also like how you handled Constantine giving the order to Bastien to take out Riley. This is a great series!
A/N: I thought it would be nice to see things from Bastien’s POV. Any similarities to anything else out there is unintentional and is purely coincidental. I fell in love with the TRR series late and have only just got into it. I felt that some of the chapters just needed a bit more - it goes along with my previous fanfic where Riley went back to New York briefly after the coronation ball.
All characters belong to Pixelberry.
Apologies in advance for any typos, grammar or spelling errors.
Chapter 1
‘You did what?’ Bastien’s eyebrows knit together and he shakes his head slightly, he stares down at the young noble, disbelieving.
‘I...um...I asked the waitress from last night to come back to Cordonia with us. To...um be House Beaumont’s sponsor for the suitor.’
Maxwell, Drake and the girl have arrived in the palace lobby, upon seeing the waitress Bastien immediately grabbed Maxwells elbow and led him away from the others.
Bastien stands slack jawed in front of Maxwell. Maxwell was so confident in his earlier decision but is now unsure that it was a good idea at all, what with Drakes blatant disapproval and now Bastien getting on his case. Hiding his nerves he smiles a big wide toothed grin at Bastien, his eyes are however peering sheepishly at the large imposing figure in front of him. Bastien crosses his arms in front of his chest.
‘Seriously Lord Maxwell?’ Silently he adds what the hell is wrong with you?
‘Um...should I not have?’ Maxwell looks crestfallen, his voice less confident. Bastien shakes his head again.
‘It’s just...I saw how well they got on and how Liam looked at her...’ a soppy smile plays at Maxwells lips and Bastien lets out a sigh. ‘And I just thought it would make him happy.’
‘Lord Maxwell I shouldn’t have to tell you about security, you can’t just go around inviting random strangers back to the palace. What about her security clearance? What about the background checks? There’s a process for choosing suitors for a reason.’
‘Pleeease Bastien? Please let her stay, surely you can get all those things done?’ Maxwell’s whiney tone irritates Bastien. What the hell is wrong with these entitled kids? He thinks. Do they not realise my job is hard enough as it is. He takes a deep breath and tries not to show how irritated he is. He can’t believe Drake had a part in this, he had thought better of him, his dad was a kings guard, he’s seen first hand how tough their job was, he didn’t think Drake would have gone along with this stupid scheme.
‘Look, I can try and fast track her security clearance but the background checks might take a while. You should have at least run this by me first.’ The scowl on Bastien’s face gives away his irritation, but there is little he can do now she’s here, he’s not heartless enough to put her straight back on a plane home.
‘Is that a yes to her staying then?’ Maxwell asks his voice full of hope. ‘Please? Please?’ Maxwell hops from foot to foot.
‘For now it is, but listen to me carefully, this is only temporary. If the checks come back less than satisfactory I will get rid her faster than you can say Jack Robinson.’
‘Who?’
Bastien sighs, exasperated ‘It’s an idiom Lord Maxwell... anyway that’s not important. Lady Riley will be kept a close eye on until she’s cleared, you understand? And if anything happens to the Crown Prince I’m holding you personally responsible, get it?’ For his own amusement Bastien runs a finger across his throat, keeping the tone of his voice hard, his cold eyes staring at Maxwell in what he hoped was an intimidating way. Maxwell nods his head very slowly, eyes wide.
Why did none of them take his role seriously? Bastien thinks, he thought his job would be a lot easier now with Prince Liam to look after. After looking after the rebel that was Prince Leo he assumed this would be a walk in the park. He’s still not forgiven himself for allowing the former crown prince to escape his security detail time and time again.
‘Please don’t’ Bastien growls holding a hand up in front of Maxwells face. ‘I’ve got work to do’. He strides out of the lobby back to the security offices in the basement of the palace.
Bastien unlocks the door to his windowless office, despite the heat of the Cordonian summer outside the air inside is cool. The quiet tranquillity of his clutter free desk, pristine stark white walls and marble floor are a comfort to him. He sinks gratefully into his black leather office chair. Why did I ever agree to that ridiculous bachelor party? He thinks back to the nightmare he had arranging the security so that of the Crown Prince of Cordonia and his friends could galavant freely around New York. He had factored in the girls that would no doubt throw themselves at Liam, that was par for the course with the young handsome prince, what he hadn’t factored in however, was a waitress taking the Prince on a god damn boat to the Statue of Liberty. What a curve ball that had turned out to be, he very nearly called the coast guard for an escort, but for some unknown reason his gut told him to trust her, and he had thankfully trusted his gut. He shook his head at the memory of the feisty American girl that seemed to hold some kind of power over the Prince that night. In all honesty he didn’t think he’d see her again, he should have known better. He too had noticed how Liam was around her, he hadn’t seen the Prince act that way before, as far as he’s aware Liam has never been in love, never had a serious girlfriend even, not like Leo who fell dramatically in love with every girl he met, often regaling Bastien with tales of the wild nights he had spent with them when Bastien had finally tracked him down and dragged him back the palace. No Liam wasn’t like his brother in that respect. This isn’t going to end well Bastien thought I’ve got a bad feeling about this one.
Powering up his laptop he got to work on the background checks for the pretty American waitress, hoping it wouldn’t be too difficult. Maxwell had emailed him back the questionnaire all candidates had to fill in so at least he had a starting point.
Several hours later an alarm sounded on his phone, the masquerade ball was starting, he needed to get up to the ballroom and check in with the security team up there. He stretched his arms above his head intertwining his fingers and cracking his knuckles, he rolled his head from side to side straightening out the kinks in his neck from being hunched over his laptop for so long. Normally these kids were easy to trace, their social media often gave away a lot of information, but not this one. So far all he’s traced her back to is one bank account with a pittance in it; an address for a studio apartment in a not so nice area of Queens; and a history of jobs like the one at the bar that they already knew about from when the guys met her. She’s proving to be an enigma and Bastien doesn’t like mysteries.
He moves through the passageways of the palace quickly and silently, finally emerging in the ballroom. He scans the room for the prince and spots him deep in conversation through the balcony doors with the waitress. Shit he thinks to himself making his way quickly and discreetly to the open doors of the balcony. He’s being doing this job for so long he knows how to blend seamlessly into the background, lurking in the shadows. He casts an ear over the Prince’s conversation telling himself it’s to make sure nothing confidential is being discussed, in reality he wants to suss out the situation, check if his initial instincts about Liam’s feeling were right. He’s not sure he trusts this girl yet, not until he’s had more time to look into where she’s come from, this is real life not a fucking fairytale he thinks to himself bitterly.
Later that night he watches from an upstairs window as the Prince and the mystery suitor enter the hedge maze. To give him his due Liam hasn’t done a bad job of trying to evade Bastien, however Bastien has had plenty of practice and Liam definitely isn’t as good at sneaking around as Leo was. This Riley girl is going to be the Prince’s Achilles heel he can tell already. He watches silently from afar, letting the Prince have his fun, letting him think he’s outrun Bastien. He smiles to himself remembering his youth, whilst he never had girls throwing themselves at him in quite the same way, he remembers what it was like to be carefree. He waits until he’s sure the Prince has returned to his room alone before making his way to his own room, vowing to make a renewed effort to trace the enigmatic Riley Taylor.
Heads up for TRR Bastien fans - I've been reworking my TRR AU Protect and Serve series and have more or less rewritten the scene where he admits his feelings for his LI Sophia Turner. I'll post it on Valentine's day (it's smuffy) so keep your eyes peeled!
If you haven't read this AU, my Bastien is the Captain of the Royal Guard that Cordonia deserves - upright, loyal, efficient and ruthless, not the travesty TRH turned him into. No under 18s please.
Aw, thank you! I’ve been so mopey about Bastien since PB completely rewrote his relationship/guard status with Jackson Walker in order to work in the final book traitor plot. Wow. No plot holes there. Ugh
Series Premise: Two years after his abdication and wedding to Katie, Leo meets Riley the night of Liam’s coronation.
Chapter Summary: Riley struggles to move forward and settles into her new job. Leo and Luca talk. Milo has news.
Luca, Milo, Mark, Claire, Lindsey, and Simon belong to me, as does this story. Other characters belong to Pixelberry.
Catch Up Here!
Content Warnings: Language, angst, discussion of infidelity
Music Inspo: Oceans-Seafret
Word Count: 5638
RILEY
Luca leads me into the club, the music is so loud I almost can’t hear myself think. It’s a different place than before. No Brads or Leos to accidentally run into. Not that I expect to. It looks the same, with neon lights and a giant bar. Strobe lights flash across the wood-paneled walls, bathing the room in rainbows.
We head straight to the dance floor, and I try to lose myself in the beat. Luca spins me and I move with him. My heart isn’t in it. My chest feels like it’s full of lead.
A blonde man comes into view, and my breath catches. It’s not Leo. He’s not as tall and his haircut is wrong. My vision blurs, and I need to sit down.
I point to the bar and Luca nods. I have to blink, and tears drop onto my cheeks. I wipe them hurriedly and smooth my blue bodycon dress before I take a seat at the bar. I might be sad, but at least I look hot. Luca slides onto the stool next to me and orders water. I order six shots of tequila.
The bartender lines them up and gives me a curious look. “Bad day?”
“I found out the guy I was seeing is married,” I call over the cacophony of the room. I tip back three of the shots quickly.
“Asshole!” The bartender refills a shot glass. “This one’s on me. I’m off in an hour, if you want company.”
Luca stifles a laugh next to me.
“I’m Beckett,” His dark hair falls in his eyes and he smoothes it back. His hand brushes against mine when I lift a glass.
“Hi Beckett,” I hold the shot in the air as a toast. “Riley.”
“That’s a great name,” Beckett grins at me, two perfect dimples appear. My eyes travel over his chiseled jaw and high cheekbones. He’s gorgeous.
I feel nothing.
“I was named after main character in a romance novel my mom was obsessed with,” I empty the last two shots. My head is fuzzy already. “I should be glad her name wasn’t Helga.”
Luca pushes his water glass toward me and I take it, gulping half the liquid remaining.
Beckett laughs. “You’re funny.”
I offer a weak smile. Beckett flashes an apologetic grin as he moves down the bar to serve a group that just sat down.
“Too soon?” Luca drapes his arm over my shoulders.
“This used to work, Luca.” I rest my head on my fist. “I’d go dance, get a little drunk. Move on. I’m just sad. I didn’t even know him that long!”
Luca takes my other hand between his, waiting for me to continue. He is an annoyingly good listener sometimes.
“Leo’s the first person since fucking Burke I really let in on a fucking romantic level. I started to, with Liam, but that doesn’t count.”
“I think that counts,” Luca interrupts. “Liam changed a lot for you. You realized you wanted more after you met him.”
“I opened myself up so his brother could crush me,” I say miserably. “Awesome.”
I keep going before Luca can interrupt. “I’m close to the stupid L word with him. Was close. Fuck, I work for the same company he does! I have to see his stupid face soon. But it’s not stupid; I like his stupid face.”
Luca lets me ramble, patting my back every so often. “You almost love him?”
“Shh.” I drop my head into my hands. “Don’t say it!”
“After all you’ve told me, I'm glad you got there again,” Luca nods solemnly. “That’s good, even if it hurts like hell. Don’t let him screw up this job, okay? I see how you love it, don’t let him ruin it.”
“I do,” I admit. “I shouldn’t have taken it, though. What was I thinking? I didn’t know Leo that long then; I didn’t take into account that we might not work out.”
I wave at the bartender and ask for a long island iced tea.
Luca watches me chug the drink. “You do whatever you need to, all right? You do miss him; everything has changed quickly. No judgments from me.”
“I want to murder him, and I also want to sit on his face,” I sigh and gulp the drink down.
Luca chokes on his water. “I’ve been there, Riley. I get it. You don’t have to decide what to do right now; there’s a perk of him being across the world shortly. You have space to think.”
“I’m done with him, Luca,” I try to say convincingly. “I need to stop drinking. I have to meet the marketing team tomorrow.”
“You don’t have to put on a front with me. Let’s get you home,” Luca tosses a few bills on the bar. “Unless you want to talk to Beckett about his acting career.”
I slide off the stool and hold onto the bar to get my balance. “You don’t know he’s an actor.”
“He’s the one in the gym commercial,” Luca says as we walk toward the exit. “He’d probably talk to you about cross fit and his dreams of being De Niro.”
I snicker as we step out into the warm night air. “Not enough tequila in the world.”
———
LEO
I load the duffel of extra clothes into the back of the Rover. I have a couple of days, but I might as well get some of the packing out of the way.
I cleaned the whole apartment yesterday. There’s housekeeping, but I felt like doing it. I found a shirt of Riley’s. I need to get it back to her. It’s a red one she wears to bed. She’s had it since college, with the logo of a pizza place that isn’t open anymore on it. She loves it.
My phone buzzes, and I scramble to answer it.
Boring AF flashes on my phone screen. Nicole. Why the fuck is she calling me?
“What’s up, Nicole?” I don’t have to deal with Nicole often. She and Audrey are constantly on the move. I like it that way.
I remember I don’t have to deal with any of them. Not anymore. I am blocking numbers after I hang up. No more Alex asking me why Elena is mad at him, or Jess whining about her life. No more Violet being nosy when she’s bored, or Chaz sending me daily motivational quotes on pictures of birds.
Maybe I’ll keep Chaz.
“Leo, would Liam let me film in Cordonia? I’m doing a doc on food festivals in the Mediterranean, and the apple jamboree and the art and food event in Castelsarreillan are kinda cool.” Nicole doesn’t even say hello. “I found forms, but there’s all this red tape and -”
“Nicole,” I interrupt. I’m not doing that family any more favors. “Go through the proper channels. Liam is swamped right now.”
“Fine. Can I talk to Katie again?” Nicole sounds annoyed. I don’t care. “I had another question about the money guy.”
Money guy? I know fuck all about their money stuff. “Katie isn’t here. I moved out, Nicole.”
I’m about to hang up when Nicole screeches. “You did WHAT?”
“I filed for divorce,” I climb in the driver’s seat and start the car.
“Leo, I just spoke to her,” Nicole is doing that super fast talking thing she does when she gets information she doesn’t know what to do with. I hate that I know that. “She said to ask you about filming, that you weren’t racing yet. She didn’t say a word about you two breaking up.”
Katie hasn’t told anyone. I should be surprised, but I’m not.
“I don’t know what to tell you,” I finally say. “Good luck.”
“Thanks,” Nicole sounds confused before she ends the call.
I pull away from the building, and before I know where I’m going, Luca’s place comes into view.
I hesitate and press the brake pedal. I have no idea what Riley has going on since she canceled the interview. I need to try to talk to her again.
Luca’s SUV is parked in the driveway. I pull in next to him and check the clock. It’s around lunch. Maybe he came home from work to eat?
I climb the stairs to the porch, remembering the last time I was here. Riley threw my keys. I’m lucky she didn’t junk punch me.
I knock. Not too loud. How are you supposed to knock when you’re an asshole?
The door swings open, and there’s Luca. He looks better than the last time I saw him. He’s wearing a white button-down and dark slacks; I see his suit jacket on the chair beside the door. He’s definitely working.
I remember helping him inside with Riley, how sweet she was to him. It hit me then that I had to tell her. Luca was so broken up; I didn’t want to hurt her by not saying anything. I hurt her anyway. She deserved more from me.
Luca crosses his arms and steps onto the porch. It’s quiet. If Riley’s there, she’s sleeping or in the shower.
I think about the last time we were in the shower. Fuck, I miss Riley. Not just the sex, even though that was the best of my goddamn life. No one else measures up. I miss everything about her.
I don’t even care that she and Luca hooked up. I was jealous for a couple of days. I pictured it way too much. If Riley was going to be with Luca, it would have been more than a one night thing. They’re just friends.
“Hey,” is all I manage to say before Luca bursts out laughing.
Luca doubles over, his body shaking as he puts his hands on his knees.
“Sorry, it struck me as hilarious, seeing you back here,” Luca wipes his eyes and straightens. “Riley isn’t home.”
“Oh,” I feel so lame right now. Did I expect her to be waiting around? Riley’s got her own life. “Will she be back soon?”
“I’ve honestly not a clue,” Luca recrosses his arms. He won’t look me in the eye, and he definitely knows when she’ll be back.
I wonder if she bought a car. I hope she got the one she wanted. Riley told me all about the Jeep; how she wanted one you could take the roof off of, and it was fucking cute.
“You know what happened.” I don’t ask; I know he does. Riley told him, and her voice the other night, how it cracked when she tried not to cry, echoes in my ears.
My stomach burns, and I’m about to throw up. I clamp my lips together and force the bile back.
“Are you going to make it?” Luca peers at me a little worriedly.
“Yeah,” I clear my throat and swallow hard.
“Riley told me you were getting divorced, yes,” Luca leans against the door frame. “Katie, is why you gave up the king business?”
I freeze. “How did you know her name?”
“Internet,” Luca replies with a shrug.
It never occurred to me that Riley or Luca would search for info online, and it should have. Holy shit. Katie’s vows are out there. Ana de Luca would not take that video down. I asked.
“Oh,” I exhale and force my stomach to settle. “Yes, she was.”
“You didn’t seem very happy the day I gave you a ride,” Luca observes.
“I didn’t want to be here for a month,” I shove my hands in my pockets. “Katie and I lived around each other. We occasionally talked; it usually turned into a fight. Nothing I did was right or enough. That’s not an excuse; I should have moved out a long ass time ago.”
“Why didn’t you?”
I glance down the driveway. No Riley. “I didn’t think I could leave Cordonia, and Katie showed me I could have a normal life. She gave me a push when I was trying to make a decision. I felt obligated.”
“Yet…” Luca trails off.
“We shouldn’t have gotten married.” I wonder again if she would have picked William if not for my royal title. “We didn’t know each other well enough, and we were both unhappy with who we ended up married to.”
Katie might be in denial about that last part, but I know she wasn’t happy either, despite what she says. The final fight we had when I left proved that.
“Riley did the same thing, yeah?” Luca says thoughtfully. “Showed you a new life. Or the potential for one.”
“Yes,” I’m confused. Luca’s trying to figure me out, and I’m not sure why. I thought he’d hate me. I wonder how Riley is. I’m sure she’s pissed and sad; I wish I could see her. “I didn’t know women like her existed. I met her, and I knew something was special about her. After what she did for my brother, I couldn’t believe someone could be that kind and selfless.”
“That’s her,” Luca agrees. “She's coping, but she’s talking me through my shit choice in partners at the same time. She went to three different bakeries to find porter cake because I said I missed my ma’s.”
I don’t know what that is, but I nod like I do.
“She never made me feel like I was a fuck up. She called me on my shit in the nicest way. I could talk to her for hours and never get enough.”
Luca narrows his eyes at me again.
“I did fuck up.” I know I did. “I don’t know how to fix this, but I want to try.”
“You know it wasn’t real, don’t you?” Luca replies. “Until you were honest about your situation, none of that was real.”
Leaving Cordonia was hard; finally leaving Katie was stressful as fuck. Even though it needed to happen, staying in the place you know is easier. Telling Riley about the divorce was the most terrified I’ve ever been.
“I know. I was scared to tell Riley the truth,” I admit. “I was selfish, and I should have told her the night we met. She felt like the only person in the world when we were together. I’d forget everything else.”
Like that Katie existed at all.
Luca lifts a shoulder and drops it. “If you told her the truth, she wouldn’t have started with you. At least until you’d filed or left, whatever.”
“I know,” I don’t know what else to say.
“You let her get attached to you before you told her the truth,” Luca steps a little closer. “No matter your feelings, that will never be all right. She trusted that you were free when you weren’t. She trusted you, and you blew it up.”
“If Riley forgives me, ever speaks to me again,” I reply, “I will never stop trying to make up for what I’ve done.”
“If that happens; let’s start with telling her the truth about everything and go from there,” Luca glances at his watch. “I need to go back in.”
“Thanks for hearing me out,” I turn to leave. “I appreciate it.”
“Leo,” Luca stops me. He rubs his forehead and seems reluctant to tell me what he’s about to say. “She misses you. She pretends not to, but it’s obvious. She’s stopped throwing your flowers on the lawn.”
I raise my eyebrows. I’ve been sending flowers every day, with apology notes. I don’t know her favorite, but I’ve been choosing ones that remind me of her. Throwing them outside seems better than putting them down the garbage disposal.
“I miss her,” My voice cracks, and I clear my throat quickly. “I have to leave on Saturday, and I’m sure she rightfully hates me, but-”
“Give her some space,” Luca leans over and grabs his suit jacket, locking the door behind him. “It’s good that you’re leaving for a bit.”
“It feels like I'm abandoning her.”
“You have to go for work,” Luca hops down the porch steps. I follow him. “Keep in touch. Let her know you’re available to talk. If she wants to, she will.”
“I’ll do that,” I open the door. “You’re a good guy, Luca.”
“It’s the worst, isn’t it?” Luca smirks. “Safe travels, then.”
I let Luca get out of the driveway first. I head in the direction of the storage unit, thinking about what he said.
———
RILEY
“Shall we dash up to marketing and meet your coworkers?” Mark stands and smiles his very white and perfect grin at me.
Shall we dash? He’s like American Bertrand. I bite back a grin at the thought of telling Bertrand there are people like him in America. He’d never believe it. God, I even miss Bertrand.
“Sounds good,” I stand and stretch my fingers out. I’ve been filling out paperwork all day.
Mark walks through the office. It’s very bright; the lights reflect off all the clear furniture. Prisms dot the walls; tiny rainbows are everywhere.
We walk down a hall past reception, and I see two women at a large table through the frosted glass door. They look up as Mark taps on the doorframe and swings it open.
I get a better view of the room. There’s a huge whiteboard and a bulletin board. All the framed art is abstract, multicolored shapes interspersed with lines. There are several vases of large pink peonies. There are no desks, just the large table in the middle of the room with more chairs than people who work here.
“Claire Wheeler, Lindsey Ford,” Mark gives me a little push toward them. “I’d like to introduce you to Riley.”
“Hi,” Mark is acting like this is a playdate. If he tries to move me again, I’m going to snap. No, I won’t. I keep the irritation at him off my face. “Riley Brooks.”
The blonde woman stands; her printed dress is a little retro with a full flared skirt. Her lips are perfectly red-lipsticked. She studies me critically, and I hope they aren’t assholes. “Cute dress,” she finally says, offering her hand. “I’m Claire.”
I feel the relief relax my shoulders a little as I shake her hand. “Thanks.” I wasn’t sure about this outfit. It’s a green wrap dress, which reminds me of Madeleine. I bought it on sale last year, and she would never wear it.
I can’t get Cordonia off the brain the past few days. I want to call Liam or Drake, but I don’t want to talk about Leo. I’ve been reading about the tour; they’re about to leave Paris.
That’s the shitty part of being a jumper. You’re constantly trying to get your bearings. I didn’t for so long on New York. Then I ran off to Cordonia; then I came here. I slowed down slightly with Leo; it was more hopping than jumping. I want to stay put for a little while, settle into the job, get into a routine. Stop thinking about Leo.
The other woman stands, her sizeable pregnant belly coming into view. “I’m moving slow today, don’t mind me.” She starts to shuffle over, and I clock her 4-inch heels and tight black shift dress. Brave. “Hi, I’m Lindsey.”
“Please, sit back down,” I wave at her. “Nice to meet you.”
Lindsey perches on the edge of the closest chair. “I’m due next month, and I know I’m not done expanding.”
“Congratulations,” I smile. I don’t mind babies, mostly. I don’t want one anytime soon.
“Wonderful,” Mark clears his throat. “I’ll leave you ladies to it.” He quickly walks out the door, and I take a seat next to Lindsey.
Claire sits on my other side and leans in. “We’ve been asking Mark to hire more people for a year. Leo breezes in and mentions a woman he knows, and bam.”
“Ouch,” I wince. Mark likes Leo and doesn’t listen. I already caught that.
“Not that we’re not glad you’re here,” Lindsey jumps in. “Mark is a selective listener.”
Okay, they aren’t mad at me. They don’t like Mark, and that makes sense. Whew.
“Mark didn’t give you much direction, did he?” I keep my voice low, sidestepping the Leo mention. “I got the impression he doesn’t-”
“Understand how much work goes into marketing?” Lindsey finishes my thought. “No. We’ve pitched him a few things, and he waved it off as boring or expensive. His father used to be the boss, when he retired, he appointed his son. Mark is good at dealing with the team, just not some of the other departments.”
Bertrand knows all his shit, at least.
“What was the last thing we pitched, Claire?” Lindsey leans back and massages her bump. “The commercials?”
Claire nods. “He didn’t want to spend the money.”
“Did he show you the mockups I brought in?” I turn my head and look at both of them. They nod, “I know they need some finessing. But it’s all print and stuff that’s already set up. He can’t blame money.”
“Perfect,” Lindsey agrees. “You’ve been doing this a little while, then?”
“No, this is my first official job,” I smile nervously. “I’d help with ads at the bar I used to work at, but I mostly waitressed.”
“Girl, how old are you?” Claire leans in. “Sorry, but if you are under 25, I’m gonna go jump off the building.”
“Don’t do that!” I nudge Claire with my elbow. “I’m almost 26.”
I realize my birthday is two weeks away. Shit. Can I skip it this year?
Claire exhales dramatically. “Thank god. We’re both 29.”
Leo’s 29. Stop thinking about Leo.
Lindsey swats her. “You are 29. I still have a month.” She turns to me. “If this baby is born on my birthday, I will change mine. I don’t share.”
I can’t help but laugh. “I don’t share either.”
“We should probably do some work,” Claire sighs. “Mark wants you handling the go-between with marketing and the team, right?”
“I guess so,” I fill them in on the meetings, even though I think Mark’s told them. “It should just be the meeting and one follow-up conversation, though. I don’t see it being a regular thing.”
“That’s more contact than we usually have.” Claire goes up to the whiteboard and uncaps a marker, scribbling a note on the board with the days and times I just gave her.
“How do you know Leo?” Lindsey asks as though she’s been dying to since I got here. She winks at me. “He’s gorgeous.”
I fight not to let my face react; I feel my smile slipping. I know Leo because up until a few days ago, I thought we had something. I can’t say that. Not that there’s a no-date rule or anything here. I asked, and Mark gave me a weird look after explaining there was not. I wanted to make sure the past wouldn’t come back to bite me.
“I don’t know him very well,” I try to sound casual. It’s the truth. “I met him through his younger brother.”
“How was that?” Lindsey presses. “I bet it was like being in a movie. A dashing Prince, vying for his hand.”
Lindsey flutters her lashes at me and puts a hand to her heart. Claire snorts and elbows her.
“Sort of,” A really weird movie. “There was a lot to learn, but it was a mostly good experience. It turned out the way it was supposed to.”
A wave of what feels like homesickness hits me. I love living here; the job is excellent so far. Luca is the best roommate I could ask for. But, I’m having a hard time adjusting.
I miss everyone more than I thought I would. I miss Liam, his kindness, and his secretly wicked sense of humor. Drake being gruff when he doesn’t want you to know he’s experiencing an emotion. I miss Maxwell and his perma positive attitude. I miss Hana and how she told me tons of shit I didn’t know.
I miss Leo. I miss his smirk and the way he looked at me. I miss talking to him. I had a dream last night, and it was us having a conversation about nothing. He kept brushing the hair off my forehead, and I felt so comforted. At least until I woke up and cried in the shower. He’s leaving soon, too.
“Leo brought up marketing?” Claire snorts and lowers herself back into a chair. “He’s not a talk shop sort of guy.”
I’m grateful for the distraction because if I keep following this train of thought, I will cry. I’m going to when I get home.
Claire is kind of an asshole, but I like her. She’s not wrong about Leo.
“We flew back together and talked a little on the plane.” My throat constricts a little. I learned a lot about him on the plane. Or I thought I did. “He mentioned the job here, asked if he could put in a good word, and I said okay. I was in New York before; I sort of started over here.”
“Did you hear about his divorce?” Lindsey gasps. “I was shocked.”
“Really?” Claire screws up her face, her red lips twisting slightly. “Why? We didn’t even know he was married until he crashed.”
“I hit on him before I got knocked up,” Lindsey frets, picking at a cuticle. “He was so nice about it; he changed the subject and pretended not to notice.”
Good to know Leo didn’t cheat with Lindsey.
“No one met her,” Claire shakes her head. “She never came on the circuit or here at all.”
“Leo didn’t tell anyone he was married?” I scrunch my nose. “Isn’t that weird?”
“The guys and Mark knew,” Lindsey says. “They tried to reach her when he got injured, but no luck. That was the first time me and Claire heard of her, like I said; not much contact with the racing team.”
Claire and Lindsey saying they aren’t around the racers makes me feel a little better. On top of them all being in Europe for months at a time, maybe that will help me get over Leo. Out of sight, out of mind.
“The woman never even went to see Leo,” Claire adds. “He traveled the rest of the circuit; he didn’t even come home like Mark wanted him to. I knew that marriage was doomed then.”
Leo marrying Katie continues to make no sense to me. Not just because I maybe have feelings for him.
“Whoa,” I didn’t know some of that. My stomach drops a little, and I push the picture of Leo hurt out of my mind. “He stayed?”
“Yeah,” Claire continues. “He wanted to be supportive of the other guys. I felt sad for him. The other wives all hang out. Most of them go on the circuit or at least visit. Some have kids; they bring them along too.”
“The ones with careers even take time out and tag along.” Lindsey nods. “There’s constant video chatting and texting when they can’t make it.”
“You talk like you’ve been on the circuit,” I feel a cold chill start to travel up my spine.
Claire and Lindsey exchange a look. “Mark didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“New hires go on the circuit for two weeks,” Lindsey shifts in her seat, trying to get comfortable. “Mark’s dad liked everyone to see the races first hand; Mark kept it up. Since you just got here, he’ll probably have you fly out in a week or two, not with Leo and Simon on Saturday.”
“Maybe he’s not making you go,” Claire can definitely tell I’m blindsided. “Because Leo told you some of the details.”
Her tone is not convincing, but I can’t help but hope that she’s right. Please, please, please let her be right.
———
LEO
“Leo!”
I glance around, trying to figure out where the shout came from. My eyes land on the bright red hair of one of my teammates.
I lift a hand and make my way through the crowd to the bar. The game is on all the channels. I have no idea what game. I’m not big on sports.
“Simon, how the fuck are you?”
Simon laughs, and we clap each other on the back. He called and asked me to get a drink. News of my divorce has spread through the team already. I knew it would; Mark tells everyone everything. I am anticipating some late-night texts from some of the other guys.
Simon points to his light beer and holds a finger up, signaling for another.
“I don’t know how you can drink these,” I take the beer from the bartender and clink necks with Simon before taking a long swallow. “It’s all watered down.”
“I must maintain my girlish figure,” Simon grins, and I see a woman a few stools away perk up. Simon’s from London, and if he weren’t married, that accent would be useful. Mine used to get me pretty far back in the day.
I shake my head and take another swallow. “How’s your wife doing?”
Simon stayed behind for his wife’s knee surgery. Lucy usually travels half the circuit with him. She does something in tech and can work remotely for a few months.
“Her sister is minding her while I’m gone. Luce is pissed she can’t come with my last run,” Simon’s smile drops. “Despite me telling her it’s not vital. She needs to prop her feet up.”
“We can stream races for her if you want,” I offer. I’ll miss Simon; he’s been around since I came aboard. It’s his tenth year.
“I have it covered already,” Simon takes a pull of his beer. “You’re still coming along? Even with the divorce?”
“Yeah,” I shrug. “I’m coming back early to wrap it up.”
“What was the last straw?” Simon looks at me quizzically. “She’s never around, is that it? None of us have met her.”
We generally had a big dinner right before we head back on the circuit. Katie never attended. Alex or Jess would have a crisis. Or she’d conveniently be sick or have plans.
“We make each other miserable,” I stare into my beer. “It wasn’t working for a long time.”
“That’s all?” Simon studies me, confusion wrinkling his brow. “No big juicy story? No enormous fight? I’ll be honest, some of us thought you made her up.”
“Really?” Simon shrugs. “I might have met someone who made me decide to get out,” I wince, knowing how bad that sounds. Thinking about Riley still makes me happy.
“Brilliant!” Simon slaps the counter. “Is she coming with on the circuit? When do we all meet her?”
“I didn’t tell her I was getting divorced at first,” I start to say.
“You idiot!” Simon erupts into a loud laugh. “She dumped you?”
The whole story comes out. How we met, how I tried with Katie and how I finally filed and left. The fight with Riley and how I’ve been trying to apologize to her. I don’t mention any of the job stuff. He doesn’t need to know.
Simon gulps the last half of his beer and signals for another. “Fuck.”
I wave Simon off when he motions to my beer. I’m still working on the first one. It’s gross.
“You won’t like what I have to say,” Simon warns.
“Go ahead.”
“You should have told her first,” Simon arches an eyebrow at me.
“Thanks, man,” I grumble. “I hadn’t even thought of that.”
“I love my wife,” Simon runs a hand through his already messy hair, making it stick up more. “I can’t relate to ever forgetting she exists. Must be awful.”
My phone vibrates, and I unlock the screen. Mark sent a text about a meeting on Thursday.
Simon’s frowning at his phone. “Why are we having a two-person get-together?”
I shrug. “It has to be important, though, right?”
Simon sets his phone on the worn oak bar. “I guess so. I heard Mark finally hired another marketer. Perhaps that’s it.”
I think about how Riley should have had that job.
My phone vibrates again, and I check it. Milo. I hold up a finger and answer it.
“Leo, sorry to call so late.” Milo cuts off my greeting. “Katie came by earlier for a consultation. She knows you’ve hired me; I had to tell her upfront because I can’t take her on.”
“She’s looking for a lawyer?” This is good news, sort of. Maybe she wants the whole thing to be over with.
“No,” Milo pauses. I listen to him shuffle papers as anxiety starts to gnaw at my stomach. “She’s visiting every divorce lawyer in town. Alphabetically. I made some calls.”
“Why would she do that?”
“No lawyer who’s spoken to her about the divorce can represent you. She’s trying to make it impossible for you to hire anyone. You spoke to her before she was served, correct?”
“Yeah, I didn’t say I hired a lawyer,” I go over everything I said. “I assumed she knew that.”
“I’ll be honest. This isn’t a good sign, Leo.” Milo is tapping on something; I can hear it over the line. “I have a call into Rashad tomorrow. He can give me further insight into Katie.”
“Right, because of William.” I need to call Rashad and ask. He’s tight-lipped about Katie’s relationship with William Sloane. I’ve brought it up before, and all he said was I took the bullet William dodged.
“What now?” I don’t know what comes next.
“Remember what I said. No telling her anything I advised you not to. In fact, stay away from her until you leave Saturday,” Milo sounds way more confident than I feel. “I believe she wants to delay the divorce. We have to wait and see what she does next.”
“If she doesn’t respond in forty-eight days, it defaults to me.” I knew this wasn’t going to be easy.
“She can file up until day fifty-nine,” Milo says. “Be prepared for this to take longer than expected, Leo.”
“Chaz sending me daily motivational quotes on pictures of birds.” I was howling!
Then the very next line “I think I’ll keep Chaz.” I am f-ing dying! All of the inner thoughts are so good! 🤣🤣🤣 I love how you get into Leo and Riley’s heads and give us their inner monologues. You know them so well and they are so well paired for each other. And OMG the shit they say to themselves is comedic gold at times! Genius!
Irreplaceable Chapter 9: Tell Me What You Want Me to Say
Series Premise: Two years after his abdication and wedding to Katie, Leo meets Riley the night of Liam’s coronation.
Chapter Summary: Leo and Riley go to the beach. Luca has a rough day and Leo tells Riley the truth.
A/N: I hate this chapter. 🤣😭 I’ve been messing with it too much, I need to post it.
Luca belongs to me, as does this story. Other characters belong to Pixelberry.
Catch Up Here!
Content Warnings: Language, angst, discussion of infidelity, excessive alcohol consumption
Music Inspo: No Light, No Light-Florence and the Machine
Word Count: 5852
One week later
LEO
“You’re bringing your snacks to the beach?” Riley giggles from the couch.
“Just the important ones,” I call over my shoulder. I put the box of fruit roll-ups in a canvas bag next to a bag of pretzels and drop it on the counter.
Riley saw them all when she came over last week and said I was adorable. I may have gone overboard. There are pizza pretzels and chips, a few different kinds of salsa, and more chips. The other night, I didn’t even make dinner. I just ate snacks. It was awesome.
I sit down next to Riley on the couch and pull her into my lap. She leans back against my chest. The sun is streaming in through the windows, landing on Riley’s hair. She had it cut to her shoulders the other day, and it’s not as dark brown. It’s all curly and piled on her head. I love it.
The last week has been amazing. Not just the sex, either. We stay up and talk for hours. Riley doesn’t spend every night at my place, but most of them.
Riley is the best fucking friend. She balances hanging out with Luca, too; she won’t let herself get so wrapped up that she forgets he’s around.
Luca still looks at her in not a friendly way. He’s constantly touching her, be it a hug or his arm around her shoulders or a cheek kiss. He knew about the tattoo on her hip. You can’t see that unless she isn’t wearing anything.
I don’t know how to bring that up. Riley and I haven’t said out loud if we’re together or not. I should probably tell her about the divorce before that talk.
I was going to the day I filed, but we came back to my place and had trouble making it to the room without tearing each other’s clothes off.
I’ve been trying to find a good time, and I can’t. Maybe there isn’t one. Maybe it will never come up, and it doesn’t matter.
I know that’s not true.
I’m so fucking nervous about it.
I had a meeting with Milo a few days ago. Katie got served. She screamed at the process server for breaking up her marriage. She threw her engagement ring at him, too. It’s in the dresser here now. I don’t know what to do with it.
I haven’t blocked her number, but Katie hasn’t called or messaged me once. I’m scared she might, and I’m even more terrified that she’s just going to show up.
Katie has two months to respond to the papers. If she doesn’t, it defaults to me. The divorce goes through, and I’m free. I keep hoping that’s what happens, but I know better. Katie doesn’t have a lawyer yet; I know it’s just a matter of time.
I need to tell Riley. I will. After her interview. I don’t want to screw it up for her.
Riley slides out of my lap, and I groan in protest. She’s wearing a black bikini under a sheer shirt thing. “Ready?”
“Yes,” She lifts on her toes and kisses me, her lips perfectly overlapping mine. I tug her closer, my hands on her lower back.
“We gotta go,” Riley pulls back with a pout. “I can’t wait to hear about all the racing stuff.”
I grin; I can’t help it. No one ever cares about that, and she does.
———
RILEY
The salty air is breezing through the car as we speed down the highway toward Santa Monica. It smells so good, and I definitely like living here. The ocean is right there; I see it.
“I wasn’t sure if I’d like LA,” I call over the wind. “But I do not miss the humidity.”
Leo laughs. He seems so much happier over the last week. I smooth a small line near his bottom lip. It’s not a wrinkle, a scar, maybe.
Leo takes my hand and kisses my fingers before resting them against his chest. We stay that way for a few miles. I’ve never felt this comfortable with someone.
“That’s the scar from wiping out at an amateur event,” Leo explains. “I had to get stitches.”
“Ouch,” I lean over and brush my lips against the mark. “Your helmet didn’t cover it?”
“I wasn’t wearing one,” Leo admits. “My dad was pissed, mostly about the scar he knew I’d have.”
“You didn’t have a helmet?” I shake my head. “That doesn’t surprise me. Neither does your dad being mad.”
Leo’s mouth lifts. “I wore a helmet from then on, just because I didn’t want to die because of something that stupid.”
I move my hand from his and retrace the faint line. I see him swallow hard. “I think it makes you look rugged. I hate your dad.”
Leo laughs, and I grin. “Too bad he doesn't know about all your tattoos. He’d have a damn heart attack.”
“I only have four.” I shrug.
“I licked two,” Leo glances over quickly to give me a wicked grin. “I saw the back one the other night.”
I feel a shiver go through me. The other night was awesome. We went out with Luca, and I spent the night at Leo’s. The chaise on his balcony is surprisingly comfortable.
“My back usually isn’t facing you.” I take his hand again. Leo threads his fingers through mine.
Leo has a tattoo kink or something. I didn’t expect it, but he’s always tracing the words on my ribs or the tiny rose on my hip.
Leo pulls into a spot, and I see the beach just ahead. It’s not as clear and beautiful as Cordonia, but I didn’t think it would be. It’s still pretty.
“I’ve never met anyone as authentically themselves as you.” Leo glances at me, the softest expression on his face. It makes my stomach flip.
“I’m gonna need a little more explanation.” I try to sound jokey, but the way Leo talks to me reminds me that I never thought anyone would talk to me the way Liam did. It’s way different with Leo, but it still makes me feel like the only person in the room.
“Everything you do is so goddamn purposeful in the best way.” Leo turns sideways in his seat. “You go out of your way to help people, to be kind. You never make anyone feel less than.”
Leo’s voice is soft, but I hear the awe and a little sadness.
I feel my face heat. “I am not kind all the time. I called Penelope Cruella de Vil with a lobotomy behind her back the whole season.”
“What!” Leo bursts out laughing. “I get it, but what’d she do?”
“She was hostile the first night. I pulled a crab off her at the party after the regatta, and she was a bitch about it,” I scrunch my nose. Penelope is the worst. “She’s not all nice like she tries to seem.”
“What I said is still true,” Leo’s shoulders are still shaking. “I’m calling her that in my head from now on.”
I snicker. “You’re pretty awesome too, you know.”
“Keep going,” Leo winks.
I almost joke again, but it occurs to me that Leo probably gets the short end of the stick a lot. He likely doesn’t hear much nice stuff, aside from Liam.
“You’re brave,” I lace my fingers through his. “You made a tough decision. Even if it was for the best, you’re the one who had to be self-aware enough to realize what you needed to do. You still try to be there for Liam, especially lately. You go back to this country that hasn’t been great to you, that you don’t particularly like.”
A faint blush creeps up Leo’s neck. I thought he was a dick for just up and leaving, but that’s the thing about choices. Everyone chose their way, even if it made things difficult for a little while. They’re all happy now. That’s what matters.
“Wow,” Leo clears his throat. “I think you’re giving me too much credit there.”
“Definitely not,” I unbuckle my seatbelt and reach for my bag in the backseat. “Ready to teach me all about racing?”
Leo grins, his eyes crinkling in the cute way they always do. “Let’s go.”
———
LEO
Riley leans back on her arms, stretching out on the towel. I don’t even try to hide the staring. She looks damn good.
A notebook and pen lay beside her; she’s been writing down what I say.
I know it’s for the interview, but I think she’d still have asked about motocross. She just probably wouldn’t have taken notes.
“There’s so much more than I thought there was,” Riley smiles ruefully. I can’t see her eyes; she’s wearing huge dark glasses. “I thought it was just racing, but there are all these terms, all this stuff I didn’t think of.”
“Like what?” I lean on one elbow, propping my head up. I reach over and touch the words on her ribs gently. It’s a quote, the way she explained it was hot. All the rest is darkness. I’m going to read the book it’s from on the circuit.
“Like the track being so rough.” Riley’s lips turn down at the corner slightly. She’s worried about me. “There are jumps you guys do, and in my head, it was just racing around. It’s scary and difficult, right?”
“Jumps are tricky,” I don’t want her to be concerned, even if that feels nice in a way I hadn’t expected. She cares. “Especially on a track, you aren’t used to. That’s why they want me to practice more, I broke my wrist on a bad landing, and I’ve been a little gun shy since.”
“It makes more sense now,” Riley’s fingertips graze my wrist. I don’t think she knows she’s doing it; it’s a reflex.
“That’s a term you can use; wash out,” I thread my fingers through hers. “It’s when the front tire loses traction, and you fall over.”
Riley uses her other hand to scribble that, then closes the notebook. “Thank you for doing this. I feel so well prepared. You didn’t have to-”
I scoot over and kiss her softly, cutting off the thanks. “I got to spend time with you, go to the beach here for the first time, and talk about myself. What’s better than that?”
Riley shakes her head and giggles but kisses me again. “I appreciate it.”
Riley rolls to face me. The sun is bright; she’s bronzed from Cordonia. I rest my hand on the curve of her waist, her skin still so soft. Riley touches her nose to mine, and our lips meet.
I should tell her. I need to tell her. My eyes fall to the tattoo on her hip, hidden by her bikini.
“Wanna swim or something?” I ask, leaving one last lingering kiss on her lips.
Riley suddenly grins. “I have an idea. But you gotta stay still.”
I let her pull me up and I sit where she tells me to. Riley starts covering my legs with sand.
“Are you burying me?” I laugh. “Why?”
“No, I’m sculpting.” Riley giggles. She piles more sand up and starts smoothing it out.
A bit later, it all makes sense. It’s a mermaid tail. She made me a mermaid. A merman?
Riley snaps a few photos with her phone before returning it to the bag on our towels. “See, that was fun!”
I stand up, the sand falling away. “You’re ridiculous.”
Riley sticks the tip of her tongue out at me. I scoop her up and run to the water, she shrieks and hangs onto me.
I wade out to chest level and Riley narrows her eyes. “You wouldn’t.”
I feign innocence. “I’m just washing the sand off.”
Riley gives me a look that says she doesn’t believe me. “Go ahead, you’re dying to.”
“Now that you’ve taken the fun out of it,” I sigh theatrically before tossing her into the water.
Riley giggles and swims back to me. She climbs on my back and points to the sand. “I’m hungry, snack man.”
I shake my head. Riley is so much fun to be around.
We lay back on the towels. I hold out a fruit roll-up, and she laughs, but takes it from me.
Riley tears a piece of the red fruit leather with her teeth. “How does the schedule work? You’re gone for months, then you’re back and leave again?”
“Basically,” I push down the awful feeling of not seeing her or being close to her every day. “We usually have a few weeks off in between.”
Riley is quiet, tracing a pattern in the sand between the towels. “You must love it. That’s rough.”
“I do,” I admit. “It’s also not for life; I know there’s an expiration date on the racing. I have a few years, but if I didn’t do it...”
“You’d regret it.” Riley finishes. “I get that, I think.”
“Now or never,” I agree. I want to ask her…I don’t know what I want to ask her. To be here when I get back. I can’t ask that. Can I?
“Do you usually just….never mind.” Riley puts her hand on her forehead. “Still up for dinner with Luca? He’s teaching me-”
“Do I what?” I interrupt, feeling desperate to know.
Riley snaps her eyes to mine. “I sort of have this mental image of you being a horndog on the circuit. It’s fine; it’s not my business.”
“No,” I shake my head. “I focus on racing. I’ve had drinks with women, but never anything further.”
“Really?” Riley sounds surprised. She’s probably aware of the playboy shit.
I should tell her. Just do it. I was married, that’s why.
“Why did you want to know?” My heart is beating so fast; I take a deep breath to slow it.
Riley’s cheeks redden, and she really is beautiful no matter what. “Because you’re leaving soon, and I didn’t want to get in too deep. Which is all blown to hell now.”
She likes me as much as I like her. This is new. She doesn’t love me, but I am a freak and fall in love fast.
“Why is it blown to hell?” I brush a strand of hair behind her ear.
Riley’s phone erupts into a Dropkick Murphys song. She has good taste in music.
“Shit, that’s Luc.” Riley fumbles in her bag and retrieves her phone. “He’s at work now usually; I wonder what’s up.”
She’s so fucking kind; it’s unreal. “Don’t worry about it, go ahead.”
I kiss her cheek, and Riley gives me a grateful smile as she holds the phone to her ear.
“Hi, Luca. Everything okay?”
I can hear him on the other end. It’s loud where he is, and he is drunk. I listen to him say he has the worst taste in men, and I can’t understand the rest.
I shouldn’t be so happy that his ex was a man. I remember the way he hugs Riley, the way he looks at her. He’s not gay. Never mind.
“Oh, bud,” Riley sounds sad, and it hurts my stomach a little. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
I hear Luca again, something about needing to go home.
“Where are you?” Riley’s quiet as he tells her. “I’ll be right there.”
Luca says something about being the one in blue, and Riley laughs. “I know what you look like. See you soon.”
Riley drops the phone to her lap. “Did you hear most of that?”
“Yeah,” I wonder if she’s always been like this, just feeling everything for everyone. That has to be exhausting. “Where is he?”
“He's at a bar,” Riley looks at the ocean. “He sounded so…not like Luca.”
“Let’s go get him.” I lean over and press my lips to hers gently.
“You can drop me off; I can drive him,” Riley looks upset, and I hate it. “He said he could take a Ryde, but I’m not doing that to him.”
“It’s no big deal,” I reassure her. “I can drive; we can deal with his car tomorrow.”
Riley smiles the smallest amount, but it’s something. “You’re pretty great; you know that?”
“It’s for purely selfish purposes,” I try to play it off. “I just want to spend more time with you.”
Riley shakes her head. “Accept the compliment. Selfish reasons aside, you don’t have to-”
I cut her off by pulling her closer and crashing my lips to hers. Riley wraps her arms around my neck and parts her lips, her tongue caressing mine.
It’s over too soon. “We have to go get Luca,” Riley whispers, our foreheads touching.
For a guy who doesn’t actively try to cockblock, he’s damn good at it. But the sooner he’s in bed, the faster I can be with Riley.
I stand and grab our stuff while Riley rolls up the towels. Riley holds my hand, and we walk back to the car. I’ll never get over how perfectly we fit together.
—
Riley chews on her lip nervously. “This guy was married, and Luca found out when he ran into him and his wife at the grocery store.”
“Shit,” I don’t know what else to say. “That’s awful.”
Maybe he was working up the nerve to tell Luca, and he ran into him instead. Maybe he didn’t know his marriage sucked until he met Luca.
Fuck. I don’t want that to happen to Riley. Not that it would, I moved out; I filed papers. I never went places with Katie before either, besides houses she was working on.
“Yeah, Luc broke it off a few weeks later.” Riley checks her phone for the millionth time. “He said at first, the guy said he didn’t love his wife, he was leaving her, all that. He didn’t try to, and Luca couldn’t do it anymore.”
I am not that guy. I’ve already left. I need to tell Riley. It’s going to be fucking terrible.
“That’s awful,” I repeat. I pull into the bar; it’s not far from the club we went to before. Luca is outside, and I pull up so he can get in.
Riley jumps out and hugs him; Luca leans against her.
They both get into the backseat, and I reverse out of the parking lot.
“Thank you Leo!” Luca calls. “Good man.”
“No problem.” I wave him off.
“Will you delete him from my phone?” Luca slurs. “I can’t.”
“Yes, of course!” Riley’s voice is soothing. “What’s his name again?”
“Brad.”
“That’s a douche name,” Riley sounds disgusted. “Texts too?”
“Yes,” Luca sighs. “Fuck. Why do I have to like him so much?“
“I know, bud.” I look in the rearview mirror, and Luca has his head on her shoulder. “The assholes are always the worst to move past.”
“How’d you get over that bitch that ghosted you?” Luca sounds exhausted.
I have no idea what he’s talking about. Riley hasn’t mentioned any exes, but I haven’t asked.
“Vodka and brownies. I got under a few people too,” Riley’s voice has the slightest edge, but her quip makes Luca chuckle. “I couldn’t do anything about it; that was the hardest part. Once I had some distance, I saw how much I fed his ego. He wasn’t as great as I thought.”
If I ever meet this guy, I will fuck him up.
“You are wise and lovely,” Luca yawns. “Can I nap in your bed?”
Whoa. What? He wants to sleep in her bed? The way he says it, it’s like a normal question. That day, her bed looked like two people slept in it. But she said she wasn’t with Luca.
“No puking,” Riley warns. “Yes, you can.”
“I already threw up twice,” Luca admits. “All fine here.”
I have no idea what’s going on. I realize Riley and I never finished the conversation at the beach. What was she going to say?
I glance back, seeing Luca dozing. Riley’s looking out the window. I should have told her last week.
———
RILEY
I close my bedroom door; Luca is tucked into bed and mostly asleep already.
I wonder how much Leo heard in the car. He stands from the couch as I walk out.
“Is he okay?” Leo says softly.
“He will be,” I motion to the kitchen. “Let’s talk in there, okay?”
“Does he sleep in your bed a lot?” Leo raises an eyebrow as we sit.
“Um. He has a few times.” I fidget with the salt and pepper shakers on the table. It’s Dracula and his wife; he’s biting her neck.
As I’m deciding to tell Leo I hooked up with Luca, he speaks first.
“I should have told you before,” Leo looks as anxious as I’ve ever seen, and my stomach drops. “I’m getting divorced.”
I swear my heart stops for a second.
“You’re what?” My voice doesn’t sound like it came from me.
“I’m getting divorced,” Leo repeats, staring at me, his eyes pleading. I look away.
I don’t know what to do with this. I have so many questions. Will it hurt more or less?
Fuck it.
“You’re married?” It sounds so stupid to say out loud.
“Technically,” Leo says regretfully.
“You left?” I think of what Luca’s ex said about not loving his wife and insisting that he’d leave her.
“Yes,” Leo says. “I filed papers; I broke things off.”
It must have been before the Coronation. Maybe that’s why he was so sad at the giant house. He had to pack his shit and find the new place. It all makes a sick kind of sense. I can see why he wouldn’t want to open with that, no one wants to date guys getting divorced.
As long as it happened before he met me, I can deal. I think.
“When did this happen?” I finally meet his eyes, and the fear and worry in them almost take my breath away.
“It’s been over for a long time,” Leo’s hand moves toward mine, and I quickly drop my hands to my lap. I see where this is going. “She’s why I abdicated, I thought…I don’t know what I thought. But she became a completely different person after. I’ve been miserable the last two years; it took me too damn long to see it.”
He isn’t answering my question.
“When did you end things?” I don’t move my eyes from his. “Or file, whichever came first.”
“A week ago,” Leo’s voice is so low I almost don’t hear him. “I filed, and I told her it was over.”
“A week ago,” I repeat. “Before or after the first time we-” I can’t even finish the sentence.
“I spoke to Rashad; he walked me through the process of filing and all that,” Leo rakes a hand through his hair.
Oh, is Leo upset? Boo fucking hoo. Good job, Riley, first a man who can’t love you, now a married ass. Perfect.
“When?” I say between teeth clenched so tightly my jaw is going to hurt later.
“The next day,” Leo whispers. “The meeting I had last week was with a lawyer.”
My mind is going a million miles a minute, and I have to slow it down. I need to go outside and breathe or something.
I stand up and stumble out the back door. I take a deep breath. I can smell the tomato plants over all the city smog.
I lower down to the top step. Liam was talking about Leo, I realize. He couldn’t rat his brother out, so he tried to soften this blow he knew would come. It wasn’t his job to tell me and fuck Leo for putting him in that position.
The door closes behind me, and the steps creak as Leo sits. “I’m sorry. I know I should have said something.”
“Right,” I want Leo to go and stay at the same time. “What else have you lied about?”
“Nothing,” Leo insists. “Just that.”
Just that. Like it’s small.
“I don’t understand how you just ended it with her last week,” I stare ahead. I am not looking at him. He is not making me cry. “So up until you filed, you what? Were a perfect husband? Did she see it coming? Does she know you’re fucking me?”
I feel Leo flinch. Good.
“We haven’t had sex in over six months,” Leo says.
“Why the fuck would you tell me that?” I can’t see, and I don’t want to blink. “So what, you just found the first woman you could fool? What about all the shit you’ve told me? Is any of it real?”
My voice is louder than it should be, and I’m crying now. I can’t even fucking care. I hug my arms around myself, I feel a little cold. It might be because I'm still in my swimsuit and cover up. God, was that just an hour ago?
“Yes, of course, it’s real! Riley.” Leo’s voice sounds thick, but I refuse to look at him. “I got scared. I didn’t expect to meet you, to feel how I do.”
“Bullshit,” I wipe my face. “Go ahead, tell me how she doesn’t understand you.”
I see Leo’s face fall a little from the corner of my eye, and he was definitely going to say that.
“She has her life; she spends more time with her family than me.” Leo tries to look at me, and I refuse to meet his eyes. “I’m alone on the circuit; she rarely texts. When I broke my wrist, I couldn’t reach her for three days. She never even asked about it.”
I almost touch his wrist, but stop myself in time.
My heart hurts a little because despite him lying about being married, he’s telling the truth now. It’s obvious. His voice is kind of defeated. Plus, this is mostly stuff I can check with Liam about.
Not the sex, though. Yikes.
“I come home, to the house she bought while I was gone that I hate, and do nothing.” Leo continues. “She goes to work; we have dinner. We don’t talk. We fought last week, and she didn’t speak to me when I tried to bring it up. It was toxic, and it took me so long because I thought I owed her for helping me leave when I needed to.”
His wife must be loaded. That house is no joke.
“Abdicating, you mean?” Leo’s head whips to the side, and I feel him looking at me. I’m still not looking back.
“Yeah,” Leo said. “I thought, this is just my life now. Then I went to Liam’s coronation, and everything changed.”
“I made you realize you didn’t want to be married anymore?” I snap. “Fuck.”
“You made me see my marriage wasn’t healthy,” Leo insists. “I’ve cursed myself so many times for not telling you right away, for marrying her at all.”
It’s weird that he won’t say her name. Not that I want to know it. I feel bad for him, and I hate myself a little. Because I know it must have been bad, from how sad he was before he left. That wasn’t an act. Was it?
I’ve never been more confused in my life.
“If you told me right away, I wouldn’t have slept on you on the plane,” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I wouldn’t have flirted, or gone to dinner with you, or kissed you. I definitely wouldn’t have fucked you.”
I’m lying.
If he told me he was married, I don’t know how I would have reacted. I hate cheating. But stupid fucking Leo makes me want to forget he’s married and be with him anyway. I know what he means about the coronation being a big deal because I felt it too. I’m furious with him, but I can’t just shut my feelings off. I wish I could.
“I know,” Leo says, his voice strangled. “Riley, I’m sorry-”
I cut him off. “I should have known better. I had all these questions, and I was so stupid. I decided I was better off not asking, and it couldn’t be that bad. But you know what, this is on you. Not me.”
“It is,” Leo acknowledges. “You aren’t stupid, honey. I am.”
He’s really calling me that right now? He’s called me baby before, the honey hits differently. I hate that I like it and I hate him.
Before I can stop it, this flash of last week invades my brain. Leo, his face in my neck, his breath tickling me. “Baby, you’re amazing.”
“I need you to go,” I stand and lean against the railing. He’s leaving anyway. Maybe this was just an extended bad one-night stand. At least I never told him it was the best sex of my life.
“Okay,” Leo stands, and I finally look at him. He looks like someone stole his puppy, and I hope I look worse. “Can I call you?”
Is he serious?
“No,” I cross my arms over my chest. I need as many barriers between us as possible.
“What about the job interview?”
Fuck.
“I’m going to cancel it,” I turn my head so he can’t see the tears before I wipe them angrily. “I’ll find something else.”
Leo grabs my hand, and I turn back to him. “Don’t cancel it because of my dumb ass. I’m so sorry, I never meant to…”
“You did.” I pull my hand from his, feeling colder.
I’m not going to cancel. But hell if I’m going to tell him that.
“I’m sorry, Riley,” Leo says again. “I did everything wrong, and I was so scared if I told you, you’d see I wasn’t worth it.”
Fuck. I know that dumb worthless feeling and I cannot be nice to him right now.
“Why even tell me at all?” My voice catches. “I probably never would have found out.”
“I saw how upset Luca was, and hearing that he ran into the guy in the store,” Leo sniffs and I know he’s about to cry. “I didn’t want you to find out from someone who wasn’t me. I owed you the truth, and I was being a shady fucking asshole.”
I finally glance over, and there are tears on his cheeks. Fucking crying is my kryptonite, and I hate him.
“I have some truth for you too. I hooked up with Luca the first night we all went out.” I make sure to look Leo right in the eye when I say it.
“You did?” Leo’s eyes widen, but he does not look as shocked as I wish he was.
“Yep,” I lift my chin. “We weren’t anything. Turns out we still aren’t.”
“Do you really think that?” Leo’s shoulders slump, and I feel more anger course through me. Because we were almost something. I was going to talk to him about it earlier before Luca called.
“You don’t care that I had sex with Luca?” I grab his chin and force him to look at me. “That doesn’t bother you?”
“Am I jealous?” Leo’s eyes are duller than I’ve ever seen, but his voice is fierce. “Fuck yeah. I don’t want to think about him inside you, that he…”
Before I can stop myself, I kiss him. Leo is surprised, but he pulls me tightly against him. I hate myself for being weak, for how the kiss feels the same as all the others with him. The heart is a dumb dumb.
I pull away; I have to. “You need to go,” I repeat softly.
“Are you sure?” Leo murmurs. “We can talk more.”
“About what?” I take a few steps back; his arms reluctantly release me. “How you’re getting divorced because of me? How you didn’t say one word about being married? How I’m fucking falling for you, and now it turns out I don’t know you at all?”
I feel tears rising again. I remember him comforting me on the plane, and I need to sit down.
Leo sits beside me, and I scoot as far away from him as I can.
———
LEO
“Just go,” Riley croaks.
“I’m not leaving you like this,” She can scream at me; I deserve it. “I’m falling for you, too.”
“You don’t get to decide how to leave me,” Riley’s voice is wavering as she says it. I’ve never felt so bad in my life. I never wanted to hurt her. “As for falling, it doesn’t matter.”
“I didn’t want to hurt you, to do this,” I don’t move closer to her, even though I want to.
“Imagine if you did want to,” Riley snaps.
I study her profile. Her eyes are puffy, she has tears drying on her cheeks. All I want is to hold her and I know I can’t. I screwed it up.
“Liam’s never talked about her,” Riley wipes her eyes on the back of her hand. “Not once.”
“Liam doesn’t like her and is too polite to say so.” I remember Liam’s tight smile when Katie called the medals on his regalia “flair.”
Riley is silent for a moment. “It’s different than you imagine.”
“What?”
Riley runs a finger under her eye; I see her shaking. Everything went terrible so fucking fast, and it’s all my fault. “Something Liam said.”
“Riley,” I don’t know what to say. I know this is over and I don’t want it to be.
Riley gets up. “I’m going to bed.”
It’s only 730. Luca is in her bed. I don’t say that.
Riley walks inside, leaving me alone on the back deck. I follow her; Riley is patting her face with a paper towel. She won’t look at me.
“I leave on Saturday,” I approach her cautiously. “I’ll be gone for two months, but I’m going to be back a bit longer.”
“I know when you’re leaving,” Riley balls up the towel and slams it into the trash can. She’s been switching between angry and sad, and I have never wanted to hug her more.
I move a few steps and put my hand on her arm. Riley looks up at me, her beautiful eyes are red rimmed. I put my arms around her as gently as I can and she collapses against me. Her whole body shakes as she cries, and it’s worse than the tears on the plane.
When I left Katie, I didn’t feel much. I was irritated, a little sad that it didn’t work out. This is like knives in my heart, I put them there myself, and I hurt Riley.
Riley pushes me away.
“What do you need from me, Riley?” She said no to calling her earlier. She’s canceling the interview. I don’t know what I should do. “What can I do?”
“Nothing, Leo,” Riley strides past me to the front door and holds it open. “Get out.”
I do what she asks, and she doesn’t slam the door. Probably because Luca is asleep and Riley is always thinking of everyone else.
I love reading their perspectives, and I love this sentence Leo thought at the end:
Probably because Luca is asleep and Riley is always thinking of everyone else
Throughout the chapter he kept thinking about how kind she is. Even when he respects her wishes and leaves at the end, it registers with Leo that she probably didn’t slam the door because she’s so considerate.
(Liam x Riley) (Drake x Olivia) (Hana x Rashad) (Maxwell x Amanda) (Bastien x Lucy) (Leo x Madeleine)
Series
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Part 29 Part 30 Part 31 Part 32
I've written all kinds of essays for Hana over the years - on her scenes, on her characterization, on how her writing can be improved. As the Royal series comes to a close, I'll be doing something slightly different. I'll be doing a series of essays exploring her, the way she's written, and the way fandom responds to her. How does she fit in, as an LI, as a courtier, as a foreigner who originally came to win Liam's hand - same as the MC? How does the narrative view what she does, or what's done to her, or even the things that matter to her? How does the fandom reinterpret her, if they feature her at all? As a woman in a court full of very powerful women, what power does the narrative allow her?
This essay series won't be about improving her writing. Nor will it be about convincing most of the fandom of her value. It's been four years. Four years and seven books, with the final book out next week. Both the fandom and the writing team have already proved, in that time, that they consider other, whiter women worthy of focus, attention and respect.
This essay series is about putting that treatment on record. There is a lot to be said about how erasure works, when you look at Hana's writing from beginning to end, and when you look at how she's treated in fandom spaces/content. There is a lot to be said for the whittling away, the casual retconning, that Hana has had to put up with. This essay is about exploring what was once written in the text, and breaking down how it was ignored, wiped out or even rewritten over time - in ways that harmed Hana's characterization rather than benefited. It's about how most of the fandom, time and again, pulled her down to prop their favourites up.
This essay is really a tribute to a character that had a lot of promise, still has plenty of potential, but not a lot of support from either writers or a huge chunk of the fandom.
Series Masterlist (sections may be subject to change):
So Who Is Hana Lee?
A Book-by-Book Breakdown of Hana Lee - Part One
A Book-by-Book Breakdown of Hana Lee - Part Two
The MC (+ Friend Group Dynamics)
Parents
China
Sexuality
Power Dynamics
Pain and...Resolution?
Fandom
--
(I hope to have this done over the week, and will possibly be putting up two sections per day. Fingers crossed!
If you'd like to be tagged in this, do tell me! I'll be tagging a number of people who have both asked to be tagged in this in the past, and people I've spoken to about this series.
If you don't want to see this content, you can mute/block the tag #hana lee: a study in erasure)
I'm posting this with an apology - it really should end up with some smut but I'm just not in the right frame of mind and I have another chapter on the back burner. So - fluff!
Word Count 2565
Settling In
Bastien and family are just getting used to their new home in Edinburgh. Looking after twins outside the support bubble of the Palace is a little challenging.
Sophia sang as she balanced Beatrice on her hip, stirring the pasta sauce on the cooker top. Theodore stood watching behind the baby gate that kept him out of the kitchen in the Edinburgh apartment they had occupied for a few months now as Sophia settled into her new job at the University. It was the weekend and Bastien had taken precious time off childcare to go to the gym to fight the softness that threatened to obscure his taut abs, and their home help, Morag, was out getting groceries. The twins were mobile now, crawling at speed and hauling themselves up on furniture to standing, but not taking their first steps just yet.
Beatrice simply wanted some time with her mother, as she was the one who seemed to miss her more when she was at work. She constantly demanded her mother pick her up when she was home, while Theo was content to keep her in sight. Right now he held onto the bars of the gate with one hand, solemnly watching as Sophia juggled baby and spatula. He was the first to hear the door to the apartment open, turning to look and gabbling a greeting.
‘Ba!’ and dropping to hands and knees to go and greet him. Sophia sucked her breath in and spoke to Beatrice.
‘Uh oh, you’ve got me into trouble now young lady. Babies and kitchens don’t mix, especially with hot things about.’ Swiftly she went to the gate to try and offload her burden to avoid being berated for breaching her husband’s strict health and safety guidelines, but Beatrice complained loudly, clutching on and catching at her hair. Sophia yelped as she tried to untangle herself.
‘My my, what’s this, young man? Free to roam?’ Bastien put down his gym bag and scooped Theo up, hoisting him up high and whirling him around so he squealed and giggled. Sophia fumbled with the safety gate but Bastien had already seen her. ‘Where’s Morag?’ he asked, taking in the situation with an expert eye. ‘Do I smell cooking? You shouldn’t be doing that without help.’
‘We were out of milk. And bananas. You know how Theo likes…’
‘Mm yumyum’ Theo declared, picking up his mother’s words and patting his mouth to signify hunger. Both babies had been to baby signing classes with their parents and were able to make some of their needs known long before their first words. Sophia sighed with frustration. Bananas were his passion, and the one thing that would send him into a spiral of misery or rage if he was deprived. She had spotted they were out, and sent Morag to get more before Theo asked for any.
‘Soon Theo, just wait.’ Bastien reassured him as Theo made grabbing motions with his chubby fists. Bastien turned to his wife. ‘You should have texted me, I could have..’
‘I didn’t know how long you’d be, whereas Morag can be out to Naveed’s shop and back in ten minutes.’ As if on cue, she heard Morag’s key in the lock, and the cheery young Scotswoman was back with a bulging bag of groceries.
‘Oh ye’re back, Mr Lykel. Here, ah’ll tek Theo.’ she offered. Sophia rolled her eyes as Bastien fought with the chivalrous impulse to take her shopping bag and turn down her offer to take his son from him. Morag won the battle, letting the bag slide down onto her elbow and taking the little boy from him. ‘Narners fae Theo – come on wee man, Morag’s got what ye’re wantin.’ and she whirled him off into the dining room.
Beatrice squawked, scenting the possibility of a treat and struggling to get down. Sophia leaned down over the gate so she could crawl rapidly after her brother. She gasped as she remembered the pasta sauce and ran back to rescue it before it burned. Bastien craned his head after the twins, making sure Beatrice didn’t get into mischief on the way.
‘Are they due a snack?’ Bastien called after Morag ‘We don’t want them turning dinner down…’
‘It’s fine Mr Lykel, they’re growing sae fast it will nae hurt. Haff each and they’ll be beltin.’ she answered. Bastien frowned, unconvinced and hoping he understood her Scottish slang. He went to Sophia as she added a little water to the sauce to keep it going while the pasta boiled. He lowered his voice.
‘If Theo refuses his spaghetti…’ he grumbled. Sophia laughed.
‘No chance of that, he loves his food. It’s a good job he’s mobile now, or he’d be getting pudgy like his Papa.’ Playfully she prodded Bastien’s belly, which he sucked in and smacked her hand away.
‘Off with you, woman. There’s plenty muscle there, and you know it.’ he scolded. She looked up at him, biting her lip seductively, and pointed at his chin.
‘That streak of white’s getting thicker’ she teased ‘You’re a proper Dad now, don’t fight it. It means I get you all to myself.’ He rubbed his chin self consciously.
‘You always did.’ he huffed. ‘Did I ever give you cause to doubt?’
‘Well, I know all about Marcia and Adelaide and Damien. I know there were more, you’ve never denied it.’
‘Nobody since I met you, theá mou.’ he said soothingly, putting his arm around her waist and drawing her closer. She relaxed into him and sighed happily. She decided she’d teased him enough and squeezed his backside lustily. ‘I can see I need to prove a few things. When the twins are asleep I’ll remind you how dedicated I am to you’ he murmured.
Beatrice interrupted with a squeal, pulling herself up at the bars of the gate. She’d seen what was coming for dinner and was ready to eat, not being fussed about Theo’s passion for fruit.
‘Ah ya wee scamp.’ Morag called ‘Sorry Mrs Lykel, she got away while I was cutting the banana fae the wee boy. I’ll put her in her high chair next tae her brother.’ She whisked her away as the timer rang for the pasta. Sophia broke away from her husband.
‘Go and sit down, it’ll be ready in a jiffy.’
Back in the dining room, Morag was wiping Theo’s hands clean of banana mush as Sophia brought in the plates and bowls laden with food. Beatrice slammed her palms rhythmically on the tray in front of her as her mother served Bastien first. Although it was usually a two person job feeding the twins, at least one of them had to be seen to be eating the same thing, even if they had to wait until the tots were finished and their food was cold. The way things were going, Sophia surmised that it would be a while before she’d get a mouthful of her own. She put down Bea’s bowl and the little girl went to plunge her hands into the warm pasta and sauce, crowing with delight. She was more of an artist than an eater, ready to smear food all over her face or any available surface. Sophia made a mental note to keep the bowl out of reach next time in the hope that she would forget that habit as Bea sampled the sauce. Unsurprisingly, very little got into her mouth.
‘Now Bea, try the fork this time’ she said patiently, poking said utensil into the pasta and holding it up with a tiny portion. Theo was already humming happily while Morag fed him. Bastien took the opportunity to eat, watching attentively should either of the women need help. Meanwhile, Bea shook her head stubbornly, mouth firmly shut and making sounds of refusal.
‘Come on now darling, what would King Liam say if you sat down at a banquet and ate with your hands? Bartie knows the right spoon for pasta, he could teach you to be a polite little girl.’ She referred to the time they had all spent in Cordonia until recently. The twins were adjusting to life in Scotland well but she wanted them to remember their old friends for when they returned at Christmas. Beatrice looked at her intently.
‘Uncle Liam’s still in Cordonia at the Palace. You remember little Amelia, don’t you?’ Beatrice drummed on the tray in answer, bits of food spattering out to pepper the floor and her mother’s clothes. Exasperated, Sophia took the bowl back and Bastien appeared at her shoulder with a cloth to wipe the tray down. Beatrice frowned at the rejection of her artistic efforts, but was obviously hungry enough not to be too affronted. Sophia softened her voice to lighten the mood as she wiped the little girl’s hands clean.
‘She was a very little baby when we saw Amelia. She’s growing fast now.’ She offered her another fork laden with pasta ‘Eat up, Bea, and you’ll grow fast too.’ The tot looked sceptical but accepted the food. ‘Good girl’ she praised, flashing her a smile. Beatrice chomped happily. Her chubby hands waved enthusiastically, and Sophia fed her some grated cheese on a spoon, her favourite. Predictably she turned her nose up at the next offering of spaghetti.
‘Just another mouthful of pasta, darling’ Sophia urged. Theo slammed his palms on his tray, signalling that he had finished his and wanted more, and Bastien quickly slid his plate over to Morag to refill it. Sophia raised her eyebrows.
‘See Bea, Theo’s plate’s empty.’
‘Careful now, we don’t want to instil rivalry.’ Bastien cautioned. Sophia grimaced as Beatrice poked her tongue out at her brother and blew a raspberry.
‘All these articles on feeding your children are mostly about singletons, not twins. There isn’t nearly enough practical advice about.’
‘I’ll look it up, there’s always something online’ Bastien assured her. Beatrice squealed and drummed again, kicking her feet against the chair for attention, and Sophia went back to feeding her.
‘One fork of pasta, then a little cheese.’ she bargained. Again Beatrice looked suspicious but decided to trust her mother and had another mouthful.
‘Here, let me take over, theá mou.’ Bastien offered.
‘It’s fine Bas, it’s confusing swapping over in the middle.’
‘Then have a little yourself. If Bea sees you she’ll want to copy.’ he said in a low voice, taking another bite himself and smacking his lips appreciatively. Beatrice stared at him.
‘Mmm yes, it’s delicious.’ her father answered enthusiastically, rubbing his stomach. Sophia turned to her own plate to take a forkful for herself. Beatrice watched her, looking from her to Bastien, to Theo still tucking in to what Morag spooned out. She burbled and leaned toward her mother, her tone becoming urgent and her hands waving impatiently, and with a smile of relief Sophia went back to feeding her until the bowl was empty.
It was a couple of hours before both children were bathed and settled in their cots and Morag had gone home. After cleaning the bath Sophia drew one for herself and sank into the hot scented water with a sigh. Right on cue Bastien entered with a bottle of wine and two glasses, a clean fluffy bathsheet draped over his forearm. He bowed reverently.
‘Would Madam care to try the house special?’ he intoned, showing her the label on the bottle.
‘Ah, Chateau Naveed, fresh from the corner shop.’ Sophia quipped ‘A reliable vintage – pour me a glass, my good man.’
‘Whatever Madam desires.’ He hung the towel on the heated rail and put the glasses down on the counter before he unscrewed the top of the bottle to pour the wine. Sophia took a sip and made a sour face.
‘I think Morag really did get this from the corner shop. I need to do a shopping run to Waitrose tomorrow. Bernard would be scandalised at the lack of a proper cork’ Bastien sampled it too, wrinkling his nose then shrugging and knocking half of it back. He held up the glass to look through it.
‘Bernard has his own vineyard with both red and white varieties. We have a window box and access to a common garden. Beautiful as it is, I don’t think grapes would grow well this far north.’ He sat on the edge of the bath and dipped his hand into the water, swirling it about. It was a rare moment of togetherness without the twins demanding attention.
‘Are you sure they’re settled?’ she asked sceptically.
‘Fast asleep. The evening is ours. I used my best sleepy voice when I read them their story. I thought about Neville Vancouer singing the praises of his new golf resort. Actually, I should have read them the brochure, that would have had them asleep in half the time.’ He took another gulp of the wine and stood to unzip his trousers, stepping out of them and taking off his socks.
‘Hey now, I’m not done yet.’ Sophia protested as he continued to strip, dropping his briefs to the bathroom floor.
‘We need to make the most of the time we have, and I have something to prove to you.’ His groin was level with her face as he stood over the bath. There was no doubt that he was halfway to his objective, his manhood ready for action. Sophia goggled at him as he stepped into the corner bath and knelt in front of her, the water level rising alarmingly.
‘Bastien!’ she scolded, drawing her knees up to her chest defensively.
‘I knew we chose this apartment for its great bathroom.’ he said, stripping his sweater off to reveal his broad chest and softened abs. It joined the rest of his clothes on the floor.
‘When you said the bath was big enough for two, I thought you were talking about the twins.’ He shook his head, leaning down toward her.
‘No, this was my intention all along.’ He nuzzled at her neck, but she pushed him away playfully.
‘Be careful, I don’t want to flood the bathroom. Mrs Brodie downstairs is a potential babysitter’
‘Don’t worry, this is just a prelude, we can move to the bedroom soon.’
‘You’re re-enacting that scene with Superman, aren’t you?’ she accused him.
‘It’s a very erotic trope. Do I compare?’ He gave up his attempt at seduction and sat facing her, leaning back against the side of the tub as they drank more of the acidic white wine. It wasn’t worthy to be served at the palace in Cordonia where they had met, but it would do.
‘You’re even better, you’re flesh and blood, not pixels.’
‘And the abs?’
‘Like I said, flesh and blood. Superman’s a bit obvious for me. I bet he can’t read a dull bedtime story to get his kids off to sleep. He probably lives in the gym, and gets paid for it.’
‘He’s single, no children to worry about. You know Henry Caville was born in Jersey?’
‘Terrible inter island rivalry, you know.’ Sophia grinned ‘Every good Guernseyman – or woman – knows you can’t trust a Jersey man.’
‘Hmm okay, how about that actor in the Potato Peel Pie movie?’ Sophia shook her head.
‘Not filmed in Guernsey, not a single authentic accent in the whole film – and I think Drake’s more like him, to be honest.’
‘So I’m safe?’ He asked. She reached out with her foot, stroking it along the inside of his thigh.
‘I’m sorry I teased you. You’ve nothing to prove, I’m all yours, agapé mou.’ Bastien smiled, rising up out of the water and holding out his hand.
'I think I'll show you just how much I appreciate you all the same - let's move to the bedroom, my goddess.'
Ooh! I’m rarely on Tumblr anymore, but this popped right up. What a wonderful surprise!
I am dying that Bastien’s son loves bananas. Well played! And aw, Bastien is getting a little soft around the abs, plus some white in the beard, but he definitely still has it and his goddess loves all of it! I also love that he’s still so protective of his family. Of course he’d freak that Sophia can multitask in the kitchen with a toddler on her hip! So glad they have help with the twins. I’m sure they’re a handful!
Just for fun, a collection of my silly HC’s for the Gilded Poppy enjoying 2021’s Glorious Eurovision Song Contest last night:
Of course they’re having a viewing party at the penthouse with copious amounts of alcohol and country-themed nibbles.
Everyone is dressed as if they’re attending the actual ECS itself to make it even more special!
The Americans are reasonably bemused by the whole event - Zoe has accepted that ‘this is a thing’ over her time with the Poppy and has gotten into the spirit accordingly.
MC needs a full explanation and gets a full animated rundown of ECS gone by from Remy and Jett who are avid Eurovision fans - this includes renditions of previous Eurovision songs, going all the way back from Bucks Fizz, to ABBA, to more recent winners and the most famous runners-up.
MC is appalled that this doesn’t exist in the US! She wants a similar competition set up for every state!
The Poppy members from participating Eurovision countries have little mini versions of their national flags to waves, and the others have to choose a country to support - no one is allowed to have the same allegiance for increased competition and entertainment value!
Zoe has to find the livestream with the British commentary from Graham Norton, because his sass is just peak Eurovision, and also because Nikolai refuses to watch any other stream. He smirks repeatedly throughout.
Everyone is thoroughly delighted at the amount of love and diversity on display at ECS 2021!
There are a bunch of drinks-based games going on during the performances including, drinking every time something goes wrong, every time someone raps, every time a smoke machine is used, every time a contestant cries tears of joy, and so on. Things get very, very messy very, very quickly.
Vivienne is living for the costumes - there’s nowhere else you get this much sparkle and eyeliner in one room - when the German entry appears dressed as a hand, giving the peace sign, she almost chokes on her drink and falls off her chair!
Zoe is highly amused when the peace sign changes to a middle finger and is basically dancing around the stage flipping people off.
Everyone except Leon yells and boos when another ballad comes on and he huffs that ballads are lovely, particularly when they’re done in the country’s own language and everyone should stop underestimating them.
Everyone is limited to one vote each! Especially Zoe, as Vivienne’s fairly sure she could use her powers for evil and rig the whole of the contest for the public vote portion.
For the scoring portion of the evening, Remy has created a drinking game that involves taking a shot every time a pre-defined political 12 point score is awarded meaning there’s a rousing group cheer and succession of shot glasses slammed on the coffee table when it’s Cyprus and Greece’s turns.
Jett laments about the judges being harsh and ‘the British entry wasn’t that bad, he didn’t deserve zero points!’, Remy quips ‘no, but Britain did...’
By the time the public votes come in, everyone is seriously merry and chaos ensues as those completely disconnect with the judging panel’s votes!
When the UK get nil points in the public vote, the Poppy join the Rotterdam arena in applause for the mortified contestant - Jett hides under a sofa cushion wailing.
Leon is on the edge of his seat as the scores go onto the board, initially trying to hush the rest of the gang to hear, but ends up just laughing at their antics.
Måleskin lift the trophy and ~50% of the Poppy agree that they would probably sleep with the lead singer while Vivienne wants haircare tips from their drummer.
Naturally there have been some hefty-valued bets changing hands for days before the show on who the winner will be - Jett is delighted and smug as he claims the pot at the end of the evening!
I’m Bringing Sexy Back (To Regency England) - Immortal Heart Society
So this happened because I referred to new series IHS’s baddie Lord Montague as ‘Lord Timberlake’ due to the coiffuring similarities and it made @aquagirl1978 LOL and she made me this:
See how alike they look though?! I’m not crazy.
Literally no one in the world wants this fic, and it’s just stupid, but I had a giggle writing it, so 😆 Also, I genuinely know nothing about TJ, if any of you are superfans and I’m way off, it’s just a bit of fun, no ill intent or offence meant 💕
Also it’s just in time for all the good old memes... (At the end if anyone needs a ref point)
Word Count ~3500 (yeah, I’ve gone off)
[MORE] [[MORE]]
In the grandiose but soulless marble bathroom of the Boston penthouse, Justin squeezed his eyes tight-shut, splashing his face with frigid water. He inhaled sharply as the moisture hit his skin, opening his eyes and staring intently at the reflection mirrored back at him. It had been quite a night so far. He’d been courted by ‘The Society’ for a couple of months now and on receiving their latest invite, he had finally acquiesced. Over the course of the evening he’d exchanged pleasantries and mingled with a fusion of intriguing individuals - all very different, very separate people, but all who clearly had gotten the memo: convince him to join. Justin suspected before he arrived, from the exclusive address on the invite alone, the sort of members The Society would have on its roster and he wasn’t surprised - even if most of them were no more than masked silhouettes. Initially when he had exited the elevator and caught sight of all those shaded faces, Justin’s heart stuttered: had he inadvertently accepted an invite to some sort of sexy party? How would he explain this one? ‘Hey Honey - funny story...’ But it didn’t take long to deduce that the disguises were all part of the prestige and served as identity protection rather than a conduit to anyone having any real sort of fun.
The mixer itself had been entertaining enough, but the hushed secrets shared in the drawing room were what had piqued his interested and saw him hiding in the restroom searching his own soul for answers. He’d been trading anecdotes with a handful of members before he was interrupter by a well dressed blonde and ushered through a side door, where he was greeted with a firm handshake by one of the top men within the society (apparently), Richard - Something. Initially Justin had smiled but internally rolled his eyes as he considered how these shady types only ever give out their first names - and how that felt particularly unfair when everyone here knew fine well what his surname was... Richard was perfectly charming and charismatic - in the same faux-caring, calculating way politicians are they try to snare floating voters. His smile was bright and his words were warm, but his eyes were a stark contrast. The Society’s hoi-polloi were obviously deemed to have played their part in warming him up and now Richard was here to give him the hard-sell: and sell he did.
And at first, it sounded relatively normal. At first. Until Richard started with tall tales of how society members held all of the power in the world through power stones. Initially Justin got to his feet and scoffed - weren’t crystals just for spa days and hippies? This had to be a set up. He scanned the room looking for any clue of a hidden camera, Ashton Kutcher’s sneakers showing from behind a curtain perhaps - but nothing. It all sounded truly ridiculous, but as Richard stood, laying a firm hand on Justin’s shoulder, directing him towards a plush chair, pouring him two fingers of whisky, something held him; fascinated him. Stopped him from barging straight out of the room. Justin observed in silence as Richard thumbed through various documents, showing him photographs, pulling up search data online... Explaining. Convincing. Persuading. Justin didn’t trust the suave smarmy suit as far as he could throw him, but the more Richard divulged of the spiderweb of societal involvement in major global events and current affairs, the more sense it made... And in spite of himself, Justin started to succumb to this strange reality. Every word out of Clever Dick’s mouth was revelational, peeling away one layer after another, after another, until Justin’s mind was blown; his brain hurt the same way it did the first time he watched Inception. He couldn’t bend his mind around why Richard was telling him all this, or why a collective more powerful than The Walt Disney Company would want a musician to join their ranks? Richard shrugged coolly as he continued to play for Justin’s buy in, simply smiling and saying that, as a big pop star, it would be quid pro quo - a very mutually beneficial arrangement. The society had access to the best labels, the best A&R departments, they could get Justin as much airplay, fame and publicity as he wanted.
Justin couldn’t deny it sounded appealing - but what did they want in return? So far it was all ‘quid’ and no ‘quo’. He had to ask. Even the easy, practiced grin on Richard’s face couldn’t offset the glint of ice in his dark eyes and menace in his voice that chilled Justin’s blood.
“Justin, come! Everyone knows that music is what shapes the youth of today! The influence wielded by artists, the loyalty inspired by them, their marketability, it’s simply insurmountable! Think about it, dear boy? If The Society control the music, they control the populace.”
Justin cleared his throat as he sized himself up, readjusting his skinny black tie and squaring his shoulders. Richard must be insane. The Society’s logic was fatally flawed: they couldn’t seriously think that it was possible control the entire world’s population through having a singer in their ranks? It was infeasible. Impossible. But what they were offering him in exchange? Now, that was a very attractive proposition indeed. If he agreed to join, and got all of that out of it, it would be worth it? The Society would surely realise at some point that they couldn’t rule the world through the power of song? Yes, the power of a one-line harmony had already been proven by McDonald’s to sell a shit-tonne of burgers - and while it was a pretty convincing argument, selling fast-food to hungry people was one thing - but full-scale global domination?? That was something else entirely. But if he could ride along on their coat-tails and reap all the benefits until the realised just how crazy that idea had been in the first place...
—- two years later —-
Cash carded his hand through his dark hair, exasperated as he listened to Alana’s latest report, “You all understand that Timberlake is completely out of control, yes?”
Emilio grunted flatly as his head fell into his crossed arms on the table like a five year old ready to play heads-down-thumbs-up, “Yeeeeees.”
Cash bristled further as he looked to Rafe and Kiran for their input, both simply nodding back at him as though to say, ‘yes, we know.’
Alana looked down at her phone, worrying her full bottom lip between her teeth, “It’s worse than you think though, Cash.”
He was instantly on his feet staring at her, Rafe and Kiran leaned forward and Emilio raised one weary brow from his slumped pose, concern evident on all their faces.
Kiran was first to speak, “Alana how can it be worse? Richard’s vanished off the face of the earth. Justin’s last billboard count had him go multi-platinum - again, and his lyrics are becoming...”
Rafe offered flatly, “Odd.” He stood, cracked his neck from side to side and headed towards the small stove, absentmindedly filling a saucepan with water and a packet of instant noodles.
Cash shook his head at Rafe then turned back to glower at the rest of the Inner Circle, “Thank you all for the recap. It’s bleak, we know. Alana?”
Green eyes fixed the room as Alana cleared her throat and mouthed, “One hundred and ninety-four.”
Dumbfounded silence filled the room; jaws hung slack. Until Kiran broke the spell, a spluttering cough turning into an uncomfortable laugh, “One hundred and ninety-four what? Because I know you definitely can’t mean stones. We know the exactly location of over fifty percent of them? They’re safe?”
Rafe, back at the table with his ramen by now, paled as Alana shook her head at a loss for words, red curls bouncing around her shoulders, “How is that possible?”
Alana threw her hands in the air, confessing “I honestly don’t know. But he has ones that we knew the location of, and more besides.”
Cash paced the room, clearly agitated as he cursed and barked,
“That’s every stone in existence, except ours and one other.”
Alana puffed out her cheeks before huffing out the breath sharply, “Correct. He has the lot, excepts ours - and the Garnet.”
Emilio’s hand slid under his shirt, a double-check to be sure his Alexandrite remained firmly on the chain hidden beneath the dark fabric, fiddling with it like a child with a comfort blanket as he spoke, “I- I just don’t understand. How? How did he get so many without us knowing?”
Rafe shrugged as he shovelled a spoonful of noodles into his mouth and chewed thoroughly before answering, “Richard’s protege. His pet project. Nothing surprises me when he’s involved. Everything he touches gets tarnished.”
Alana sighed sadly, “Justin seemed like such a sweet guy when he first joined. I really liked him. I thought he could have been part of our Inner Circle someday.”
Rafe shot her a rueful smile before looking down into the noodles, “Same. He changed. Fast.” Coiling his fork in a thick helping, he swung them into his mouth without ceremony.
Cash pinched the bridge of his nose, stopping pacing for long enough to stare and snap at Rafe,
“What is it with you and those blasted ramen noodles??”
Rafe shook his head silently as though to say, ‘I don’t know’: he wasn’t entirely sure why, but every time someone mentioned Timberlake, he couldn’t stop himself from carb-loading. All he wanted a big bowl of ramen in his belly and he couldn’t think about anything else until he was full of noodley-goodness. He’d eaten more instant ramen in the past couple of years than he did during college, and that was saying something.
Kiran cut through the atmosphere between the two men, venturing, “So how are we going to shut him down?”
—-
Richard had been missing for months, and although all trails had gone cold and no one was one hundred percent clear on what had happened to him, there was very strong suspicion within the group of five that Justin had something to do with it. How else had he managed to acquire almost every power stone in existence? He must have dispensed of Richard and taken them for himself - there really didn’t seem, to be any other explanation. The Inner Circle had been aware that Richard was hoarding stones, but his haul had escalated significantly and quickly with Justin by his side - at the Circle’s last count maybe six to eight months ago, Richard only had sixty-five stones in his custody. The dirty duo had been busy.
Emilio shuddered solemnly as he thought about what must have happened to the rightful owners of those stones. He was at the tower with the Inner Circle, minus Cash. Cash would arrive soon, bringing Justin to the table with him. Creating a rouse of support, and then double-crossing him to recover the power stones had been deemed the only feasible plan. Emilio watched the rest of the group: Rafe stirring at a saucepan at the small kitchen set up, Kiran flipping aimlessly though a fashion magazine and Alana tapping at her cellphone. They were all feeling nervous about this, the stakes had never been so high. He scrubbed his brow as he ran through the various scenarios of what could possibly happen with Cash and Justin arrived.
He didn’t have long to wait as the door opened and laughter reverberated around the room. Cash was manoeuvring Timberlake expertly, and Justin seemed to be lapping up everything he said. A round of smiles and handshakes later everyone sat around the table, eyes expectantly on Cash.
“Justin, firstly, thank you for joining the group here today. As you know, with Richard... Let’s say, elsewhere. I’ve been standing in as the ‘interim leader’. And I’ll be frank, Justin, I always thought it would be for me, but it’s not. And it takes a lot for me to admit that. I can do the decision-making, the negotiations, but what I cannot abide is dealing with attitudes and egos all day long.”
Rafe chortled, “He thinks he should be the only one allowed an attitude and an ego!”
Justin grinned and visibly relaxed within the larger group.
Clearing his throat irately, Cash gestured towards Rafe, “Exactly what I’m talking about. Justin, my calling doesn’t lie in leading The Society. I am more interested in having a less ’public facing position’ shall we say, where I can really put my true talents to use. And that’s why I invited you to sit with us today, Justin.’
Timberlake nodded enthusiastically, “ I see.”
Cash stood, wearing a trail in the carpet as he walked back and forth,
“What are your goals, Justin? We understand you must be distraught about Richard’s disappearance, you two seemed close. Do you have aspirations for The Society’s Leadership? We’ve been observing you for some time, and feel that we could all benefit each other within this little group, everyone here wants to progress and wants ‘more’. And we feel like you may have some ideas that could help us all to achieve just that.”
Justin leaned back in his chair observing the group sat around the table. Of course he knew what his goals were. He’d never really considered leadership of The Society until recently - his mind had been consumed with his plan for ultimate pop domination over the past two years. And he’d progressed so far that it was within his grasp - and that was when he and Richard had begun to clash. Badly. Richard’s vision was so- So limited. He couldn’t see Justin’s potential past being a Society tool used to control the public. Justin knew his worth, he was more than a tool for Richard to implement as he saw fit. He felt the anger bubble inside him as he recalled the final fight with Richard. They could have controlled the entire world together: why couldn’t Richard have seen that? Why couldn’t he have got on board with Justin’s plans? As he sized up the twelve eyes watching him, he thought about the dozens of power stones locked securely in the safe in his apartment: these people could see his strength. His power. His star ascending. He leaned forward, his decision made,
“I have acquired many power stones and my plan is, to use our time-travelling abilities to go back in time and wipe other pop stars from existence, so that I am the single biggest pop star in the world today. Then with my influence, The Society will control everything. We, friends, will control the world.”
Alana and Kiran eyeballed each other as the men nodded at Justin.
Kiran interjected,
“There’s no doubt that The Society would benefit from that sort of influence, but what about all of the damage that would be done to culture and humanity without artists?”
Justin looked confused as he stared at her, “But they’d still have me?”
Kiran chewed the statement over before asking, “And who are you going after? Are we talking about Elvis? The Beatles? Frank Sinatra?”
Justin waved a hand as though he’d practiced this very conversation in the mirror a hundred times, “No, no. Only today’s artists. I can’t disrupt anyone who directly or indirectly influenced my career. Butterfly Effect and all.”
The Inner Circle nod sagely as Justin continues, “And when my plan is complete, who, I ask you, will be the biggest pop star in the world??”
Alana glances up grimacing, “I don’t know Justin, I mean Lady Gaga is pretty huge? Iconic, even.”
Emilio shakes his head, “Right now, Ariana Grande’s the biggest artist in the world, I read it somewhere.”
Justin fixes them both with an affronted stare, “But think about it, if none of them ever existed... Then who would be the biggest pop star in the world?”
Alana and Emilio exchange a world-weary glance as Justin cackles, “Guess what? It’s gonna be me.”
Rafe scrunches his nose, confused, as he speaks through a mouthful of ramen, “May? What? Are the Emmy’s not always in September?”
Cash shoots him a withering glance before grinning at Justin, “You’ve thought a lot about his haven’t you?”
Justin, visibly flattered, shrugs off Cash’s praise, “Just a little.”
Cash leaned towards Justin conspiratorially, “So tell us, what more do you need to make your dreams a reality, and how could we, as a group, facilitate that?”
—-
Over the next few weeks the Inner Circle had planned for two consecutive missions. One intricate scheme with Justin, that involved him travelling back over two hundred years to Regency England to secure the Garnet power stone from a Lady Foxworthy. And their own private secondary mission that involved luring Justin back to Regency England where there was no power stone to be found.
When the day to venture back in time arrived, Justin paraded around the tower preening in the mirror at his era-appropriate garb. Kiran had stitched it to perfection, a beautifully embroidered waistcoat over his cravat, fitted cream pants and a midnight blue, velvet long-tailed coat that really made his eyes pop. Rafe let out a low whistle, winking at Justin’s reflection in the mirror, “Looking sharp! Nice work Kiran.” This look was a definitely a step up from double denim!
Kiran moved around Justin turning him, dusting down his shoulders, “Oh hold up, you have a thread. Let me just get that for you. Can’t have you looking less than perfect!” She reached for her scissors and touched the back of his jacket whilst swiftly clipping a tuft of hair from the back of his head.
The corners of Cash’s mouth quirked upwards at her almost imperceptibly as he spoke, “Very elegant, good Sir. You look quite the part.”
Justin gave Cash a delighted twirl to show off his new threads before performing a low, sweeping bow - completely unaware of his missing locks - speaking in a haughty-sounding English accent, “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr Tarkhan, I am Lord Timberlake.”
Alana had to swig at a cup of water to stop herself from bursting into peals of laughter, it was like the only English person he’d ever heard speak before was Queen Elizabeth herself! Cash raised an eyebrow in her direction before addressing Justin, “You’re definitely comfortable travelling back alone, because it would only take Alana here a few minutes to change into something suitable and accompany you?”
Justin waved a hand dismissing the suggestion, quite honestly he didn’t want anyone cramping his style. It wasn’t Justin’s first time in Regency England - when he and Richard had travelled there previously he’d had a ball. He had exactly eight hours to get there, get the Garnet, have some fun in a previous era and get back - and then. Then a whole new era would begin. His era... Leader of the most powerful Society in the world and the biggest pop star in history. Justin grinned as he stepped forward, placing his hands around the ornate pocket watch and beginning the arcane chant to begin his voyage through time. The rest of the Inner Circle joined the chant, Turing back the clocks within the tower as Justin’s world started to blur at the edges, drifting backwards through two hundred years of history.
After Justin was gone, a series of stealthy grins were exchanged around the group. Emilio breathed a sigh of relief, “We did it.”
Kiran tossed the little velvet bag with Justin’s hair inside to Cash - their insurance policy, should he need to be dealt with ‘more permanently’ at a later date. Today’s plan didn’t involve the singer being turned into a surprised-looking statue, just giving him an extended stay in Regency England instead... The garnet wasn’t there - in fact, there were no stones left there. It was common knowledge within the Inner Circle where the garnet was: firmly on the finger of Richard’s blissfully unaware and estranged daughter - passed down by his long-missing wife. A point that Timberlake was sadly remiss of: they all had banked on Richard never disclosing a topic so sore as his failure as a father out of pure pride and vanity - and they’d been correct...
Now there was nothing more to do than wind all the clocks back to the correct time, then sit and wait until Justin would try to get back.
—-
Seven and three-quarter hours later, the group within the tower saw a blurry portal loom in the corner of the room. Suddenly alert, they listened intently as Justin’s voice crackled through,
“Rafe, Cash, guys! Are you there? Help me! I can’t... I can’t get back! Alana?? The ritual, it’s not working, I’m not fading back through??”
Cash drawled as he examined his fingernails, looking thoroughly bored,
“Ah, so our little ritual worked then. Good to know.”
The passage through time became narrower and narrow as a sickening realisation suckerpunched Justin, panic rising like bile in his throat, “You... You did this on purpose!! You screwed me over!! You bastards!!!!”
As the portal flickered and shrunk to no more than a pinhole, echoes of the roars of their names reverberated around the room, until the gap sealed itself trapping Lord Timberlake in Regency England for ever more. Silence settled over the tower for a few moments, until Rafe glanced up at the rest of the group thorough his sweeping fringe, a smirk slowly stretching from ear to ear as he shrugs,
Shortest thing ever, had to write it, been rattling in my head for almost 2 weeks - total HC of where this story might go, probably 100% wrong but *shrug*
—-
Within seconds of returning from Regency England I exit the room and put some much needed space between myself, MC and the rest of the society. My pace quickens until I’m alone outside the building and I thoroughly lose my perfected composure. My hand rakes through my hair and I roughly scrub at the back of my neck trying to shake these feelings.
I said I would never do this again. It’s stupid. Ill-advised. It’s simply not worth it. But that smile, the way she rises to a challenge, how surprising and capable she is... That stupid kiss... No. I can’t do this again. I need to clear get my head.
I lecture myself:
‘You don’t ‘do’ romance, Tarkhan. You can’t. You need to focus on ending the society’s corruption - nothing else. You can’t be distracted and messing around falling for some woman you barely know. Not when you know how it ends. Not when you know how it feels when it does.’
I gulp cool air into my lungs as I try to settle my frayed nerves.
‘You need to stop this right now - it doesn’t matter that you haven’t felt like this in a hundred years.’
I close my eyes and all I see is Joanna. My heart twists as though a knife has sliced me clean through: I still grieve for her.
The downside of being immortal is that you lose everyone you ever love - eventually.
Ooh, this is so well done. I love that it’s short and gut-wrenching. I think you’re on to something. Immortal Heart Society. Definitely something to that. 🤔💕
I still can’t believe that anyone was actually interested in reading my Ever Given meets Queen of Thieves nonsense 😂 99% written before the boat got unstuck, finished now she’s free, so slightly out of date but still fun to finish, especially since I’ve not finished anything in AGES.
Notes - characters all belong to Lovestruck and the below is just a bit of fun. Haven’t implied who MC’s romancing. The part where she says something that’s kinda dumb, is a direct quote from my hubby. Yep. Delighted to fit that in here... 😂 I’ve also attached the memes etc where I could find them / links to them again, because they were gold. Oh and most of the cargo is made up, except the really ridiculous stuff, that’s true and there’s newspaper articles proving it 😆
[MORE] [[MORE]]
—-
Jett almost spit his drink trying to control his laughter as his phone buzzed again, and again, and again. Nikolai, positioned at the opposite side of the room with a newspaper sprawled across the table, lifted his head and raised one sharp brow,
“Rather ‘tickled’ by something this morning, aren’t we? No doubt I’ll regret asking...?”
Jett’s struggled to rip himself away from the screen to meet Nikolai’s impatient gaze, using the back of his hand to wipe the tears of laughter as he finally composed himself enough to speak,
“Endless memes about this bloody boat, mate: priceless! My phone’s never stopped!”
Nikolai watched him, bemused for a few seconds, “The boat stuck in the Suez?”
Jett’s phone lit up again as he answered,
“Yeah, the Ever Given. Honestly, after all the COVID and quarantine over the past year - it’s amazing having a newsworthy event that doesn’t involve mass pain and suffering! Haven’t you seen any of the memes?? They’re gold!!”
Realising that Nikolai clearly hadn’t indulged in the best of the week’s internet humour, Jett made his way to show him some of the highlights:
A TikTok of two dachshunds in high-viz vests and hardhats digging like crazy to music to free the stricken vessel
‘Disaster Girl’ positioned in front of the cargo ship, with that chilling, knowing look on her not-so-innocent baby face
The GPS mapping of the off-course of the ship before it got stuck, that sort of looked like a penis.
The Austin Powers ‘You had one job!’ TikTok
A ‘steal his look’ meme including a dark green pair of straight leg D&G linens and some self-adhesive wheelie bin stickers
Nikolai half-smirked and rolled his eyes as they worked through, wondering who on earth has the time to waste in creating this sort of thing... What else could they achieve if they redirected their energy...?
Bernie Sanders stared out at them from the Suez, fold-out camp chair, coat, mask, mittens and all
There was a news story about the Ever Given’s sister vessel toppling a container of rubber ducks into the sea some years previously - the Friendly Floatees
A Lego replica had even been built to prevent someone from doing their dishes...
Frowning when they reached one of an elderly, sailor-esque gentleman in front of the boat, captioned ‘Captain finally revealed’, Jett chuckled as he explained to Nikolai that the pensioner was a character in a long-running British TV comedy - a former naval officer who’d sunk every ship he’d ever set foot on.
“Global trade grinding to a halt has really captured international attention, but not in the way I surmised...”
Leon, Remy and Zoe had appeared half-way through the conversation and cheerfully watched the meme-fest on Jett’s phone,
“Memes aside, it’s a pretty big deal - I was reading about it online last night. Roughly 12% of global trade passes through the Suez, boat’s been stuck for three days already.. There’s about 200 ships blocked and waiting to go behind it - well, either that or they have to decide if they want to divert around Africa. It could add two weeks onto their trip, but if that boat is going to be stuck for weeks, it might be faster... ” Pulling her phone out, Zoe tapped the screen until she pulled up a satellite image of the canal covered in coloured dots, “See?”
Leon shook his head in disbelief,
“Crazy. All that cargo... Going nowhere... I wonder what’s in all those containers? Must be costing the companies a fortune?”
Zoe shrugged, pulling up yet more screens as the others watched on,
“It’ll all be covered by insurance... But these reports estimate around $9bn is being held up... There’s some oil tankers, medical equipment, oh damn - a new passenger ferry being transported to Denmark, it’s not even been used yet - can you imagine being stuck on that... There’s a tonne of consumer goods - microwaves, freezers, driers - you know the stuff... Some cars... Sex toys - en route to the Netherlands apparently...”
Leon and Remy interrupted one another as they exclaimed, “Cars?”, and, “Sex toys?”, respectively, causing peals of laughter amongst the group, which had now expanded to include the entire Gilded Poppy; MC and Vivienne both appearing to see what the commotion in the common area was over.
Nikolai peered over Zoe’s shoulder, fielding Remy’s question first, wearing a grin,
“One ship is carrying around 20 containers of vibrators and the likes... According to this article, Dutch sex-shop shelves are bare after Valentine’s Day.”
Jett chuckled,
“See?! You honestly couldn’t make this up. It keeps getting better!”
Nikolai continued, turning his gaze to Leon,
“Another boat has several containers full of Nissan GT-R’s.”
Leon leaned forward in his chair, flushing to the tips of his ears as he enquired,
“Does it say? Are the GT-R’s ‘Nismo’s’?”
Vivienne tilted her head towards Leon,
“That’s the question you’re choosing to go with? Oh, Leon!”
The group continued to chat and crack jokes at the quality content and meme-fodder arising from the ongoing maritime situation, until MC made the comment that descended the group into utter hilarity,
“Imagine if pirates were real and decided to rob them all!”
Jett quirked an eyebrow,
“What do you mean ‘if’ they were real?”
Glancing around the confused faces of her friends, she offered,
“If they were real. As in, not just a fairytale thing. That’s what I mean.”
Remy’s bottom lip disappeared under his teeth as he tried his hardest to keep a straight face,
“Because they only exist in fairy stories?”
MC nodded enthusiastically, clearly unaware of her gaffe,
“Yes, in kids books. Peter Pan, or whatever”
Vivienne, barely able to breath, clutched MC’s arm, exclaiming,
“They’re not a Disney franchise, darling, pirates existed for hundreds of years before they made Johnny Depp into one!”
MC’s face glowed as her friends explained her error and teased her relentlessly,
“Santa Claus - real or not real?” , “Tooth Fairy?”, “What about the Easter Bunny?”, “Ghosts??”
The banter continued until MC floated the question that rendered the thieves silent,
“So if piracy is an actual ‘real thing’, have the Poppy ever heisted anything from a cargo ship before?”
Six pairs of curious eyes landed on her simultaneously, the air buzzing with the sudden realisation that there were over 200 potential treasure-troves bobbing around the Suez Canal like apples at Hallowe’en, just waiting for someone to bite...
—-
A few days of serious planning and awaiting the results of the necessary COVID testing to get themselves into Egyptian airspace, allowed the Poppy enough time to come up with one of the best heists that any of them ever could remember piecing together. Maybe it was having to lay low for so long due to the pandemic, or maybe it was the idea of pulling off such a spectacular heist in the goldfish bowl environment of the global tabloid media’s voyeuristic gaze... Whatever the reason, they all agreed this job was something truly special and if they weren’t already infamous, this was the heist that would propel them to a new height of infamy, on a worldwide scale. There was something for everyone on this heist: a traffic jam of cargo ships filled with treasures untold - unless of course your name was Zoe and you were able to access the shipping manifestos...
Initially there was a line of thought that the Poppy could simply steal the wanted containers from the stricken vessels with Leon using the helicopter to ‘hoist them away’, but that wasn’t exactly inconspicuous no matter how good their distraction techniques were. Nikolai was also quick to point out that disturbing the weight distribution of the containers and where they were placed could put the ship at risk of breaking, and therefore the crew would be in danger, so it was very quickly ruled out. A more subtle approach seemed like the better option; to blend into the rescue and recovery efforts, to provide a little assistance to those stuck through no fault of their own, and in turn, to secure a haul to be proud of!
—-
Zoe had worked tirelessly, with some help from MC, hacking systems to create dummy privileges, forging IDs and documents to allow the Gilded Poppy clearance and access to the various ships of interest caught up in the watery traffic jam. She also worked on a method of creating interference on all nearby video equipment that could capture an image of any of the Poppy, so they couldn’t be identified later... Once everything was in place, their plan rolled into action.
Vivienne nodded sympathetically as she flashed her ID badge with abandon and chatted to the crew on every boat she stepped aboard, posing as Head of Port Liaison Services, working to establish their needs throughout the crisis. For some of those stranded, there was nothing required, but after long days and nights adrift, some were desperate for a specific meal or drink, or for provision of extra toiletries as their own had run out - no one having expected such an extended trip... As she jotted down items like shaving foam, painkillers, fizzy drinks and cellphone top-ups, she noted any potential issues the Poppy would have to work around whilst smoothly guiding the conversation, allowing her to glean as much further information about the cargo onboard as possible: it’s intended destination and the location of the containers of interest on the ships, feeding all information back to Nikolai via a tiny hidden camera Zoe had secured in the Poppy-shaped pin of her smart, red, uniform neck-scarf.
Remy, MC and Leon would later arrive with Vivienne, all wearing similar uniforms. Remy and Vivienne smiled kindly, bringing positivity and care packages to the crew filled with the items they’d requested, plus some extra goodies to help the time pass more quickly, while Leon carried out a ‘security round’ of their boat to help the crew feel comfortable from potential threats whilst stranded. Given his stature, none of the crew were at all suspicious, and simply waved him on his way with MC at his side to look after the paperwork as required by the Port Authorities.
With the staff of each ship wholly distracted by an abundance of food, drinks and treats, Jett was able to sneak on board, follow Nikolai’s instructions via earpiece, to reach the containers Vivienne had defined as containing goods-for-heist! Once he was outside the specific container, Zoe could deactivate any tracking or tamperproof devices, allowing Jett the time he needed to pick the locks on each unit - without raising suspicion - in time for Leon and MC arriving on their rounds... It was all down to Remy and Vivienne to be enchanting and enthrall the crew until such times as the others had offloaded their haul to the small waiting tug boat the ‘Port Liaison Officers’ had arrived on, before resealing the container like nothing had ever happened. This heist was proving to be amongst the Poppy’s most satisfying - it was truly a ‘something for everyone’ heist: a plethora of new tech for Zoe, some shiny new sports cars for Leon - the most challenging items to remove from a floating container ship without anyone noticing mid-theft, enough sex toys to open the Poppy’s own bonafide bondage club - if the resident members wished to do so, dazzling jewels galore destined for the top stores in Europe’s capital cities for Vivienne, an abundance of art supplies for MC, a container filled with fireworks for Jett, and all the satisfaction and notoriety a heist like this could bring for the pickpocketing streetkids who had dreamed up the Poppy over a decade before. Little by little, distraction by distraction, the team were able to offload all the pieces of cargo their hearts desired - taking no more than one or two pieces or crates from each container. Zoe’s expert hacking of the security systems ensured the crew wouldn’t be penalised for anything going astray, and that any anomolies could simply be totted up as an inventory loss or wastage if they were discovered at the other side... The Poppy were very keen to ensure that nobody lost out because of this heist - with the noted exception of the insurance brokers and global capitalism: they figured the various crew members had been through enough!
Back at the hangar they’d made their base, with the last of the stolen items secured in the underbelly of their private plane, champagne flowed, but amongst all the whoops of jubilation from the Poppy, Nikolai was quietly subdued. Pensive. Eventually, frowning, he called Remy aside,
“We can’t leave it like this... It doesn’t sit well with me, these people all still stranded, and for who knows how long. Miserable. Families awaiting their return...”
Green eyes sparkling, Remy teased his oldest friend,
“You are going soft, mon ami... And what do you propose we should do to assist them? They already think Vivienne and I are so wonderful, someone told me we’re the best Port Liaison staff they’ve ever met.”
Nikolai raised his hands in an appealing gesture that said ‘seriously - why has no one else thought of this?’,
“We free them.”
Remy’s laugh filled the space between them as he shrugged and wrapped an arm around his oldest friend,
“D’accord, Niko. Why not?”
—-
Remy had donned a construction worker disguise before marching toward the crew manning the bulldozers on the bank where the golden class megaship had embedded its nose, tapping the pen against his clipboard, a grave expression as he spoke with them. Nikolai was with him claiming to be from HQ, dressed in a sharp-looking suit - the picture of a stressed out management sort - raking his hands through his dark hair and barking instructions at Remy every so often to give the impression that they would both be in very serious trouble were the salvage crew not to do as they were asked. There had already been thousands of tonnes of sand shifted and dredged, but the ship was still firmly wedged: all that Remy was requesting that they take a break - to go home - rest - get some sleep - please. He told them that they’d already been on the job for more hours than allowed in line with health and safety guidance, and another team was on their way to relieve them for a few hours: Remy desperately needed them to buy into the narrative as he needed to get Jett and MC on the scene without raising any suspicions. Once the workers finally accepted that it was time to break from their task, Nikolai vanished and Remy ushered in Jett fully dressed in scuba gear. Jett worked at speed to rig some strategically-placed safe charges under the water line in the silt surrounding the boat’s bulbous beak - the aim was to disrupt the earth without damaging the vessel. Leaving him to prepare the blasts, Remy and MC scaled the Ever Given: Remy gave her a confident nod as he gripped the abseiling ropes tightly in place, allowing her descent down the side of the ship. Jett emerged from the water when everything was in place, unable to stop himself from laughing at the sight of Remy and MC, hundreds of feet above him carrying out a special request from Nikolai. They were almost done. They would have to move quickly now, the excavators would be back onsite soon, they’d already been gone for a couple of hours...
—-
Nikolai, Zoe, Vivienne and Leon listened over their secure comms system as Jett confirmed,
“Remy and MC are on their way back to you now... And we’re all set to blow, in 3, 2, 1...”
Leon closed his eyes, covering his nose and mouth with praying hands, Zoe stayed still as a statue while Nikolai and Vivienne leaned closer to the speaker in anticipation of what would come next. They heard a low, rumbling blast echo, then nothing but interfere with their signal until Jett’s voice crackled back through moments later,
“Bloody hell. I think we’ve done it!”
—-
As Leon prepared to fire the plane’s engines up, the others crowded around the live newsfeed on Zoe’s tablet, watching a bubbly young presenter grin into the camera as touched his earpiece and began to speak,
“We are hearing reports that the salvage and excavation teams, after six days, have finally managed to straighten the course of the Ever Given, stuck here, blocking one of the world’s busiest trade routes: the Suez Canal. She has been refloated after tireless work by Port Authorities here in Egypt, and is set to be on her way. A happy ending to one of the biggest news stories of 2021 thus far. We have some live footage of the 220,000 tonne megaship continuing on her voyage for you now, and... Ohhh... Ohhh!!”
Laughter erupted in the cabin as the Poppy saw MC’s handy-work... They watched on as the refloated ship sailed down the Suez before the eyes of the world’s media, a stream of glitter trailing behind her, bearing the misnomer ‘Ever Gilded’, and underlined by a scrolling golden poppy on a vine.
This is amazing and I love that you included the memes and whatnot. Leon getting excited about the cars and Jett all excited about the sex toys. Of course! 🤣🤣🤣 You did such a great job explaining their roles for this heist—it all fits so perfectly with the real events! And the ending with the boat renamed and the Poppy’s signature. Brilliant!
This is Part 6 of my fanfic and it’s my version of events once the gang travels to LA to find Tariq. In my version, he refuses to come forward and Riley made a painful decision. In this part, the events leading up to the photo scandal are discussed. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please excuse any typos and/or grammatical errors. PS—my Liam is Asian Liam, and my Riley is tall, like me.
All characters belong to Pixelberry.
Song Inspiration: Morning Dove, Julie Byrne: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSRdGF12dDk
Liam and Riley sat on one end of the sofa in Liam’s study. Hana sat at the other end, and Bertrand sat behind the oversized and imposing desk. Bastien stood in a corner near the window. Drake and Olivia were sitting in plush chairs on one side of the massive desk. They were all waiting for Maxwell to bring Lady Penelope and Lord Tariq. Riley looked around the room, impressed with the staff who had to come and clean up the destruction Liam had left behind before joining her at House Beaumont. God, was that only yesterday?
It had been decided to talk with Penelope and Tariq together, although Bertrand wanted to do it separately so as to minimize Constantine’s involvement in the scandal. He was overruled by everyone else agreeing that the best way to corroborate stories was to have both present. Both sides of the story gave them the full story, and with the full story, a cohesive statement could be crafted.
I loved getting more insight into everyone’s actions that night. But even better, Liam’s reaction as the events are revealed to him. And seeing Maxwell and Drake in a new light, and his suspicions? Ooooh!!!!
Blah Blah Blah @stopforamoment - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
romaincrisis
titsay
germansingergirl
snowghoul
dededos
blakekathryn
annaxmalina
areudirty
pixelskylines
