#guybellingfield

[aoibhs]

Introduction To Elizabeth Shaw

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from The Riot Club/Posh, and all OCs were beautifully crafted by @club-riot

She fidgeted with a loose strand of her hair. Nervous. Elizabeth was chosen to be a member of the society. She knew that. She understood that she was wealthy and smart. That was what was expected of each member. It was highly flattering, seeing as only ten would be chosen for the Socialite Society of Oxford University. Still, she was very nervous to be meeting with her fellow club members for the first time since her initiation. What if they didn't like her? Elizabeth mentally scolded herself for thinking like that. Here she was, in her first year of university, yet she was worrying herself with events that hadn't happened yet like a child on their first day of school. Not that she could help herself. She always made her anxieties worse by feeding them with paranoia and over thinking the situation entirely.

They were meeting outside the library. She was nearly disappointed that she wouldn't get to go inside. She quite liked the library. But it was clearly for the best. There was no need for the society to go and have their meeting in there. Plus, Honora had told her that Victoria and Meredith often got rowdy when they were together. So, a strictly silent library was not the ideal place for a club meeting.

But obviously, Elizabeth just had to get lost first. She had been to the library twice since Freshers' Week had come to a close and had admittedly been putting it off seeing as it took her an hour and a half to find it the first time.

"You okay?"

She spun around to see three young men. They were at least in their second year. All of them were taller than her, had dark hair and were very attractive. Elizabeth felt her pulse quicken and her face heat up. She cringed internally at the thought that she had been caught getting lost by older, male students.

"I'm.. um, just looking for the library," She gave them a nervous smile, "I've just lost my way is all,"

"We'll help you!" The tallest of the three exclaimed. He seemed so very eager, grinning ear-to-ear.

"Oh, well, if you could just point me in the right direction, I would be ever so grateful," She was taken aback by his keen smile.

"Nonsense, we'll take you there ourselves," The one with the beige trench coat decided to lead her away by her elbow.

"What? No no no, you don't have to," Elizabeth nearly laughed out of disorientation.

"We're going there anyway, so... yeah we do," The shortest one with curly hair said, walking in front of them and facing them as he walked in reverse down the pathway.

"Don't mention it," The one in the coat basically sighed, as if he was trying appear humble.

"I.. didn't..," Elizabeth's eyes flickered around their sockets, as she tried to recollect whether or not she had thanked them.

"Ooh! You just got completely rinsed!" The curly haired one snorted, gaining a laugh from his tall friend and an eye roll from the one in the coat.

Elizabeth blushed for a number of reasons then. 1. Because she felt she was the center of attention and 2. Because she finally noticed that the one in the coat still had his hand upon her elbow.

"So.. what's going on in the library?" The tall one leaned over to get a better look at her, since his friend was blocking his view, "Got an essay you need our help finishing?"

Elizabeth actually laughed at that. They didn't even know what she was studying.

"Umm, no," She chuckled, "I've just got a club meeting outside it,"

"Oh really?" His face filled with childish glee, "What club is that?"

"The Socialite Society," She nodded, staring at her black shoes walking on the path.

"Oh my wow, seriously?!" The coat guy stopped walking, forcing her to a stop, "That's like the best club for any young woman to be a part of,"

"You must've really impressed them to be nominated," The curly haired one nodded in agreement, smirking at Elizabeth.

"Well, I'm still trying to get my head around that myself," Her free hand reached up to tuck that loose strand of hair behind her ear while she released some nervous chuckles, spurring her to start walking again.

"I'm gonna guess.. successful family?" The tall one pointed at her assumingly, only to get his hand swatted away by the coat guy.

"I suppose," She merely chuckled because she did not know what else to do, "My father the manager of several accountancy firms, my mother is an editor with this publishers company and my eldest brother has started an internship in Downing Street,"

"Fuck," He seemed surprised by the great length of her reply.

"What's the name of the accountancy firm? I might know it," The coat guy asked her.

"Shaw's" She replied.

"No way!" The curly haired one gasped, "Didn't Leighton have an interview with them last week?"

"So which of the lovely Shaw family to we have the honor of escorting to the library?" She didn't need to look up to see the smirk on the coat guy's lips.

"Elizabeth," She muttered, embarrassed suddenly. She wasn't completely sure why though. Maybe it was the mention of her family. Maybe it had just dawned on her that she had held the attention of three good looking males for over two minutes.

"Ed Montgomery!" The tall one reached across the coat guy again, much to his annoyance, to shake Elizabeth's hand. The coat guy was somewhere between giving out to Ed and trying to introduce himself when he was cut off.

"I'm Toby Maitland!" The curly haired one beamed at her, grabbing her hand to shake it before Ed had even finished.

"Pleasure to meet you," Elizabeth spluttered, becoming disorientated again by all the sudden action.

"Guy Bellingfield," The coat guy's name actually was Guy and Elizabeth had to try her very best not to laugh. She was quickly distracted anyway when he took ahold of her hand, "And the pleasure is all mine, Miss Shaw,"

Elizabeth literally had no idea how to respond, her face burning red and her heart on the verge of ninety miles an hour.

"Okay," She nodded, biting at her bottom lip furiously, trying to keep herself from saying anything that might further embarrass herself. That's when she noticed the library that was nine feet in front of them, "Well, I do appreciate you escorting me here. Goodness knows where I'd have ended up if you hadn't have come across me,"

"Maybe we could do it again sometime," Ed grinned hopefully.

Elizabeth only giggled slightly,walking ahead of them, breaking the contact with Guy's hand and hers.

"Well, thank you gentlemen, I really do appreciate this," She said looking back at them as she began to walk up the steps leading to the library's double doors. Poppy was already up there at the entrance with Josephine.

"Don't mention it," Guy smiled as they followed her.

"Evening ladies," Ed said to her friends waiting at the top of the stairs.

"Boys," Poppy nodded them in response.

That's where they parted ways. Ed was the first one to go through the doors.

"Till we meet again," Toby gave her a cheeky wink before he followed Ed.

"Lovely to meet you, Elizabeth," Guy decided to wait there to shake her hand again, but he lingered with an awkward smile on his face for a few seconds. And only after that did he go into the library.

"You've been busy," Poppy teased, a pink smirk on her lips.

"Oh shush," Elizabeth waved her hand, then used it to cover the lower part of her face. Not that it would cover up the red gracing her cheeks.

"They're pretty though, aren't they?" Poppy leaned towards the double doors, trying to look at them through the glass, "Those Riot boys,"

"Wait, they're from The Riot Club?" Josephine basically jumped with her gasp, "I would've smiled at them had I known that!"

Poppy just laughed. Elizabeth understood why they had become so interested in her once she had mentioned being a member of the Socialite Society.

"Oh, there's Honora and Louisa," Poppy nudged Elizabeth's shoulder, both of them turning around to greet their friends.

"The fuck is Sunniva?" Louisa said before they even got to the steps.

"Not here," Josephine laughed.

"She texted me to say she was leaving her flat about fifteen minutes ago," Poppy unlocked her phone to check what their club's chairperson had said.

The doors to the library burst open and Ed and Toby scurried out, dragged another male behind them.

"Excuse me ladies, make way!" Guy's voice called from just inside the doors before he emerged as well.

"Hi Miles," Poppy waved to the boy on the ground jokingly.

"Let go! The stairs hurt my fucking back!" Miles yelled at Toby and Ed, who were laughing uncontrollably.

"Don't mind us," Guy waved his hand dismissively.

"Initiations?" Poppy smiled, understanding what was going on, "I thought you would've done that ages ago,"

"You only did yours last week as far as I've heard," He smirked at her, "No need to be smug,"

Honora scoffed and rolled her eyes at that.

"Come on, Bellend!" Toby called from down the path.

"Duty call, ladies," He nearly bounced down the steps, following the other Riot boys.

Chapter Two

[aoibhs]

Good Morning Oxford!

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from The Riot Club/Posh, and all OCs were beautifully crafted by @club-riot

"Well..," Elizabeth looked around, noticing that all her fellow club members had already left. Even Poppy. They were probably all so drunk that they either forgot about her, thought she had gone home or thought that she was, in fact, still with them. She exhaled at the thought and did her best to keep calm. She wasn't going to fly off the handle in front of all these beautiful boys, even if alcohol usually had the emotional effect on her. She was determined not to start crying over something stupid like that, "It's getting late. I should be getting back," "Where would you go? The night's only starting," The pretty boy, Harry, said. There was a childish quality to his smile in that moment. "The girls have disappeared," Elizabeth shrugged a laugh, "It seems we've been talking for longer than I thought," "No no no, have another drink!" Toby hugged her waist, in both a protective and highly clingy fashion. "It's late guys, I can't," She shook her head, trying to pry Toby's arms from her torso. "Are you staying on campus?" Dimitri asked before downing the remaining dregs of his drink. "Yeah," She finally got him off, but wound up spinning around in a circle in the process, nearly falling over. James stepped in to steady her. She noticed George leaning against the wall, pointing at her with his mouth ajar, as if he was just about to tell someone to catch her but the alcohol had slowed his reactions down quite a bit. When he realized that James had already stepped in, he just slowly and awkwardly lowered his hand and looked away, completely bewildered. "Do you need a lift?" Dimitri didn't even notice that she nearly fell over, he was too busy straightening out the cuffs of his shirt. "Oh no, I'll be fine walking," She smiled, taking a step back towards the nightclub that was beginning to empty. "It's two in the morning, Lizzy," James furrowed his eyebrows. "Anything could happen to you out there!" Guy leaned towards her, trying to get past Ed who was, once again, blocking his view of her. His eyes were wide with alarm. Elizabeth wondered if he opened them any widen if they would pop right out of his head. "It's a scary world out there," Harry smirked over at her. "I'm not afraid of a few muggers," She rolled her eyes, knowing Harry was just attempting to spook her for the fun of it. "Well, you should be," Guy said curtly, stepping forward properly, "And if you're going to be that reckless then I insist on walking you back," As he finished speaking, he fixed his hair, which wasn't particularly messy in the first place. "Oh you've done it now," James chuckled. "But I-" "No," Guy held his hand up to cut her off, "I'm going with you," "Either he goes with you or we all do," George slurred slightly from the wall. Ed actually looked at Toby with genuine excitement. Dimitri and Harry just started laughing, knowing how the situation would play out. "Let's go, Guy," She tapped him on the shoulder and swiftly turned on her heel to walk back into the club. "Are you ashamed of us!?" Dimitri jokingly called after her. "Give me a reason not to be!" She called back, laughing, "Goodnight!" There was a chorus of goodnights from a mixture of Toby, Ed and James and then there came a faint one about twelve seconds after, Elizabeth figured that one was George. She waited at the main door for Guy to get his coat from the cloakroom, he didn't take too long thankfully, so they got to walking quick enough. The streets were ridiculously empty. The people of Oxford were sound asleep. And the silence was a little unnerving between the two of them. He kept turning to her, about to say something but then turning away. He did this at least four times before Elizabeth began to pity his intoxicated mind. "You didn't have to do this," She looked down at her black high heels clicking against the carefully cobbled street. "Of course I did," He scoffed, "Are you cold?" "Hmm?" Her eyes snapped up to his at the question, "What?" "Are you cold?" He gestured to her hands that were clutching her forearms. "Oh no, I'm fine," She chuckled nervously. She was lying and it was very obvious but she wasn't going to demand anything from him. He was already walking her back to her dorm as it was. She was caught off guard when Poppy invited her to go out. She told her to get ready quickly, so she ran out of her dorm as fast as she could once she had applied that last bit of cherry red lipstick, and completely forgot her jacket. "Alright," He said, looking on ahead. There was a short spell of quiet again. But Guy figured that he should say something this time, since she spoke first the last time, "What school did you go to? Cheltenham?" "No, um.. Actually I went to Cambridge," She smiled awkwardly. "Fuck off. Seriously?" He pulled a strange shocked face that caused Elizabeth to burst out laughing. "Yeah, my family is pro-Cambridge," She tucked a lock of her dark hair behind her ear, nodding as she spoke. "But you're at Oxford.." He was so confused, it was nearly adorable. In fact, it was. "Yes," She laughed, "Yes, I am," "Wouldn't your family prefer it if you were a Cambridge student?" "Very much so," She sighed, rubbing her arms again self-consciously, "I'm, eh.. I'm the family disappointment, if you will," She joked. "So, your parents went to Cambridge?" "Yeah and my older brothers," "So, why Oxford?" "I liked the course better, I liked the university better," She shrugged, smiling a little. "That's remarkable!" He beamed at her. "Is it?" Elizabeth snorted slightly to herself, tucking another non-existent strand of hair behind her ear. "Do you want my coat?" "No!" Elizabeth wasn't prepared for the abrupt subject change and panicked, trying to keep him from doing anything else for her. So, her panic-fueled mind forced her voice to come off far more defensive and aggressive than she would ever hope. She blinked, shocked at herself, "I.. I mean.. What?" Guy, laughing, began to remove his beige coat. "You're clearly freezing. Here," He draped it over her shoulders before she could push him away. "Guy, I'm honestly fine," Her protests were pointless. "It's October in England. Don't tell me you're not freezing," He smirked, knowing he had won. "You are just impossible, Guy Bellingfield," She shook her head at him, smiling and reaching up to hold the coat in place. "Oh stop it," He waved his hand in quite a girly way, causing Elizabeth to go into a fit of giggles. "Do you have a dorm here too?" She managed to ask after she finished laughing. "No, Dimitri and I have our own flats in the area," He said. "What? They're probably on the other side of the city," Elizabeth's eyes widened, "You can't be walking me home, you'll be walking miles to get home," She grabbed the coat from her shoulders and held it up for him to take. "Lizzy, relax. I told you I'd walk you back and I intent to do so," Why was he smirking? "But you'll have to walk back.." She trailed off. Another argument lost. "I will give Dimitri a call who will be by shortly to drive me back," That's why he was smirking, "What else is a Greek useful for anyway?" Elizabeth laughed grimly, shaking her head disapprovingly, but still laughing nonetheless, "Now, will you please put the coat back on?" Elizabeth looked down at the coat and nearly groaned, "Dear God, the things I have to do," Guy shook his head and grabbed the jacket from her, forcing it back onto her shoulders. "You didn't have to do any of this," She huffed, but playfully. In fairness, she was still laughing. "You are the one who wanted to walk home alone on a cold October night," He poked her shoulder, "Shaw, you left me with no choice," "Oh, I do apologize," Her sarcastic words gained a false glare from Guy. "There's no need to attack me," He placed a hand on his chest as if she had literally attacked him, "I'm just a good citizen, doing what any nobleman would do," "Yes, I would've had an entire entourage of Riot Club members if I wanted," She looked into the distance with a dreamy smile of her lips. "Yeah? Well, I offered first," He nodded, almost proud of himself. "Nothing about 'I insist on walking you home' is offering," She smirked. "Go back to Cambridge," He shoved her playfully. Of course, this spiraled into a full-fledged play fight. It had to stop when Guy nearly pushed Elizabeth into the fountain in the square. When he was helping her up,both of them laughing like children, barely inches between them, Guy's phone started ringing. He smiled apologetically and stepped away to answer it, leaving Elizabeth to stand there, a blushing mess. "Bellend, where the fuck are you? Did you die?" It was Dimitri. "We're nearly at the University grounds, no need to worry about me," He chuckled in a haughty manner. "You're only getting there now?" Dimitri sounded both shocked and disappointed, but also massively baffled, "Mate, it's four in the morning," "Oh... well, good morning!" As he spoke, he looked over at Elizabeth sitting by the fountain and smiled at her. She chuckled and looked at her feet. "I'm not coming to get you, Bellend," "Yes, you are," He said. "I'm fucking tired, mate. Walk home," "But I'm.... lost and scared, Dimitri, you have to help me," He searched his brain for excuses. "....Okay fine, meet me back at the club in ten minutes, Bellingfield," Dimitri sighed and hung up. "Is everything okay?" Elizabeth's voice drifted over from the fountain. "I need to go," He smiled awkwardly, not entirely happy with the outcome of the evening, "Is your dorm far from here?" "It's literally just inside there," She pointed over to the main gates of the university, "Why? What's happened?" "The Greek's having a revolution," He rolled his eyes. "I told you not to walk me home!" She slapped his shoulder. "Ow!" "Here," She handed him his coat. "Thanks, but I'm really sorry, I've got to run," His face filled with dread, "Will you be okay from here on your own?" "I'll be fine, now go!" She gave him a slight push. "See you later!" He called as he started to run down the road again. He hated running. He kept finding himself glancing back at her and she was still there each time, waiting for him to be out of sight. Once he was gone, Elizabeth sighed and brought her palms up to touch her cheeks. She was surprised her skin hadn't burned right of her flesh. The heat radiating from her face could probably be sensed miles away and be mistaken for a burning house. "Yeah.." She began to walk towards the gates and sighed, smiling to herself, "See you later,"

Chapter Four

[aoibhs]

Initiations

Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from The Riot Club/Posh, and all OCs were beautifully crafted by @club-riot

Throughout the following week at Oxford, Elizabeth and her new friends had witnessed the Riot boys on several occasions trying to sneak about in a very conspicuous manner. Poppy explained to her what the club's initiations entailed. Elizabeth was on her way to a Drama Society meeting one of the days when she saw Miles running out of the choir room drenched in port. Of course he was eagerly followed by Toby, Ed and Guy, as well as Honora's cousin Dimitri and some other guy called Hugo. Whenever she told Poppy anything about Miles, she would get very excited and ask Elizabeth countless questions. That made her a little suspicious. She wondered if Poppy knew how obvious she was acting. She wondered if Poppy cared. The other girls of the club weren't like Elizabeth. They didn't care about hurting feelings or ruining friendships. They cared about reputations. They cared that they always looked their best. They never let much get under their skin, unless a peasant mistreated them. Elizabeth had been told multiple times that she was too nice for the club. Meredith openly told her that being polite would get her nowhere. At first, it worried her. She felt out of place. But it was fine really after a short while. Poppy nominated her, Sunniva approved, she got into the club. Meredith was just one opinionated girl. And she still liked the others. They had begun going out to the nearest nightclub and Poppy would invite her to come along before anyone would let her just go back to her dorm to study. Poppy was good to her like that. She was basically a roommate to her. They were only across the hall from each other. They nearly had a ritual every morning. Elizabeth would meet her on the floor below them just as she finished talking to the tall, earnest first year. Elizabeth was admittedly quite intimidated by him and not a little afraid. Ryle was his name according to Poppy. Alistair Ryle. Good looking boy. But still a bit intense. Once they met in the hallway, the girls would make their way outside and find the nearest coffee shop. They'd get their usual orders of coffee, with or without some sort of pastry, and then find a bench within the grounds to drink and converse. Those conversations were mainly about how great a guy Miles was, in Poppy's opinion. Elizabeth just usually quoted over and over how nice the boys were to help her when she was lost. But that always just made Poppy wink and wiggle her eyebrows, which just embarrassed Elizabeth and made her instantly regret saying it.

But a nightclub was a very different setting altogether. The girls loved their nights out. Elizabeth was excited to be a part of it but wasn't sure if she would drink much or not. She had been branded with the title lightweight the last time she went out. It didn't take her long to get drunk. She didn't want to make a fool of herself not after only just getting accepted into the club. A few glasses of rosé seemed like the best option for her before going for the stronger stuff later on, because at that stage the others would be smashed anyway. She was helping herself to a glass of rosé at the bar, taking a rest from all the dancing. She couldn't help but admire all the energy Honora and Louisa had on the dance floor. They just never grew tired. According to Sunniva, Josephine was already vomiting in the ladies room with only Imogen to help her, who then also started vomiting. Yeah, Elizabeth was happy sticking with the rosé for a bit longer. Poppy tried to get her up to dance to some Rihanna song a few times but then eventually got the idea that she was wrecked and wasn't drunk enough to pretend to like the song. "Oh my God!" Elizabeth could barely hear the gasp over the pounding music, "Tubes, look!" "Shaw!!" She turned around and saw Ed and Toby slouching over the bar with excited grins on their faces. "Hey," She smiled before taking another sip of her drink. "Are you lost? Cause we found you again!" Ed shouted over the music. Elizabeth pretended to laugh. It didn't matter really though, they wouldn't be able to hear her regardless. "Are you alone? You can come sit with us if you want?" Toby leaned over to her, so she could hear him better. "Thanks but I'm here with friends," She nodded in the direction of the dance floor. "You sure? There's room over here!" Ed copied his friend, leaning in as well. "Where are my two favourite rascals?!" Another one of them forced them apart, slinging an arm around each of their shoulders and joining in on the conversation from in between them. It was Guy. "Look who's not at the library?" Ed pointed at Elizabeth, who went for another mouthful of rosé. "Lizzy Shaw! Great to see you!" He reached across to shake her hand, catching her off guard. She nearly spilled her drink. Why was he so keen on shaking her hand anyway? He already did that twice when they first met. Was it really necessary? But, oh yeah, he was probably drunk. "Hello," She smiled awkwardly, hoping the dark club would hide her growing blush. "Come over and meet the others!" Ed began tugging at her hand as soon as Guy was finished, which was at a weird angle since he was the furthest away from her, "They'd love to meet you!" Elizabeth immediately downed her drink, praying that it'd just give her enough of a boost to step away from the bar, but of course, without falling flat on her face. "Come on!" Toby didn't wait for a reply from her and pulled on her free hand, leading her through big metal doors that were wide open. It was just a smoking area, nothing special. Well, there were at least four well dressed and gorgeous young men standing around. Some had a cigarette between their lips but most off them were just talking and drinking. When Toby let go of her, she stopped suddenly, causing Guy and Ed to bump into her, nearly knocking her off her feet. "What's this?" One of the smokers said, and God, he had perfect hair. "This is our good friend, Lizzy!" Toby grabbed her hand again, waving it around this time. "Elizabeth is fine," She chuckled awkwardly, trying to ignore all the eyes on her. "She's in the Socialite Society!" Elizabeth had to look up to see who had decided to grip her shoulders suddenly. It was Ed, who also decided to rest his head on the top of hers. She stifled a laugh. "She's my friend!" Guy announced loudly, gaining some odd looks from a few of them, including Elizabeth. "George Balfour, how do you do?" The doe-eyed, sandy haired one stepped forward to shake her hand before he stepped back again. "Very well, thank you," She smiled, "Elizabeth Shaw, nice to meet you," "You're not a relation of-?" "The accountancy Shaws, yeah," She nodded, cutting the blonde with the amazing cheekbones off, knowing exactly what he was going to ask, "My father manages it," "I didn't know they had a daughter," The pretty smoker said. "Do you know my family?" Elizabeth furrowed her eyebrows. "We only know of them," The blonde interjected before the other got a chance to speak again, "I had an interview with your father a few weeks ago," "I've been told," She shrugged a little, forgetting that Ed was still clinging to her shoulders, "If you'd like, I could put a good word in for you?" "That's awfully kind of you, Lizzy, but I'd prefer to earn my place there," "Oh no, I understand entirely," She chuckled awkwardly again. How many boys were looking at her? Six? Seven? It was definitely a record for her anyway. "Would you like a drink?" When the blonde asked her that, she felt the heat on her cheeks rush to her forehead. She felt dizzy. This was a new experience. "...Sure, yeah," She stood there with her mouth agape before she remembered how to speak and gave a nod, knocking Ed off from her head. He went ahead through the metal doors again, she didn't hang around and followed him, weaving in between Guy and Ed. "What would you like?" He asked her, just before the music blotted out all normal talking voices. "A...," She trailed off, looking around at the girls falling around the dance floor, "A vodka black, please," He leaned in to the bar man, handing him the money. Then there was only to wait. "I didn't catch your name," She said. "James Leighton-Masters," He smirked slightly. "Thanks for the drink, James," "You haven't even got it yet," He laughed. Elizabeth just shrugged, looking back to the crowd of drunken dancers. She was astonished to see Honora and Louisa still dancing with as much gusto as they had been hours before. "Are you in The Riot Club as well?" She turned back to ask him. Then he chuckled to himself, "What?" "I'm actually the president," "Oh, very fancy," She laughed, feeling a little embarrassed but it wasn't too bad. She was still getting a free drink. "Do you want to stay here or go back outside?" James asked once their drinks were placed on the bar's counter. "Outside is fine," Elizabeth smiled, nearly keen to go talking to the boys now. "Lead the way," He picked up both glasses so she could go ahead towards the smoking area again. "Shaw!!" Toby basically tackled her once she got back outside. "Hello," She awkwardly sang, taken aback completely. "I thought you and Leighton went for drinks?" Guy look at her confused. "Relax Bellend," The tanned one that was Honora's cousin, Dimitri, rolled his eyes at him. "Here, this is yours," James handed her the right glass and stepped back to where he was standing before. "Thank you," She smiled again and took a quick sip. "So tell us, Lizzy," Dimitri said after finishing off his own drink, "What's a girl like you doing at a place like Oxford?" "I'm sorry?" "Are you going to be the next big accountant from the Shaw family?" The pretty boy spoke up. "Oh, um.. no. I'm studying literature," Elizabeth fixed her gaze on her glass. "Not even finance or business?" George tilted his head. "Afraid not, I've never been good with numbers," She shook her head, feeling embarrassed again. "Oh well, can't have everything," The pretty one shrugged. "You write?" Guy asked, stepping a bit closer. "Try to," Elizabeth spluttered a laugh, then took a big swig from her glass. She felt the alcohol go buzzing straight to her head, it nearly caused a headache straight away. "I'd love to read some of your masterpieces," That was a bit weird. It wasn't just Elizabeth who noticed. Everyone was giving Guy funny looks. Even Toby. But, oh yeah, he was probably drunk.

Chapter Three

[aoibhs]

Coffee

Chapter One 

Chapter Eighteen

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from The Riot Club/Posh, and all OCs were beautifully crafted by @club-riot

"Rise and shine!" Toby clapped his hands several times until everyone was awake. Honora rubbed the sleep from her eyes and yawned. She had overslept. She was usually awake far earlier than ten in the morning. She went to rub her eyes again and realized she was restricted. Then the weight against her shoulder and back registered to her head. "Morning dearest," A groggy male voice peered over her shoulder. Honora looked down to see he was hugging her. She turned her head to see a shirtless Harry Villiers smirking down at her. "Get off!" She pushed his arms off her and sat up on the floor, flustered. If there weren't so many others around or if she were drinking, she definitely wouldn't have pushed him away. She didn't realize how cold the room was until she lost the contact with his warm chest. She'd never admit it out loud though. "Elizabeth's not waking up," Guy looked at the sleeping girl hesitantly. "Just wait till her alarm goes off, you could hit that girl with a chair and she wouldn't wake up," Poppy laughed, "She'll wake up when she wants," "Come on, I smell toast and I am hungry!" Ed looked as though he was about to jump down the staircase with eagerness. "Calm down, calm down," George patted his shoulder lightly. They made their way downstairs, Harry rebuttoning his shirt as they went, leaving the ones who were still asleep in their unconscious states. "Oh! You're all up!" Elena excitedly chirped from the massive breakfast table. "You look so awake," Miles marvelled at her energy. "I really love the morning," Elena basically yelled. "Mum, inside voices please," Honora sat down at the table, pouring herself some juice. "You little shit," Elena smirked as she buttered her toast, "There's fruit and toast and croissants, feel free to coffee and juice," "And Greek yogurt?" Guy smirked, waiting for a laugh. "Yes actually, right there," Elena nodded, pointing to a tray on the table. Guy awkwardly felt obligated to take one then, having mentioned it. He really brought it on himself. "Thank you for letting us all stay here," Poppy smiled at Elena, picking at a croissant. "Oh it's nothing. I'm glad to have you here," She smiled back. "Where's your dad?" Harry asked Honora. "Working," She said, "He and my uncle, Dimitri's dad, work together, he only comes home for big events," "A charity dinner isn't a big event?" Imogen shot her a sad look. "Dear, we're very grateful for all the work he does for us and the business," Elena cut in before Honora could say anything, "He makes his time off count, he's always here when it matters," "She organized the entire dinner alone," Honora looked at her mother with a small smile. "Now hang on," Dimitri raised his hand, "What about my mother?" "Your mum bought the Greek yogurts," Guy stated as he ate said yogurt. "Yes, Sophia was very good to order those in," Elena nodded, taking everything so seriously, "I knew you kids would like them," Just then the remaining members of the group dawdled down the stairs, still sleepy looking, particularly Elizabeth. "Ah you're awake," George grinned as they sat down at the table. "Elizabeth's alarm went off, scared the shit out of me," James laughed. "I said sorry," She pretended it was a life or death situation, something that made him laugh more. "Morning," Dimitri greeted Tamsin who sat next to him. "Morning," She smirked, kissing his cheek. "Get a room," Toby snorted. "Uh, this is a room," Dimitri rolled his eyes as he and Tamsin intertwined each others fingers. "It's a room in my house and I support my nephew's choices," Elena dabbed a napkin over her lips and got up from her chair, "Tamsin comes from a fine family, they may behave as they please," She touched Dimitri's shoulder as she left the room. "My family is fine," Tamsin beamed with clear smugness. "What is the plan for today?" James asked as he grabbed an apple for himself. "We get dressed," Ed almost immediately answered. "Yes, Ed, well done," James nodded, "I mean, do you need us to go at a certain time, Honora?" "I can stay as long as you like," Harry touched her arm as he spoke, sending shivers jolting up her spine. "I say we go for a walk," George spoke up, shoveling bacon and toast into his mouth as if it were his job. "Splendid," Miles nodded in agreement, "It's a lovely area," "Okay so, we're eating breakfast, getting dressed and then going walking?" Toby summed up. "But how can we?" Imogen looked genuinely concerned, "I don't have the appropriate footwear," "You're already wearing my pajamas, I'll lend you some boots," Honora shook her head. "Can you pass me the coffee please?" Elizabeth turned to Guy and asked. "Yeah, sure," He put the yogurt down and it fell on its side and he tried to put it up again but it fell over from the weight of the spoon. "Here, Lizzy," Dimitri handed her the glass jug of hot coffee, fed up of watching Guy failing to complete a simple request. "Thank you," She smiled, somewhat weakly, pouring herself a cup of the piping hot beverage. "You alright, Lizzy?" Toby asked her. "Just tired," She replied, "I didn't get much sleep," "Did you not bring your-?" "I didn't think I'd need to," Elizabeth stopped Poppy from asking her question. She already knew what she was going to ask, "It's a simple mistake on my behalf but some caffeine should fix me right up," "Sorry, what's this?" Alistair looked at her with mild interest. "They're just...," Elizabeth trailed off, noticing how everyone was paying attention to her. Guy's eyes were glued to her, unblinking, "Um.. They're just tablets that help me sleep. I left them in my dorm," "Ah, an insomniac," Alistair nodded, reaching for his juice. "It's normal," Elizabeth shrugged it off, acting like the blush on her face wasn't there and growing. "It is you know, my mum is one too," Ed pointed at her. Toby scoffed and Ed looked at him funny, "What?" "Since when is your mum normal?"

Chapter Twenty

[aoibhs]

Girlfriend

Chapter One

Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from The Riot Club/Posh, and all OCs were beautifully crafted by @club-riot

"You look lovely by the way," Upon hearing that, Guy's entire face twitched. Dimitri just laughed, being the only one who noticed. "Oh, no.. I mean thanks," Elizabeth stuttered in response, nerves suddenly kicking in, "It was rushed, Honora helped with most of it," "The black suits you," James went on, smiling softly at her. "Will he just stop?" Guy muttered, gripping his knife and fork tightly. "Do you disagree?" Dimitri smirked at him as he put his fork him his mouth which previously had a piece of chicken on it. "No! Of course, not," "Something wrong, Bellingfield?" Poppy asked from the other side of the table, she was directly in front of him. "I'm fine," His smile was rushed and frustrated. Dimitri nodded his head in the direction of the head of the table. Seeing her friend and The Riot Club president submerged in conversation, Poppy understood why Guy was annoyed. "Just talk to her or something," She leaned across the table to him. "Yeah, whenever he isn't," He grumbled. "Don't be a child," Dimitri rolled his eyes. "It's okay, we can all get a little jealous," As she finished, her eyes glanced over to Miles chatting to Sunniva about Lauren. Her eyes then fell on Alistair. He looked like he wanted to kill someone. Probably Miles. It was no secret that they hated each other. Or more that Alistair hated Miles. He despised him. It was odd that Poppy managed being friends with both of them. "Honestly, Montgomery," Tamsin began, leaning back in her chair with her wine glass balancing between her fingers, "When was the last time you had a girlfriend?" "Umm... What?" Ed was taken aback and Toby went into fits of giggles. "A girlfriend, when was the last time you had one?" She repeated, calm. "B-boarding school," He spluttered, going to take a sip from his glass. "Liar," Toby laughed, earning a look of horror from his best friend. "I am not!" "You've never had a girlfriend?" Imogen talked across the table as soon as she heard. "No, I have," Ed argued. "What was her name then?" Tamsin raised an eyebrow. "...I don't remember, it was a long time ago," Ed shook his head, "And besides, there's been so many over the years," "Oh, has there?" She smirked. "Yes," He smiled, proudly, assuming he was actually getting his way. "You remember how old you were, right?" Imogen asked, leaning forward and hoping for more gossip. "Pffft, of course I do," He scoffed. "I do too," Toby could've fallen out of his chair with laughter. "Shut up," Ed muttered. "Did you kiss her?" Tamsin winked, leaning forward again. "What else would I do with a girl?" He laughed, shrugging. "Did you go any further then?" She had no problem with prying for entertainment's sake. "Yeah well..," He trailed off. "They were nine," Toby snorted. "You haven't had a girlfriend since you were nine!?" Josephine laughed, overhearing from across the table. "Excuse me, but I was twelve," Ed corrected him. "Yes, massive difference," Alistair stated in a monotonic voice, earning a giggle from Poppy. "Just because I haven't had a relationship since her doesn't mean that I haven't been popular with the ladies," He tried to reason with them but it just resulted in more laughed. "We went to boarding school, mate," Toby shook his head, "You can't talk yourself out of this one," "First year wasn't bad though," Ed continued to stick up for himself. "Didn't you sleep with Victoria during Fresher's week?" Tamsin recalled, while Victoria's eye widened with anger. She aggressively slaps Tamsin's arm. It hurt but Tamsin was too busy laughing to care. "Oh my god, that's where I've seen you before," Ed gasped, "Hi, how are you doing?" He held out his hand to her across the table to shake. She slapped it away and got up. "I need a cigarette," She snapped, heading for the door. "Victoria, wait!" Meredith melodramatically got up and ran after her. "Wow, you can say a girl touched your hand today," Harry joked from the end of the table. While Victoria and Meredith were absent, Poppy arose from her seat and sat in between Tamsin and Imogen, where Meredith was previously. "Hi," She greeted Miles and Alistair, beaming. "Hi," Miles smiled back. Alistair just nodded with a small smile, happy to see her but still wildly unhappy to be beside Miles. "You're all looking nice, I love the suits," She giggled. "Thanks," Miles said, "That's a nice dress. Remind me to ask for a photo of it later on. I know that Lauren would love it," "Yeah, right," Her face fell, but she nodded. It would never not be unpleasant to talk about Lauren. "I like the red," Alistair said, in such a tone that made it sound like he was pretending Miles hadn't said anything, that Miles wasn't there, "...It suits you," "Thanks Alistair," Poppy noticed. A few seats away, Dimitri had given up on talking reason into Guy and was trying to get his cousin's attention. "Honora?" He began, "Is there a particular reason that Villiers is staring at you right now?" "No, he's not," She just shook her head. "Yes, he is. He has for several minutes now and it's getting weird," Dimitri sighed, "Is something going on between you two?" "Nothing you don't already know about," It was her turn to sigh as she went for another mouthful of wine. "You snogged him last month," He nodded, knowing that. "And this month and two weeks ago," She summed up. "Jesus Christ, Honora," He laughed slightly in an exasperated way. "What?" "Nothing," He chuckled, "It just makes sense now. You're leading each other on," "He's not leading me anywhere," She said, picking up the bottle to refill her glass. Her words earned a laugh from Louisa. "Well, he's certainly following you around," She chuckled, turning to see Harry gazing at her best friend with a pensive expression. "Villiers? Are you listening to me?" George asked, tapping his arm slightly. "No," He replied halfheartedly, then looked at him, "What were you saying?" "I was just telling Josephine about the tourists at your house and the problems with the roof," George explained. "My house has the same problem," Josephine nodded, gesturing to herself as she spoke. "You have tourists as well?" Harry asked, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah," The redhead nodded, "We don't have great artwork or anything. It the architecture that the people love," "Ooh, do tell me more," George grinned excitedly. "Old styled Georgian house with a chapel on our grounds, a Gothic church," She said, "It was there long before the house was built," That's when Hugo got up, hoping to get a chance to talk to Miles. Tamsin had moved up a few seats to sit beside Honora, so Hugo sat beside Poppy. Guy saw an opportunity. "Excuse me," He got up and sat right in front of Elizabeth. He looked at both her and James and placed his hands on the table, "So, what are we talking about?"

Chapter Eleven

[aoibhs]

Invitation

Chapter One 

Chapter Twenty-Five

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from The Riot Club/Posh, and all OCs were beautifully crafted by @club-riot 

"I am going to buy shots," Ed got up, "Come with me," He tried to pull Elizabeth out from around the table, which including George who was already half asleep. "We have college in the morning," She argued. "Have you skipped a class ever, Shaw?" Alistair weighed in from the far side of the group as Ed led her to the bar. "No," "What would five hurt?" He shrugged innocently. "The great sum of knowledge that I could be gaining," She looked as though she were about to perform a monologue, her arm raised lightly, her feet in that classic L shape. If she had been bought more drinks, she might've broke into her favourite Hamlet piece. "Come on, I want shots," "Just bloody buy them, don't wait on me," Elizabeth didn't really care, she didn't want anymore drinks. She found herself standing at the side, in front of the table, somewhat awkwardly. After looking around the table she finally saw Guy giving her a little wave. He laughed when she did, and he didn't stop as she sat down beside him. "I was doing that a while," He pretended to look irritable but he wasn't much of an actor. "Sorry that I'm not aware of every single little thing you do," She rolled her eyes, much better at the false irritability than him. "How are you? It's been a while," He felt okay, managing some ordinary conversation. "Yes, it has been a total of two hours since you last saw me," She chuckled. Her sarcasm stopped him for a moment. Maybe he hadn't mastered ordinary conversations just yet. "Two hours is a while," He finally managed a smirk. She laughed. "Maybe, maybe," She reached over for the nearly empty cocktail glass which she had been sipping at until Ed dragged her up. "So, how are you?" He leaned forward, confidence just beginning to kick in again. "I'm fine," She shrugged, "Surviving all the assignments," "It only gets better," He chuckled, turning his torso towards her so he could lean his arm against the back of the chair. "They're coming along okay," Dimitri nodded, him and Poppy observing. "Come on, they'll do nothing if they catch you both staring," Tamsin tapped on his shoulder, "Drink?" "Yeah, Poppy, you're more than capable of doing this without me," He got up and left for the bar with Tamsin, an arm hanging loosely around her waist. "You're very protective of her," Alistair said to Poppy, still watching Elizabeth intently. "She's our child, our baby," She smiled at him, "Guy seems harmless but I'd gut him if she even shed a tear," "Would she do the same if Richards hurt you?" He asked, slow. He didn't smile or smirk. He just wanted to know how she would react. "Well, Miles isn't really a suitor," She shrugged after a brief moment. "But you admire him, and he's neglecting you," Alistair tilted his head. "He has priorities and that's fine. We're just friends and I think I'm old enough to deal with that," Poppy shrugged again. She wasn't sure where he was going with this, "Where are you going with this, Ryle?" "I just want to know if Elizabeth is as protective of you as you are of her," He shrugged a little himself, nonchalantly. "We all have each other's backs, Alistair," She stared at him with serious eyes, "Elizabeth would do anything for any of us," "I see," He said, casually turning back to the bowl of nice crisps on the table. "Wait, where is she going?" Poppy looked at Elizabeth getting up and walking towards them, "Why are you leaving?" "I'm just going to the ladies," She laughed at how ridiculously engaged Poppy was with her social life, then walked past the bar to the bathrooms. "Let her go, Kensington," James said, gathering a few empty glasses and standing up, squeezing past George and Guy to get to the bar, "You'll only scare her off," He placed the glasses on the counter and waited for the barman to serve him. Elizabeth returned from the restrooms a few minutes later and stopped when she saw him at the bar. "You getting more to drink?" "Yes, would you like one?" He offered, smiling slightly. "Oh, no," She shook her head, "No, I'm fine, thank you, James," "No? Are you sure? You know I don't mind," He creased his eyebrows. "James, I am totally sure, thank you," She laughed, raising a hand to guide her dark hair back from her face. "Alright alright," He raised his hands in defeat. Just then the barman reappeared behind the counter, "Could I have another pint please? Oh, and a Sex On The Beach for her?" "I hate you," She shook her head, smiling and heading back to sit with Guy. "What was that about?" He sat up, clearly having just watched them talk. "He's just being silly," She chuckled. "How so?" "I think you should've said thank you, but you'll learn," James walked over with her cocktail, leaving it on the table and going back to his own seat, smirking. "This is how so," She raised the glass, an unamused look on her face, "I swear, it's like you all want me drunk and want to spend all your money," "We clearly don't mind," Guy tried not to grimace. "Don't you remember the last time?" She snorted, "Seven glasses of rosé didn't do me any favours," "Well, I enjoyed that night," He said, somehow forgetting all the bitterness he had towards Leighton that night. Dimitri would've scoffed had he have been listening. "No," She smiled once she had taken a sip from her pinkish drink, "The best was one of the first nights out, at the start of October," She paused but he held an expression that said he was trying really hard to recall which night she meant but couldn't, "The night I met most of you, the night you walked me home the first time," "Oh, yeah.. I liked that night too," If he was one to blush, he would be at that point. They were quiet then. Both content and awkward. Contently awkward, awkwardly content. Either they were smiling like kids. "I'm doing this play..," She broke the silence and then regretted it, knowing she had to continue talking, "Come, if you want," "I'd love to," He was delighted, a personal invitation from her, only for him. "I'm inviting everyone," Or maybe it was only for everyone. He had to control the slight disappointment, "I mean, you can go with the group or on your own, I don't mind, just come, if you have time," "I will make time," He grinned, she beamed back. He just glanced over at the bar to see Dimitri and Tamsin grinning at him too, although he wasn't sure why.

[aoibhs]

Arranged Situation

Chapter One

Chapter Twenty-Four

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from The Riot Club/Posh, and all OCs were beautifully crafted by @club-riot 

"Perfect," Poppy squeaked once she had applied the last bit of dark cranberry lipstick to Elizabeth's lips. "Are you sure about this?" She twirled, looking at herself in the mirror, "I usually just wear dresses," "I know, and you always look lovely," Poppy slipped her heels on, "But wear something a little different and you'll be turning more than just Guy's head," "I don't want attention," Elizabeth shook her head, already feeling the heat on her face just thinking about it. "You're lying," Poppy laughed, grabbing her coat and opening the door, "You look great. You're my favourite creation," "I'm your little Frankenstein now, am I?" Elizabeth grinned, turned back to the mirror to look at the shiny black leggings and the tight Burgundy top with patches of black lace here and there. Her hair had been curled in random places and then brushed out, giving it a sort of messy look. Her eye makeup was dark and sultry, a look she wouldn't usually go for. "It's alive!" Poppy enthused, running out the door dramatically. "Hey, wait! I need to lock up," Elizabeth called after her, rushing out the door and locking it so she could follow the blonde down the stairs. It was a clear night. The sky a mesmerizing Prussian blue with stars dotted around it in clusters of light. It was chilly and it would only get colder from then onwards. A dry, but freezing, winter's night was on its way. "Ooh! Poppy and Lizzy are here," George's face lit up as he turned to wave at them. "Lizzy!" Toby got up to attack her with a hug. "Toby, get off her," Poppy swatted him away as she took Elizabeth's coat, and at a pace far too slow for Elizabeth's liking. Now she felt bare, "I need to admire my handiwork," "You're making a show of me," Elizabeth blushed, looking anywhere but at the table of friends in front of them. "Good," Poppy pushed her forward and folded their coats. "Come sit with me," James smiled at her. For the sake of familiarity and sitting down as quickly as possible, she swiftly took the empty seat beside him. "How's Shakespeare doing?" Ed asked her from across the small table. "He's good, still writing away hour-long monologues and the like," Elizabeth humoured him. It wasn't particularly funny in the slightest but Ed burst out laughing. "Brilliant," He sighed, shaking his head. "How's third year?" She turned to James again. "Aha, let's not talk about that," He laughed nervously, "I had another interview yesterday though," "Oh! How was it?" Her face glowed with anticipation. "Fine," He shrugged, taking a sip from his beer, "It was fine," "Did they ask about your dad again?" She asked him in a sort of hushed voice. Ed looked at George then. How did she even know that was happening during interviews? How did they miss him telling her that? Maybe they had been spending more time together than they realized. James only nodded and she touched his arm, in comfort. He looked up and gave her a small smile. "So, Elizabeth," Ed brought the attention back to him again, "What's new?" "Nothing, just essays," She shrugged. "Elizabeth, would you like a drink?" George asked her. "Tell them about the play!" Poppy basically yelled from the opposite side of the table, where she had been chatting to Imogen. "You're in a play?" James smiled at her. "You're amazing," Toby somehow managed to gasp and sigh simultaneously, Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous it sounded. "Plenty of people are in plays," She waved her hand dismissively and then noticed that George was gone. "Getting you a drink," James explained. "I never said... He doesn't even know what I drink," She laughed. "A surprise never hurt anyone, dear," Imogen sent her a wink. "If he gets me absinthe, I swear to God," She shook her head, chuckling. "Would you die?" Toby asked in a strangely melodious voice. "Yeah, probably," She pulled her best thoughtful face, as if it were a genuine situation. When George returned with some cocktail that she had never heard of, Dimitri walked into the pub with Guy. "Right, there's Tamsin, bye mate," Dimitri was about to walk away but Guy stopped him. "How does he do that?" Guy looked at James, annoyed that this had happened yet again, not knowing that Dimitri had purposely arranged it this time, "I'm leaving, tell them I'm sick," "No!" Dimitri pushed him back into the pub again. "If she wants to hang out with him, that's fine, but there's no need for me to be here," Dimitri didn't care and pushed him back further until Guy had been noticed by the group and it was literally too late to turn back. "Bellend!" Toby cried upon seeing him. He turned around and was about to say some form of cheeky greeting but Dimitri pushed him again. He nearly fell over. In that moment, he thought he might die. He was obviously wrong. "Hello all. Darling," Dimitri glanced at the group before kissing his girlfriend. "Sit down boys, there plenty of room," George moved further into the table, getting those beside him to do the same, squeezing Elizabeth closer to James. "We're still waiting on Milo and Ryle and Louisa," Ed said, "Hugo's not coming, Harry's not coming and Honora's not coming," "Still a nice big group," Guy said slowly as he sat down, audibly uncomfortable. "How was the British politics lecture?" Elizabeth leaned forward as far as she could so she could ask. No matter how many times she would ask about his course, he would still be taken aback that she was actually interested. "Oh.. Yeah, it was long," He laughed, thinking back on the hour that he had spent thinking about her and not his essay titles. He felt his heart beat race on and on, quicker and quicker as he looked at her, at her face, at her hair, at her clothes. She looked different. He liked it but he wasn't going to tell her. "By the way, I like the sudden change of style," But obviously Leighton had no problem telling her. "I think we can all agree on that," Ed stared at her, grinning from his side of the table, cheek in his palm being propped up by his elbow. "Yes, it's delightful," George nodded, eating from the container of food that had appeared in his hands. Guy sighed, frowning. He leaned back in the seat, sinking with defeat. "Oh god," Poppy groaned, observing their friends with Dimitri. "Fuck's sake," He shook his head, "We just made it worse,"

Chapter Twenty-Six

[aoibhs]

Leaf

Chapter One 

Chapter Twenty-Three

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from The Riot Club/Posh, and all OCs were beautifully crafted by @club-riot

"Come on! It's slightly sunny, we need to go outside!" Poppy tugged on Elizabeth's arm. "But it's freezing!" Elizabeth already felt her teeth chattering as they made their way down the building's staircase. "You need a warmer coat," Poppy looked at her in such a way that could only be described as motherly. "Big coats don't flatter me," She basically whimpered, "The boys hardly ever wear heavy jackets, how on Earth do they keep warm?" "They're just too hot," Poppy giggled at her own joke as they left the main exit that would lead them back into the college green. Somehow, a casual winter walk turned into a childish battle of throwing dead leaves at one another. They had finished classes for the day but there were plenty of students still bustling around the campus looking at them like they were insane. "I say," The one and only Dimitri Mitropoulos approached them with great enthusiasm, accompanied by his highly amused best friend, "What's going on here?" "Oh leaf it out!" Elizabeth held up a singular leaf and grinned at how awful her pun was, getting a shove from Poppy. "Good one," Dimitri shook his head, not impressed with the humor. "And what are you gentlemen up to?" Poppy asked, getting some of her blonde hair out of her face. "Taking a leisurely stroll before our final lectures," Guy shrugged with a small smile. "Yes," Dimitri added. "Observing all the nature within our great university walls," "Yes," "What are you doing after class?" Elizabeth asked, trying to look at both boys even if she was more interested in what Guy had to say. "What were you thinking?" He spoke quickly before Dimitri could say anything, not realizing that Dimitri wasn't going to say anything anyway. "It would be nice if we could all go for drinks," She beamed at him with such joy that he almost missed it. "..All?" Immediately Dimitri and Poppy shared looks, rolling eyes and resisting the urge to face palm. "Yeah, us, George, Harry, Louisa, James, everyone," She still smiled, "We haven't all been together since Honora's," "I suppose, I haven't seen Tamsin in a few days," Dimitri stared vacantly, "I'll call her on the way to my lecture," "We'll text the girls, will you both let the boys know?" Poppy just rolled with it, accepting that Elizabeth's idea was actually happening. "Certainly," Guy nodded, returning to the smile he had on arrival. "Come on, we'll walk you to your lecture," Poppy linked arms with Dimitri but lagged him back slightly so that they could walk behind Guy and Elizabeth and observe them. "What module is it?" Elizabeth asked. "British politics and government since 1900," Guy couldn't help but feel smug as he said it, he felt smart just saying it to her. "Ah," She nodded, "You? Dimitri?" "Quantitative economics," He replied from behind them. "Ugh," Poppy wrinkled her nose slightly, earning an amused look from Dimitri, "Sorry, numbers just aren't our forte at all," "Not at all, at all," Elizabeth sighed, shaking her head in agreement, "I will stick to deciphering the average medieval scripture," "Well, I could never do that," Guy smile down at her. "I know, that'd be hilarious," She scoffed slightly, getting an overdramatic gasp as a response from him. "Fuck, why won't he hold her hand?" Poppy muttered to Dimitri through clenched teeth. "I'm texting Leighton now, I'm not putting up with all this la-di-da shit," Dimitri said while he typed, "Not anymore," "Is this you?" Elizabeth nodded towards the building in front of them. "Yeah, we're both in here," Guy nodded. "I guess we'll see you all later," Dimitri unlinked himself from Poppy's arm and headed into the building. "See you later," Elizabeth smiled and turned away only to have her arm linked by Poppy, leading her away. "Bellend, come on," Dimitri called him, as he was standing in the middle of the path, "I'll not put my qualifications in jeopardy for the sake of your love life," "Wouldn't I do it for you?" He trotted up the steps as they disappeared into the building. "Of course you would, you fucking idiot," Poppy was both excited and annoyed about the whole group going for drinks. Elizabeth had avoided the opportunity to be alone with Guy yet again. "You're letting me do your makeup if you're stupid enough to invite me along on your dates," She teased as they walked back to their dorms again, phones in their empty hands. "It's hardly a date, Poppy," Elizabeth snorted, sending a text to Honora. "Exactly! You need to take control of this, you both clearly want more than group activities," Poppy expressed her point with her aggressive pushing of buttons, sending a text to Louisa. "There is nothing wrong with group activities, that's what the clubs are," Elizabeth shrugged, her point good but not good enough. "I'm picking your outfit too," Poppy looked away as a text sent to Tamsin. "Fine, you're welcome to," Elizabeth shook her head, amused by her best friend reading too deeply into things. She actually wasn't, but Elizabeth couldn't see that, "Honora wants to know if Harry's going," She read the reply as they went through the old wooden doors to the building. "Well, he's invited," Poppy shrugged. Elizabeth texted her to say that he was going and almost straight away Honora answer, saying that she wouldn't be going. "Did you text Imogen or shall I?" Elizabeth asked. "You can do it," Poppy told her, then her phone buzzed in her hand, "Oh, Dimitri's just after messaging me, he wants to know if Honora's going," "Why?" "I dunno," Poppy send a quick reply, keeping it short since she knew he was in a lecture. But he replied at lightning speed, and she read it with amusement, "Yeah, Harry won't come if she's not there," "That's cute," Elizabeth smiled, "There seems to be some sort of progress with them," "Yeah avoiding the progress is always step one," Poppy smirked, "You should know,"

Chapter Twenty-Five