Little Did I Know
Chapter 11: The Party
Masterlist | LDIK Masterlist
Word Count: 4.5k
Warnings: Innuendo, language.
Aelin woke up feeling so incredibly warm. Warmer and safer than she had felt in months. In fact, she felt better than she had maybe ever. As she rose to consciousness, Aelin noticed a few things. One, there was a weight banded around her middle that was making her feel as if she was wrapped in a cocoon. Two, there were tiny puffs of air hitting the back of her neck. And three, if the hardness that pressed against her backside was any indication, there was currently a man spooning her.
As she became more aware, the night before came rushing back to her. Going down to the kitchens for some ice cream. Rowan begging her to listen to him and her, for once, actually acquiescing. Finding out about her parents. Rowan comforting her and making her feel better about the whole thing. Which all lead to this situation where Rowan was currently spooning her.
She couldn’t say she minded one bit.
Deftly, she tried to roll over so she was facing him. Surprisingly, Rowan did not wake from her maneuvering. She took the opportunity to just observe him. She already knew he was quite handsome but it was taken to a whole new level when his features were relaxed. The worry lines that usually appeared on his forehead were gone, his eyes gently closed so she could see the long, light eyelashes that adorned his face. Gently, she traced a finger down his straight nose, over his silvery eyebrows, across the apples of his cheeks. She brought her fingers over his pillowy lips, wondering what it would be like to actually kiss him. And she wasn’t thinking about the cheek kisses or the hand kisses he’d given her a hundred times now, but rather what it would be like to actually kiss him.
She supposed she’d find out next week.
The touch to his lips caused Rowan to awaken, sharply inhaling and tightening his arms to press her closer to him. She’d have to tease him about this later. Because Rowan Whitethorn, her stoic prince of Doranelle, was a cuddler. And if she was being honest, she loved it. Though his defined muscles should’ve indicated otherwise, the body wrapped around hers was soft and comforting. She guessed that this probably had more to do with the person rather than the body itself. Because somewhere over the last few months, Rowan Whitethorn had become her safe space. Her person. She had started coming to that realization before but to actually be able to acknowledge it felt completely different. It felt…wonderful.
“Mornin’, Fireheart.” Gods. His rough, sleepy voice was something else entirely.
“Mmm, good morning, Buzzard.” She couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face as he let out a halfhearted scoff at the nickname.
Rowan pressed a kiss to her forehead, bringing her in tighter. Here she was, thinking that once he woke up, he’d push her away or stop holding her. She’d never been happier to be wrong.
“Did you sleep well?” Rowan asked as he started stroking her wild nest of hair out of her face.
“Mmhm.” That was an understatement. “Did you?”
“That was probably the best sleep I’ve gotten in a while.”
Aelin gave a sound of agreement. “We should probably get up soon.”
“Hmm, just a few more minutes. You’re warm and frankly, I have no desire to leave this bed.”
“Wait wait wait. Are you telling me that you, Rowan Whitethorn, are suggesting that we shirk our duties to lounge in bed?”
“I guess so. Why are you so surprised by that?”
“Because normally I’m the one who has to be pulled out of bed and held at swordpoint to get up. Lysandra hates me in the morning.”
Rowan just laughed, his beautiful voice music to her ears. Once the melodious sound died down, a comfortable silence settled between them.
“Are you really surprised that I don’t want to leave this bed?” A small look of nervousness took over Rowan’s face. “After everything that happened the past few days, I’d be happy to lay here with you for a few weeks. Plus, you’re an excellent cuddle partner.” As if demonstrating that fact, Rowan’s arms banded tightly around her middle.
“Wow. Now that I know you’re just using me for my cuddling capabilities, I’m not sure I can go through with the wedding next week.”
Rowan pinched her side. “Don’t even joke about that.” Though, as he said it, there was mirth dancing in his eyes.
“I would never.” Seriousness overtook Aelin’s features. “On a serious note, thank you, Rowan. For being here. For being my friend. For marrying me. I know it’s not the most ideal situation but I’m– I’m glad that it’s you who I’m marrying.”
Rowan’s eyes softened. “Anything for you, Fireheart. For what it’s worth, I’m happy that I’m marrying you, too. We’re in this together.”
The seriousness in Rowan’s eyes should’ve made her nervous. Should’ve caused her to run away at breakneck speed. But instead, it drew her closer to him, made her want to bare every inch of her soul and her body to him. Rowan inched his head closer to hers and Aelin thought he was about to kiss her. Finally. But before they could go any farther, a loud knock on the door broke them out of their reverie. Aelin jerked back, rolling onto her back and letting out a frustrated groan.
“Aelin, are you decent?” Lysandra. She should’ve known her friend would come to check on her as soon as she woke up.
Knowing that her friend had a penchant for barging in, Aelin shouted back, “Don’t come in!” Shit, well now Lysandra was going to think something was up. And if she found a half naked Rowan in bed with her…well… “I’ll just meet you in the dining room in a few minutes!”
Aelin swore as she heard her friend’s footsteps walking away. She turned to Rowan but he was already rolling out of bed. She sat up slightly, resting on her elbows.
“I guess lounging in bed all day isn’t an option anymore. Sorry.”
He turned to look at her, smiling slightly. “It’s alright. I’m pretty hungry anyway. I think we slept later than usual.” He pulled his shirt over his head, making his way around to her side of the bed. “I’ll see you downstairs, yeah?” Aelin nodded back.
Rowan bent down over her head again, his nose almost touching hers. Maybe now she’d get that kiss. But at the last second, he swerved his head to plant a gentle kiss on her cheek. As he pulled away, a smirk made its way over his face, indicating that he knew exactly what he was doing. But instead of giving her what she wanted, he walked to the door and gave her one last, lingering look before walking out of her room.
Aelin flopped back onto her bed with a frustrated yell. Her ears might’ve been deceiving her but she could’ve sworn she heard Rowan’s familiar chuckle as he made his way down the hallway.
- - - - -
“So, are you going to tell me what that was?”
“What what was?” Aelin played dumb to her best friend’s questions.
“Oh, you know, just the rampant sexual tension between you and the Prince. Not to mention the eye-fucking you two were doing across the table.”
“We were not eye-fucking.” Lysandra came a non-committal hum. “We talked last night. Things are good between us now. That’s all.”
“Right. So you’re saying that your quick denial for me to come into your room this morning wasn’t because you spent the night with your fiance?”
Aelin sputtered, the tea that she was drinking splattering down her shirt. “Damnit.”
A feline smile crossed her friend’s face. “That’s what I thought. So how was it? Did he live up to your fantasy romance books?”
“It wasn’t…We didn’t…I–” Aelin blew out a puff of air. “It wasn’t like that, okay? We talked in the kitchens last night and he walked me to my room and he stayed. That’s it.” Aelin remembered back to her friend’s untimely interruption this morning. “It could have been more but someone had to knock loudly on the door and break us up.”
“Ha! I knew it! Aedion owes me fifty dollars.”
“Since when are you and my cousin friendly?”
“Oh my dear, dear Aelin. You’ve been so wrapped up with your loverboy that you haven’t even noticed that I haven’t been sleeping in my own room for the past week now?”
It wasn’t often that people surprised Aelin. But her best friend just did. “What?!”
Lysandra just laughed. “It’s still new. But yeah, I made a move since he obviously wasn’t going to and here we are. We’re seeing where things go but…It’s fun, it’s exciting. Your cousin is putting me in such good moods in the morning.”
“Ok, eww. First of all, please don’t tell me anything else about my cousin, thanks. And second of all, I have been sort of out of commission the past week.”
“Oh yeah.” Lysandra managed to look a little sheepish. “Well, I at least won’t tell you how many times he made me–” Aelin quickly slapped a hand over her friend’s mouth.
“Not. Another. Word.” Lysandra just licked her hand in retaliation. Aelin was about to pounce on the woman but was interrupted by a familiar male voice.
“Ladies…” Rowan was standing in the doorway, smirking. And of course, her cousin was standing right next to him, looking a bit pale. The sight made Aelin smile with a vindictive glee.
Aelin quickly dropped her hand away from Lysandra’s face and put on her most innocent face. “What can I do for you boys?” Rowan gave her a look that said he wasn’t buying her nice girl act. But she sent back her sweetest smile and a few bats of her eyelashes.
With an exasperated sigh, Rowan sat down next to her. “We have some news from Doranelle.” That made Aelin drop all pretenses of humor. She was waiting for what Rowan would say next with bated breath. “Lorcan did it. He gave the evidence to my uncle and Sellene.” The pause after Rowan finished talking was way too long for Aelin’s liking.
“AND?!”
A small smile graced Rowan’s lips. “And Maeve was ousted. The parliament themselves took her off the throne but there was no question on what would happen once the story broke to the news. The people were basically rioting in the streets, calling for Sellene to take the throne.” By the end of his statements, Rowan, though serious, was beaming at her. Not caring who else was in the room, Aelin grabbed his hand.
“She’s gone?” She whispered.
“She’s gone, Fireheart. You don’t have to worry about her anymore. In fact, Lorcan made sure that she wouldn’t be getting out of prison for a very long, long time.”
Aelin felt as though she could cry. Though they had no evidence against her for Aelin’s accident, she knew in her heart that Maeve had something to do with it. Just like she had a lot to do with her parents’ accident. A strange sort of peace settled over Aelin, enveloping her in an air of calm. It was a relief to know that there was one fewer person out there that could harm her.
“Lorcan is on his way back here now. He wants to deliver the news to you and the lords personally. Lorcan isn’t a sentimental guy but he is big on duty. And he wants to be the one to break the news, to give you some semblance of closure.”
“You know what I think?” Lysandra asked as she met eyes with Aelin. A slow, feline smile spread over her features. “I think this calls for a celebration.”
Aelin returned the smile.
“Once the hulking brute gets back, we can even invite him since Elide can’t seem to keep her eyes off of him when he’s around.” Rowan seemed to pale at that. “Think of it like a celebration of the witch being locked up forever and also a pseudo bachelor and bachelorette party for you both since we never got to do anything normal before your wedding. Just the six of us.”
Knowing that her friend always had some entertaining tricks up her sleeve, Aelin agreed enthusiastically. This was going to be fun.
- - - - -
A few nights later, Aelin was free from her duties. Just like Rowan said, Lorcan came to meet with the lords and herself and delivered the news personally. She took too much glee in inviting the man to a pool party on palace grounds, his stoic features never wavering yet it was as if he was irritated to be invited. She wasn’t sure what Elide saw in the man but a brief mention of him had Elide’s cheeks staining pink.
And that’s how she found herself in her closet with Lysandra, trying to choose a swimsuit to wear. She always threw on whatever she felt like wearing. But this night was different. She wasn’t sure why, but she wanted the most spectacular suit possible.
Ok, maybe she did know why but she sure as hell wasn’t going to voice that reason in front of her friend.
Lysandra waved yet another suit in front of her face, making her try it on for her. Lysandra insisted she was just looking out for Aelin but Aelin also knew that “looking out for her” also meant finding a suit that made Rowan want to drop dead.
Which was how she found herself in a skimpy gold bikini. It definitely was not her normal choice for swimwear but she couldn’t deny that it made her boobs look fantastic. And she wasn’t usually one for cheeky bottoms but… yeah….this would work. It wasn’t like she was actively trying to seduce Rowan but since his little tease the other morning, she had to get back at him somehow.
Lysandra whistled as Aelin exited the bathroom, spinning in her suit and see-through coverup she was wearing.
“Oh, loverboy is going to have a very…hard night.” Aelin’s eyes widened as she smacked her friend's arm.
“Stop it!”
“I’m just trying to get you two to stop beating around the bush and fuck already, okay? I think it would make things easier for all of us.”
Aelin rolled her eyes. “Let’s just go.” The girls made their way down to the pool, where everyone was already settled into seats or floating around the warm water. That was the benefit of having a heated pool: even though it was still chilly April in Terrasen, swimming was an option. And thus, Lysandra planned a pool party just to make Aelin squirm.
“Finally! It’s about time you two showed up.” Her cousin threw an arm around her shoulders, his breath smelling like whiskey already.
“How much have you had to drink already, cousin?”
“Oh, just a few. Would’ve been less if you had gotten here sooner. We were taking shots for every minute you two were late.”
“Gods. You’re lucky you don’t have alcohol poisoning. You know I’m always fashionably late.”
“Don’t worry, Dad was watching over all of us.”
“Dad?” Aelin raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah, Lorcy, Ellie and I have started calling Rowan dad since he’s a killjoy that doesn’t want to make bad decisions with us.” Aelin snorted.
“Ok we’ll circle back to the dad thing later but…Lorcy?” Aelin burst out laughing at the look on the man’s face. Lorcan looked as if he would rather be called anything other than Lorcy. Though there was a softness to his features when he looked to the woman sitting on his left, giggling as if it was the funniest thing in the world. Aelin had a theory that there would be one person he would let call him Lorcy. But she kept her mouth shut for Elide’s sake.
“Ok, now that the life of the party is here, what’s first? Body shots? Spin the bottle?” She would’ve kept going but she had come to the realization that Rowan was nowhere to be found. “Hey, where’s Rowan?”
“Right here.” The man in question came walking around the hedge lining the pool, two more bottles of alcohol in his hands. Without even looking her way, he said matter-of-factly, “These are only for–” Rowan stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes slowly made their way up her body. She could see his adam’s apple bob tightly, his breathing becoming sharper as his eyes landed on her golden bikini. She thought she heard Aedion mutter a few curses and a short ‘that’s my cousin bro,’ but she couldn’t be sure. Because if she was being quite honest, her eyes were on him, as well.
It was as if it took all of his willpower to snap himself out of his reverie because with a few fast blinks and a shake of his head, he was continuing his sentence. Or trying to, at least. “I.” Another head shake. “This is for you. Not them. They had too much. Just you. And Lysandra. And. I’ll shut up.” Aelin bit her lip as a smirk crossed her face. Gods damn her but he was just so cute when flustered. And she was proud that her little plan worked.
She grabbed the bottles from him, giving him a smirk. “Thanks Dad.” Rowan groaned in response.
Lysandra chimed in from behind her, “I think you mean Daddy.”
With a gasp, Aelin spun around to push her friend into the pool but Lysandra was too fast. Aelin stumbled and fell forward, waiting for the impact of the warm water to take her but it never came. Strong arms were banded around her waist, already hauling her back to the hard body behind her.
“Careful there.”
Aelin’s breathing hitched. Sure, she spent the night with the guy but she was never this close to him with so few clothes on. Through her thin coverup, she could feel the hard planes of his abs. She swallowed hard as she looked up to him. Breathlessly, she muttered, “thanks.”
He just gave her a smirk in return, letting go of her though keeping her hand in his and making his way over to the drink station.
“Here,” he handed her a drink. “I think you should probably have one if you’re ever going to tolerate Aedion tonight. He’s a bit of an…interesting drunk, isn’t he?”
Aelin gratefully accepted the drink, a whiskey sour, and huffed a laugh. “That’s an understatement. Between you and me, Aedion’s a lightweight. He gets giggly, then loud, and finally he just gets unintelligible.”
“He’s been calling me Dad since drink number two so there’s that.”
On cue, Aedion shouted from the pool, “Papá! Aelin, wrestle us!” Indeed, Lysandra was perched on his shoulders, waiting for an opponent.
Aelin burst out laughing. Aedion….he called Rowan Papá. Oh, she was never going to let him live this down. Judging by Rowan’s irritated face, he was not looking forward to her remarks, either. Though there was a lightness dancing in his eyes that she had only begun to see.
Rowan offered her his hand. “Well? What do you say? You and I make a formidable team. Think we can take them?”
Aelin took his offered hand. “Oh, I know we can.”
A few minutes or hours later, Aelin couldn’t tell, she was gloriously buzzed. Not completely drunk, but enough to feel light and giggly. After the wrestling came the truth or dare, which turned into a game of just dare since Aelin stayed away from any truthful questions. While she felt great, her ribs were starting to ache. She thought she was doing a fairly good job of hiding it until she caught Rowan frowning at her.
Damnit. The man could read her like a book.
As he made his way over, she tried to school her features into a placid, neutral look. To her surprise, he didn’t say anything about her ribs or mother-hen her. Instead, he offered his hand once again, inviting her to the hot tub that was set apart from the pool where their friends still floated.
“Fireheart, will you join me?”
She hoped she didn’t look too eager as she took his hand but she couldn’t deny she’d been trying to get a moment alone with him all night. They hadn’t really even gotten to talk without their friends inputting an opinion or two. So this little venture to the nice, private, secluded hot tub felt like a dream.
They both eased their way into the scalding water, the ache in her ribs soothing instantly. Aelin let out a sigh of relief and rested her head on the side. Distantly, she heard Rowan chuckle.
“What’s so funny, Buzzard?”
He gave a small eye roll, though it held no animosity. “I knew you didn’t feel quite right. You got quiet all of a sudden. Is it your ribs?”
Aelin just gave a grunt of affirmation.
“You should’ve told someone. You can take a break every once in a while, you know?”
“I know. This is just the only night that we all get to be ourselves. We’re not royalty, we don’t have a kingdom to run, no wedding to plan. Just a fun night with our friends. And I didn’t want to ruin that.”
“I don’t think anyone would’ve thought that. They’re just happy you’re okay and able to be with them.” Rowan paused. “I am happy that you’re okay and with me.”
Aelin opened her eyes and met Rowan’s sparkling green ones. They both gave each other a soft smile and when Rowan reached his hand out to touch her arm, she allowed him to pull her closer to him. Rowan gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders, her head taking its place on his shoulder. She couldn’t help but feel that this was where she was meant to be. This spot was made for her and her alone. She just wondered if he felt the same.
“Did you have fun tonight, Fireheart?” Rowan’s voice was achingly gentle, his lips brushing her hair with loving ease.
She smiled at the gesture. “I did. Did you?”
“I mean, apart from Aedion calling me Dad every five minutes, yes. Yes I did.”
The moment was so serene, Aelin could’ve fallen asleep. “What was your favorite part?”
Rowan didn’t answer for a while. “If I’m being honest. Right now. Right here is the best moment.”
The sincerity in his voice made Aelin turn her head to look up at him. The want that she felt so strongly was reflected in his eyes, sparkling with every undulation of the water around them. Aelin turned her body more fully to him and she felt his hand trail down her arm to her waist. She was practically on his lap at this point.
In her buzzed and comfortable state, her sense of self preservation was clearly not working. Which is what she told herself as she threw her leg over his, straddling him. His other hand came up to her waist, just gently holding her there but the intensity in his gaze was something else entirely.
As they drifted closer, Aelin couldn’t help but think that every moment they’d been through led to this. She didn’t just want to kiss Rowan, she needed it like she needed air to breathe. Aelin concentration was zeroed in on every place they were touching. The roughness of his swim trunks against the insides of her bare legs. The circles his thumbs were making on her sides, the way that they dug in slightly to the fleshy part of her stomach. His nose, which was ever so slightly touching her own, the coldness startling against the rising steam of the hot tub.
Aelin never wanted this moment to end. They were sitting on the precipice of something new. Something beautiful. And all she had to do to jump over that ledge was lean forward an inch, bringing her lips to his and sealing her fate.
Just as she was about to do that, lips already brushing a featherlight pressure against his, a commotion broke through the hedges. Startled, Aelin pushed herself off of him, drifting quickly to the other side of the hot tub.
And it was just in time for Aedion to burst through, slipping loudly into the hot tub with them, seemingly oblivious to what he just walked into. Aelin rested her head back against the lip of the tub again, trying to calm her racing heart. She assumed Rowan was doing the same if the awkward quietness was anything to go by.
And Aedion sat there, unaware that he broke up what could’ve been the best moment of her life. She knew it wasn’t fair to be angry at her cousin but she couldn’t help but feel a little resentment toward him. And of course, he hadn’t stopped talking since he entered the tub with them, having already reached the unintelligible stage of drunkenness. Usually, Aelin would find it funny. But not tonight.
“Aedion, please, please be quiet. I’m begging you.” Aelin rubbed her eyebrow, a headache forming already.
When she couldn’t even understand a word of his reply, she knew it was time to get him to bed. Shouldn’t this have been Lysandra’s job? The woman in question was nowhere to be seen, however, so for now it would be left to Aelin.
“Alright, buddy,” Aelin slapped Aedion’s shoulder. “Let’s get you to bed.”
Rowan graciously helped her to get him out of the hot tub, tugging Aedion’s arm around his shoulder. “I got him, Fireheart.” He gave her a soft smile. “Go and get some rest.”
“Are you sure?”
It was that moment that Aedion chose to say something more, the only clear word being “Dad.”
With an exasperated eye roll, Rowan nodded. “Yeah, rest up. I’ll see you tomorrow at the rehearsal?”
Aelin nodded. She did nothing more than give him a soft smile as he turned away. “Good night, Rowan.”
“Good night, Fireheart. Sweet Dreams.”
As she made her way up to her room, there were two questions on her mind. First and foremost, would she ever be able to actually get that kiss from Rowan? And how was she going to sleep when her heart was alight with a fire she thought burned out long ago?
A/N: Oh, Aedion. You and Lysandra are two peas in a pod. Sorry for the long wait. For some reason I just could not get into writing this chapter. Next one is the big one and there's only two left and then the epilogue!
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