Page 153 of Meet Me at the Metro

When we reach the lounge, which is only a tad less chaotic than the dancefloor below, Evie and Harvey greet us with warm smiles. I do my best to return their friendly gesture, but when I find my stepbrother lingering beside them, my pleasant disposition withers like a prune.

I do theamiablething and try to ignore him, but suddenly, he’s offering flukes of champagne to Nora and me, and I’m forced to interact.

Nora grins cheerfully as she graciously accepts the drink. “Thank you, Connor.”

I conceal the scowl I can feel growing on my face and pluck the dainty glass out of his hands, grumbling, “Thanks.”

Why Evie insisted he come out with us tonight is out of my damn comprehension, but I didn’t feel like giving myself a headache trying to figure it out or inclined to upset Nora, so I dropped it.

The things I do for this girl.

Evie yanks Nora and Connor with her to the bar to fetch another drink, so I steer myself to the balcony’s edge and yank out a cigarette.

Harvey comes up beside me the second I light it and chastises, “Thought you were done smoking, mate?”

“Old habits die hard, innit?” I draw in a long, heavy drag and feel an immediate buzz. Then, I hand him the champagne in my hand. “Fancy a drink?”

“He bought that for you, you know?”

I shrug. “Then drink it before he comes back over.”

“You’re an arse,” he snorts.

“It is what it is.”

The two of us watch the sea of swaying bodies beneath us for a few moments in silence before my friend finally asks, “How are you feeling?”

I contemplate his question for a moment. “Anxious. Overwhelmed. Smothered.”

“Because of Connor?”

I shake my head no. It settled so much deeper than that forme.

“Because of the reminders that come with him. Because of,” I gesture my hands to the hectic club around us, “all of this.”

“You’re handling it well.”

“Yeah,” I scoff, nodding to the cigarette still between my fingers. “So well.”

“You are, Theo. More than you’d ever give yourself credit for. Because heaven knows, you’re shit at that.”

That makes me genuinely laugh. “Fuck you.”

“Love you, too,” he chuckles. “Seriously, though, it amazes me how much you’ve grown these last few months.”

Harvey’s words strike a chord he’ll never know. Part of me wanted to stifle every inkling of sincerity from them, but the more intrinsic part of me clung to them like they threatened to flee. I needed to hear them more than I liked to admit.

For some reason, I couldn’t allow Harvey to know that, though I well suspected he already did.

Sensing my unease, Harvey teases, “Never thought there’d be someone that could come around and make you less of a dick.”

“Shut up and drink,” I retort, nudging the bottom of his glass with my elbow.

“Oh, boys!”Evie’s boisterous voice cuts through the air.

Harvey gulps down the rest of my champagne, handing the empty fluke back to me while I quickly put out my cigarette and swat away the residual smoke lingering in the air.

“It’s time to dance!”

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