Page 91 of Vivacity
I have. And I know just how incredible he truly is.
‘You ready for the Inquisition?’ I ask him.
He leans in and kisses me on the forehead. ‘For you, yes.’
I swoon. I know he’d rather be anywhere but here tonight, and I’m touched beyond belief that he’s here for me. That he’s comfortable enough with me to admit it.
‘You have a beautiful home,’Ethan tells Lotta and her yummy husband, Aide, as we stand in their glorious kitchen. She met him during a community project and she actually thought he was a builder for a while and not a billionaire. He’s definitely the kind of hyper-masculine guy who can pull off a tank top with aplomb.
‘Thanks!’ Lotta says with a megawatt smile. She looks gorgeous in a slinky, winter-white floor-length dress, her dark hair in huge, bouncy curls. ‘I shouldn’t take much credit for it—Aide had it before we met—but I will, because my company actually designed it.’
Aide rolls his eyes. ‘Not that you had much input, clearly. You didn’t even realise.’
She hits him on the arm. ‘I worked it out in the end.’ They stare at each other with hearts in their eyes.
‘You know, Ethan’s pad makes this place look positively over-furnished,’ I offer. Aide has definitely gone for a minimalist mid-century vibe, but his home exudes a level of warmth that Ethan’s simply doesn’t have. I point to the riot of greenery tumbling down from a cool wooden platform suspended above the central kitchen island. ‘Look, babe, those are called plants. P-L-A-N-T-S. They are living organisms known for their ability to improve air quality and promote emotional regulation.’
Before he can issue a snarky response, Lotta’s face lights up at something behind me. ‘Nor!’
Oh shit. So Nora and Theo are here.
This should be interesting. I squeeze Ethan’s arm before turning around to greet them.
‘Merry Christmas!’ my friend Nora says, throwing her arms around me. ‘Bloody hell, you look stunning!’ She releases me and clocks Ethan, giving him a curt nod. ‘Hi.’
‘Hello.’ His reply is cool but polite. Thank heaven no one tries to shake anyone’s hand. I couldn’t handle it if Nora left Ethan hanging. I really detest awkward situations like this.
‘Merry Christmas, gorgeous,’ Theo says, pulling me into a giant hug. He’s wearing a hideous Christmas jumper of Rudolph that features a giant light-up red nose, but he still manages to look hot, his dark hair raked messily off his face. It would take a lot to make Theo Montague look ugly. He jerks his head in Ethan’s direction. ‘Spectacular dress. Pity you brought Ebenezer with you, though. Your taste in men is appalling.’
‘Not cool, Theo,’ I say warningly, but Nora’s already on the case, tugging him to look at her with a hand on this arm.
‘We talked about this!’ she hisses. ‘Remember what we tell the twins: if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. If you can’t behave in a way fitting of this lovely party, you can go and sit in the car.’
I’m grateful to her. Still, watching married couples arguing is always uncomfortable as fuck. Talk about a quick way to put a downer on the party. I glance up at Ethan to make sure he’s okay. After all, I dragged him behind enemy lines. He gives me a little smile that I think he intends to reassure, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
‘I’m going to see if Bren has arrived. I’ll catch up with you shortly.’
With that, he kisses me on the cheek and backs away through the crowd.
I glare at Theo. ‘Happy now?’
ETHAN
I make myself scarce for a good half an hour, taking my drink outside and finding a perch on the terrace, which is surrounded by outdoor heaters, thank fuck. I can’t deny it’s a beautiful plot of land Aide has here—very peaceful. After I’ve scrolled mindlessly for what feels like ages while pretending to check my emails and studiously avoiding the friendly, well-meaning smiles of anyone who wanders outside for a smoke, I force myself to brave the party again.
Here’s the thing. I can’t blame Theo for being antagonistic. The takeover is going full steam ahead, and I’m always goingto be the big bad predator in the Montagues’ eyes. I probably shouldn’t have come, but here’s the other thing.
I want to make this work with Soph. She’s the one good thing I have in my life right now, the one relationship I haven’t yet fucked up inexorably, despite a couple of excellent efforts. If I can do the work on myself, prove to her that I’m worth taking a proper chance on, then I’ll do it. And letting her come to a party alone because I’m scared of getting a hostile reception isn’t the way I want to move forward.
To my intense relief, I spot Aide and Bren in a quiet corner of the kitchen. I don’t know Aide, but something tells me this is his preferred party mode: hanging out quietly and enjoying some decent one-on-one conversations, rather than flitting around like a social butterfly. Sophia mentioned on the way here that he’s far more introverted than Lotta. In that, I suspect our couple dynamics—if I can presume to call them that—are alike.
‘Mate!’ Bren says, pulling me in for a bear hug as he whacks me hard on the back. His friendly mug and overt physical affection are far more welcome than I’d like to admit. I may hate socialising, but usually I’m sought out at whatever events I drag myself along to. I don’t pretend for a moment that people want to converse with me, but they usually want something from me. Tonight, most people are oblivious to me and a handful actively despise me. I’m a spare part at best and a liability at worst.
I’m even more relieved to find that Marlowe is nowhere to be seen. I couldn’t give a fuck about that threesome we had, but I’m sure Bren doesn’t want any reminders of his past errors of judgement, not when he’s so close to proposing.
‘We’re talking about work, I’m afraid,’ Aide says sheepishly, holding out a bottle of champagne so he can refill me and Bren. He’s on bottled beer.
‘That’s alright. There aren’t many other people here who’d want to talk to me about work these days.’
