Page 71 of Go Find Less

“Home away from home,” Seer muses, still with the accent, and then sighs wistfully, her eyes looking a bit distant. When they settle on me, she narrows her eyes at the bodice I’m wearing. “You get that there?”

“I made it, actually.” My hand settles across the boning in the front as her eyes widen.

“You made it? It looks a lot like my friend-"

Before she can finish her sentence, a tall brunette comes out of the nearly hidden doorway behind Seer, and stops in her tracks.

“Piper?”

“Chloe?” I look at Carla’s sister, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“I work here,” she supplies, and then gestures to the bar around her. I realize she’s dressed fairly similarly to Seer, in black pants and a red top.

“I thought you worked at a salon?” She laughs, shaking her head and setting down the tray of glasses she’s holding in front of Seer, reaching over to give my arm a squeeze.

“Doesn’t pay enough by itself, not while I’m still in school.” She smiles, her eyes the exact same shade of icy blue as Carla’s. Seer looks between us.

“Perfect timing,” she starts. “I was just saying how Piper’s bodice looks like that one you wore to your birthday last year.”

“That’s because she made it,” Chloe explains, tilting her head toward me. Seer raises her eyebrows, crossing her arms and giving me an appraising, impressed look.

“Designing was my manic sobriety skill,” I say with a shrug, taking another drink. “I did it for fun a lot, but once I stopped drinking, I needed to channel my energy into something else.”

“So you picked lingerie?” Seer’s voice isn’t judgemental. Surprised, maybe. I give another shrug, and then feel someone pass behind me, realizing Fitz is sliding back into his chair.

“What did I miss?” he asks, looking between the three of us, and panic flashes over his face momentarily.

“Let me guess.” Seer narrows her eyes, brows scrunching together, and tilts her head at an angle. It feels like she can see into my soul, and I want to squirm. “Pisces.” I fit her with a confused look, my head bobbing back.

“How did you know?”

“It’s a gift,” Chloe quips, and starts putting the glasses she brought away under the bar where she’s standing.

“And a curse,” Seer adds, and then looks at Fitz. “This one has Virgo written all over him, even if I didn’t know his birthday, because his sister is a sap and goes all-out for any excuse to celebrate.”

“She does,” he agrees, and then holds up his beer in an imaginary toast, taking a deep gulp while still eying us.

“Happy belated birthday, by the way.” Chloe gives me a warm smile as she puts the last of the glasses away.

“Wait, what?” Fitz sets his beer down a little too hard, and some of it sloshes over the edge. Automatically, I reach over, using one of the napkins to clean it up.

“Pisces,” Seer repeats, with an eye roll this time.

“When was your birthday?” His voice is quieter than normal, and suddenly I feel like I’ve done something wrong. Seer, sensing the discomfort, slides toward the other end of the bar to take care of another customer with Chloe. Behind us, the band on stage is starting to gear up.

“Uh, a few weeks ago.” I swear hurt flashes in his eyes as his hand finds a place on my knee again.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I don’t really do birthdays,” I manage, putting my hand on his. “Or, at least, my birthday.” His eyes narrow, but I think he senses that I don’t want to be pushed on the topic, because he just nods, and then jerks his head toward the menu in front of me.

“Did you find something you want to eat?” I give him my best knowing look, licking my lips and not breaking eye contact. He wants to play hard ball with the pretty words and whispers against my ear? Two can play at that game.

“I mean, yes, but it’s not on the menu.” I think I hear Seer laughing from her perch a few feet away, but Fitz shifts uncomfortably before rolling his eyes and lacing his fingers with mine again, effectively ending any further humiliation I had considered.

Chapter 26

Fitz

---