Chapter 49 Were You Serious?
Briar's POV
I watched Lucian's fingers trace the edge of the ring on his pinky, his movements slow and deliberate.
"Moira," he said quietly, his voice softer than I'd ever heard it. "That's my mother's name."
I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in his tone. His usual easy confidence had slipped, replaced by something raw and unguarded. He turned the ring slowly on his finger, his gaze distant as if he were looking at something far beyond the terrace.
"She died in a car accident," he continued, his thumb brushing over the engraved letters. "Wearing her name like this makes me feel like she never really left."
My chest tightened, the weight of his words settling heavily in the space between us. I opened my mouth to say something, "My mom died in a car accident too. When I was ten."
He looked up at me, his eyes searching mine for a long moment before his mouth curved into a faint, almost sad smile. "That's a pretty unique way to offer comfort."
I laughed despite myself, the sound breaking the tension just enough to let me breathe again. "I never said I was good at this."
He shook his head, his smile lingering as he leaned back against the bench. "You're doing fine."
We sat in silence for a moment, the wind chimes tinkling softly above us. I hadn't talked about my mother in years.
"One more round," he said, breaking the silence. His voice had shifted back to its usual tone, lighter and teasing. "This time, no holding back."
I raised an eyebrow. "You've been holding back?"
"Maybe." He took my phone and started the game, his fingers moving with a precision I hadn't seen in the first two rounds. The blocks dropped one by one, each placement calculated and exact. By the time he reached the eighteenth level, the tower was so precariously balanced that I wasn't sure how it was still standing.
He set the phone down and leaned back, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched me. "Your turn."
I picked up the phone, my eyes narrowing as I studied the tower. The block at the top was angled at such a sharp degree that there was no obvious place to stack the next one. I tapped the screen, trying to line it up, but the tower wobbled dangerously and collapsed before I even got close.
I stared at the screen, my mouth falling open. "You were letting me win?"
He shrugged, his expression infuriatingly smug. "I wanted to see what you looked like when you won."
I didn't know whether to laugh or throw my phone at him. Instead, I set it down on the bench and crossed my arms, trying to ignore the way my heart was racing. "Fine. You get your question."
He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he looked at me. The playful light in his eyes faded, replaced by something darker and more intense. For a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of gold in his gaze, but it was gone so quickly I couldn't be sure.
He said, his voice low and steady. "You said you wanted to try this with me before. Were you serious?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but the words caught in my throat. My mind raced back to that night at the bar, the calculated way I'd approached him, the plan I'd made to use him to get what I needed. And then I thought about the days that followed, the way he'd looked at me in the garden, the quiet moments we'd shared that had started to feel less like a game and more like something real.
I didn't know how to answer him. The truth was messy and complicated, and I wasn't sure I even understood it myself. So I said nothing, my silence stretching out between us like a chasm.
He let out a soft, bitter laugh and stood up, his hands sliding into his pockets. "Right. Cold and calculating, just like I thought."
He turned to leave, and panic shot through me. I reached out and grabbed his forearm, my fingers wrapping around the fabric of his sleeve. "Wait—"
My heel caught on the chair leg, and suddenly I was falling. Lucian twisted, his arms coming around me as we both went down. My back hit the floor with a dull thud, my head knocking against the edge of a storage shelf, but his hand was already there, cushioning the impact before it could hurt.
We landed in a tangled heap on the carpet just inside the storage area, the door swinging shut behind us. I blinked up at him, dazed, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. His face was inches from mine, his breath warm against my skin, and for a moment, neither of us moved.
Then I heard it. A loud, slurred voice echoing from the hallway outside.
"Garrett! You—you better not run!"
My eyes widened. Lucian's head snapped toward the door, his body going rigid. Before either of us could move, the door burst open, and Rowan stumbled inside, dragging Garrett behind her.
She shoved him toward the right side of the room, her hand fisting in the front of his shirt as she pushed him against the wall. The emergency light in the center of the storage area cast long shadows, dividing the space into two distinct halves.
Lucian and I were hidden in the darkness on the left, crouched behind a stack of wine crates, while Rowan and Garrett occupied the right side, completely oblivious to our presence.
Rowan didn't waste any time. She grabbed Garrett's collar and kissed him hard, her movements uncoordinated but determined. I heard the sound of fabric rustling, the metallic clink of a belt buckle, and my face went hot.
Oh no. She wasn't seriously going to—
Lucian's breath was warm against my neck, his body pressed against mine in the cramped space. I could feel the tension radiating off him, his muscles taut and rigid as he tried not to move. My own breathing was shallow, my heart racing so fast I thought it might explode.
On the right side of the room, Rowan pulled back, her voice rising in frustration. "I told you in the booth how I felt! Why didn't you believe me? Why did you run?"
Garrett didn't answer. I heard more rustling, and then Rowan's voice again, softer this time. "If you keep acting like this, I'm going to find someone else. I even hugged a cute guy tonight!"
There was a pause, and then the sound of kissing resumed, more intense than before. I squeezed my eyes shut, my face burning with embarrassment. This was not how I'd imagined the night going.
Beside me, Lucian shifted, his hand coming up to cover his own ear before reaching over to cover mine. His palm was warm against my skin, his touch gentle despite the awkward situation. I opened my eyes and found him looking at me, his expression caught somewhere between amusement and discomfort.
I should have been mortified. I should have been focused on how incredibly awkward this was. But instead, all I could think about was how close he was, how his hand felt against my face, and how much I didn't want him to move away.
On the other side of the room, I heard the unmistakable sound of a belt being unbuckled. Rowan's voice drifted over, teasing and breathless. "Your body's a lot more honest than your mouth."
I grabbed Lucian's hand and pressed it harder against my ear, silently begging the universe to make this end. He let out a soft huff of laughter, his chest shaking slightly against mine.
Finally, mercifully, Garrett's voice cut through the chaos. "Let's go somewhere else."
There was the sound of footsteps, the door opening and closing, and then silence.
I let out a long, shaky breath, my entire body sagging with relief. Lucian's hand slipped away from my ear, but he didn't move. I braced my hands against the floor, ready to push myself up, but he stayed where he was, his weight still pinning me gently to the carpet.
He shifted slightly, bending one knee as he looked down at me. The faint glow from the emergency light caught in his eyes, making them gleam with something dark and unreadable.
"Don't you have something you want to tell me?" he asked, his voice low and deliberate.