Page 76 of When We Ignite
“You were telling me about Warren and the budget issue” Oliver prompted, frowning slightly at his brother.
“Called it,” Henry muttered beside me, his amusement poorly hidden behind his glass.
“Fuck off,” I hissed under my breath, but Henry laughed anyway—loudly enough to catch Sebastian’s attention. He glanced toward us, his frown deepening.
Henry flagged down a server. “Can I get two gins? One light on the tonic.”
“You have a drink,” I pointed to the glass of whiskey by his hand.
“The sun’s still out,” he quipped, as if that explained everything. Then he leaned closer. “One’s for you. Relax, will you?”
I tried to let my shoulders drop as I leaned back in my chair. “Would you back off? You’re making it worse,” I hissed.
Henry grinned, unfazed. “I’m just trying to help. Do you think anyone else here knows how to navigate him better than I do? Now drink your gin, and in twenty minutes, we’ll go have a smoke.”
“I don’t need your help.”
His hand settled on my shoulder, squeezing lightly. “Right. So the rebellious haircut and wearing the sunglasses he gave you are just coincidences?”
Before I could retort, Sebastian cleared his throat again. Both Henry and I turned to him, but his eyes were fixed on Henry’s hand on my shoulder. Henry smirked, removing his hand as if nothing had happened.
“What?” I asked him, though I already knew he was enjoying himself too much to answer honestly.
He just shook his head, stifling another grin. “Twenty minutes,” he said simply.
The waiter returned with our drinks, and I finished mine in under five.
Twenty-two minutes later, Henry and I found ourselves farther from the crowd, leaning against a wall. I handed him my vape, watching as he took a slow drag.
“So,” he began casually, smoke curling around his words. “Why did he blow you off?”
I scoffed. “As if you didn’t know already.”
“I don’t. Ash told me to mind my business, and that was the end of it. So, why did he do it?” Henry pressed.
“Age gap, scandal. Oli asked him to,” I replied, taking the vape from his hand and inhaling deeply.
“Oof, that’s a tough one. Ash has been all about the Oli love lately, but we can work around it.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Work around what?”
“The Oli holdup. Get you and Ash back together,” he said, his tone too casual.
I blinked, feeling even more confused. “Why would I want that?”
Henry gave me a pointed look over his sunglasses. “Do I need to point out the haircut and the sunglasses again?”
“He told me we had to wait a few years.”
Henry shrugged. “Not the worst idea, honestly, but you two clearly still have it bad for each other. Do you want to wait a few years?”
“I have no idea what I want,” I admitted.
“To bang my brother,” he said, deadpan.
I couldn’t help but laugh at his phrasing. “Fuck off.”
“Come on, E. There’s a way around this. Tell me more about what he said.” Henry flagged down a server and ordered us two drinks while I explained Sebastian’s reasoning—that he didn’t want to get my hopes up. I confessed how, stupidly, I’d believed it was different with me, that he felt something unique. But, no, this was just who he was.
