Page 96 of Beyond The Maples
Before we can even respond, we're interrupted on the other side of us.
"Only family you have? That's aboldfacedlie."
I'm staring at a mirror image of the first guy, sandy-blond hair, grey-green eyes. Tall, broad shouldered, and grinning the same grin as we bounce back and forth down the bar at each of them.
"Macklin," the first says, holding out his hand.
"Briggs," says the other, holding out his as well.
I take the hand closest to me.
"My friends call me Mack though," he says playfully.
"I think I'm drunk. I'm seeing double," Farra tries to whisper, leaning into me. Her volume is off, which leads me to believe her statement.
"Not double, just twins. Although we do get that a lot," says the one closest to her, Briggs I think.
Briggs comes over to stand by Mack at the bar so we don't have to crane our necks back and forth. I'm thankful for his thoughtfulness as I scan them for a second longer, catching very subtle differences between the two. Mack is slightly shorter, maybe by an inch, and Briggs's head's a little bigger, his jaw slightly sharper, but again, it's not all that noticeable unless you're really looking.
"Would you ladies like a drink?" Briggs says gazing a little too long at Farra.
She starts to decline, but we're here for a reason, and I have a feeling these two are a wealth of information.
"We'd love that," I chirp, squeezing Farra's arm as she frowns at me.
Fifteen minutes later, we've moved to a new table. Farra's laughs are getting wilder as she continues to drink. I've paced myself, repeating my three-drink mantra in my head over and over. I hate being hungover.
The boys are telling a story of the road. About the time their Uncle got robbed by a band of children in the south, and never lived it down. So far, I haven't got them to tell us much about their time beyond the borders, but I haven't pried just yet. Gaining trust while drinking can be fickle.
"There you are!" Deacon says, sliding his arm around me and pulling me close to him with a kiss on the top of my head.
My eyebrows narrow up at him in confusion, because we both know exactly what that move was. Territorial. He glances at the two newcomers across from us, who are telling a story to Farra as she descends into another fit of giggles.
I have neverseen Farragiggle.
I shrug off Deacon's arm, annoyance radiating from me. I used to love when Deacon did this back home, and he did it often. Anytime I'd get attention from anyone other than him, actually, now that I think of it. I was his, and I was so desperate for any scrap of his attention that I never really pushed back to question why the same rules didn't apply to him. I was his, but he sure as shit wasn't mine. He had girlfriends and lots of other friends.
I had reconciled with it because I was his best friend. Told myself it was all surface-level compared to our relationship, and that was what always kept me content. I was hischosenfamily, the most important friend, and that was enough.
It's ironic, really, how coming here was supposed to be the ultimate sacrifice on my part ––the suffocating end to a bitter life back home. But it feels less and less like that now. Being forced to come here has changed me somehow, in such a short time. Leo and Farra have changed me; maybe even Berkley and Tarius have, too.
Deacon leans into me a little, and his presence feels more overwhelming the longer I sit here.
I move to the other side of the table, taking the fresh drink Mack offers me. Deacon gives me a look. I roll my eyes, maybe a little too obnoxiously, at him and make a pfft sound. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I recognize that alcohol makes me more combative. I should probably cool it, but I can't seem to reel it in as I think of all the ways he's interfered over the years.
He gives me a wounded look and heads toward the bar, but for once I don't let it make me feel guilty. I refocus on the twins.
"...And then you ate that scorpion on a dare, and spent a week in the hospital!" Mack is pretending to punch his brother's shoulder, while Briggs howls.
"Easiest coin I've ever made, I just layed in bed for a week. I don't see the problem," he jokes.
Farra is enthralled by their stories, their easy comradery. Leo has wandered off somewhere, and Deacon has also disappeared, much to my relief.
"Have you guys ever been to Soland or Zaphira?" I ask casually.
The boys glance ateach other.
"Nah," the one says.
