Russian Roulette: Family secrets [2021 version]

Ch. 12: I'm not a fucking teenager!

"I needed this," Mackenzie sighed and held up her drink to toast Jace, smiling happily at having a completely relaxed evening. Being with Jace was like wearing old pajamas. Comfortable and without pretense.

They still had a lot of evening to enjoy, since Jace had met her at the supermarket at two o'clock in the afternoon, where they had gone shopping for snacks and drinks. They had eaten at some café on the way to his apartment and gone straight to drinks and Guardians of the Galaxy when they arrived.

"Yeah, that and the eight before it?" Jace chuckled. "Maybe you should be called The Sponge and not Angel?"

"You think you're so funny, eh?" Mackenzie threw a napkin at Jace in protest at his joke,

"I kinda know I am, Cupcake." He roared with laughter, especially as the napkin barely made it halfway to him before it floated to the table.

Being the jester of Gareth's group, always smiling and cracking jokes, was what people knew Jace for. Though Mackenzie also knew his more serious side, the side-jab remarks and joking were great qualities in him. She understood it was a façade to keep everybody at arm's length. His personal emotional shield, just like Mackenzie had her denial and Ice Queen attitude.

Jace was a master at hand-to-hand combat, Mackenzie had seen him train many times, and for some reason, one of his tactics while fighting was to throw his opponent off with his stupid remarks. He did it on autopilot, and the taunting jokes made him channel himself better in the fight. Fascinating to watch, but annoying as hell to be the target of.

She still adored the man, though.

"Was yesterday bad?" Jace asked quietly when his laughter had died down. "Phoenix told me you had a slight run-in with G-man, and that lunch was awkward at best."

Awkward? It had been a bit awkward, but not to the extent that Mackenzie thought Phoenix had felt it. And how would Phoenix even know she and Gareth had had a run-in?

From the moment she had arrived at Gareth's office with lunch from her favorite Indian place, Gareth had been back to his old self. He had not seemed angry or annoyed with her words to Alyssa earlier. In fact, he had not mentioned it at all.

There had been a bit of tension, but mostly because she herself had felt anxious about how he would react. Phoenix, of course, had been his usual serious and somewhat gloomy self.

That man rarely smiled.

"I'm not sure what Phoenix has told you, but there was nothing awkward at lunch."

"Really? Phoenix said Gareth acted like a caged animal all the time. He felt like it was a matter of seconds before Gareth either lost it and yelled at you or fucked you right there in front of him."

"Oh, that?" Mackenzie giggled. Naturally, Phoenix would have found their behavior awkward. He did not like emotions. And sexual tension was at the height of emotions for that man.

Maybe Mackenzie did not see it as awkward because she in a way trusted Gareth to do neither.

"He's always like that around me. How did Phoenix even know about my run-in with Gareth?"

Shrugging, Jace took a sip of his beer before he answered, "Guess he told him?" 

Mackenzie scoffed at the way Jace had shrugged, as if it was normal for Gareth to talk about feelings. "You guys gossip more than women."

Jace's lips curled up at one side. "We just care about both of you, and I think Gareth's frustrated that you don't want him, so we push him to talk. It's what friends do. Gender has nothing to do with it."