Burn Out *18+*

Chapter 4

Before Jasper and his fiancée arrived, I was an absolute mess. I was pacing about, constantly adjusting the belt on my split sleeve blouse or fidgeting with my pearl necklace. The champagne was warming on the counter as it was not to be at fridge temperate, the macarons were out, the caviar I had bought on a whim was sitting beside an assortment of crackers on the island and my entire apartment was spotless. I should have been calm, everything was taken care of, but part of me knew that I was not in for an easy night.

When the knock finally came, I was equally relieved and distraught. It was finally happening which meant it was going to be over sooner, but dear god it was happening.

"Jasper," I greeted, my arms open at my sides.

My cousin was a beast of a man to put it very simply. Over six feet table with shoulders wide enough to block his fiancée from my view entirely, he was not a force to be reckoned with. When his moody brown eyes swept over me once, I had to repress the urge to cower backwards, not that he cared, plowing into the room anyway. The disapproval seemed to be etched into my features but I reminded myself that we were family and everything would be fine.

Everything had to be fine.

But I realized my first blunder was the outfit I had painstakingly picked out. I was refined and sophisticated. I had wanted to be perfection meeting a queen. But that queen had just come off a flight and though she might have been gorgeous boarding the private plane, she certainly wasn't kempt now. Blonde hair piled into a high bun, sheer gloss on her lips, and heavy bags under her eyes, she seemed almost insulted by my choice. The sweatpants she was wearing were at least three sizes too big. Did that mean that they were Jasper's? No, that was far too domestic for him.

"We haven't met," I hinted softly, reaching my hand towards her.

"Zara," she murmured, her voice low and slightly raspy. It reminded me of Hollywood movie stars. Her hand was cold in mine, but her grip was firm.

"London. Please, come in. Jasper told me some of your favorites so you can relax for a while."

The smile she tossed me gave me enough hope to believe that she might be the friendly one of the two, she was probably just exhausted.

I gestured for her to move into my apartment and let my eyes trail over the luggage that she dragged behind her. Seemed like an odd amount to bring for an afternoon visit, but I was mostly hung up on the fact that the designer product probably cost as much as my tuition for a year.

I made a grand display of the champagne and the caviar, hoping it would distract from my dark lipstick and perfect eyeliner. How was I supposed to know that she would show up in sweats?

"Like I said, all your favorites," I stated with a bright grin.

Zara's blue eyes flashed over the display and I wondered if I had laid it on too thick. Yes, she was a queen, but it was as if she almost wanted to be treated like family. Unfortunately for her, we had very little to go off if that was the case. I saw my cousins about twice a year and most meetings were cold and more formal than a court case. This was as close and cuddly as we ever got.

"I also see that you have a cat," Jasper said coldly. Only he could be mad about a little pet.

"Oh, yes!" A perfect distraction regardless. Inkwell was always a favorite with his tragic backstory and constant purrs. I rushed over to the cat tower, knowing he wouldn't mind being paraded around like a show pony.

"Zara is allergic."

I froze. Bastard. He didn't tell me that. And he purposely didn't tell me that. He had filled my head with useless information to see if I could be bothered to drudge up the important stuff myself. Why hadn't I thought of checking a tabloid? I'm sure there were countless articles on every single one of her ailments.