Superstar | | ACOTAR AU

14

Gwyn crept into her apartment as quietly as she could, but it was useless. Music came from the kitchen, along with chatter and laughter from her roommate and her latest boy toy. Gwyn almost envied Aelin's ability to draw in any man she wanted. Currently, Aelin's attention was held by a business major named Dorian whose schooling was just four years of fun before he got to inherit his father's multi-billion dollar investment company.

"Gwynie," Aelin cheered, meeting her by the door and pulling her to the kitchen.

"Hey, Gwyn," Dorian greeted, giving a charming smile.

"Hi, Dorian," Gwyn replied, finding that his smile didn't make her blush like it usually did. Her mind was preoccupied with Azriel.

"Emerie and Nesta have been looking for you," Aelin said with a grin, "they stopped by super early this morning and I had to tell them you weren't around. We decided to check your location to make sure you were safe. Now, what scandalous things were you up to at a fancy hotel?"

"It was nothing," Gwyn muttered, her face heating up now.

"You know, it's a funny coincidence after Azriel from the Bat Boys bought you dinner the night before," Aelin drawled, "it's a funny thing that you ended up at the hotel he's staying at."

"How do you know what hotel they're staying at? They have, like, the craziest security that keeps their whereabouts on lockdown," Dorian spoke up, eyebrows raised.

"My dad is their tour manager," she answered, "he's staying there too. Rhoe Galathynius, which is why I use my mom's last name."

"How the fuck did you keep that secret? Why did you keep it secret? Have you met them?" Dorian asked, eyes alight with interest.

"Back when we were all younger," Aelin answered with a shrug, "we were all sixteen. Rhysand and Cassian had little crushes on me. It was adorable."

"And Azriel?" Gwyn didn't even mean to let the question slip out, but it earned a grin from Aelin.

"Oh, he was the only one whose attention I was interested in, mostly because he wouldn't give it to me," she replied, flicking her hair over her shoulder, "he was the only boy whose attention I couldn't get. He hardly even spoke to me."

"Really?" Gwyn murmured in disbelief, eyebrows furrowed. She didn't know of any time Aelin got turned down.

"He wasn't interested me in the slightest," Aelin replied with a pout, "but he wasn't interested in anything back then, really. He barely said a word to anyone at all. I bet he had tons of fun things to say to you though."

"We were just—I...it's complicated," Gwyn stammered, face red with embarrassment.

"Nothing complicated about a good hook up, Gwynie," Aelin shot back, earning a squeak from Gwyn and a loud laugh from Dorian.

"It wasn't—we didn't have sex. I mean, not all the way, at least," Gwyn rushed out, and then immediately regretted it.

"Oh? What did you do?" Aelin asked eagerly.

"He...you know," Gwyn mumbled, and Dorian looked confused but Aelin somehow understood.

"Oh fuck, was he good?" Aelin questioned, leaning in slightly.

"Unbelievable," Gwyn answered, giving a shy smile. "I didn't think it would be so good but his mouth was just...best thing I've ever felt."

"He looks like he knows what he's doing," Dorian said with a hum, earning an arched eyebrow from Aelin. "Come on, Aelin, did you think I was too insecure to admit it? I'm sure I'm better, but I'm sure Azriel is good too."

"If you want to prove you're better, maybe Gwyn can be the one to determine it," Aelin suggested, "you eat her out and she can tell you if you're even comparable."

"Aelin!" Gwyn gasped, eyes wide. "I wouldn't with your boyfriend—"

"He's not my boyfriend," Aelin corrected, and Dorian laughed.

"Don't sound so appalled by it," he said, eyes twinkling with amusement before he looked to Gwyn, "but she is right. We're not dating, just fucking. And it is great fucking, some of the best I've had. But if you want to fuck around too, and Aelin's got no problem with it, I wouldn't turn that down."

"Dorian's avoiding commitment for as he can before he has to bear the burden of inheriting a successful company that he doesn't even have to run personally and marrying a respectable girl from an old money family like his and being absolutely miserable for the rest of his rich and fabulous life," Aelin chimed in with a grin, "far be it from me to stand in his way. But you do have to tell me if his tongue is as good as Azriel's."

"Absolutely not," Gwyn said, shaking her head, "I'm not...no."

"Oh well," Dorian responded with a shrug, "I'll be around if you change your mind."

"Okay, okay, now tell me about Azriel," Aelin requested, eyes shining with interest and the ever-present look of scheming. Gwyn didn't think there was ever a time that Aelin didn't have some little scheme or plot in mind. "How did you even end up running into him again?"

"I just...ran into him."

"You ran into him. How? Where?" Aelin pressed before a look of realization crossed her face. "Oh, honey, you mean that literally, don't you? How did you run into him?"

"With my car," she mumbled, and was met with silence for a long few moments. "I ran into him with my car," she repeated.

"Oh my god, so—ew, did he go down on you in a hospital?" Aelin asked as Dorian laughed.

"No! No, he wouldn't let me take him to a hospital so we went to his hotel room so I could help make sure he was okay and everything was all...y'know! Like, one second I'm cleaning his scrapes and the next he's on his knees!"

"On his knees is hot," Aelin said before turning to Dorian, "you should get on your knees more."

"Name the time and place," he replied with a wink, "I'm always game for that."