Swapped Fate

34: She's Cute, Isn't She?

TRISTAN DEVEREUX.

Julian Fairburn was many things. Even with those smarts, he had a rather inconvenient ability to tick people off without understanding why they were angry. Maybe he didn't understand anger because he was irritatingly long-tempered himself.

It all stemmed from his honesty.

He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him an open book. He expected everyone else to be just as free as he was, and that resulted in him quite often failing to interpret social cues. 

He was one clueless bastard.

 Julian Fairburn was many things, but malicious was not one of them.

I was angry at him, and later at myself. For still being so affected by just the sound of her name. I hated that the pain was instant, that one word—one phrase was the trigger.

I hated her, just as much as I had once loved her.

I reminded myself that it was a process. If I could deal with seeing her colour on another woman, then slowly, I could deal with the rest of the triggers.

My footsteps were slow as I trailed behind everybody else. Commander Cassius' voice boomed from the very front, narrating detailed accounts of the antiques in his precious hall of wonders. He had actually named it that.

I couldn't be bothered.

A hand slinked around my arm and tugged. Turning, I found Lucia's amber eyes. With a smirk, she pulled and I followed her back down the hall into another.

"What are you—"

"Sh." She raised her fist as one of her furry ears twitched.

I understood. She was making sure none of her family members were within her hearing range. Greftyrs had an acute sense of hearing, being able to pick up distinct sounds from at least one kilometre away. She continued to lead me further until she halted and raised her fist again. We waited a while. If she couldn't hear them, they couldn't hear us.

She soon opened her fist to show her palm—a sign that all was clear.

"What are you doing?" I finished my question, although I had an idea. We had done this many times before. From the desire in her eyes, it's what she was thinking about.

"Finally getting a moment with you," she replied, drawing a finger down my chest.

I gripped her wrist, keeping her off me. "Don't."

"I can't help it. I've missed you," she purred.

Lucia was feline in more ways than one. Her eyes weren't just shaped like a cat's. They were just as big, with the dark pupil amidst the amber merely a slit. At the moment, her pupils were visibly dilated. It was easy to tell what she wanted.

"From the way you hesitate, I presume you can't say the same about me," she observed, stepping closer.

I tilted my head, deciding to tease her a bit. "Have you met Mavis?"

"Right." She rolled her eyes. "You mean the woman you're pretending to court."

That took me by surprise, but I didn't show it. "I'm not pretending."

"Hmm, what was it you said to your brother?" she squinted, a finger tapping her chin in mock contemplation. "That you don't need to act like you're in love with her. You only need to be friendly enough to make us believe you're in courtship."

My impassive mask faltered as she went on, "And that it should go well, since you don't hate each other anymore." Her face smug, knowing she had caught me.