Caught In A Lie

Bonus #2: Garden of Exile

Zinon was starting to like Mikhael's new friend. She'd seemed a little closed-off at first, but eased up soon enough. Having someone spend time around Matthias, Alexander and Dimitris was a tried-and-tested way to weed out the good ones. And, if he wasn't mistaken, he wasn't the only one who liked her. He had never seen Mik act so self-consciously in all the years he'd known him. As a matter of fact, there had been a time when Mikhael had made him self-conscious simply by existing.

"Well, Mik, it seems you're outnumbered," he said, trying hard to keep a straight face. It was interesting watching him squirm, to say the least. His eyes cut to the blonde when she raised her glass.

"Tut, tut, brother. You can think about work and all your serious shit later. Right now you need to relax," she said. Mik said something about her being drunk, to which she agreed, smirking. Then her eyes met his, and his throat went tight with tension. He swallowed in an attempt to ease it. Get a grip, Vlachos.

Unfortunately, Stella Ewen wasn't the one who had his attention that evening. And Mik had been wrong. His sister was not in the least affected by the alcohol she had been drinking.

Well, he did have a penchant for being attracted to troublemakers. And from the flyaway mass of blonde hair on her head to the heeled boots she was wearing, Eleanor Swift was definitely a troublemaker.

Thankfully, she looked away and engaged Alexander in meaningless conversation. Zinon tuned out of the talk, watching Stella instead. She seemed distracted now that Mikhael had left them, back to being uncomfortable. It was mutual, then, between them. He smiled at the realisation and turned his attention to the others. Matthias and Dimitris were debating something, and Eleanor – Ellie – was entirely uninterested. When there was a lull in their discussion, she said, "Stella, are you with us? You seem distracted."

"No, no. I'm fine. I'll be right back," Stella excused herself. Matthias and Dimitris picked up their discussion, with Alexander joining in every so often. Zinon was bored, but he resisted the urge to check his phone. So what if the world economy was unstable? He was struggling to keep life going smoothly, and he would be doing so in the future as well. There were no two ways about it. Absently, he watched Stella leave the café, joining a silhouette outside the frosted door. A little while later, both silhouettes were gone and Ellie had an annoyed look in her eyes. The others of their little company were oblivious.

Zinon leaned back, resting his head on the back of the chair and looking at Ellie through the corner of his eye. After a minute or so, the annoyance faded and curiosity took its place. She turned to him, and he frowned. What is she thinking?

Her expression smoothed out abruptly and she stood, announcing that she had to leave. Zinon didn't want to stay with the others, so he took his leave as well. If he was being honest with himself, he didn't want to let go of Ellie just yet. She turned away, but not before he saw a small smile making itself home on her lips. As they walked out, he idly wondered what those lips would feel like on his. He pushed the thought away as he held the door for her. She was elbow-deep in her bag, presumably searching for something. Her nose wrinkled, and she removed her hand from the bag and looked around.

"Problem?"

"Mikhael has the car keys. And he isn't here."

On impulse, he asked, "Where are you staying?"

"At his house."

"Do you want me drop you off?"

"Are you sure it wouldn't be a hassle? I could always call Mik."

He shrugged, careful to appear nonchalant. "I don't mind. You need to go home and you can't do that without your car. I can drop you off on my way."