Stone In Love

Chapter 20

"So, what do you do for fun?" 

Sylvie drilled Vincent for information as we shared a cab ride home. She'd had my back more times than I could remember, and tonight she was acting under the influence of alcohol and adrenaline, which made her unstoppable.

"I play the stock market."

"Lame. Try again."

"I translate ancient Latin texts." 

"That's boring as fuck. I'm talking about stuff normal people do."

Vincent raised his eyebrows at me, which I interpreted as the silent gesture for control your friend. But it was better to let Sylvie get it out of her system now, or we'd be repeating the whole business in the morning.  

"I listen to music. Will that suffice?" Vincent unsheathed his cellphone and tapped his Spotify app. After a few flicks of his agile finger, he brought up a Pigeons Playing Ping Pong playlist. "I had not heard of this group until Reese mentioned them, so I spent a couple of hours familiarizing myself with their sound. They're very...unique."

Sylvie laughed while I helped myself to Vincent's phone, scrolling through his other playlists. He had varied musical tastes; from Pink Floyd to Yo-Yo Ma to Three Days Grace. I didn't know.

"You have good taste in music, Vincent." I smiled at him as I handed back his phone, and he offered a matter-of-fact nod.

"Music is an effective means of escape. The whole family listens to music in one form or another."

"Tell me about your family, Vincent." Sylvie said, continuing her onslaught. "Do you have siblings?"

"I have several. I'm surprised Reese hasn't told you. She's met a couple of them."

"Really? I seem to be totally out of the loop here." Sylvie turned her scrutiny on me, and I wanted to clobber Vincent for throwing me under the bus. I knew he'd done it on purpose.

"I told you about Colin, Sylvie. Do you want me to call you every day with a blow by blow?"

"Yes. I want to know every instance of blowing. I'm a lonely, single girl, remember?"

A throaty chuckle escaped Vincent, which had me leaning forward to stare at him. Apparently, he did have a sense of humor. By the time we arrived home, Sylvie appeared to be on board with my non-boyfriend. Of course, the fact that Vincent was hotter than Siracha might have helped sway her allegiance. 

"Can we talk alone, Reese?" Vincent asked. "It won't take long." He directed the second half of his statement to Sylvie, and her lips lifted into a smirk.

"You two can shag on the back porch if you want to. I'm going upstairs to call Eric and engage in some heavy breathing." She leaned in to my cheek and kissed it as she whispered covertly. "You need to get on with it while the gettin's good."

She toddled off to the side entrance, while I took Vincent's hand and walked him around the house. We stopped at the garage, which was set back a few yards from the sidewalk and offered cover. Without preamble, Vincent pulled me against his musk-infused chest to stare into my eyes, and I realized I'd been craving him as I submitted under his balmy gaze.

"I failed you tonight, Reese. I told you I would give you space. And I did give you space. But when I saw you leave the venue with that asshole, my resolve broke. I rushed in like a fool without giving you a chance to handle the situation yourself."

"His name is Charles, and he's not an asshole. I know what an asshole is."

Vincent acknowledged me with a nod, but he looked frustrated. "Charles is right. You deserve a man who will appreciate you and trust you to make your own choices. This relationship has me tied in knots. It's the most difficult challenge I've ever faced."