The Aristocrat

They call it messy reconciliations pt. 1

Saturday 21st

"Where were you last night?" My brother asked as we walked from our front door to the elevator. Next to him, walking close to his side was Chester, their hands tucked discreetly together.

"Huh?" I said, picking my eyes up from beige carpeted floor to my brother who watched me with a curious eye. Chester too pinned his gaze onto me awaiting my answer.

"Last night?" My brother repeated, throwing me an impatient arch of his brows. The space around his eyes creased as he frowned, "I called home and mum said you were out."

"Oh yeah," I mumbled, shrugging casually despite the thumping of nerves in my chest. Nonchalantly I hopped into the elevator after them and pressed the first-floor button, "I just went out with some friends from school."

"Nice," he nodded, his hand still wrapped around Chester's, "Where'd you go?"

"Just to some bars along Oxford," I filled him in, brushing past specifics, "Nowhere special."

Both Chester and Caspian nodded, forearms glued together.

"Did I tell you that I run into Thomas?" I asked cautiously, cradling my clutch better in my hand and adjusting the spaghetti straps of my tight black dress with the other. I shook out the beige trench coat I had in the crook of my arm and slipped myself into it to cover my barely there outfit. Ivy had picked it out for me which explained the lack of fabric which somehow managed to look classier than I'd thought.

"No," Caspian shook her head, staring at me across the lift space, "I bet that was awkward."

"Not really," I frowned remembering mine and Thomas's civil conversation outside the bar, "He seemed like he was doing well, which is good. We're going to meet up soon I think, just to catch up."

"As long as you're not falling back into that same pattern," Caspian mumbled bitterly.

"I'm not," I assured him, shaking my head, my curled hair falling about my shoulders as I did so, "I promise."

Caspian exhaled a disbelieving sigh, "You always say that," he frowned disapprovingly, the way a brother would when discussing his little sister's dating life.

"I know but I mean it this time," I insisted looking him dead straight in the eyes steadily for reassurance.

"Good," Caspian nodded, relief meeting his downcast expression as I managed to keep his worries at bay, "I hate the prick."

"Cas," Chester mumbled lowly into my brother's side.

Caspian's eyes went sideways and innocence crossed his features, "We were all thinking it," He uttered back.

Ignoring my brothers snide comment that resembled Ivy's too well, I listened instead to the dinging of the elevator meeting each floor before eventually I shone the attention on them for a change, "What about you, what did you do last night?"

Barely hearing my question over their own quiet whispers, they both gradually turned to me again and took in what I had asked them. Chester's face flushed whilst Caspian beamed, "I took Ches to that new Italian near the apartment."

"So," I chimed, chuckling to myself and drawing amusement from the bright pink shade of Chester's cheeks, "It was date night then?"

"Andra," Caspian warned half-heartedly, "You're embarrassing Ches."

"I was trying to embarrass you," I laughed, my gaze flickering between the two of them adoringly.

"Not possible," Caspian grinned, his arm lifting up and slinging itself around Chester, "He's the only one in this relationship that gets embarrassed."