Ace of Hearts

4

There was a few minutes of quiet conversation between Jade and Kol, while I sat in the middle ignoring the both of them. That is, until a knight in a dirty baseball shirt came and 'rescued' me. "Kol, why do you always have to bug everyone you meet?" Kol's friend questions with a charming smile and the shake of his head. "Sorry if he's bothering you two."

"It's okay, I can't blame you for him." I smile up at the stranger with a laugh.

"I am wounded, Ace." Kol chuckles as he leans back against the counter. Then his attention shift back to his friend as he continues, "And for your information, the lovely Jade here asked me to join them. See, I am not bothering people, Jeremy."

"He's lying. He's been bugging me all night." I tell his friend, who laughs along at the comment with me. "Now tell me something, 'is he always like this?'" I question using the same line he asked Jade earlier.

Jeremy eyes crinkle at his smile while he simply nods his head. "Yes, he's always like this."

"Really? I was sure this was merely a fluke." I joke with a side glance to Kol, who looks at me with mock contempt. Nevertheless, I keep on teasing and joking about him with Jeremy for the rest of the night—much to Kol's obvious dismay.

It only felt like a few moments of us all talking as a group before we hear someone clear their throat. "Sorry, kids, but the diner's closing. You're gonna have to leave for the night." The middle-aged waitress informs us with her hand on her hip. I instinctively look around to find the diner is completely empty.

"Well, you know what they say, time flies when you're having fun." Jade laughs and shrugs her shoulders as she grabs her jacket and stifles a yawn. "I definitely need some sleep."

"I'm with you, Jay." I chime as I start to walk out the door and into the cool summer night. I barely notice as Jeremy and Jade stay behind a couple steps to continue talking and flirting like they have all night.

Unfortunately, that leaves me trapped with Kol once again. "You know, you're nothing like I expected, Ace." He comments as he walks beside me with his hands shoved into the pockets of his leather jacket, which only enhances his hard achieved 'bad boy' image.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment." I chuckle bitterly. Nearly every time someone says something nice or halfway kind to me, it's usually a hidden jab.

Kol's eyes follow my every movement and analyze every expression. It's as if he can sense the distrust and bitterness in my posture. "You should. It's not very often people surprise me, but you do." I stop walking when something in his voice changes, like a fracture appearing in an otherwise perfect mask.

I open my mouth to ask him about it, but my mind fumbles the words. Then Jade and Jeremy catch up to us before I can bring myself to ask. "Come on, Ace. We should get going." Jade smiles knowingly as she pulls me along.

I stop for a moment to give a half-hearted wave to the two guys. Jeremy waves back, but Kol stands there stoically looking at me before speaking just loud enough for me to hear. "See you later, Ace."

"If you're lucky, Mikaelson." I smile as Jade and I march back to our hotel for the night.

"You so like him." Jade teases once we're a couple blocks away from the diner. I start to shake my head and prepare to protest when she cuts me off. "There's no denying it, Lee. I'm your best friend, it's my job to know these things."

"You're crazy. You know that right?"

"See you can't deny it!" She cheers as she jumps around in front of me. "Don't worry though, I'm pretty sure he likes you too."