“What’re you doing storm?” he whispered sosoftly.Ray had caught the bottle at the very second her other hand lifted the cardigan over her shoulder.
She forced herself to look his way. To match his look haughtily as she ripped the bottle from his hand and fell back.
“Just getting a drink Raven.” She responded innocently and tilted her head back to take a large sip again, her heartwildin her chest. The vodka burnt all the way down to her throat, but she bore it with a confidence she’d steeled over years. She saw him release a harsh breath and brush a hand through his hair, the movement making her heart light, and with a small grin tugged at her lips she pushed her fucking limits,
“Why?” she purred and saw his head snap away from hers, “What did you think I was doing?”
Angel cursed so violently that Ray couldn’t help the laughter that spilled past her lips. Ray got up steadily, her hands on her hips as she peered down at him with a grin,
“Alright now that you’ve been taken care of,” she began, and saw Angel still at her words, “I shall take my leave.”
She didn’t know what she wanted him to respond with. But when he did respond, her heart, and her blood jumped in a way that told heryes, that was it.
And her mind cursed her for it.
“My father called me in.” he said suddenly, and Ray’s brows shot up in surprise. But it wasn’t this, she couldn’t have him talking about all this withher.A sudden course of panic flooded through her, and she swam past it, her grin dropping as she started,
“You don’t have to–”
And stopped as he looked up. Past her with that same dim look in his eyes. Her stomach dropped at that expression, her mind fracturing.He wanted to.
God. Damn. It.
Ray sat down beside him, nursing the bottle as she faced him.
She might have been imagining it, but Angel's shoulders relaxed beside her, “He’s a bitter asshole.” He snapped, some of his anger rushing through his words.
Ray bit back the warning, flinching at the bite in his words but understanding it nonetheless, “He doesn’t know how to run the business. Hasn’t been doing for a while now.”
Of course, she knew that. The entireworldknew that.
“But he still deems it important to look into whatIdo. It’s suffocating, and I don’t know if these are simply daddy issues–”
“Definitely.” Ray chuckled and beamed as a smile tugged at his lips, hinting at the dimples.
“But conversing with him today was like falling back into a well I’ve been trying to climb out of for ages now.”
That line, those words, were like a slap to her face. Or more like a brush of the same reality she’d been facing for a while. No part of Ray wanted to shareanythingclose to her life, but it didn’t seem fair to let him speak alone.
“My dad was an imminent bastard as well.” She began softly and Angel’s eyes flickered with surprise beside her, “But a while back, before I got here to the Larsen’s, I had this friend back in my hometown.”
Her throat dared to close, but Ray plowed forth. She blamed it solely on his undivided attention. And how much it surprised her.
“She wasnothinglike me. Absolutely wonderful ineverythingshe did.Herfamily loved her shitless. And maybe I should’ve been envious, but I simply admired her too much for it.” Her voice was steady, her eyes looking right into his. Angel’s back straightened and he sidled closer, his attentionallon hers. Ray didn’t know if it was liquid courage, or if it was simply those hell-raising amber eyes. But she didn’t stop.
“Then one day, she died.”
Angel blinked in surprise but didn’t say a word as she took another sip of the vodka, wincing at the burn, “Andherdad became an imminent asshole as well.”
She laughed at the way she abruptly cut off her story, “Maybe it’s just those dads who lose everything, you know.”
Ray whispered, and looked out the window.
Her mind swayed with the flooding memories. Angel exhaled beside her, and turned to the window as well,
“Who loses everything and turn on what they have left?” He completed and turned to Ray with a grin. Ray shook her head, her mind blanking at those dimples as her own lips mirrored his grin.
“Fuck them.”
