I let him go, though.
And I wondered if sharing a room and bed for the next two nights might be more problematic than I’d originally expected.
Chapter Nine
Duncan
Returning to the hotel after visiting the restaurant was significantly more eventful than our initial arrival. Raquel and Hamish preceded Rune and me—walking a bit apart, the air between us a bit tense—into the lobby, and were immediately greeted by a cacophony of wedding attendees swarming them. Rune was swept up in the mayhem since these were her friends as well, leaving me standing awkwardly alone at the outer edge of the fray, watching with bemusement as fifty-some people all tried to hug and back-clap and air-kiss each other all at once.
Most of the attention was on Raquel and Hamish, naturally enough—they couldn't move for the crush of humans all trying to get to them. I noticed, however, that once the appropriate greetings and congratulations had been extended to the happy couple, Rune was the next stop—every direction she turned saw her hugging someone, laughing, answering questions, and trying to extricate herself from one conversation only to be dragged into another.
There was one anomaly in the scene: a pretty-boy, preppy nerd type dude standing by himself off to one side, his eyes glued to Rune as she lit up the lobby with her charismatic presence, her bell-like laugh ringing clarion-clear throughout the lobby, sapphire eyes bright and joyful, ink-black, stormcloud hair a thick, plaited cascade over one shoulder. He was about six feet tall and lean—a distance runner build—with sandy blond hair carefully coiffed in a less classy version of Uncle Brock's neat, classic side-part. He was clean shaven, with a weak jaw and an expression of sour longing that curdled my stomach.
As I watched him watch Rune, the sour longing went briefly bitter and angry and jealous: she was hugging a tall, built Black guy who I assumed was Raquel's brother—he resembled her pretty obviously, for one thing. I could only snort to myself in cruel amusement though—it was obvious enough to me, someone with pretty real feelings for Rune, that her relationship with Raquel's brother was platonic and brotherly. Yet the preppy dick-waffle was jealous.
I couldn't help myself. I sidled over toward where Rune's ex was wallflowering, endeavoring to appear casual and unassuming. Hayes noted me idly and dismissed me immediately—he didn't know me, didn't recognize me, and so I wasn't worth his attention. I pretended to follow his obvious stare for the first time.
"Wow, she's hot, huh?" I said, pitching my voice low, conspiratorial. "That ass, amiright?"
He shot me an annoyed look. "Huh? You talking to me?"
I jutted my chin at Rune, who was clutching Raquel's brother's hand with obvious affection, listening as he related a story that had Rune cackling. "Her, with the black hair and blue eyes. Rain, I think her name is?"
What was I doing? Why was I fucking with this tool?
Because he was a tool, that's why. Also, I didn't like the way he was looking at Rune.
"Rune," he muttered. "Her name is Rune."
"Ah, right." I hesitated. "You friends with her?"
He shot me a glance that said he'd rather eat a live cockroach than have this conversation with me. "You could say that."
"Maybe you could introduce me, then."
He turned to face me fully, then, angry. "Do I know you, bro?"
I opened my mouth to answer—I wasn't even sure myself what was about to come out of my mouth—when Rune happened to glance this way and saw Hayes and me standing near each other. Her features went slack at first, and then raw, naked fury suffused her expression. She met my eyes, confused.
I winked at her, and then turned to Hayes. "Wow, she really doesn't like you, does she?"
He opened his mouth to answer, clicked his jaw shut, tried again. "Fuck you," he managed, eventually.
I snickered. "Hey, man, I’m just observing, here. You do know her, don't you?"
The douche-turd’s face went through a series of emotions, most of them a form of embarrassed anger. "Used to. Now, if you don't mind, I see someone I'd like to talk to."
"It's probably not Rune, I'm guessing," I said. "Going off the way she looked at you just now."
He whirled on me mid-step. "You got something to say to me, bro?"
I just laughed—this skinny little punk was about as much of a threat to me as a wet kitten. "If I did, I'd say it…bro.”
I pushed past him, "accidentally" bumping him with my shoulder—I was more than half hoping he'd try something just so I could break his sad sack of shit jaw. He didn't, though, more's the pity. I felt his angry glare on my back, but he didn't otherwise do or say anything.
I beelined through the scrum of people to Rune, knowing he was watching. I stepped right into her space. "Play along," I murmured, giving her a mischievous grin.
"Play along with what?" she answered, keeping her face carefully neutral.
