Mary watched us with a mixture of curiosity and concern as Fleur and I shared a quiet, happy moment, both of us with red eyes from our earlier emotional conversation. She wondered if we were really in our right minds.
"So, is everything okay now?" Mary asked, her tone a blend of relief and skepticism. Fleur turned to her with a wide grin. "Yeah!"
"Already?" Mary was surprised. "Ambrose had spent the entire night trying to convince you, but you had ignored him, and it took Maeve less than ten minutes to make you smile again?' SHe said "So what happened between the two of you? Up until yesterday, you didn't want to hear Maeve's name, and now all of a sudden you're okay again? Doesn't she deserve an apology?" Mary said to Fleur.
I raised an eyebrow at the sudden revelation, and Fleur looked at me, shaking her head. "It wasn't like that!" she explained, but Mary wasn't going to let her off easily.
"You didn't? Do you want me to ask Ambrose?" Mary asked, looking pointedly at Fleur. Fleur gave me an apologetic look. "I meant to say that Ambrose should not mention your name; I hated it when he did. That was all." She explained to me desperately, making me chuckle. But the thought of Ambrose mentioning me sent a sudden rush of butterflies through my stomach. "Agh! I was a lost cause, surely."
"Nothing much," Fleur said, making up a story. "We were just talking about staying in the same city, but then Maeve said she still wanted to stay back." Mary didn't seem entirely convinced, but Fleur's firm tone made her decide not to push further. She turned to me. "Are you going to stay for the night?"
"No, I'll have to go," I replied, taking another bite of food.
"Why? Are you planning on staying at a hotel?" Fleur asked with a frown.
"No, I…" I started to respond, but before I could finish, Mary jumped in.
"No buts! Why would you stay at a hotel when you can stay here? The house is huge and has so many extra rooms. Choose any one you like and stay here," Mary urged.
"Oh no, I'm not staying at a hotel. I have a place to stay," I said, not wanting to stay for a particular reason. I gave Fleur a look, hoping she would understand why I was resisting the idea, but she shook her head and glared at me.
"You are staying!" she insisted.
I didn't reply, looking down as I felt my chest tighten. Why was she insisting I stay when she knew I had my reasons?
After a deep conversation with Mary, she sent us back to Fleur's room, where we sat across from each other, holding hands and giggling as if we were meeting after an eternity. I needed to tell Fleur how much I had missed her in just the past day and how grateful I was to have her in my life. So I laid my head in her lap, hugging her waist, burying my face in her stomach, and closing my eyes.
"Do you know how relieved I am now that you're not mad at me?" I murmured, curling up even tighter, savoring the comfort of her presence. Fleur gently ran her fingers through my hair, playing with it, knowing how much I loved that sensation.
"I don't know about you, but I'm very glad you came back. I didn't know how I would have coped with it, especially when most of my friendships were because someone wanted something from me and would leave when they had taken it. I thought you were abandoning me too." Her voice cracked, making my chest ache with empathy.
"I'm sorry," I said again, meaning every word. "I know I can't control my heart, but trust me, I love Ambrose because I unconsciously liked him. But you…" I looked up at her, my eyes earnest. "I choose you! That means I consciously want to be by your side. That should mean something."
Fleur nodded, her expression softening. "It's okay. My brother is just a blind fool for not seeing such a fairy in plain sight and going for random women, only to break up with them." She scoffed, her frustration evident.
"Hah! Do you think I'm a fairy?" I teased, trying to lighten the mood.
"Of course, a thick fairy!" Fleur said with a playful grin. "Look how well made you are. I mean, who could say no to this?" She pointed at my chest, then made some flirtatious remarks like a creep next door, about how she would spank me if she were a guy, making me roar with laughter until tears formed into our eyes.
"About that! You said you had tea!!" Fleur suddenly remembered the part where I had to spill the tea. She sprang up from my lap, sitting in front of me with a grin.
"Wait, wait! Let me get the drinks," she said, hopping off the bed. She pulled out a luxurious bottle from under the bed and picked up the wine glasses from the side table that she had set out earlier. Meanwhile, I pulled out my phone and showed her the pictures I had taken in the stunning dress. Fleur handed me a glass of red wine as I handed her my phone, sipping elegantly from the glass and waiting for her reaction.
"Gosh! You look like a vixen!" she said, her eyes wide with admiration.
"I know, right?" I nodded, taking a gulp of the wine she handed me. "So, what were you wearing it for? Who's the lucky suitor?" she asked with a mischievous grin.
"I don't know," I laughed, finishing my glass quickly and feeling a little tipsy, though that was of little importance. "What do you mean? A one-night stand or something?" I asked, confused.
"No!! Actually, you know I have this family—" I began, though I rarely talked about my family. Fleur knew they existed, but not much else.
"Yeah, your shady father and his arrogant children," she said, nodding and sipping her wine. I felt my eyelids getting heavy as Fleur poured me another glass. "Gosh, that's a strong one," I said, sipping once more before continuing.
"Yeah, exactly those ones." I nodded. "So, my family is having this party tomorrow, and my sister—well, half-sister, Mavis—is supposed to be married off to this guy. But the catch is that I have to seduce him!" I burst into laughter, slapping Fleur's thigh, and she joined in, her laughter filling the room.
"Good for her! You're stealing her husband!" Fleur laughed, but I shook my head, trying to focus as my head grew heavier.
"No! No, I'm not!" I insisted.
"Then?"
"Well, my grandpa thinks she has no charm to convince the man to marry her, so he asked me to seduce him by acting as Mavis." I cracked up again, and Fleur roared with laughter.
"Wow!" Fleur took the phone from my hand, looking at the deep back of the dress and snickering. "He is so gonna lose his mind!"
"I know, right? Poor thing!" I laughed, feeling the wine's effects kicking in.
"But wait!" Fleur's eyes widened with excitement. "What if he recognizes your face?"
"Yeah, I had the same question, but my grandpa is very cunning. He's arranging a masquerade party!" I laughed again, finally feeling the wine's effect. Fleur seemed to be in the same state.
"No way! Can I come? I so want to be there!" she asked eagerly. I paused for a second.
"I don't know. You'll need an invite. I'm barely making it to the party myself. They don't like me very much, so I think it's going to be difficult," I explained.
"Yeah, your family is awful!" Fleur said, throwing her arms around my neck and hugging me. "That's why you should stay with me! I'll keep you safe and happy."
I hugged her back tightly, knowing she meant it. "I know you will," I said, and the two of us fell onto the mattress.falling asleep.