Page 195 of The Grand Duel
She ducks down, and Nina places it into her hair, the moment tender, what little girls dream of.
My eyes burn watching them, and I swipe at the corners, in awe of the moment.
I can’t imagine having friends like that.
Like this.
A friendship that seems so easy and pure.
“Well?” Lucy says, her eyes shining as she blinks more tears away.
“It’s beautiful,” I tell her.
“Perfect, Luce,” Scarlet adds. “It’ll match your dress perfectly, too.”
“It will,” she says, a little sob slipping free. She laughs through it and pulls Nina in for a hug. “I don’t know why I’m crying.”
“I thought we could share it.” Nina looks from Lucy to Scarlet and then, bizarrely, maybe just politely, to me. “Each leave something added to the veil for the next one. Megs, too, of course.”
“Yes!” Lucy hisses. “Oh, I love that.” A fresh wave of tears hits her.
“Luce, stop, you’ll set me off.” Scarlet goes over and cuddles into her friend.
I watch on, feeling like I’m intruding on something I shouldn’t be.
“Lissie, what must you think,” Lucy says. “We tried so hard to be normal.”
Scarlet chuckles. “We did. We had to have a chat before you arrived to make a list of all the things we’d not talk about at the risk of scaring you away.”
I smile at them. “Dead dads wasn’t on it?”
They laugh more.
The door creeps open, and their eyes widen. “Stop!” Nina yells.
I rush for the door and push against it to stop whoever it is from coming inside, praying it’s not Elliot. I poke my head out to see who it is and find Charles staring down at me, his frown deep. “What’s going on in there?”
I breathe a sigh of relief and chuckle, stepping outside and pulling the door closed behind me. I look up at him, my grin wide. “They’re chaos, and I love them.”
THIRTY-FIVE
Charlie
We get back to Lissie’s flat just before seven p.m., leaving Lissie enough time to get herself ready for her night shift. She didn’t stop talking on the way back from the estate, the entire hour journey filled with her questions and incessant stubbornness.
“Charles, I stole your entire day. I can’t have you wait on me now too. It’ll take me a good hour to get ready and then I can get a taxi.”
I follow her to the door and wait as she unlocks it. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”
She doesn’t push the door open once it’s unlocked, twisting to look up at me. “I’m trying to be polite.”
I school my features. “Is that a new thing you’re trying?”
“Ass.”
The very corner of my lip betrays me. “Do you want me to leave, Lis?”
She eyes me, making my stomach flutter. “No. If you’re sure, then I’m grateful for the lift. You can make me a cuppa whilst I shower.”