Chapter Twenty One

It turned out Magnus was throwing a party that Friday. Maia and Malarie were happily discussing it at work the day of. They asked him for the following day off, and they would come in on Sunday instead, normally their day off. He agreed, bidding them to have a good time.

He closed the shop fifteen minutes early to get ready for his own evening plans. He laid out his clothes that morning. Trousers, waistcoat, and suit jacket all in blue. A white dress shirt and a gray tie. Cufflinks. Brown leather shoes. He put on a black wool pea coat he'd found at an estate sale, along with a scarf, gloves, and a hat. There was a chill wind tonight.

The exterior of the building was beautifully lit. Inside the entrance hall, he went to the coat check. He handed over his outer gear, taking the ticket from the attendant. Then, he approached the hostess, giving her the name Valentine told him the reservation was under. She checked, nodded, then lead him through the double doors to the dining room.

There was a large first floor open eating area: gleaming wood floors, tables with candles and white linen, all occupied. A string quartet played on a raised platform off to the side.

He was led to a grand stairwell that accessed the balcony. Upon closer inspection, he saw it was cordoned off, an attendant allowing or denying entry. The hostess nodded to the young woman, and she removed the velvet gate. Once he got to the top of the stairs, he saw the second floor was arranged differently; The tables were more private; an open bar occupying the far wall. Full length windows on the outside wall, he glimpsed an outdoor seating area, but it was closed for winter.

Luke caught sight of Valentine, chatting with a small group at the bar, and felt a rush of affection for him, knowing that he'd been here waiting. The host announced Luke's arrival and Valentine looked up. He was even more elegantly dressed than usual, in a black tuxedo, with a black bow tie and black dress shoes. He'd had passing thoughts about this, but seeing Valentine dressed to the nines, and Luke wearing his version of the same; was this a date? He did not want to assume.

The group at the bar looked distinctly displeased when Valentine excused himself, walking over to Luke and to their table. They exchanged greetings and took their seats.

"Do you come here often?" asked Luke.

"You are wondering how I got this table. Let us just say someone owed me a favor." Valentine answered obliquely, then changed the subject. "I hear you are renovating The Jade Wolf. Tell me about that. Also, who named it?"

It was unexpectedly challenging, with odd surprises. Rat skeletons in the wall, faulty wiring. Tile floors under tile floors, but it was satisfying, and he could tell it endeared him to the pack. He told Valentine about the work, but left the pack out of it. Valentine did not ask him any direct questions about the pack, which Luke appreciated; he already decided before this he would keep pack matters private. A waiter came by with appetizers. Valentine must have ordered them earlier.

Valentine was also curious about the book business. How did Luke go about picking out books, even minutiae about it; how did he organize them, how did he pick his business hours. Closed on Mondays. "That was Jocelyn's idea, was it not? That sounds like her brand of humor." Monday, Moon-day. It was, and Jocelyn always got a chuckle out of it.

Luke wondered about Valentine's life. Distantly, he was aware of many things he could ask, but he kept hesitating and he wasn't sure why. All of them weren't appropriate for this setting, but many were. Finally, he settled on asking Valentine about places he had been. Valentine had always wanted to travel, and Luke figured he had plenty of opportunity.

The group from the bar stopped by on their way out. One couple talked with Luke briefly, while the rest talked with Valentine. The couple relaxed when he said Valentine and he had gone to school together; That that was how they met. He sighed internally. Was it always like this with him and Valentine, and he just hadn't wanted to see it? Were they so disparate that it gave people pause whenever they were together?

There were two beautiful women in the group talking with Valentine, and their interest in him was unmistakeable. Luke heard them ask Valentine to join them at a party later that night. Valentine politely declined. Still, one handed Valentine her business card, with a wink and a smile.

"Poor Martina." said Annette, the woman Luke was speaking with. "She just can't help herself. Was it like this when you two were in school together?"

"It was."

"Well, I for one do not miss the dating scene. Good evening to you, Luke." Annette replied, hooking her arm through her companion's.

"Good evening to you as well." Luke echoed back.

Luke and Valentine sat back down as the group made their way to the staircase. Their main meal arrived shortly after. The food was delicious: incredibly rich and artistically presented. When they had finished, they ordered dessert.

This was dreamlike. The setting contributed – he hadn't been in such a formal venue, and so fancifully dressed, since Idris – but even as they continued speaking, with Valentine right in front of him, he couldn't shake this sense of unreality.

After they finished dessert, Luke wondered about the check. Nothing on the menu had prices, but to his surprise, they were were never presented a bill. "Shall we be on our way?" Valentine asked.

"The bill?" asked Luke in return, confused.

"It is already taken care of." said Valentine smoothly, though a hint of a smile came out.

"Alright." said Luke, too flustered to say anything more.

The restaurant was still crowded as they walked out. They got their coats and headed out into the brisk night air, leaving the music and voices behind. There was a path along the waterfront, and a look out point, a good ways away from the restaurant doors. They headed over to it, and watched the water. They were standing in the shadow between lights, and a fog was rolling in to shore.

"Thank you, for dinner. Or should I thank whoever owed you?"

Valentine chuckled. "She still owes me," and he once again changed subjects. "It is strange you ended up in the city that never sleeps, Lucian. You were always more content in the countryside."

"I still am. That's where I spent most of my time, before I settled here."

"Thank you, for helping Jonathan that night. He is capable, but his arrogance often gets the better of him. I thanked you when you were incapacitated, but I do not know if you heard me." Luke noted his subtle wording, and followed suit.

"I knew you were there, but not what you were saying. Like I was underwater. I couldn't break the surface."

"I assumed with your ascendancy, but you are well?"

"I am, amazingly. Magnus and Amatis had two young ones working at my shop when I was not well. I wouldn't have chosen to be the leader so quickly, but the previous leader was stepping down."

"Oh? Magnus orchestrated this? I see why, it is a wise move on his part. I too would want an ally to lead a rival faction, and you will have his support as well."

Luke thought when they left the restaurant, the dreamlike feeling would go away, but it had actually intensified, and he was starting to feel alarmed by it. He wanted to broach what happened the last night they were together in person. Valentine had not made any allusions to it this evening. Even though he was with Valentine in the flesh, he felt a distance between them he couldn't traverse.

They had talked so openly that night, but so much had happened, between then and now. Still, he wanted to try. It had felt right that night. It still felt right, even though it felt removed from him. Though that remove helped him say this so directly.

"Valentine, I don't regret what happened the last time we saw each other. Do you?"

Valentine turned to look at him. It was hard to read his expression in the low light and the fog.

"I do not." Valentine replied simply.

"Are you going to be in the area for long? Could we see each other again?"

"Are you available two nights from now?"

"I am."

They arranged a time and place to meet. Luke smiled. He saw Valentine smile too. As they were getting ready to part, Luke looked around. There was no one in sight, and they were hidden by the dark and the fog. He normally would not do this, but he wanted to try one final attempt to ground himself. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Valentine's, pulling away after a heartbeat.

"Goodnight, Valentine."

"Goodnight, Lucian."

They walked back to the main road, then headed in opposite directions. Whatever he'd been hoping to accomplish with that kiss, it hadn't worked. He felt more than disconnected; he felt insubstantial, as if he were not even here.