AN: This chapter gets a more Bridgerton-esque which means I will be raising the rating to be on the safe side. If you would like to skip the smut scene, skip from "They fumbled into her flat..." to "Daphne and Simon's appearance..." Otherwise happy reading!
When Katherine arrived, the luncheon appeared to already be in full swing. Anthony had been right, something she wouldn't admit to, but the moment she entered the garden, people turned their heads to follow her every move. Mrs. Trowbridge caught her first, trying to get any sort of gossip but Katherine was tight-lipped as ever and made sure to focus on the woman's upcoming heist at the British Museum. Luckily once the conversation moved to work, she grew bored and Katherine was able to move on right into the arms of Lucy Granville.
"Oh, aren't you a sight for sore eyes." She exclaimed as she hugged her friend. "I wasn't sure if you would be invited."
Lucy gave Katherine a small squeeze before bringing her over to where Henry was talking with a small group. "I'm certainly glad we were. I came over to try and save you. You've been kept rather busy and so hopefully keeping company with Henry and I will allow you to have some sort of break. And if it doesn't, we'll get Weatherby to come help keep the others away."
Katherine laughed. "I don't know what I would do without you." She told Lucy before greeting Henry with a hug.
"Marvelous as always, Kitty." Henry smiled as he pulled back.
"Gen is a genius." Katherine smiled.
"Oh, speaking of Genevieve," Lucy said, "she and I were thinking of doing a girls' night soon. It's been too long and you need a break."
Katherine grinned at the thought. "Yes, please."
"Then I'll let her know and we'll come kidnap you." Lucy laughed with Katherine soon joining her.
"Why do I get the feeling that that laughter means trouble?" Benedict asked, making his presence known to the group.
"That's because it is, dear friend," Henry said with a small smirk.
"Well, with Kitty involved, one can never be sure." Benedict teased, causing the group to laugh and earning a small nudge from Katherine.
"It is good to see you, Benedict," Henry said, "I've missed you at the studio of late. You must join me for another drawing lesson. As I said, improvement is all a matter of practice."
"At least, that is the excuse he gives for coming home with paint in all kinds of peculiar places." Lucy flirted.
Katherine, however, looked puzzled at the second eldest Bridgerton son. Had he not told Henry about him and Ronan? She of course was sworn to secrecy by Ronan but from what she had heard things were going quite well between the two. She had even seen the drawing Benedict had done of her friend. It was a fantastic piece that captured him completely.
Benedict actually giggled, trying to not get a mental image of Henry covered in paint. It wasn't exactly great either with Katherine looking at him as if she was trying to pick up on a deep, dark secret.
"Have you not been drawing?" Katherine finally asked. "Well, drawing for fun, I mean. Your graphic designs are fantastic so I can only imagine your artwork outside of work."
"No, I've been practicing. I, uh, just haven't had the time to come by the studio lately." Benedict answered.
"Well, since your family's been keeping Kitty so busy, you should ask her to model for you sometime so you could get some practice at home," Henry said. "Speaking of which, when things calm down for you, I'd love to figure out when you could make a non-work-related visit to the studio."
Katherine was just about to answer when Weatherby came up behind her and slung an arm around her shoulders. "Are you trying to bring her back for a modeling gig? She's surely been missed."
"Guys," Katherine couldn't help but notice the shocked look on Benedict's face, "remember he's only just learned that I have friends outside of his brother. Let's not give away all my secrets."
"Right," Benedict said, clearing his throat. "Speaking of which, can I talk to you, Kitty? In private?"
With a raised eyebrow, she turned to her friends. "Lovely seeing you all, as always. Text me, Luce, about girls' night and I will make sure that I am free." She smiled, laughing as Benedict pulled her away.
"Okay, okay," she started once they were away from the Granvilles, "I know that was a lot to take in but honestly besides your family and Simon, the others bore me and I have far more trust in the Granvilles, Weatherby, Gen, and Ronan than I ever would say if I had a friendship with Prudence or Cressida."
Benedict shook his head. "That's not it. I mean, that's not all of it. I kind of figured you must have known them well if you were at that party but do you know?"
"Do I know what?"
"About Henry and Weatherby?" He asked in a hushed whisper.
Katherine bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. "Yes and so does Lucy. Did Henry not tell you that they're all together?"
He shook his head. "And it seems like Lucy didn't tell him about me, her, and Gen." His cheeks burned. He hadn't told anyone and he honestly was surprised it seemed to all be tumbling out now.
"Well, it seems like you had a lot of fun then but is that really why you haven't gone back to continue lessons? Henry's truly one of the best around."
"No, that's not the only reason. I've uh, started something with Ronan and it started out as an experimentation but I don't know, he's been really great but I also don't want things to end either."
Katherine placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze as she smiled up at him. "One, thank you for telling me. It's completely okay to still be figuring things out, figuring yourself out. We live in this subset of society where rules are still strict and a little old-fashioned. So experiment, talk with Ronan, hell, talk with Henry or Weatherby. But know, I've got your back always."
Benedict let out a sigh before pulling her in for a tight hug. "Thanks, Kitty. You really are the best."
"Of course. Anything for you." She gave him a squeeze before pulling away.
"Then will you get together with my idiot of a brother?"
Katherine laughed. "I'm working on it."
He gasped as she walked away with a wink. That was the closest she had ever been to actually admitting that something was going on. She just kept surprising him today. Now he just wondered if he could get Anthony to admit to something similar.
She was just about to make it to Anthony when whisperings and murmurs filled the garden. Katherine looked towards the entrance and cursed before hurrying over to Violet's side as Portia tried to plead her case so that she and her daughters could return to society. Once Violet moved away, Katherine stepped in before her father could. "Portia, I think it's best if you leave and not appear at any more gatherings until this fully blows over. I told you this yesterday."
"But I have an invitation."
"Not anymore. I suggest you listen to my daughter this time and head back home before you cause an even bigger scene." Howard said, coming to stand behind his daughter.
Portia glared at them momentarily before turning around and motioning for her girls to follow. Katherine truly hated it for them. She didn't understand why the Featheringtons seemed to not want to listen to her.
"Before you continue your own facade, I need to speak with you," Howard said just as Katherine took a step forward to go back to where Anthony stood.
"Be careful, father, remember I know your secret too." She said as she turned around to face him.
"Now that Mr. and Mrs. Basset is back in the city, you should come home. Our breakfast was interrupted so your presence is required at dinner."
"I'd rather not have a repeat of breakfast. So unless you are magically done punishing me for something that isn't my fault, then I'm going to go back to the Bridgertons after this, get my things, and hopefully go back to my flat because I really miss my own bed."
"I think you misunderstood, Katherine. You will be at dinner."
"Then I will be too busy doing my job. If mom's here, then give her my love." She gave him just a hint of a smile before walking away to finally get to Anthony's side.
"You okay?" He asked her as soon as she was close enough. He knew their agreement about keeping a friendly closeness for today but he wasn't about to leave her standing there looking like she was about to scream or cry or both. So he pulled her into his side, handing her a lemonade from the tray of a waiter that just passed by.
She took it gratefully, no longer really giving a shit about appearances as she leaned into his side. "Did you drive separately? I'm ready to go and I want to give Eddy the rest of the day off because while I know he wouldn't do this to me I really don't want to take the chance of Eddy taking me to my parents because he was forced to."
"I didn't but give me one second." He kissed her head before pulling his phone out of his blazer pocket to make a phone call as Katherine sipped on her drink.
"All set?" He asked, pocketing his phone after he ended the call.
"What did you do?" She asked as she set her glass on another passing tray.
"Called for another driver so when my family is ready to leave there will still be two SUVs. So, you ready? That conversation with your dad didn't seem all that great."
"It wasn't." She agreed as they started to make their way towards the exit. "Can we stop by a chippy on the way?"
He laughed, keeping his arm around her waist as they exited the luncheon together. "Of course, we can."
Violet nudged Elizabeth Gibbs as she watched Anthony and Katherine leave the luncheon together. Ever since Daphne's wedding the two had appeared cozier than usual. The mothers were used to seeing their children close but as of late it seemed as though they were well and thoroughly attached at the hip. They seemed to always need to be near each other or to be touching.
"What do you think is happening there?" Violet asked her friend.
"I hope it means good news for both of us. Howard has been awfully hard on her lately and she only seems to be happy when she's around your son."
The Bridgerton matriarch fought a smile. She had always hoped that Anthony would wind up with Katherine. "It has been wonderful to see the two of them together again."
"It has, hasn't it? Do you think he will propose by the end of the season?" Elizabeth didn't want to see her daughter trapped in the loveless marriage Howard seemed set on forcing her into. She hoped the father-daughter duo would be able to reconcile all the hard feelings this season had stirred up between them. They had never been the closest but she hated seeing them constantly fight.
"I sure hope so but like Kitty, Anthony seems to do things on his own terms. I've stopped trying to push."
"Then all it seems we can do is wait." Elizabeth smiled before going back to her husband's side.
They looked completely out of place. While neither were wearing anything overly formal, they were still overdressed for the restaurant they currently occupied a booth in. Anthony had ditched his suit jacket, rolled up his sleeves to expose his forearms, and had undone a second button on his shirt. Katherine had traded her heeled sandals for some flats and had undone her braid, using the hair tie to pull back only some of her hair in a half updo.
A large basket of chips sat between them as they enjoyed time away from the ever-present watchful eye. They even chose a booth in the very back for the same reason. They just wanted to be Anthony and Katherine without all of the pressures awaiting them as soon as they returned home.
"This isn't Amore's…" Anthony started before being cut off by Katherine.
"Oh, hush. This is perfect." She smiled, leaning over the table to give him a quick kiss. "Do you remember that one time during year 12 that we snuck out of school and stayed out until dinner?"
Anthony laughed. "Our parents were together at your house. I thought your father was going to kill me and then mine was going to bring me back so he could kill me himself when you were the mastermind behind all of it."
"They somehow managed to keep us separated at school. We passed notes in the hall until our punishment was over." Katherine laughed along with him. "I still don't know how we didn't get in even more trouble with our teachers."
"Well, that's easy. You were so trusted that even when you flat out lied to them they believed you."
"I honestly don't know why I ever thought I was supposed to do anything else." Katherine shook her head.
When they were 16, Katherine worked on the school newspaper. Since she was one of the top journalists she got a pass that allowed her and usually one other person off campus if she had a story. During picture day, she and Anthony skipped the remainder of the day after they both got their pictures taken and traipsed around London including visiting a chippy and Hyde Park before heading home at sunset where they were met with two angry sets of parents.
Anthony gave a small shrug. "You've always talked about doing something more. Once Gibbs Communications is yours you could do whatever you wanted as long as the organization is still taken care of."
"Gala season is coming up in a few months and no one abroad didn't seem to think less of my abilities because I supported a few charities."
"No one would think less of you here either. I know mum attends a few and I'm pretty sure Lydia Danbury and Charlotte King herself publicly support charities too. Doesn't your mum hold some accounts for non-profits?"
Katherine nodded. "Yeah. The ones the ladies of the organization support but there are a few others I'd like to add."
"Then what's stopping you?"
"I'm not in charge yet." A small smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.
"That would do it." Anthony chuckled.
They knew they probably looked like idiots as they focused back on finishing their basket of chips as a comfortable silence fell over them. Under the table, their legs tangled together while on top, their fingers slowly moved to interlock as if they both were being softly pushed together. Once Anthony had his share of the food, he brought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss along her knuckles.
"I've missed this." He quietly confessed.
"So have I." She replied with a soft grin.
"Do you remember when we would try our best to schedule our classes so we could still eat lunch together?"
"Yes!" She exclaimed with laughter. "And even when I was doing online classes you would come home and eat with me before going back to campus."
"Lunch was our time together." He laughed. "We always said give us a lunch hour and we'd solve all the world's problems."
"Well, I'm going to need us to get back to that because we could have kept us from a lot of trouble these past few months."
"Consider it done." He smiled, squeezing her hand. "We'll have to compare schedules and see how we can make that happen."
"They won't be ready for us once we truly get back in sync."
"They never were to begin with." He smirked as he moved her hand so that he could kiss her wrist.
Katherine leaned forward and kissed his cheek. He turned his head, capturing her lips with his. Before things could get too heated, he pulled away, resting his forehead on her. "I really wish I hadn't sold my flat."
Giggling, she gave him another quick kiss. "Hey genius, I have a flat of my own."
"You have a flat of your own." He repeated until it clicked. "You have a flat of your own. Let's go." He slid to the end of the booth and then dragged Katherine out of the restaurant and back to the SUV with her laughing the whole way.
They fumbled into her flat, Anthony kicking the door shut behind them as he tugged at the belt keeping Katherine's dress together. In the elevator, he removed her hair tie and she managed to untuck his shirt while getting it nearly all the way unbuttoned. She finally got his shirt the rest of the way open, pushing it off and throwing it to the side just as he opened up her dress.
Letting out a small huff as her back landed against her kitchen island, she pouted slightly when Anthony pulled away. His eyes raked over her body, drinking in her newly exposed flesh. She reached out to him, his name falling from her lips with a slight whine but he remained just out of reach.
"Just let me take you in for a moment." He said.
She rolled her eyes as she kicked off her shoes and dropped the dress to the floor to give him a better view of what she was wearing underneath. The balconette she wore provided just enough extra lift that allowed for her cleavage to be fully displayed in the v-cut of the dress she wore. It was truly one of her favorite sets as the deep purple color of the set was covered by black lace giving it that added sultry look that made her feel powerful and sexy anytime she wore it. "Then you could at least take off your trousers while you do it."
Anthony really didn't have to be told twice. His fingers twitched at the very thought of getting to feel her under him soon. She was an absolute vision standing there in her underwear and still with the choker on that accentuated the column of her neck. He surged forward once he was rid of his trousers, capturing her lips with his in a heated kiss. As he unclasped the choker, he kissed along her neck, gently removing the choker before setting it on the counter for safekeeping.
His hands trailed down to her thighs as hers explored the expanse of his chest, causing a low growl to escape him. "Up." He ordered and soon he had her in his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist as her fingers tangled in his hair as they kissed.
Giving her thighs a squeeze to show just how much he enjoyed the feel of them wrapped around him, Anthony made his way into her bedroom and laid her down on her bed. He kissed along her neck, nipping at her pulse point before soothing the small bite with his tongue earning him a moan. He smirked against her collar bone as he unclasped her bra. Tossing the fabric aside, he trailed his hands up, cupping her breasts.
Katherine hummed at the touch, arching up in search of more. She pulled him back to her, kissing him passionately as her hands explored the planes of his back before sliding down to the waistband of his boxers. Before she could get much further, he pinched her nipple, causing her to gasp. "Anthony, please." She begged as she squeezed her thighs together looking for some kind of friction. This was truly going slower than she wanted.
He chuckled as he kissed his way down to her breast. "I've barely even started, Kitty." He flicked her nipple with his tongue. "But don't worry. I'll take good care of you." He promised before taking her breast into his mouth and sucking while he pinched the other one.
Katherine's fingers tangled in his hair as she arched her back. If he was already getting her this worked up with his mouth she couldn't wait until he was where she needed him the most.
After showing her other breast the same amount of attention, he kissed along her stomach, stopping at the waistband of her underwear. Slowly removing them, he set each of her legs over his shoulders. He moaned at the sight of her spread out for him, squirming with need and soaking just for him. He placed an arm across her hips to keep her from bucking up and licked her from entrance to clit. He lapped at her as if he was dying of thirst.
She moaned his name, tugging at his hair as he moaned around her clit. Soon he slid two fingers inside her as he sucked, eliciting another moan from her. She was grateful her bedroom didn't share any walls with another flat or she was sure she'd be annoying her neighbors by now.
How long have they waited to do this? And Katherine was sure the bliss from his ministrations was going to be heavenly, especially after he added a third finger but she needed more, she needed him. "Anthony. Anthony, please. I need you. I need you inside me. I can't wait any longer to know what it's like to have you."
Anthony moaned, slowly pulling his fingers from her and quickly losing his boxers. He trailed his nose along her jaw as he slowly rubbed her clit. "You beg so pretty for me Kitty." He nibbled against her ear lobe. "One of these days when I don't need to know just as desperately how you will feel squeezing around me we'll have some fun with that. Now tell me, where do you keep condoms?"
"Bedside table." Katherine breathed out. Anticipation of what was about to come made her even more breathless.
He brought one of her legs up to rest against his shoulder before slowly sliding in after he placed the condom on. A chorus of their moans filled the room.
"Oh, fuck me." She moaned at the feeling of just how much he filled her.
"That's the plan." He smirked down at her before he began to move.
He started out slow, wanting to make sure she had fully adjusted to him, but after she remarked on how she thought he was going to fuck her, there was no holding back. He thrust into her filling the room with the sounds of flesh slapping flesh mixing in with their moans of pleasure. He wanted their first time to last longer but with how much they waited it was the perfect mixture of exploration and making up for lost time.
"I'm- Anthony, I'm close." Katherine moaned out, meeting his thrusts with her own. The coil inside of her was just on the verge of snapping. She needed more.
Anthony reached down and began rubbing circles along her clit and after a few more swipes, she came with a shout of his name. He wasn't too far behind her and soon his thrusts stuttered and lost rhythm as he came.
He slowly lowered her leg back down before bending down to kiss her. She hummed in contentment as they lazily kissed for a while.
"Do I get to keep you for the rest of the day?" She asked him as he crawled back into bed after disposing of the condom.
"I can't think of anything that may need my attention." He replied, pulling her close and kissing along her neck.
"Good. Cause we're not leaving this bed until tomorrow."
He smirked. "I like the sound of that. For now, get some sleep. We're gonna need it."
She turned around and kissed him sweetly before laying her head on his chest, falling asleep with a smile on her face.
Daphne's and Simon's appearance at the luncheon actually worked. Colin and Marina were no longer talked about and even LW didn't mention a thing. Matter of fact the blog was rather quiet which Katherine didn't mind at all. It meant she could deal with other pressing matters like getting rid of Luca and helping Simon to repay those who had been burned by her father messing with things.
It also meant that she could snuggle further into the warmth offered by being in Anthony's arms. They managed to go three more rounds before they finally slept through the night. Katherine wasn't even sure she'd be able to walk properly but she'd worry about that later when she wasn't soaking up the blissful moments when she didn't have to rush anywhere.
Anthony hummed in contentment as he pulled her close, burying his face in her hair. "We haven't been staying here, why?" The only noise was the low hum of traffic down below. There wasn't any screaming or feet running down the hallways or loud knocking to get the day started. They were in their own bubble. They could take their time before appearing to the world.
"Because this season has been nothing short of ridiculous that we just wound up staying at your mum's for most of it."
"That's a good reason, I guess." They laughed a bit before he nudged her chin up so that he could kiss her.
Before they could get any further than the slow, lazy kisses of enjoying each other in the quiet morning, Katherine's phone started to ring. With a groan, she rolled to her back and reached out to pull it closer to her so she could see if the call could in fact be ignored.
"No," Anthony groaned, sliding down to bury his head in her neck.
As she brought her phone in front of her face, she began to run her fingers through his hair. At the sight of Henry's name, she let out a heavy sigh and answered it. If Trowbridge wasn't performing a heist soon, she would have let the call go to voicemail.
"Henry, why are you calling me so early?" She asked as she answered the call.
He chuckled. "Seems like you had a good night, indeed. It's ten o'clock dear."
Katherine pulled her phone away to check on the time. "Huh," she brought her phone back to her ear, "so it is. What can I do for you?"
"The Trowbridge piece is done. Feel free to pick it up when you're available."
Her brow furrowed and she stopped her ministrations to Anthony's hair as she tried to think back to her conversation with Trowbridge. Anthony's head popped up, silently asking her if everything was okay. She gave him a reassuring smile and nodded before finally answering Henry. "Is this a ploy so your lovely wife can kidnap me for girl's night?"
Henry chuckled. "I told her that you'd see right through it. Trowbridge had the piece picked up yesterday. But yes girl's night will be happening tonight so either come here or she and Gen will truly come and kidnap you."
"Well, please inform her that I will come by after lunch. See you soon." She said with a small laugh before hanging up the phone.
Anthony sighed, still leaning on his forearms above her. "That sounded like we have a day to finally start."
Katherine nodded. "And what better way than to start it off by trying to figure out how to get Luca gone?"
"I do have a lead that I need to follow up on. Would you like waffles while we sleuth together?" He asked as he got out of bed and pulled on his boxers.
Katherine smiled. "Yes, please. It'll be nice to eat them without trying to be bribed into being calm over being ordered to do something I don't want to do."
"Who said it wasn't a bribe?" He smirked before laughing as he dodged the pillow she threw his way.
Leaving their little bubble was harder than she expected it to be. She was excited to spend time with Gen and Lucy but she and Anthony were having too much fun together. He had found out that Luca had been fired from his last position. The aspiring sports journalist had blown up on live television as he was giving his report and of course, it had been plastered all over the internet. She and Anthony spent some time laughing over that before discussing if the videos were enough to get her father to cut him loose. In the end, they decided it wasn't and scoured the internet together to try and find anything else.
She and Lucy used the back entrance of Genevieve's shop, making their way up the stairs to her flat. Wine was soon poured and face masks were passed out as Genevieve turned on some tunes. With the next event for the season not being until the next day, she closed up shop early after finishing all of the outfits needed for the orchestra concert.
"Aww, I've missed this. It's been way too long." Lucy said, resting her head on Katherine's shoulder.
"Well, Miss Thing over there had to be a contributing member of society." Genevieve teased Katherine.
"If my father didn't force me into this, trust me there would have been plenty of girl's nights as soon as I got back in."
"Kitty, don't lie to us. You would have been just as taken with Anthony Bridgerton as you are now. I saw you two after the Featheringtons were asked to leave yesterday. You two were awfully cozy as you left early."
Genevieve gasped. "You left early with him?! Did anything happen or are you still taking a ride on denial?"
"We may or may not have crossed the line into more than friends. And I may or may not still be sore from last night." She mumbled into her glass.
The other two women squealed. "We knew it!"
"It was only a matter of time."
"You two have been bouncing around each other for ages."
Katherine hid her smile behind her glass before regaining her composure. "You know what else we haven't done in a while? A girl's trip. Gen, have you been asked back for fashion week? I think Paris is calling our name." She said as she lowered her glass down.
"Ooh, yes. We need a trip soon. So have you heard anything?" Lucy echoed.
Genevieve grinned. "Well I was going to save this until I got official invitations but I'm getting my own feature!"
All three girls squealed this time.
"Oh my God, Gen, that's fantastic!"
"We're so proud of you!"
"Kitty's gonna have to drum up a marketing plan for you!" Lucy laughed. "Don't forget about us little people."
"I could never but Kitty if things really do take off, I could really use your help."
"Of course! You know I'd do anything for you guys."
"We are not nearly drunk enough for this yet but I love you guys. Get in here. We need a group hug." Genevieve said, pulling her friends close as their laughter filled the room.
As the sound of a knock filtered in through the room, Katherine turned around and glared at it with a water glass raised for her to drink from. She was a little too far gone despite her sobering up some from her night with her friends. The hope that the person on the other end of the door would just leave turned into worry as she recognized a wary-looking Anthony walking through her door. "Why do you look like that?"
Anthony let out a sigh. "I'd hoped you would still be out or asleep."
She was about to make a quick remark when she noticed that he was cradling his hand. "What did you do?" She asked as she set her glass down and made her way around the kitchen island.
"It's nothing. I just need to clean it up and put some ice on it then I'll be fine." He said as he tried to get to the bathroom before she could get in his way.
That didn't exactly work out so every time he took a step, she followed until she grew tired of the dance and tugged his hand towards her. His knuckles were bloodied and it looked like there was some glass sticking out of some of the cuts. "What the fuck happened?"
He tried to move but she tightened her grip on his wrist. "Anthony, talk to me."
"You're not going to be happy."
"I'm gonna be more upset if you don't tell me."
Looking up to the ceiling, he let out a sigh. He really didn't want to talk about the why and he knew that once he told Katherine that everything would come bubbling forth. While she was gone he got comfortable with essentially cutting off any emotion that didn't allow for him to run a successful business. "I got into a fight with Simon." He finally confessed.
Katherine let out a small huff before tugging him towards the bathroom, mumbling about how she didn't understand why they seemed to be fighting all the time now. She closed the lid to the toilet and motioned for him to sit while she grabbed her tweezers, a first aid kit, and a towel.
"You're not going to ask me why?" He asked as he watched her gather the needed supplies.
"You'll tell me that when you're ready. I just wanted to make sure that I didn't have to do anything else besides patch you up." She said as she wet a washcloth.
She started by cleaning up the blood around his knuckles, apologizing each time that he winced in pain. Once she could more clearly see his wounds, she took her tweezers and pulled out the shards of glass she could pick out. "How did you even get glass in your hand?" She asked as she cleaned his hand once more from where she irritated the cuts along his knuckles.
"We went through a glass table."
"Anthony!" She admonished. "Is there anywhere else that you might be injured?" She asked as she started to bandage his hand.
He shook his head. "We didn't get too far. I'll just be sore tomorrow I'm sure."
Katherine sighed and brought his freshly bandaged hand up to her lips so she could kiss it better. "Then what caused you two to get so upset that you would go through a glass table?"
"Some words were exchanged after I told him to fix things with Daphne."
"Anthony, I told you to not say anything. It's for them to work through." She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"My sister snapped at you, Kitty, because of whatever he did. Because of whatever he dragged you into. Now he's avoiding me and barely even talking with you. I had to say something."
"You are aware that it takes two to tango, aren't you? That your sister has just an equal part as Simon. And because I know both sides, because those two are steadfast in their stubbornness, I have been turned into a scapegoat for your sister's anger which she's apologized for, by the way. So this all could have been avoided if you had just listened to me."
"I told you, you would be upset."
"Do I hate that my two best friends seem to keep fighting with each other? Sure. But I'm not upset that you keep solidifying that you are in fact, my idiot."
"Your idiot?"
"Yes, my idiot, and because you are my idiot I know there's something else that you haven't told me that you're holding back so I'm going to go drink some water, take some aspirin, and go to bed. Feel free to come talk to me during any of those steps." She pressed a kiss to his forehead and headed back out into the kitchen.
He watched her as she left. Simon's words and his own insecurities flared back up, consuming his mind. Would his father be proud of how he handled this first season? Had he overused Katherine's services when he was trying to help her get out of events? Would his father be proud of how he was handling all affairs in general? Did he really leave a trail of broken promises in his wake? He knew he had left some broken hearts behind but broken promises? Were they one in the same?
No longer wanting to sit alone in his thoughts, he went out to find Katherine. He found her in the kitchen, texting on her phone as she sipped on her water. Wrapping his arms around her from behind, he buried his face into her neck. She set her phone down, glad to know that Simon had minimal injury as well, and began to run her fingers through his hair.
"Please tell me that I have not broken any promises to you." He whispered, sounding more like the eighteen-year-old boy who had asked her after his father died if she would always be with him.
Katherine's heart broke. What words had been shared between the two friends that had caused such harm? "You're a man of your word, Anthony. You've kept all your promises towards me."
"And you don't think I've ruined your chances at taking over things because I called for your help at every little thing?"
She set her glass down and turned around in his arms, cupping his face in her hands. "Anthony, I didn't want to do this season thing anyway. You didn't ruin anything. No season that I would have participated in would have been successful unless I wound up with you anyway. No one would have compared. Most of the other daughters following in the organization's traditions haven't learned everything about the shady goings-on that we know happens every day. They've not even started really working for the organization yet. I have. I was bound to play double duty regardless and I'm not letting that stop me from planning my take over of Gibbs Communications. I welcomed any and all distractions from the events. You didn't use me or keep me from anything. If I hadn't wanted to help, I would have told you no."
He leaned in her touch, pulling her close to him as he rested his forehead against hers. "Do you think my dad would be proud?"
She moved so that she could wrap him in a tight embrace. "Of course, he would be."
"Even with all that happened with Daphne and Berbrooke?"
"He would have had a discussion with you on that."
He let out a heavy sigh and Katherine just squeezed him.
"The Berbrooke situation was whack and you know it. But Daphne is with someone who will take care of her and protect her in the business we work in. The rest of your family is doing well. Honey Bee Inc is still going strong. And you're one of the most trusted and favored captains in our organization. He is so incredibly proud of you."
He gripped her shirt as she spoke and the moment she felt tears at her collar, she kissed his temple. "You should probably take some aspirin too but let's get to bed. Then we can take our time to get ready for that orchestra concert we've got to go to tomorrow."
"I don't deserve you." He said before kissing her sweetly.
Once they pulled back, Katherine nudged the aspirin bottle towards him and then filled up a glass with water. She finished her glass as he took the medicine and once they were both done, she tugged them to bed. They both collapsed in an entanglement of limbs as they fell asleep.