How Lucie had managed to look beautiful whilst drenched head to toe, Shane would never understand. But she did.
Her hair was plastered to her face, and hung down in tendrils to her chest, even though it looked like she'd tied it up off her face. It turned so dark when it was wet, it was almost as black as the clouds that brewed outside. She seemed to try to tuck her feet under her as much as possible, the puddle under her taking up so much more space than she did.
He'd been irritated when Marnie had asked him to light the fire. He was half way through a level, and this was not a game that just let you save whenever you liked. Marnie never seemed to be sympathetic to that though, so he was going to have to lose all his progress just to light a stupid fire in the middle of summer. Just because it was raining didn't mean it was cold.
Then, he'd heard Lucie's voice. He'd heard the shiver in her voice, heard her protest, and he was moving towards the door without bothering with the game.
He'd opened the door, and seen her, and loved her, all in the same fractured heartbeat. But she hadn't noticed him until she'd been thoroughly defeated by Marnie.
He'd only realised how much he'd noticed her when Marnie asked if she wanted tea or coffee and Shane knew the answer. He'd never been in her house, never seen her kitchen (did she even have a kitchen in that tiny place?) and yet, he knew she'd have tea. He had to focus on the fire so much more than was necessary just to stop himself from telling Lucie how he felt. He didn't want her to know the fluttering that he was trapping in his chest, but he knew himself too well. If he wasn't careful, he'd just say it without thinking.
Shane said what he felt, and felt what he said, and that was too dangerous to be allowed with Lucie.
He'd had to sit down for a moment on his bed, and just breathe. Thank Yoba that Marnie had sent him to go find clean clothes for her. He just needed to think for a second - or not think rather. He needed to just have a moment where he didn't notice everything about her, like the way she curled her fingers around the mug and cradled it to her sternum, lifting it to her mouth with both hands. The way that she seemed to inhale the steam for a moment before she drank from the mug. The way that she always lifted one foot on to tiptoe and pressed it into the ground behind her, toes furling under the weight of her body.
That night at the Stardrop she'd been stunning, but here… it was everything she did that captured Shane and he couldn't bear it.
She looked ridiculous in his clothes. His t shirt, which was the least embarrassing and most clean, hung down to her mid thigh, and the joggers? He would have been better off giving her some of Jas's clothes to wear.
When Shane had said as much, Lucie had laughed. Marnie had paused before she laughed, as though waiting for permission to find it funny, but Lucie had laughed whole heartedly and without hesitation. She'd let her face wrinkle as it would, her dimples breaking out as she lifted her head backwards and let the laugh burst out whole heartedly. And Shane had laughed with her, startled by his own laughter. It had been a while since he'd felt this carefree.
It felt so natural to sit at a table with her. Her and Jas and Marnie and him. It made sense to Shane. He was quiet whilst he ate, but Jas and Lucie wittered away about anything and everything. Lucie had complimented the tiara, and that was it. Jas was telling her all about the kingdom she ruled, her bedroom, and her citizens, the chickens, and the tax reform she wanted to introduce.
Lucie had raised an eyebrow and looked at Shane when the young girl had said 'tax reform' proudly. Shane felt slightly embarrassed, but swallowed it and simply said.
"Well, if my goddaughter is going to be a ruler, I thought she ought to have the knowledge to do it properly."
The conversation quickly moved back to Jas's plans for her kingdom.
Marnie's light touch on his shoulder was all the hint Shane needed that she wanted him to use tidying up as an excuse to talk to him. A small bubble of resentment formed in his gut, but Lucie and Jas were still talking, so he didn't fight her this time.
Once they reached the sink and were stacking dishes next to it, Marnie broke into a grin.
"She's good with Jas," she said, her voice low.
"She's good with everyone."
Marnie swatted him on the shoulder.
"Hush. I still think you ought to apologise to her for your fight. Don't think I've forgotten, just because she has right now." Marnie looked warningly at Shane and he let out a heavy sigh instead of replying. Marnie continued: "I know the kind of person Lucie is. She'll forgive you right now, but it'll prey on her if you don't acknowledge it."
Shane didn't want to acknowledge it.
Marnie had made a trifle. When she'd done that, Shane had no idea. It almost felt like she'd planned this - no. It was a freak thunderstorm. Marnie was good, but she wasn't able to control the weather.
Lucie took ridiculously small spoonfuls, it was adorable. Shane wondered if Harvey thought it was cute too.
And there it was. There was that resentment. Fuck. He was going to ruin it, and he knew it, but he couldn't stop the words coming out of his mouth.
"How's Harvey?"
Marnie kicked him under the table, her still-booted foot colliding painfully with his shin. Shane held back the wince, almost out of spite, and continued to eat his trifle as though nothing had happened.
"Harvey?" Lucie asked with a small laugh. "He seems perfectly fine to me. Why?"
"Just haven't seen him around in a while, and you seem to know him well." The deliberate neutral tone to his voice was so suggestive. Shane scraped his spoon asked the bowl, aggressively trying to find all the scraps of trifle left in there.
Lucie frowned at him, he didn't need to look up to know she was frowning. He glanced at her, and then a dawning realisation seemed to hit her.
"Wait… oh, this is embarrassing. You know?" Lucie burned a bright red, and buried her face in her left hand, still holding the spoon in her right hand. Marnie shot Shane a look which said 'you fucking moron', louder than words could. Shane could feel the swear intended even though Marnie didn't swear on principle. She cleared her throat and said lightly:
"He suspected when he saw you come out the clinic."
Lucie laughed quietly and placed the spoon on the table.
"Please don't tell anyone? I thought I'd got away with it," she said, clearly oblivious to the awkwardness around the table. Jas looked puzzled, thank Yoba. "Honestly, the amount of bruises I was covered in. I could barely move the next day."
"Lucie!" Marnie scolded, gesturing her head to Jas. Lucie looked taken aback, flicking her gaze between Shane's face and Marnie's slightly horrified expression. Lucie leant back in her chair, confusion reigning on her face. A sinking feeling founded itself in Shane's gut.
"Wait. What do you think happened?"
Shane avoided her gaze, trying not to let the guilt wash over him. He'd fucked up. He'd so definitely fucked up.
"Shane." The warning was in her voice and her eyes. "What were you two talking about? Tell me."
Shane had always seen the phrase 'eyes flashed in anger' in books, but never knew what it meant. He knew now.
He used a hand to block his lips from Jas and spoke quietly.
"We, uh, kinda thought the two of you…" he paused, glanced at Jas, who was suddenly very interested. He mouthed the final words. "…slept together."
The warning faded from Lucie's eyes as she leant back again. She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly.
"Idiot." She muttered to herself. Then, her eyes snapped open. "Is that why you were so weird when he brought that letter round?"
Shane awkwardly scratched his nose, then the back of his neck. Then nodded.
Lucie rolled her eyes.
"That was a bill. Because I fell asleep and fell down some steps, and he charged me 1000 gold to sleep in his office." She pressed her fingers to her nose. "And you thought it was, what, a thank you note?"
Okay, when she put it like that, it sounded ridiculous. Shane turned to Marnie for help, but she'd vanished along with Jas. When had Marnie left? He genuinely hadn't noticed them getting up. Why did she leave him to face this alone? It served him right, but he didn't want to be the only one being told off.
"I'm sorry." It was all he could think to say. Lucie shook her head at him.
"You really are an idiot." Was she smiling? Oh, she was. Oh, no, this was worse somehow. Now she was letting out a small laugh, and reached across the table to pat Shane's hand. "Shall we just get one thing clear? Harvey? Not my type."
"Oh." That was a lame response. Think of something better, come on, Shane. "Why… why not?"
Lucie grinned at him, and folded her hands in her lap, looking at him with an expression he couldn't work out. Her eyes danced, and she parted her lips before closing them again. She pulled her lower lip in with her teeth, wetting it before she spoke.
"He's too nice. You can't tease him, because he will view it as something he needs to work on," she finally said. She faltered once more, then said. "Not like with you. You mock me too. That's why he's not my type."
