A/N: Thank you all for your love and support! Enjoy this next chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 9: It's a party up in here
As expected, Lennitz & Crown Law Offices had gone all out for their company event at The Waldorf. Anthony had been at this hotel only once before for a colleague's wedding, but even that affair couldn't compare to the extravagance of this party. Over a hundred tables had been decked out in white silk tablecloths, bouquets of flowers, and crystal stemware. A huge glittering chandelier hung from the center of the gold and white ceiling, and a hired band serenaded them all as everyone mingled and chatted over their specially catered meal of braised lamb and roasted asparagus.
Anthony was having a decent enough time – it really was a beautiful event that the administrators had put a lot of time and effort into – but still, throughout it all he couldn't help but feel bored and restless. He hadn't heard from Kate all evening, and even though she only gave a tentative reply as to whether or not she would be able to come tonight, he still obsessively checked his phone every few minutes to see if she had called or texted. While Anthony hadn't technically given her his number yet, today Daphne had set up a group chat for everyone going on the Aubrey Hall trip. Kate and Anthony's numbers were both added to the chat, and Anthony had quickly added Kate to his contacts. He could only hope that Kate had added him too.
Dinner had finished hours ago, and all the executives and partners had given their respective speeches about how honored they were to work at such an amazing law firm for so many years. Anthony now sat at one of the larger tables with some of his coworkers and their spouses, who were chatting amongst themselves. Anthony listened more than he participated in the conversation, and he silently checked his phone for the thousandth time that evening.
No new messages.
Kate still hadn't texted him. Anthony was just contemplating whether or not he should reach out first when someone said his name:
"Bridgerton," Gavin, a fellow barrister sitting across from Anthony, spoke up, and Anthony glanced up at him. "You've been glued to your phone all night, mate. Got somewhere else you need to be?"
He said it with a knowing grin, and some of the others at the table chuckled. Anthony gave a small smile back, trying to look unaffected as he slipped his phone back in his pocket. "No, not at all."
"I'm surprised your girlfriend isn't here with us tonight," Cressida Cowper said spitefully from the other end of the table. Cressida had come alone to the party and hadn't spoken much to Anthony all evening, but he didn't miss the constant glares or the snide comments she sent his way for the past few hours. Cressida had thankfully cooled down on her incessant flirting with Anthony at the office since she found out he had a girlfriend, but the bitter resentment she clearly still held onto was obvious to everyone, especially Anthony.
"Kate's a pediatric nurse," Anthony said to her politely, wishing he could leave this conversation. "She works crazy hours, and she's coming off of a long shift tonight. I invited her to the party, but she's likely not going to be able to make it at all."
"Ah well, that's a shame," another barrister, Harry Jorgensen, said to Anthony with a sympathetic grimace. He shook his head. "I can't imagine having to miss out on an event like this because of working a late shift at a hospital. And as a nurse, no less!"
The others at the table murmured their fervent agreement, with Jorgensen's wife looking particularly horrified at the very idea of working at a hospital, and Anthony clenched his jaw. A lot of these rich lawyer-types only knew this life of wealth and luxury, having grown up in rich households while going to the best schools in the country. They couldn't fathom having to actually work a laborious job like a pediatric nurse.
Although, Anthony could technically also be counted as one of these snobs since he too came from a rich family and worked as a barrister. However, he would never in a million years look down at someone like Kate for the work that she did – in fact, he admired her quite a bit for it. Not to mention, his own sister worked as a pediatric nurse alongside Kate, and Anthony could honestly say he respected Daphne more than any other woman in his life, apart from his own mother.
Screw these pompous bastards.
"Excuse me," Anthony excused himself from the table and walked up to the open bar set up at the wall near the back of the ballroom. Since he didn't expect to hear from Kate at all tonight, he was going to have one more drink and then head back home.
"…Scotch on the rocks, please," Anthony said to the bartender, leaning his elbows on the bar, and the bartender promptly fixed the drink before handing it to him. Anthony lifted the glass slightly in thanks before taking a sip, relishing in the burning warmth in his throat as the whiskey went down.
Anthony resigned himself to the fact that this evening had just been a big waste of time. Of course, he was required to make an appearance due to his role as barrister, but if he had been allowed to skip it he would have. It was stupid of him to think Kate would have bothered to show her face…
"Do you always just drink whiskey?"
Anthony quickly turned around and felt his breath catch in his throat the moment his eyes landed on her: Kate.
She was walking toward him from the doors leading out to The Waldorf foyer, looking beautiful in a knee-length black dress that hugged all her curves perfectly. Her gorgeous curly hair was pulled back in a simple French twist and a hair clip, making her look elegant and put-together despite the long shift Anthony knew she had just worked. He couldn't help but stare at her as she approached him.
"Kate," he said, giving her body a onceover, as if convincing himself that she was really here. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you," Kate smiled, walking toward him tentatively. She had opted for ballet flats instead of heels, and her hands fiddled with her small black clutch purse as she glanced at their surroundings. "Sorry I'm a bit late, I just got off an hour ago. I see most people have left already."
"Oh, yeah," Anthony said, glancing around at the dozen or so people who were still hanging around. It was late now, and the party was definitely starting to wind down. "I was actually just thinking of leaving, but now I'm glad I didn't."
Kate let out a small giggle. "Yeah, me too. It would've been quite awkward to come to this place without seeing a familiar face."
Anthony grinned. "I'm happy to oblige. Although, if I wasn't here, I think Cressida is still hanging around somewhere."
"Oh God," Kate made a horrified face, and Anthony laughed. She walked up beside him at the bar, and Anthony turned to face her. "I suppose you'll do."
"Thanks," Anthony smirked at her before nodding toward the bar. "What'll you have?"
"I dunno," Kate said, her large brown eyes roving over the bottles of alcohol displayed behind the bar before looking back at Anthony. "What are you having?"
For a moment, Anthony wanted to tell her the Scotch he was drinking, but instead he decided to have a little fun. He turned to the bartender. "Two Irish car bombs, please," he said firmly to him. The bartender smirked at him before going to fix their drinks.
"Irish car bombs?" Kate frowned in confusion as she looked at Anthony. "What the hell is that?"
"It's like a Jager bomb, but with Baileys and Guinness," Anthony explained to her, smirking. "I thought it would be fun to do one with you."
"Fun? We're not in college anymore, Anthony," Kate said, shaking her head in humor and exasperation. "But I guess a celebration is in order. I finally have a day off tomorrow and I'm going to spend it sleeping the day away."
"That's the spirit," Anthony grinned. At that moment, the bartender returned with their tumblers of Guinness and shots of Baileys.
"Oh my God," Kate giggled, examining the drinks warily. "So we have to drop the Baileys in and chug it?"
"Yes we do. Ready?" Anthony smirked, picking up his glass and shot glass, and Kate did the same with hers. "Cheers."
They clinked their glasses together. "Cheers," she said. As one, they dropped their shots of Baileys into their beers, which immediately foamed up, and they quickly chugged them down. After a few moments, they both drained their glasses and placed them back on the bar, and they both burst out laughing.
"Oh my God, that was ridiculous!" Kate laughed, holding a hand over her mouth. "But I admit, it was fun."
"I'm glad," Anthony chuckled, hiccupping slightly and placing a hand on his chest. "God, that did feel like college."
Kate giggled, looking down at her glass before meeting Anthony's eyes with a small smile. "I'm glad I came tonight," she admitted. Anthony looked at her before smiling.
"I'm glad too," he said sincerely. They continued to look at each other, as if conveying a silent message with their eyes, and Anthony had a sudden urge to tell her the truth.
"Can I confess something?" he asked after a moment. Kate blinked, gazing at him curiously for a second before nodding. "I just think you should know that, well… I'm not actually interested in Edwina."
Kate blinked, looking rather stunned at that confession. "Oh," she said quietly after a moment. "I… I see."
"Since we're all going to Aubrey Hall together in the next few weeks, I figured I should tell you the truth," Anthony said sincerely. "I was never interested in her. I just said that to mess with you, but it obviously went too far. I know you still want Tom and your sister to break up, but I'm not going to try to make a move on her. I just wanted you to know that."
Kate continued to stare at Anthony, and after a moment she let out a sigh, almost of relief. "Thank you for telling me," she said, her shoulders dropping slightly. "Honestly, I was worried I would have to spend the whole trip watching you fawning all over my sister, but I'm glad to hear I won't have to deal with that nonsense now."
Anthony laughed. "Well, I'm still going to fawn all over her, but just to mess with you."
"You're funny," Kate snarked at him, but after a moment her smile faded into a more pensive expression. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course," Anthony said.
"Do you think that I'm just wasting my time trying to break up Tom and my sister?"
"Yes," Anthony said without hesitation, and Kate shoved his arm. Anthony laughed. "What? I'm being honest. I do think trying to break them up is a waste of time."
"I was just so angry when I found out they were together," Kate sighed, leaning her elbows on the bar, and Anthony followed suit. "Edwina's such a sweet person, and Tom is such an arsehole… it just feels like he's taking advantage of her, and I can't stand seeing my sister get hurt."
"Maybe she won't get hurt," Anthony said fairly, and Kate looked at him. "You never know – maybe the two of them could actually be good for each other."
Kate grimaced. "I suppose so. I'm just having trouble believing it."
"I understand," Anthony said with a nod. "But you never know how two people are going to find each other. It may not seem likely, but Tom and Edwina could actually be perfect for each other if you just gave them a chance."
Kate gave him a small smile. "Anthony Bridgerton… such a romantic."
Anthony raised his empty tumbler. "Don't you forget it."
They both chuckled before falling into a comfortable silence for a couple minutes. Most of the people were filtering out of the ballroom, and Anthony knew it was probably time for him and Kate to head out. He realized with a small amount of surprise that he didn't really want to go.
"I really am glad you came tonight, Kate," Anthony said sincerely. He didn't know why, but he wanted her to know he was being honest.
Kate looked over at him before offering him a smile. "I am too."
And Anthony knew she meant it.
A/N: A nice conversation with our two lovebirds :)
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