"Can't we go to a different bar this time?" I pout, sagging into the worn leather booth.
"Look, me and Oppo go way back. I like to help them out with my patronage whenever I can, plus this is the best place to go after a failed mission," Damon explains plainly.
I raise a sculpted eyebrow, "You mean the only place that still serves us?"
Damon chuckles sourly, "That too. What are you having this time, Princess? Feel like changing things up?" The last time I let Damon order for me, I got a little too drunk, and probably almost got myself killed. Could he have actually hurt me, though?
"Red wine, please," I say firmly.
"Oh you so fancy, your highness," Damon sticks his right pinky in the air, pursing his pout together as he takes a tiny sip out of an invisible wine glass. I slip him a small smile as I take my tentative first sip. Gosh, this is vile. Better than the krill abomination by far, but, Nerissa, did you actually enjoy this?
Nerissa. Another memory of her awakens in my consciousness. She loved Pinot Noir, but only the one from a specific vineyard. I doubt this is the stuff she used to have during our movie nights. I always had white grape juice. Yes, I was always this fancy. If she were in front of me right now, I don't think I'd recognize her. Her face remains elusive, a hazy recollection. Calderon says I look a bit like her, but I remember being told that before, and neither Nerissa nor I see the resemblence. The way Calderon talks about her, she sounds like an amazing person. He seems in awe of her apparent beauty, too. Maybe that's why he kept staring at me when I first arrived on the A6. I still catch little glances from time to time.
"To still not having the location of the Orionite labs!" We clink glasses, the hollow toast echoing through Oppo's dimly lit bar. Tonight's failure stings, another dead end in a month-long string of disappointments. Fatigue settles over my face, weighing me down. "That's just how it goes sometimes, Princess." Damon rarely uses my name anymore. I've told everyone to please just call me Raina. Everyone but Damon respected my wishes. Of course, Vexx calls me princess, but, that's different somehow. That's because you're still his princess, Princess.
"Are you mine, Princess?" A chill quickly courses through my veins. Every hair on my body stands on end as the memory comes through so strongly that I can hear him beside me, whispering the words into my ear. Vexx and I had just pulled off our most daring "heist" yet — crashing a masquerade ball. We called them that, because we were stealing experiences we didn't own, or weren't invited to, rather. As the 11th child of King Fenris, I wasn't permitted to do much. Balls, galas, so much I missed out on because I dared to be born so late. The masquerade ball was the perfect chance to step out of the shadows, protected by 2 flimsy masks. Vexx was very convincing, but I was so nervous. Going out in the city was one thing, but this? I kept picking at my cuticles. "We don't have to…" He sounded so disappointed. I'm not missing out on my chance to dance with him.
"Let's go," I took his hand in mine, a renewed determination ignited me from within. His eyes blazed, his smile reclaiming the night.
His fingers intertwined with mine, his touch absolutely electric. The orchestra's melody beckoned to us from the hall. "I'm scared," I admitted quietly, the mask hiding my face, but not my trembling.
Vexx smiled at me. "Don't be. You're breathtaking, Raina." He drew me onto the dance floor, our steps merging in perfect harmony, freed from protocol and expectation. For one enchanting evening, I actually did feel like a princess. His princess. Vexx's hand on my waist guided me through the waltz, his chest against mine. Our masks touched, his breath caressing my skin. I was his, and he was mine. The music swelled, a crescendo of emotions. Vexx's eyes burned with intensity.
Are you mine, Princess?
Are you mine, Princess?
Are you mine, Princess?
I lose my balance, my shoulder bumps Damon's. He makes fun of me, thinking I'm already too drunk. I'm not, but I'm about to be if I can't pull myself together. I finish the rest of my wine, and then, Damon's drink. "Hey!" My eyes defocus and everything around me seems to stop. Tears, again. I am always so emotional. I wish I didn't have to feel, it's so inconvenient. "Hey," his tone changes to something resembling sincerity, "are you okay?" No, I'm not.
"Can we go somewhere else, please?" A single tear falls down my cheek, taking some of the eyeliner I so masterfully applied with it.
"Where do you want to go, Raina?" His voice wraps around me like silk. Anywhere, with you. I want to be someone else tonight. To be his.
I can't decide if I'm ready to make the biggest mistake of my life. Second biggest. A hideous laugh emerges from me. He is a couple inches shorter, so, he'd be the second biggest mistake in more than one way. God, why is that so funny to me. It goes without saying that trusting Vexx was the biggest mistake of my life. If I sleep with Damon, at least no one else gets hurt. Only me. That single brain cell is back again.
You still have to see him after this. I push Damon up against the wall. You work with him every day. "What are you doing?" he gasps faintly. You don't even like him that way. My heart rate increases, my breathing is erratic. Raina, he's not Vexx. Damon's hands find my hips, his body pressing against mine, heat building. This isn't who you are. "Can I?" Damon's voice purrs as he tilts his face towards mine. You're only going to hurt even more. Our lips touch, and I pull back a little. Raina, he's not Vexx. I'm not even sure if Damon noticed. Raina, he's not Vexx. The thought echoes, but I'm lost in Damon's embrace. My thoughts are silenced with a kiss, our lips crashing together haphazardly. Months of tension are washed away. I can feel him smiling through each eager movement of his jaw. I feel his desire for me, his raw hunger that threatens to devour me whole. His fingers dig into my skin, holding me tight as thought I might slip away forever. Our bodies sway, lost in the moment. I bite his lower lip, as my hands trace the curves of his back, letting my hand find its way under his shirt. He's so warm. His lips taste like lemonade. "Tell me when to stop," he says breathlessly as his lips move lower and lower down my neck.
Raina. He's not Vexx. You miss Vexx. The ringing in my ears grows louder and louder. You love Vexx. "I'm sorry. Fuck." I pull away from him. Everything is spinning.