NATHANHoly crap, it was fucking loud in here.I motioned toward the bar and Lannon caught my drift as we threaded our way through the crowd and went to the corner bar.The music stopped for a bit, even though my ears kept thumping right along.Almost immediately, another song came on, blaring loudly through the speakers, making me scowl.I'd been hoping it would stop long enough for me to ask the bartender for a drink. Now I would have to holler at the guy.The bartender was preppy. Wearing a black shirt and looking so serious, I almost laughed.He probably thought since it was a sort of corporate party, he had to watch himself."Hey man, loosen up!" Lannon yelled at the guy.We ordered tequila shots, shouting across the bar at him. He threw us a thumbs up sign to show he'd heard us. We accepted our drinks and both of us turned around, drink in hand, to survey the assortment of people in the dimly lit interior."Your place is going to be super wrecked after this." Lannon said. I he
FAYE"TO COLLEGE," Mira said, lifting her shot glass filled with chilled Patron high in the air. "May it remember us fondly as it kisses our sweet asses goodbye!""Cheers!" I yelled in unison with the table as we clinked our glasses together before tapping them on the table and throwing them back. I hissed as the tequila stung my nose and throat, quickly reaching for a lime and sucking it dry."Shit, that burns," Mira laughed, her blue eyes watering."I hate tequila," I agreed, dropping the dry lime in the bowl and reaching for my beer."Same, but it gets the job done," Mira said. Mira and I both tilted our beers to our lips and took a long pull of it. Mira slid off her bar stool and pointed at me. "Be right back, I have to pee." I nodded at her and turned my attention to the other group of grads in the high scale bar where we were celebrating. Mira was my project partner in one of my classes. We’d gotten to know each other a lot over the last few years, especially being that we w
FAYEI should have guessed he'd show up here. But how had he known which bar and which part of town we'd be in? Mira cranked her neck in the same direction as the entrance to the bar. She told me not to look, but of course I didn’t listen — how could I?Axel had just walked into the bar, and I had to see for myself. As soon as I spotted him, my heart jumped, and the answer to the question Mira had asked just minutes ago became clear in my mind. It had been only a few months since the last time he'd visited.He had gotten busier and his visits had become few and far in between because of his workload and business trips. He'd told me he couldn't make it to the grad ceremony, the same as Yvonne.I hadn't minded that. They'd been present a lot already, and I wasn't so fragile that I'd need family today too. My mouth watered and, like a magnet, his eyes found mine just as the door swung closed behind him.He came with a group of men, all dressed in suits, and one clapped him on the sho
FAYEI loved the way Axel’s one hand rested easily on the steering wheel while the other held the gear shift. I loved the way the warm breeze whipped in through the windows of his new Porsche. I loved the easy conversation, and the easy silence — because we knew each other so well now. Better than when I'd left home. Axel let me choose the playlist as we caught up, him filling me in on his work, and what was going on with Yvonne, while I talked about my relief at finishing school finally, and reminisced about the things I would miss about Uni. Even though it had been hard, studying for a business degree, I had finally gotten it. "I can’t believe you're driving a Porsche now," I commented, running my hands along the edge of my seat.It was literally brand new, decked out, and it was dark and edgy. The interior was leather and sleek, the dashboard advanced, and the paint job was matte black. Even his rims were a dark charcoal gray, and I loved the way he looked in the driver seat —
FAYEAs soon as my plane touched down, before I even made it to baggage claim, I grabbed an Iced Americano from Starbucks. Not sleeping the night before an early flight and spending the night not sleeping, and worrying instead, had been a mistake. I was feeling a strange mix of exhaustion and excitement. I figured why not add caffeine to the mix?Sipping from the brown straw as I took the escalator down to baggage claim, I focused on remaining calm. When I saw Yvonne, a huge ball of warmth and love burst in my belly. She had a welcoming smile on her face as she stood, waiting for me with a large yellow cardboard paper that said FAYE, in huge block letters on it. I could barely hold myself back as I stepped off the bottom step of the escalator walked to her. I took three steps before I was in front of her and threw myself into her open arms, hugging her tightly, as my carry-on bag crashed to the tiled floors of the airport lounge, unheaded. She wore casual clothes. Which was a bit
FAYEI strolled the exquisitely landscaped grounds of the pack estate. It was a cold evening, and I'd only worn a silk top and loose trousers to step out of my room. Probably not the best choice, since the cold bite of the wind was now whipping me. I rubbed my hands up and down my arms, trying to rub away the chill. I continued to look around, taking in the Eclipse pack estate. I stayed in a detached duplex with a little fenced lawn, a little way away from the huge pack house, which stood squarely in the center of the land. Painted a pale white, its color was giving off a glow similar to that of the moon at midnight. It was a magnificent house, large and in addition decorative.It felt surreal. Being back here in the states. It had only been four years, but it felt like a lifetime. I'd only ever learnt to stand by myself there. My day-to-day care and living depended solely on me, and the decisions and made. And of course on Axel. I could feel a smug smile pull at my lips as I rem
FAYEThe duplex I lived in was way too big for one person. It boasted seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms, with a sprawling veranda and a pool in the back. I could watch the sunset every evening from the veranda and have a late lunch or dinner there. I'd lived alone all four years I'd spent in Paris. And that helped some with staying in this big house all by myself, even though back in Paris I had only lived in a student apartment. I hadn't wanted to live luxuriously like Axel and Yvonne had wanted me to. I had wanted to experience even a little bit of student life.I sat on the veranda now, as the thoughts of the coronation settled in my mind. They had insisted on it. All three of the elders. It was something they'd wanted immediately Yvonne had found me, but they had agreed to wait until I was more prepared for the rigours and responsibilities of the position. They felt I was ready now. Yvonne wanted me to have more time to settle in on the pack property, but they'd countered tha
FAYEI stepped out of the elevator and turned right, heading down to Kate’s apartment at the end of the hall. I was excited to see her again, after not seeing her for such a long time. She knew I was back in the States, but she didn't know I was on my way to her apartment right now.I knocked solidly three times and waited for Kate to open the door. She did so without hesitation and stood there; the shock written all over her face.Her right hand whipped up over her mouth and she stared at me with wide eyes, as I stood there grinning from ear to ear. My surprise had been effectively carried out. "Gonna invite me in?" I asked with a smile.The next minute she squealed and threw the door widely opened, and then flung herself on me, screaming the entire time. I vaguely wondered what her neighbors in the other apartments would think, even as I hugged her back and squeezed, trying to imprint her body shape on mine. She broke the hug and then brought her hands to grip my palms. "Your ha