Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 116759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
“I can snog you at midnight,” Zac offered matter-of-factly.
I snorted. “I don’t need a pity snog, but thanks.”
“Lil, you’ve seen you, right?” Zac gave me a very serious look, despite the drunken glaze in his eyes. “You’re gorgeous. It wouldn’t exactly be a chore to kiss you at midnight.”
“You’re sweet.” I reached out to squeeze his arm. “But I’m good. I promise.” It was an absolute lie.
“Right.” His tone suggested he knew it was a lie too.
Wanting desperately to change the subject, I asked, “How was LA?”
Zac’s entire demeanor changed. His features hardened and he pushed away from the wall. “Exactly as I imagined it would be.”
Sympathy filled me at his dull tone. “Do you want to talk about it?”
His eyes and mouth softened. “There’s not much to say, Lil. I realized a few years ago that my mother is a narcissist who loves herself more than she’ll ever love anyone else, including her son. One day my heart will catch up with my brain and it’ll stop hurting.”
I didn’t say I was sorry. I had a feeling that would piss him off. But I was sorry. It baffled me that some people had children and then forgot to love them. “You’ll do better with your own children.”
“I hope so. Harry and I say that all the time.”
Surprised, I asked, “Harry wants children?”
Zac chuckled. “Unbelievably, yes. At some point. Later. Much, much later in life. But he gets it, you know. His mum is all right. But his dad is an utter prick. It’s harder for Bas to get it. He’s had this amazing childhood with wonderful, loving parents. Like something out of a children’s book.”
I frowned because I heard a hint of bitterness in his tone. “He’s not had it easy with his parents this year.”
“Oh, I know.” Zac nodded. “I feel bad for the guy. But at the same time, his parents were good when he needed them to be. Not much to complain about there. Bastian’s kind of … things come easy to him. I love the bloke, so I’m glad for him, but I think he takes things for granted.”
I wasn’t sure I agreed at all. The one thing I’d admired about Sebastian was that he recognized his privilege and had a great perspective.
“I’m feeling better,” I replied quietly. “I’m going to find January.”
“Sure,” Zac agreed easily and strode across the room to let me out. As we did, he said in my ear, “Lil, you deserve better than Sebastian.”
My heart flipped over in my chest. “Zac—”
“She’s the type of girl he’ll end up with.” Zac gestured across the room to Sebastian and Candice who stood near one of the large floor-to-ceiling windows in the main room. “I don’t say this to be a shit but to help. She’s from old money. Aristocratic. Known and liked by the royal family. That’s the kind of woman he’ll choose to be with. Someone who gets it. Not someone like you or me who exist on the fringes of that world. I mean, my mum might be Hollywood royalty, but it’s a totally different thing to be an aristocrat. They tend to stick to their own because bad things happen when they don’t. Like you said, Bastian’s parents are falling apart now. You don’t think it’s partly to do with the fact his mum married outside of the nobility? Why else would she be constantly pushing noble women at her son?”
His words hurt so bad, I had to bite my lip to stop my tipsy tears from trembling it. “We’re not that,” I wheezed out.
“No? Because he’s certainly been all over you for months. Look, he’s my friend, but what he’s doing to you is screwed up. He’s strung you along when he has no intention of ever being with you.”
Those tears sprung to my eyes before I could stop them. It was humiliating to realize everyone was aware of my unrequited feelings for Sebastian.
“Shit, Lil, I’m sorry.”
“No.” I blinked away tears, looking down. “You’re not wrong.”
“I could have been more sensitive about it, though. It just … it pisses me off because you’re so great and you deserve better.”
“Thanks,” I muttered.
Zac sighed heavily. “I’ll be back in a sec. Need the loo.”
I nodded, but I wouldn’t be there when he returned. I was going home. This was too embarrassing and if I stayed, I might get drunker and start shouting at Sebastian for being such a dick.
Just then, however, Harry suggested we go up to the roof garden to see the street party and wait for the fireworks to go off at the castle.
“Come on, you!” Jan grabbed my hand, tugging me along with the crowd of moving partygoers. I slipped free of her on the stairwell, but with everyone heading upward, I had no choice but to follow or be crushed. When we reached the rooftop, it was bloody freezing. Once everyone had filed onto the roof, I reopened the exit to the stairwell to make my escape. I turned to find Jan to tell her I was leaving, but she was nowhere in sight.