Chapter 189 In public
_Author’s POV_
The noise inside the club grew louder as more people arrived, but in their cozy corner booth, the atmosphere was completely different. Pierre was the very first person to fall under the spell of the alcohol.
His cheeks were flushed a deep shade of red, and his eyelids fluttered as he tried his best to keep his eyes focused on one spot. He set his glass down a little too hard on the table, causing a few dark drops of drink to splash out over the surface.
"The thing about the stars," Pierre blurted out suddenly, his voice slurred and far too loud for their calm table as he gestured wildly with his right hand. "The thing about them is that they don’t even try, they just hang up there, floating around. Like tiny shiny buttons on a black shirt."
Rowena sat back against the cushion of her seat, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. A small amused smile played on her lips as she watched him. It was very rare to see Pierre let his guard down like this. Normally, he was cautious of every single word before he spoke, but right now, he was rambling complete and utter gibberish without a care in the world.
Ezekiel did not laugh at him, nor did he make fun of his strange words. Instead, he leaned forward, resting both of his elbows on the surface of the table and looking directly at Pierre with a soft, steady gaze.
"That makes no sense at all, Pierre," Ezekiel said gently, keeping his voice surprisingly calm and clear despite the empty glasses sitting on his own side of the table. "Stars are definitely not buttons."
"They could be," Pierre argued right back, nodding his head emphatically to emphasize his point. He leaned in closer across the table, pointing a shaky index finger directly at Ezekiel’s chest. "If the sky was a giant coat, they would be buttons. You do not know the sky’s life, Ezekiel. You do not know its personal fashion choices."
Ezekiel gave a, deep laugh that made his shoulders shake slightly. "Alright, fine. Fair point. The sky has very bad taste in fashion."
Rowena took a slow sip of her drink, thoroughly enjoying the private entertainment. The awkward tension that had existed between the two men when they first arrived at the club had completely melted away into nothing.
The wall Pierre had built up earlier in the evening was entirely gone, washed away by a bit of alcohol.
While the two men continued their nonsensical debate about the universe, clothes, and buttons, Rowena felt her phone buzz against her thigh. She pulled it out and looked down at the bright screen, her mind briefly drifting back to the stress she had been carrying around with her all day long.
She opened her main text messages, selected Alaric’s contact name, and typed out a short, simple message.
*Where are you?*
She did not really expect an answer from him, he was tied up in executive meetings.
She set her phone down on the table surface, fully expecting to wait hours before hearing anything back from him, or maybe not hearing anything at all. But to her utter surprise, the phone screen lit up again just a few short seconds later. A new text notification popped up right at the top of the display.
*Just wrapped up the meeting with the board. Are you alright?*
Rowena felt a sudden wave of relief loosen the tight knot that had been sitting in her chest all afternoon. Seeing his reply come through so fast brought a real, genuine smile to her face. She picked up the phone with one hand and quickly typed back a response:
*I am fine, just sitting with Pierre and Ezekiel.*
She slipped the phone back into her purse, actually feeling a whole lot lighter than she had just an hour ago. When she finally looked up from her bag, the loud conversation at their table had gone completely silent.
Pierre was leaning halfway across the narrow table, staring directly into Ezekiel’s eyes. The silly confused, and slurred look that had been on his face just moments ago had completely vanished, replaced by an intense look. Ezekiel did not move back an inch, he just stayed right where he was, returning the intense gaze with equal warmth.
"You are very annoying, you know that?" Pierre whispered, his voice raspy and filled with emotion.
"I know," Ezekiel replied, not breaking eye contact for even a single second. "You tell me that all the time."
Before anyone else could say another word, Pierre reached across the small distance separating them, grabbed the front of Ezekiel’s jacket with both hands, and pulled him in hard. Their lips met in a sudden desperate kiss.
Ezekiel froze for a split second in sheer surprise, but then his eyes slowly closed. He reached up, wrapping his long fingers around the back of Pierre’s neck to pull him even closer.
They kissed deeply right there in the middle of the crowded club, completely forgetting where they were, who was around, or what time it was. They completely forgot about the people sitting at the nearby tables.
Rowena’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, though she stylishly covered her mouth with her fingers to hide her growing smile. She had known for a long time that they liked each other, but watching them finally give in to the strong pull between them was a giant relief.
And that too in front of her.
After a long moment, the two men finally pulled apart, both of them breathing heavily. Pierre looked completely breathless, his face a much darker red than before, while Ezekiel stared at him with a soft affectionate smirk lingering on his lips.
Pierre blinked his eyes, looking around the room as if he had just woken up from a long dream. He looked at the nearby tables, then at Ezekiel, and finally at Rowena, who was sitting across from them with raised eyebrows.
"Oh," Pierre muttered quietly, the sudden realization finally hitting his alcohol-clouded brain. "We are in public."
"Yes, Pierre," Rowena said, her voice filled with humor as she smoothed down her outfit. "You are very much in public."
Ezekiel cleared his throat, though he did not look bothered or embarrassed by the situation at all. A confident grin spread across his face as he gently patted Pierre’s hand where it rested on the table. "Well, the damage is already done now."
Rowena shook her head lightly, feeling much more at ease than when the long night had first started. With these two finally dropping their guards and being honest with each other, the upcoming weekend and the dreaded homecoming party felt just a little bit less intimidating.
She stood up, “I’ll talk to you guys later.”