I know who I am when I'm alone904Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8cZzTVSpg
I'm something else when I see you
“It Will Come Back” – Hozier
You hadn’t expected to see Drake until the bachelor party, but it is a welcomed surprise. Even though he smiles at you as you hop down from your stool and head in his direction it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Between finding Savanna and learning about Bastien’s treasonous act you aren’t surprised. His pain is almost palpable as you finally reach his booth and slide in next to him.
“Following me again?” You ask with a grin, bumping him with your shoulder.
“I was here first. If anyone is doing the following it’s you, Romanov.” Drake still maintains his smile, though his tone tells a different story.
“Fair point.” You shrug as you take a long sip from your glass. Your eyes slide shut for a moment enjoying the slow burn of the whisky going down your throat.
“You know, you really shouldn’t be out on your own. How did you even get out?”
“I’m just that good,” You reply casually.
Drake rolls his eyes and takes a swig from his glass. “I’m serious, Romanov.”
“Aren’t you always?” You cross your legs under the table and lean back slightly. “Besides, I’m not alone now.”
“I guess not.” Drake places his glass back onto the table, his hand still clasped around it as he stares down into the amber liquid.
Whatever problems you have seem to pale in comparison to what Drake must endure now. He is the one that has been hit the hardest. He always seems to be the one that is hit where it hurts the most. His father being killed protecting the royal family, being abandoned by his mother, giving up his education to come back to court for Liam, his sister leaving with no real rhyme or reason, the blatant betrayal of the man he had looked up to and who had helped raise him… it all had to be taking a severe toll on him.
His fingers start to drum against his glass and you set your own down before reaching over and setting your hand atop his to stop the nervous tic. Drake is quiet as his focus shifts to your hand, then flickers up to your face.
“Feeling like a marshmallow tonight?”
Drake chuckles under his breath. “Not particularly.” His hand shifts underneath yours, his thumb running across your knuckles. Your pulse quickens ever so slightly at the gesture, but before you can really process it all he squeezes your hand and releases it. You watch as he picks up his glass and drains it completely.
“Looks like I need to play catch-up.” You bring your glass to your lips and tip your head back to finish your own, trying to shake the feeling that had come over you when his hands had been in yours. “Did I tell you that I caught Maxwell eating a bowl of candy corn like cereal this morning?” You say trying to lighten the mood.
“Ew…” He replies, screwing up his face.
“Milk and all.”
“How did he even get candy corn?”
“Ah, so you haven’t discovered his coveted snack case yet?” You ask with an amused smile on your face as Drake dramatically cringes.
“I don’t think I want to if that is the kind of contraband he is sneaking around with.” Drake waves over a waitress and orders another round. He seems more relaxed now.
You chuckle softly. “What’s wrong with candy corn?”
“The better question is what isn’t wrong with candy corn?” He grins at you and you can’t help but smile back.
The waitress stops by moments later and sets your drinks on the table. “Merci.” You reply with an appreciative smile before taking a drink. You continue the light banter at one point laughing so hard your sides hurt.
"If you don’t stop I’m going to fall out of the booth!” You exclaim as you lean away from him and over the side of the seat.
Drake’s arm curls around your waist pulling you into his side. “No falling out of the booth.” He grins down at you.
“You’re no fun,” You reply as you try to shake off a rogue section of hair that has fallen onto your face.
His free hand comes up to brush the hair from your face. “So, I’ve been told.” Drake’s hand glides down to the side of your neck.
His voice is deep, resonating throughout your entire body. The close proximity is intoxicating even though you’ve only had two drinks over the evening. His head dips down and his lips softly brush against yours. You bring up a hand to cradle his face as he pulls away. His eyes search yours for a brief moment before he lets out a deep sigh.
“What are you doing to me?” He whispers, his lips only a few centimeters from yours.
You’ve lost track of time completely until a waitress stops by the table and interrupts you to gently remind you that the bar is closing. Drake quickly pulls away from you as if a spell had just been broken between the two of you.
After the tab has been settled and you’ve thanked the woman you head towards the door with Drake following closely behind you. You feel whole when Drake is around. He reminds you of who you are underneath the designer dresses and forced royal interactions. You don’t feel the need to be anyone but yourself around him. You wonder if that is what has drawn you in.
“I’m sorry,” Drake says gently, breaking the silence that has fallen between you both as you walk down the sidewalk heading back to the train. He shoves his hands into his jean pockets. “That was out of line.”
You pause and glance over at him. “What was?”
“That kiss. I just…” He takes a hand out of his pocket and rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. “Every time I’m alone with you I lose control.”
“Your self-control seemed decent enough when you left my room earlier tonight.” You shrug as you begin walking again.
You begin to widen your strides and walk out in front of him. You know he restrains himself because of Liam, but that never stops you from feeling the rejection every single time an intimate moment is stolen and he stops it. You feel Drake grab you by the arm to stop you before spinning you around to face him.
“If I hadn’t left when I did I wouldn’t have been able to stop.”
You quirk an eyebrow at him.
“I don’t think you realize that if I hadn’t stopped I would have taken you against that wall and every other piece of furniture in that room.”
Drake’s gaze becomes intense as he looks over your face. His confession alone is heady. Your mind drifts off momentarily as you meet his intense gaze and start to ponder just how the night could have ended. Your wandering thoughts go back to your room, though in your daze you see clothes scattered across the room, a few lamps knocked off the tables and shattered on the floor. You can almost hear the headboard creaking and thumping against the wall…
“Hey” Drake finally says after a moment, interrupting your thoughts. “You okay?”
You blink a few times pulling yourself out of your daydream. “Oh, yeah, of course.” You shake your head with a soft, awkward laugh. “You can’t just walk around threatening me with a good time like that.”
He rolls his eyes at you, though you can see a small smile ghost over his lips. “If you aren’t ready to go back yet I don’t mind hanging around the city a little longer.” You can tell he is trying to change the subject and decide to give him some peace… for the moment.
“Sounds good to me,” You say before glancing down at his hand still holding your arm in place.
Drake’s eyes follow yours and he releases his grip on your arm. You expect him to step away from you entirely, as he always does, but instead you feel his hand slip into yours. “It’s a big city… I won’t hear the end of it if I lose you.”
“Absolutely, safety first.” You nod gravely before allowing a smile to creep back across your lips. “Lead the way…”
Author’s Note: Sooooo… don’t kill me! I swear all good things come to those who wait ;-) Hopefully I’ll have another issue up by Thursday/Friday!
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