Easing Heimweh (Heim, #1) ✓

17: Pretty Boys

I wanted to leave. I wanted to run away so bad, but I could only go so far.

I led Aelius to the balcony, a place where only a small number of people stayed for some fresh air. I needed to breathe. Making a scene here would only result in news articles mocking me for showing how vulnerable I was.

And no one admitted it, but all eyes were on us, watching our every move. The captain of a luxury cruise dating an Alonzo? When did the story start? Was he even worthy of the family's approval?

I was certain those were the questions the people sought to answer tonight. I'd been tempted to leave it all behind my the sake of my peace, but I couldn't even feel it. There was no peace.

I just needed to breathe.

"You okay, my love?" Aelius asked as we leaned on the balcony's railings. I wasn't even paying attention to the view as his face was what I focused on. Little did he know, he was already helping me calm down this way.

I shrugged. "I have to be."

"You don't."

"Let's not talk about this, please?"

Aelius heaved a sigh, eventually nodding and drawing circles on the back of my hand. "Okay."

My eyes fluttered shut as I breathed in and deep, shivering at the gust of wind that went by. I should be fine tonight if I stayed here until the party was over. I couldn't afford to have another family member going after Aelius because of me.

This was my only way of protecting him. I might be the heiress, but this could be a lonely battle if I insisted to fight.

"Captain?" a familiar voice called out from afar. My eyes shot open as Calista sprinted towards us, arms wide and ready to engulf me.

"I missed you!" she whisper-shouted as she released me. "You look dashing, by the way. And..." She slowly turned to face Aelius, eyes darting up and down, not-so-silently judging his appearance. "Hi, Aelius. By any chance, has Eva called you a pretty boy?"

I knew Aelius tried to keep it in, but he eventually bursted into laughter. "She does it often," he confirmed, then lifted a hand in between them. "The name's Aelius. Nice to meet you."

Cali accepted the handshake. "I know. The name's Calista Campbell. I have a black belt in Krav Maga."

"Uh-huh."

She flashed a sweet smile. "You know what I mean."

"Very." He let go, wiping his palms on his suit. Was he sweating over what Cali said? "Excuse me for a moment, ladies. I need to freshen up."

"Pretty boys do know how to keep being pretty, huh?" Cali commented as we watched Aelius enter the hall.

"Hm. They do." I leaned back on the railing. "You scared him, by the way."

"That was the plan."

"Damn you."

Cali donned a gold sequin dress with a low v neckline, complimented by a diamond necklace and gold high heels that clicked against the marble floors. Instead of her usual style, she wore her hair down and curled it. I was sure the compliment was genuine, but it was she who looked dashing. She might as well be the star of the night.

"You look amazing," I said, practically gushing at her look. "Oh, did you invite someone? You didn't last year."

A knowing smirk pulled her lips. "Yeah, I did. And you know him."

I raised a brow. "I do?"

"Yep," she replied, popping the p. "He should be here any minute now."

"Mind at least telling me the name?"

"Nope." She popped the p again. "Gosh, you sound like Everen just now."

Now that she mentioned the name, I'd been in this hellish party for a little over an hour and there were no signs of my sister anywhere. Granted, the manor was too big to find people you knew right away, but Everen had a habit of staying in this specific balcony at every Captain's Ball.

Odd.

"Tita Everlin was looking for her earlier, too," Cali said, and it was possibly too obvious what I was searching for. "Then I heard some old ladies gossiping inside."

"Spill."

"Remember that pompous brat William Chua?"

I scoffed. He was my classmate in first year. Eventually he quit aviation and pursued business instead, as "flying isn't for me," I recalled him saying when he threw a surprise farewell party for himself at our department. A rich, annoying asshole.

"What about him?"

"Everen was seen leaving with his younger brother."

I tried not to wince, but apparently that was too difficult a task. "That Viorel kid? You're joking. Everen swore to not breathe the same air as the Chuas."

Cali laughed, smacking my arm. "Cut him some slack, Captain—oh, would you look at that," she said as her words were interrupted by a man clad in black. "I almost thought he ditched the party."

"I would never." Achilles approached us in rather large strides, hands in his pocket as he threw us a smile full of charm. "Good evening, Signorina," he greeted m. I prayed my mouth wasn't hanging open.

"Some small world we have, huh?" I commented, casting a glance at Cali that I was certain she understood the meaning of. You're insane, you actually pulled him.

No shit, Captain. You're not the only one with a pretty boy, she seemed to say back. I bit back a chuckle.

Well, Achilles really was pretty. Jet black and curly hair, fair skin, blue-green eyes, chiseled jawline. I had to commend my best friend's high standards. Unlike me, she had no failed and messy relationships. Hers actually lasted—and ended—well. Achilles was in good hands.

"No date tonight?" Achilles asked after a waiter came to offer us flutes of champagne.

I shook my head, sipping the sparkling wine mindfully. I couldn't afford to get drunk tonight. I had the misfortune of being a lightweight. "There is, actually. He just went to the restroom."

"Oh," Cali chimed. "Speak of the devil and he'll appear."

I smacked her arm again at the mention of that. A running joke between us two that Cali refused to make me forget. During our freshman year of college, I'd once tried summoning an evil spirit or two in our department's restroom because I didn't want to study aviation. Cali waited by the doors and watched me fail miserably. Until now she reminded me of that day.

I wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary when Aelius showed up. I didn't expect the sudden halt, the surprised gaze towards Achilles, and the displeasing surprise painted in his face as he finally approached.

Then I saw it.

I should have realized it long ago, should have noticed the striking resemblance. Jet black hair, fair skin, piercing eyes, chiseled jawline. The stance. The accent. The damn nationality.

"Aelius? What—"

"Where is he?" Aelius cut off, his eyes completely fixated on the same shade of blue and green that belonged to Achilles.

It was as if everyone in this party wasn't present at all, covered by a cloud of this strange sensation that surrounded them both. It was hard to explain. I couldn't comprehend what was happening even if I wanted to, and before I knew it, the air was suffocating me once again.

I couldn't breathe.

"You swore to take care of him. You promised to take care of Lucius," I heard Aelius say, his voice laced with venom. The name didn't register right away, and it only broke my heart more than it did when I heard the foreign sound of his anger. Lucius. That kid I saw on the news before my family had the articles taken down. The other victim of the accident that nearly killed my sister. The boy I saw at the hospital, fighting for his life.

I'd almost stopped breathing altogether.

"Where is my brother, Achilles?"