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chapter twenty-one.
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In a drunken haze, Oliver stands on the grand red staircase, his birthday cake held by Elspeth beside him. The entire party has crammed in, hanging from the banisters, singing Happy Birthday. Even Felix and Gabriette sing awkwardly.
As Oliver looks around, absorbing the beauty, the grandeur, the presence of the Cattons, and all these people gathered for him, he feels the fulfillment of a long-standing desire. It's the moment he always yearned for, a moment he wishes could be frozen in time.
However, the celebratory singing takes an unexpected turn when the realization hits that not everyone knows the birthday boy's name. A few voices manage an unsure "Oliver," but the majority mumble or hum. Oliver's smile fades as a drunk guy laughs out loud, admitting, "Shit, I can't remember his name."
"Happy birthday to you!" Oliver numbly blows out the candles, the moment tainted.
Later that night, Oliver finds himself on the crowded orangery dance floor, dancing alone. Spotting Felix dancing with Gabriette, he watches as Felix leads her off the dance floor.
Following them, he sees Felix and Gabriette sneaking into the maze. Drunk and disoriented, Oliver stumbles through the maze, at some point getting lost.
Eventually, he reaches the center, concealed in the shadows, observing the couple without making his presence known.
Gabriette is pushed up onto a massive minotaur statue, legs open, and Felix is right in between them, holding her while thrusting up into her at a brutal pace.
Gabriette freely lets moans resound from her lips, but they are drowned out by the deafening music in the distance as she grips Felix's back.
Felix takes advantage of her thrown-back head and seals his lips with the delicate flesh of her neck, nibbling, kissing, and licking every inch.
"Fuck, Felix!" Gabriette chokes out, her mouth hangs wide, and her toes curl as the boy moves her closer to her peak.
Oliver, who was still watching, could see they were rushing, but they still managed to make every second of it passionate.
"Gabs..." Felix mutters, but it sounds more like a moan than a complete word. He releases one of her legs, which he had held by the underside of her knee, and grabs Gabriette's jaw, forcing her to look at him.
He opens his lips to say something, but instead he kisses her deeply and continues to do so for a good while, evidently gathering confidence.
He breaks the kiss, "I love you, Gabs, fuck-" Felix exhales, not wavering in his movements but instead speeding up.
Gabriette lets out an especially loud throaty moan as her hand rests against Felix's cheek. She rests her forehead against his and gives a strangled laugh, a smile on her lips.
She kisses him, a movie-worthy kiss, before breaking it briefly, "I love you too, Felix."
Felix's reaction is noticeable: his breath becomes trapped in his throat, and his eyes glaze over. His head a full blur of love and need.
Gabriette repeats the words, interspersed with whines and moans, until she reaches her climax and bursts, the feeling prompting Felix to follow suit.
They collapse into one other, gathering themselves as they hold eachother, Gabriette's nails delicately scratching Felix's neck.
Stepping out from behind the hedge, Oliver decides to intervene, "Felix-" Both Felix and Gabriette startle, with him steadying her hips to prevent her from falling off the statue.
"Jesus Christ! What the fuck are you doing here?" Felix retorts annoyed, using his broad frame to shield Gabriette from Oliver's view as she makes herself decent by pulling up her underwear and letting her dress fall over her legs.
"I need to talk to you," Oliver whines drunkenly, standing rooted in his spot.
"You were watching us, creep," Gabriette sighs exasperated, refraining from adding the word 'again' to the sentence.
"No, I wasn't!" Oliver mutters, but, of course, neither of them believe it.
"You know what, I can't deal with this right now," Gabriette shakes her head, rubbing her hands across her face, "I can't even stand being near him."
With that, Gabriette gently pushes Felix away enough for her to slide off the statue and wordlessly leave through another exit.
The two watch her depart, Felix itching to go after her and just be with her and only her for the rest of the night, yet he refrains because he knows he can't, not with Oliver acting like a thorn in his side.
"Fucking hell, mate," Felix says, running his hands through his hair.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't um-" Oliver stumbles over his words, clearly in a foggy state.
Frustration reaches its peak for Felix, "What the fuck is wrong with you, Oliver? Leave me the fuck alone!"
"No. We need to talk!" Oliver insists, determined.
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