the inheritance games - a day in the life

Jameson 🧩 ♣️

I wake up. I just do. I don't understand the fuss everyone else makes. About hangovers, about lie-ins, about life. Well, maybe that last one. But for the past few years, I have had reason to live. I look around for that reason but she is nowhere to be found. It takes me one heartbeat to realise that I am not in my own room, nor am I in hers.

I sit up and that is when the vodka hits me. I chuckle and groan as I force myself to stand. Two more heartbeats - or pounds at my head, some little voice screaming let me in - and I work out where I am: the library. One of them, at least.

My brain tries to remember where the drinking game was held yesterday, but struggles. I mean, it was probably here and everyone managed to make it to bed except for me. Typical. It's that, or I managed to sleepwalk my way here. Alcohol does strange things to the mind.

Again, I don't make a fuss. Making a fuss is fucking useless. Just grab some booze, hang upside down or gamble your way to bankruptcy. Don't tell me that there are other ways to cope: I'm not listening.

My feet complain, though. And my head. My whole body, really. But I don't. 

I don't bother getting dressed or doing anything to my appearance. I know I look bloody fantastic anyway. I stumble my way downstairs to the Breakfast Room. Avery and I designed it together and it is - just like us - perfect. 

I'm one of the first ones there. So much for forcing myself up. Only Gigi, Nash, Hannah and Lyra are there. The first three are actually at the table. Lyra is dancing in the corner. This room doubles as her ballet studio. I don't understand why she doesn't just use the ballet studio. I don't understand much about that girl. But she isn't a riddle to solve. I'll leave that to my infuriating and older brother.

My eldest brother is feeding his toddler with... wait, is that ice cream? He grins at me and I sit down. Gigi pours me orange juice, which I down immediately. (I don't care if it contains alcohol - the more the better.) Then the three of us take a spoon and start stealing little bits of ice cream. Hannah giggles and it turns into some kind of game.

A moment later, Lyra packs up her stuff and nods goodbye. She'll come back for breakfast, just wearing more clothes. Libby comes in. Xander and Max come in. I do a double take towards the latter, which she is all too aware of. And then Grayson and Lyra come in. Wait - what? Grayson and Lyra. Holding hands. Lyra has a perfect smile on her face and Grayson... well, Grayson looks happy. As happy as his face allows him to be. 

They sit down next to each other and look at all of us. Avery comes in, but I barely even notice her. My mouth is open and there's no way I'm closing it. If he wants attention, he's getting it. We stare into each others eyes. He raises an eyebrow and juts out his chin, daring me to say something. I don't. I just grin. At him. And then at Lyra.

Ha. Savannah comes in. I lean back in my chair and am so looking forward to this. I see it in Grayson's eyes: Savannah and I are the only two he needs to worry about. And maybe Avery. But the rest - Xander and Max giggle and exchange a look, Libby looks as though it is no surprise, Gigi as well (although she and I know the advantage this gives us), Nash looks proud, and Hannah just looks like she wants more ice cream. 

Only Savannah and I will make Grayson squirm. And he knows it. So he locks his jaw and raises his gaze to meet hers. And I soak in every second of it. They look at each other. Look at each other. And then one perfectly raised eyebrow, a swish of shaggily cut blonde hair and a smile towards the ballerina. 

The rest of the meal is ... interesting. I won't lie: the elephant in the room was more like a giant mammoth. But we survived. I look around. We're not all blood related but we are family. And now... everyone has someone. And then I catch sight of a pair of blue eyes and a smile. Gigi. She doesn't. One could argue that her twin doesn't either, but who knows what's going on between her and Rohan. Ugh. Just thinking his name makes me want to spit on the ground.