Discover L (Book 2) | Complete |

~ Full Of Surprises ~

She opted to leave the dresses that were a little too extravagant for the occasion of a house party. Instead, she picked a simple, black dress with a flared skirt- something Mrs Worcester had passed on and told L she should always have in the back of her wardrobe, just in case. L glanced in the mirror before she left the room. She didn't care much about her appearance, but she didn't want to look ridiculous. She liked that the dress reached her knees and covered her collarbone; she had enough bruises to look like a Dalmatian.

She ruffled her hair, pulled on a pair of black boots, and headed back downstairs. Someone had found a way to pump music through the house, and everyone had dispersed so much so that there were crowds in every room. L was met at the bottom of the stairs by Bryce.

He looked at her in awe and grinned when he finally regained himself, leaning down to give her the briefest of kisses. Nevertheless, it sent L's heart skittering, something Bryce could hear all too well and took pleasure in causing.

"You look amazing. Happy Birthday."

"Thank you, I suppose this was partly your idea?" L asked as they made their way down the hallway towards the kitchen.

"Actually, no, it was Robbie's. I just facilitated his idea, and everything sort of snowballed from there." He smirked widely, seeming very proud of himself.

L had to admit it was a good way to surprise her; she'd had absolutely no idea what was going on. She hadn't even remembered it was her birthday. In the past, it had rarely been celebrated, and when it had, it wasn't always the happy memory it should have been. But L was determined to enjoy herself, after the day she'd had she could do with it.

She mingled with the guests, some she knew very well, and others she only knew in passing, either through helping them or seeing them around the base. There was a table of presents in the kitchen, of which L knew she wouldn't be able to humbly refuse any of them. The food, which Mrs Worcester had made by herself and managed to hide from L earlier in the day, was delicious and thoroughly demolished.

L was exhausted by the time the last guests had left. Maeve and Folen waved from the end of the garden, and L gradually closed the door. She let out a heavy sigh on her way to the kitchen, where the Worcesters and Bryce were talking.

"Did you have fun?" Robbie asked, leaning against the counter with a knowing look on his face.

"I did. It was nice to see everyone having a good time." L replied.

"But you weren't a fan of being the centre of attention all night," Robbie finished.

L nodded. She was grateful for the party, but she'd have preferred a small get-together, maybe just the five of them.

"You'd think I'd be used to it by now, with everyone coming to me for help or staring at me like I singlehandedly saved them."

"Well, you kind of did do that." Mr Worcester spoke from the sink, busy washing up the plates from the evening.

"I didn't do it singlehandedly, though, there were a lot of other key figures in the battle." L peered at Bryce, and Robbie, who turned away and busied himself with a packet of crisps.

The battle was still a sore spot for Robbie. He couldn't forgive himself for his part in it; despite the many times L had tried to explain to him that it had been necessary.

"Anyhow, it's late, and you've all had a long day." Mrs Worcester intervened, sensing the growing tension. "Off to bed, we can clean the rest of this in the morning, and that includes you, Bryce."

She pointed at him, and despite his considerable power and how much older he was than her, Bryce agreed to the cleaning. He knew not to cross Mrs Worcester- he also had more respect than that.