Golden [h.s.]

37. in your veins

🎵All We Are — Matt Nathanson

"Here we are," Harry says as he pulls right in front of the little cafe where I'm supposed to be meeting Elise. I nervously play with my fingers as I slowly unbuckle my seatbelt.

"Hey, look at me." Harry reaches over, tilting my chin up towards him. "You got this, baby. If you feel uncomfortable at all, just call me and I'll come get you, you saw how fast the drive here was." Harry kisses my lips softly and I savor the feeling.

"You always know all the right things to say," I reply. Harry leans to kiss me again.

"Tonight we'll open that bottle that you bought, yeah? It's not whiskey, but we'll make do with it," he teases and I grin up at him.

"I'll make us a drink," I agree, my hands on the door. I'm nervous, but I can do this. Harry's right — I got this.

"Call me when you're ready to leave!" Harry calls out when I step out the car. I turn back before shutting the door to kiss him once more.

"Keep kissing me and I'm gonna have to take you back to the villa," Harry smirks when I pull away.

I laugh, shaking my head as I shut the door. I wave him off as he drives off and I can barely make him out but I see him blowing kisses. I giggle to myself, feeling brave because of Harry, and I walk into the cafe.

"Aurelia!" Elise shouts as I walk in, waving me closer. She's seated at a table with Lucien, who has his jaw dropped. I narrow my eyebrows as I walk over, giving them both a small smile.

"That was your car?" Lucien asks. I bite my lip to hide my smile.

Harry picked the most conspicuous car, despite not wanting to bring attention to himself. My stomach almost clenches at the empty feeling I have already from being away from Harry; I miss him already, and it's only been a few minutes.

"My boyfriend's," I reply with a smile. "Well, he rented it for our trip..."

Lucien's jaw looks as if it'll fall to the floor. "He rented that?" He must realize how he must look since he turns scarlet. "Shit, I'm sorry, that's just...wow."

Elise swats at his arm when he swears, then turns her attention to me. "Aurelia, I'm so happy you agreed to lunch with us, it means the world, I know it was very overwhelming this morning."

"My mom can be very...enthusiastic at times," Lucien pitches in and I smile at them again as Elise laughs.

"You said you and your boyfriend are here on a trip, do you mind if I ask where you live?" Elise asks. A waitress comes to our table with menus, and I quickly skim it over before deciding on a pressed tea with a muffin.

"Not at all," I reply. "I live in New York."

"Wow!" Elise gushes. "What do you do for work? Or do you go to school?"

I smile. "I'm a bartender in the city."

"I love a Dark 'N' Stormy," Lucien says and I turn to him. "I went to university in the States, I know all my favorite drinks from going out every Friday night," he laughs. I figured he was either from or lived in the U.S.; his accent isn't as heavy as his mother's.

"Dark rum," I note, impressed. Once anyone talks liquor to me, I'm in my element. "But, I'm a sucker for whiskey."

Elise laughs. "Your mom and I, we used to steal my father's bottle and sneak it into my bedroom when we were young, that must be where you got your love of whiskey from." I smile at Elise's words and a new detail I learned about my mother.