Don't Tell My Brother

Chapter 24 - Nothing Too Complicated

Lucas hadn't been to the venue before, but Lisa's directions soon proved to be unnecessary. The Prince Hotel was hard to miss. It was one of the oldest buildings in their town, but it didn't look it. The stone steps leading up to the stained glass doors were pristine, the marble columns were veined with what looked suspiciously like real gold, and the intricately carved entranceway was twice the height of a normal building. Lucas stood in the shadow of the hotel, looking up at the wrought iron balconies that wrapped around each floor, and took a deep breath. This was easily the fanciest place he'd ever been in. As he climbed the stairs, he was hesitant to touch the stone balustrade, in case he dirtied it. It was like somewhere out of a book, a book with characters who were probably filthy rich and had all sorts of skeletons in their closets.

He was so caught up in the beauty of The Prince that he didn't notice the boy sitting on the stairs. That is, until he nearly tripped over him. In Lucas' defence, the boy had his head bent over a book, so he was pretty easy to miss.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." Lucas said, ducking his head and taking a step back to give the boy some space.

But maybe calling him a boy wasn't entirely accurate. As he stood up, Lucas got a closer look. This stranger was only an inch or two taller than him, but something about him seemed older. It might've been the way he carried himself, confident and poised, or the clothes he wore: a dark turtleneck and pants, with a cream blazer slung loosely over his shoulders. His hair was swept back in a chestnut-brown wave, glossy and perfect in the bright afternoon sun. This stranger looked as if he'd stepped out of a brochure for Oxford or Cambridge, though when he spoke his accent was just as American as Lucas'.

"Not a problem. Really, it's my fault, I was sitting right in your way." He smiled, soft and warm, and Lucas was suddenly very aware of how small and unkempt he surely seemed, tired from a day of school and slightly sweaty from having to run to catch the bus.

"No, no, I should've been looking-"

"Seriously, don't worry about it." The stranger laughed, tucking the book against his chest and leaning against the balustrade.

The title was emblazoned across the front, Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche. Lucas frowned, trying to remember where he'd seen that name before. It sounded like someone he should've known more about, someone important. A German philosopher, he was grateful to remember.

"What're you reading?" He asked, partially because he was genuinely curious and partially because he wanted to be able to keep talking to this person, who seemed more sophisticated than most of his peers. And also very attractive.

"Oh, this?" The stranger looked down at the book in surprise, as if he'd forgotten he was even holding it. "Just a little Nietzsche. Nothing too complicated, of course, but still pretty good." He shrugged. "Have you read him?"

Lucas paused. He didn't want to lie, but he also didn't want to look stupid in front of this obviously intelligent stranger. He decided to go for a half truth. "Not much, but I've been meaning to read more of him. Heard a lot of good things."

"You definitely should."

It was quiet. Lucas checked his watch. He should've gone inside by now and found whoever his new coworker was so they could begin the job. But the sun outside was warm, and this stranger was hot and smart and read books by foreign people Lucas had barely heard of, and staying and trying to talk to him for as long as possible was a tempting option.

Just as he was trying to come up with something else to say to him, the stranger spoke again. "Wait a moment, are you from the bakery? Did Ms Huang send you?"

It was so odd to hear Lisa referred to as 'Ms Huang' that it took Lucas a moment to realise who he meant.

"Yes! I mean, yes, I am. From Weiss'. Lisa sent me." Lucas groaned internally, wishing he could take back those fragments of speech and talk in proper, normal sentences. He'd probably sounded like a robot.