Chapter Sixteen – Ross
The alarm was far too noisy for my liking. I groaned and turned over, and then realised someone else was in my bed. Someone with blond hair. I blinked in astonishment; this was an unusual occurrence. I knew that I must have been completely hammered to allow someone to stay the night. Unless it was Jasper.
"Jasper?" I asked curiously.
The guy turned over and as much as I tried, I could not remember his face. I frowned, and then regretted it because shooting pains went right through my temple. What the fuck had Edward served me last night?
"Who are you?" I asked, pressing a hand to my head as memories returned; Jasper hadn't turned up to Fruits. He had sent me a text telling me that everything had gone fine at the meeting, and that he wouldn't be coming because 'my face looks like a Jackson Pollock painting, I'm going to plaster it in ibuprofen gel and sleep for two years'.
"We met at Café Latte," the guy in my bed replied, and I felt a vague twinge of recognition.
"We sang a Madonna song at the karaoke night," I groaned, memories flooding back to me. "Sorry, bad hangover. What time is it?"
"Seven," he replied, and then frowned. "You don't even remember my name, do you?"
I guessed. "Sam?"
"No," he said flatly.
I shook my head and honestly said, "Then no idea. Sorry, I was absolutely smashed last night."
"You and me both," he said, getting out of my bed. "I'll head off. You need anything?"
If I hadn't been hungover, I might have politely argued, but my head was pounding and it felt like my entire body was devoid of fluid. My mouth was so dry that the thought of water made me want to cry with need. Within minutes he'd changed and left. I hit the alarm clock that was still ringing and settled down in bed. It was Sunday; I didn't need to work today. Thank the Lord.
As I settled back down into the warm, cosy covers, I made a mental note never to drink that heavily again. I was just glad that no one knew someone else had stayed the night. It was bad enough that I'd let Jasper stay; if anyone else did I'd never hear the end of it. It was at least nice having Jasper stayed; he liked to cuddle, which usually annoyed me, but he was cute. I shook my head; the hangover was making me emotionally vulnerable.
I heard the lift open and a voice call out, "Ross, it's me!"
It was Raven, and it was seven in the morning on a Sunday. I groaned; why did no one ever let me rest?
"Are you still in bed?" she asked, wandering freely into my bedroom space. "It annoys me that you can get up with five minutes to spare before leaving and you still look good. Do you know how much concealer I need for that?"
I sighed, burying my head further into the pillow. "Go away..."
"No," she said, taking the pillow away from me. "Come on, you promised me that you'd come with us all this year - you even said last night that you were looking forward to it!"
"To what?" I asked, sitting up groggily. The room swam before me. "Oh Jesus, what was I drinking last night?"
"A lot of vodka," Raven grinned. "Too much for a man at your-"
"Finish that sentence, and die," I warned her, although privately I was agreeing with her wholeheartedly. "Now, what am I supposedly promising to do with you today?"
"The parade!" she exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "C'mon, you promised me you'd come and help me make banners!"
I groaned, lying straight back down again. "Fuck off; I only said that to shut you up in the first place. And you can't hold anything I said last night against me, I don't remember ninety percent of it."
"Ross!" she snapped. "You promised!"
I hid under the covers. "I revoke my promise."
"Ross Daniel Stone," Raven's voice was a warning. "I will not hesitate to kick you in the balls. I'm not asking you to hold the damn banners, I'm not asking you to march. So get up, get changed, and help me put glitter on some paper for an hour. You never do any community stuff."
"I donate money," I snorted, but I threw the covers off. Raven followed through on threats and my balls were already feeling sensitive at the memory of previous threats. "Fine. I'm taking a shower."
*****
The hall was full of people making banners and flags for the march. All around me people were rushing around, throwing each other boxes of pens and tubs of glitter. Most of the contents were on the floor rather than the actual banners, but I knew that no one cared. They all looked extremely happy, a lot happier than I felt at that point. I felt like a very tired, hungover man who had been forced out of bed on pain of being kicked in the balls.
"They're over here," Raven pulled me in the direction of our friends. As I got closer, I noted that Harper and Edward were sitting very close together, laughing in the way they did when they had an inside joke. Edward had the tell-tale pink blush that he did when he had a crush. I filed that away for later interrogation; they'd dated in the past, but it had never worked out right before.
I then saw Jasper and Cyri sat with Tom, making signs to hold. It was enough for me to nearly turn and walk out of the place. I did not want to have to deal with Jasper right now. Edward, unfortunately, chose that moment to notice me, and clamped a glittery hand to his mouth. "Mother of God, it's true."
Jenny grinned widely, catching sight of me, and did a mock-gasp. "Ross Stone, at a community event?"
"Shut up," I muttered darkly, sitting down next to Cyri, even though her hair was practically blinding me. "Morning, Red."
"Morning!" she chirped merrily, beaming widely.
I winced at her tone. "Please turn the volume down - I am so very, very hungover."
"I can't help it," she grinned, seemingly charged up by the energy of the people around her. "It's my first pride!"
"And mine, actually," Jasper commented.
Tom snorted, expertly applying glue to the corners of an extremely good banner. "Trust me, that's not a bad thing. I've been going to them ever since these two adopted me. You'll be picking glitter out of your hair for weeks."
"Not just your hair," Harper muttered darkly. "It gets everywhere."
"How long has it been since you adopted Tom?" Cyri asked curiously, and then looked at Tom. "If you don't mind me asking, I mean."
"It'll be ten years ago this June," Tom smiled. "I was eight."
I could sense that both Cyri and Jasper wanted to ask more, but didn't feel like they should ask more. Tom clearly got that too, because he continued, "I'd been in a home before that since I was two."
"Do you know your birth parents?" Cyri asked.
"Not at all," Tom shrugged. "It was an open adoption, they were able to contact me under conditions of them being sober and whatnot. I saw them a couple of times, after they had been through rehab, but they kept relapsing, so they kept not being able to see me. Last we heard, they'd gotten sober, but they weren't interested in reaching out."
The mood was sombre, but Tom smiled and said, "Look, while I feel bad for them, I don't feel I missed out. I'm very happy with how things are now. I'm with the right family."
Lucie kissed his cheek. "And we are very blessed to have you."
I wanted to make a sarcastic comment, but even I didn't really have a bad word to say against that family. I was part of it, after all. We all were, a found family collected together with enough love to heal over the wounds left by prior families.
"Who is everyone walking with, then?" Jasper asked, eyeing the list next to him.
"Well," Jenny said, suddenly breaking away from Lucie and adopting her usual 'I'm in charge' manner. "Lucie and I are with one of the charities we donate to, Edward and Harper are marching with the HIV awareness charity. You, Cyri and Tom are marching with queer and trans youth, but you knew that already. Raven is riding upfront with the Dykes on Bikes group, it attracts a lot of attention."
"Who are you marching with?" Jasper asked me, looking me straight in the eye.
Everyone except for Jasper and Cyri laughed, and I rolled my eyes. "I don't tend to march. I don't mind watching the parade, but it's a bit too cringe-inducing to be a part of. I'm just happy with attending the parties later in the evening."
"Of course it's cringe-inducing," Jasper frowned. "It's a bunch of people in costumes and glitter shouting terrible rhymes. It's still fun. Even my parents have come to watch."
"Are yours here?" Cyri asked me absent-mindedly, while she drew a butterfly in glitter.
The whole table seemed to instantly look down, concentrating on whatever it was they were doing before my parents were mentioned. I looked at Raven, who shook her head, and then I sighed; it was always me who had to explain it.
"Our mother died six months ago," I felt incredibly uncomfortable explaining this. "But I didn't know her or my father, really. I left home when I was sixteen."
Cyri blushed, looking at me in alarm. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."
"Don't worry about it," I said, waving my hand dismissively. "I didn't know them. They mean literally nothing to me."
An awkward silence filled the air, and then suddenly Edward coughed. "So, Jasper," he said in an overenthusiastic manner. "You were telling us about what happened to Harry Richmond."
"Oh, yeah," Jasper said, while all of us relaxed now that the subject was moving on. "We were called in for a meeting. Louise had told the story from her perspective, and then we all made written statements. Of course, they didn't match up, because Harry is a lying snake."
I picked up a tub of glitter glue, pretending to be incredibly interested in what Edward was doing, while listening for anything that had gone wrong with Jasper's meeting. "Mr Collins, my headmaster, basically said that Harry should be expelled from the school," Jasper continued. "And that all his friends were to receive similar punishments, at least suspensions."
"Good," Edward said firmly.
"But we agreed that as long as he does mandatory sessions with the school counsellor, and talks to his parents about family therapy, then he can stay," Jasper finished. "I'd be really surprised if he risks getting thrown out."
"It would be a terrible decision on his part, yeah," Raven commented, and then smiled. "I think it's good of you to let him stay."
"Too good of you," Harper added.
"He needs to be supervised," Tom said firmly. "Even if it's only for a month - it could turn his attitude around."
"Is that all you've got left?" Raven asked, and Jasper nodded. "That's coming around fast. So your exams are coming up?"
Jasper nodded. "We've got a few weeks of classes left, and then exam period starts. Other than exams, we won't be in school. Mine are a slow burn, though - I don't have them all jammed into four weeks, like Cyri does." He grinned at Cyri's grimace.
"Are you nervous?" Edward asked.
"Not really," Jasper said. "I'd have to fail all of the exams not to get a pass overall, I did really well in the winter exams. We sat our first year exams in the first six months, these will be our second year exams."
"Ooh, you're smart," Edward commented cheekily. "I love that in a man. What do you want to do at university?"
Jasper pulled a face. "My parents think I've applied to do business studies at various prestigious universities. I've actually applied to do photography - which I'm sure is going to go down really well."
"Can you not tell the truth about anything?" I snorted in amusement at the thought of Jasper anywhere near a business school.
Jasper rolled his eyes. "My headmaster told me to tell you never to park on the school yard again."
I kicked him under the table, watching him smirk like the brat he was. "I saved your face from being brutally destroyed," I leaned over and pulled his hair firmly, watching him resist the urge to fight back. "You should be thanking me."
"I did," Jasper grinned cheekily. "As did my parents, and my brother, and Rory's mother, and Cyri's parents - I thought you ran off because you were so sick of the thank-yous. Although if you like, I can give you a much better thank you-"
"Wait," Harper interrupted, frowning at me. I averted my eyes. "Why was Ross parking on the school yard? Why was he anywhere near your school?"
"Oh, you didn't know?" Jasper asked, looking at Jenny and Lucie. "I thought you would have told them, enjoyed the whole rubbing-it-in thing."
"We wanted to savour the moment," Jenny explained victoriously. "It's the type of thing we know would be meme-able for a decade. We really wanted him to suffer."
"Thanks," I said dryly.
Lucie smiled, patting my leg. "Ross was very brave and saved Jasper, Cyri, and Rory from another fight."
"You what?" Edward asked, looking at me dubiously. "What did you do?"
I glared at the table as Jasper explained what I'd done; clearly he'd explained that he'd come out to his parents and his brother, but hadn't told them that I'd been there. I was torn between being irritated that everyone was talking about it, or insulted that everyone was so surprised. I was just glad that both Jasper and Cyri's injuries were healing well. Tom's splint was off, too. Thanks to Cyri's - or Edward's - make-up skills, you could barely tell any of them had bruises.
"And then he brought me home and I came out to my parents," Jasper finished, grinning. "It was all very dramatic. My brother was gaping at him the entire time."
"I can imagine," Raven laughed, and then eyed her silver glitter pot. "Jazz, could you go and get me a new glitter tub? I'm running out of silver and I'm only halfway through the word 'homophobia'."
"Sure," Jasper said, and got up to head over to the table where all the craft things were stocked. As soon as he was out of earshot, Raven looked at me with a cheeky grin on her face. "So," she said, trying not to laugh. "How was meeting the parents? Did you enjoy being a knight in shining armour?"
"It wasn't like that," I muttered darkly.
Cyri said quietly, "Sure it wasn't..."
I flicked some red paint at her, making it look like she had freckles to match her hair. "That's the last time I help any of you."
Cyri smirked, but begrudgingly said, "Leave him alone, everyone. I was the one that called him to ask for help, he didn't have a bat signal or anything. He was really helpful to all of us, and definitely saved us a couple broken noses. Plus, it was really fun having him race onto the yard - people were talking about it for three days solid. Jasper is way more popular now."
Harper was eyeing me slightly, but my mood clearly indicated that I wanted everyone to drop it. I was hungover as all hell, and I didn't need mocking for something I knew that any of them would do if they had known the others were in trouble. "Hey," Edward interjected, changing the subject. "I saw you leave last night with that new guy Adam - did you have fun? The duet on karaoke was absolutely horrendous, by the way."
God bless you, Edward. I'll never mock you again. Ish.
Realisation dawned. "Adam," I repeated, remembering the guy I took home. "That was his name - I'd been calling him Sam."
Edward cackled. "Nice work. Did you have fun?"
"I did," I replied, and then stretched. "Although honestly, I wish you had stopped me after the first few shots of tequila. I feel like death."
"Me and what army?" Edward grinned. "Plus you'd bought three for me, I was in no position to start arguing. I was too busy doing the duet from High School Musical with Harper."
Harper painted a big purple line down Edward's face. "I thought I warned everyone not to mention that again."
I grinned, glad the tension had been broken. "I'm going to get a coffee, anyone want anything?"
"I'll come with you," Jenny said, getting up and stretching. "I need a walk."
"Fine," I said, though I knew she didn't drink coffee and she had looked fairly comfortable in her seat. I had a feeling that she was going to lecture me about something, so I braced myself once we were out of earshot of everyone else.
"So," she said, smiling as we headed out of the hall and down the bustling street. "How's work?"
I frowned, as we pushed our way through people. "Aren't you going to lecture me?"
"Lecture you?" she asked, surprised. "Ross, just because I fancy a walk to talk with you, it does not mean I'm going to get mad at you for something."
"Oh," I said, and then added, "Sorry. I'm on edge."
"It's fine," she said, and then eyed me. "Are you alright?
"Just everyone talking about the fight thing," I explained, looking to see if it was safe to cross the street. "It really wasn't anything special - I just did what anyone else would have done. Plus honestly, I'm so hungover I can feel every molecule in my body."
"Ah," she replied, and then smiled slightly. "Only you would manage to pull off the hungover look as some kind of fashion."
I smiled in response as we strolled across the street with linked arms. "You seem happy today."
"I'm always happy," she laughed, tucking her hair behind her ears. "And I love pride. It's just extra special this year because Tom has friends to march with. It always felt so horrible seeing him alone."
We approached the nearest coffee shop and I pushed open the door for her. "It's nice seeing Tom happier, yeah. He's a good kid. Jasper, Rory, and Cyri are good for him."
"It's nice having them around," Jenny smiled innocently, and then asked, "Do you like having them around?"
I shot her a look of exasperation. "Yes, they're all very nice. Did you come with me just to try and pin down china patterns for my wedding or something?"
"Please, like I'd be any good at picking china patterns," Jenny snorted, and then smiled at the barista. "Iced tea and a latte with an extra shot, please."
"Thanks," I added, and then elbowed her. "Look, I've only just got the others off my back for the Jasper thing - please don't tell me you're jumping on the 'Jasper and Ross forever' train."
"No," Jenny laughed, taking a seat with me near the coffee bar. She put her hand over mine and looked at me firmly. "You can't bullshit me, Ross. I'm not oblivious to your nonsense. I know you stick up a buttload of walls and pretend you've got no feelings, but I also know you'd freak if anyone hurt a friend of yours."
I sighed. "I love you all, yes. I fully admit I care for you all. You're all great. But I accept that you lot are all monogamous people, and you have to accept that I'm not."
Jenny grinned. "Look, I don't care what your philosophy is towards relationships or marriage - I don't care if you never want marriage or kids. It's not for everyone. I'm just saying that Jasper clearly means something to you, and that you're being a bit of a tit for not just going for it. I'm not saying you have to marry him, or even call it a relationship - but just accept that maybe, you might want him in your life for a bit longer than the average penis."
I pursed my lips. Jenny had always seen right through me. I didn't like it; it made me feel way too seen. But I also knew that she was nearly always right. Our coffees arrived, and I took a sip of my latte. "Okay."
"Okay?" she asked, surprised.
"I'll think about it," I shrugged. "I'm not denying I like Jasper. I don't want to lead him on, but I'll think about it, and I'll talk to him."
Jenny looked satisfied. "And I'll tell the others to back off."
*****
Despite everyone trying to persuade me, I still refused to march. It took roughly twenty minutes to get out of the clutches of everyone, especially Cyri who was surprisingly strong for her size. I eventually managed to escape from the hall and went to sit outside in the lovely warm sun. I chose a spot roughly halfway down the parade route, so I could see everyone when they passed down.
"Ross?"
I turned to see Catherine, Simon and Andrew sat roughly ten metres away from me. I tried not to groan as immediate waves of reluctance hit me; I'd have to sit with them.
"That is you, isn't it?" Catherine asked.
I nodded, trying to appear casual. "It's me."
Catherine smiled at me, though I couldn't tell if she was looking right at me because she had sunglasses on. "Come and sit with us!" she called, and I realised that I really had no choice. I couldn't refuse them.
I sighed to myself, and got up from my spot to walk over to them. "Thanks," I said, sitting down next to Andrew, as far away from Catherine and Simon as I could without it looking rude.
"Are you not marching?" Simon asked.
I shook my head. "I never march, it's not really my thing. I'm just here to wave at the others."
"Ah," Simon nodded. "Whereabouts will Jasper be in the parade?"
"Somewhere in the middle," I guessed. "The bikes are usually just before them, and the drag queens usually right after them."
Simon nodded and continued a conversation he'd obviously been having with Catherine. I cautiously looked at Andrew, because I knew that he knew about me and Jasper; Jasper had informed me subtly during the day.
"So," he said, turning slightly away from his parents and lowering his tone. "Why don't you march?"
I shrugged. "I don't like people watching me - my work isn't the best with discrimination policies, so I'd rather no one spotted me."
"Understandable," Andrew said, gesturing to the crowd. "There are so many people. I didn't realise it was so popular."
I nodded. "It's the same every year, trust me."
Andrew nodded as well, and then sighed. "I'm sorry; I don't know what I should be saying to you after what Jasper told me."
I frowned. "After what Jasper told you?"
"About you two..." Andrew trailed off, and then pulled a face. "He didn't tell you. Sorry, I didn't mean to bombard you."
I made a mental note to throw something at Jasper when I saw him later. "No, he didn't tell me," I said, wondering if I was about to be punched in the face. "Sorry, I... honestly, things got way complicated when I started getting more involved with you all."
"It's okay," Andrew said, and then sighed. "Look, I'm not saying I'm super thrilled about it. But I also know I can't stop Jasper doing anything he wants to do. He's moving out for uni soon, he's responsible for himself, it's not like I can control his actions here. And... I guess you've proved you're pretty cool to him and the others."
I forced a smile. "I don't know if this helps, but it really was only intended to be a one-time thing. I'm not exactly the commitment type. It's just that he's friends with Tom, and therefore he's very much in my life."
"He seems a lot happier since he met you all," Andrew said fairly. "Look, I'm not here to be pissed at you. I know Jasper will clearly tell you what he wants, he's very outspoken. As long as it's healthy communication-wise, do what you want."
"Hilariously, you're more supportive of that than any of our other friends," I laughed, putting my sunglasses on. "Thank you, though. I appreciate that you trust him. I'm not in the business of breaking hearts or leading anyone on, he knows exactly what I'm able to give him."
"That's good to hear," Andrew replied, and then stretched out. "He's been so different lately. It's like getting to know a whole new person."
"That's probably our fault," I said dryly. "It usually is."
Andrew chuckled. "I don't think it's you lot, not completely, although you've definitely given him things to think about. I think it's him finally figuring out what he wants to do. I always worried he tried too much to be like me."
"He mentioned that you set the standards high," I said, remembering that.
"When?" Andrew asked, amused.
I remembered that it happened to be when we were lying in bed talking after sex the other night. "I don't remember," I lied.
"Darling," Catherine said to Andrew, momentarily interrupting us. "We're going to grab some food, do you want anything?"
"I'm fine, thanks," Andrew said.
"Ross?" Catherine asked.
I held up my fifth cup of coffee of the day. "I'm sorted."
"Alright, darling," Catherine said to us, and then she and her husband wandered off to the food stalls. Andrew settled back, enjoying the sunshine, and I enjoyed having some peace for the first time that day. My conversation with Jenny echoed in my head. She was right; Jasper meant more to me than I had previously admitted to myself. I wondered how far I was willing for that to go.
The thought of committing to a long-term relationship was not a pleasant one for me. I'd seen many long-term relationships break down horribly, and it just never seemed like something I was prepared to throw myself into. I didn't want to go into a relationship as my current self, closed off and avoidant of emotions. It would break even a really strong bond. I also didn't really think Jasper, at nineteen, should be settling down into a relationship. He had so many years to change and grow ahead of him; he might not even be the same person in five years' time. He was likely moving away for university, and I wasn't interested in a long-distance relationship.
I had a few months left, and the smart option was to make sure nothing further happened between Jasper and me. It was likely to make things more complicated, and therefore difficult when it came to him moving away. I sighed as his face appeared in my mind. I didn't want to stop seeing him, though. I didn't want to stop sleeping with him.
"Oh, here they come," Andrew said, spotting the distant crowd of people marching down the street. I couldn't help myself. I looked out for him, and grinned widely when I saw him.
*****
The after-party for Pride at Fruits turned out to be incredibly dull this year. I wasn't really interested in anyone there, and they were interested in everyone, including me. I was turning offers down left, right, and centre. I spotted Jasper eyeing me curiously, and I waved him over.
"Someone's moody," he grinned, nudging me.
I gestured to the outdoor area, and said, "I have to talk to you."
He frowned, but followed me, bringing his drink. I had necked mine in an attempt to slow my heart rate. We went outside, which was still full, but the music was quieter. I didn't have to shout. I spied a sofa free, and pulled him over to it, sitting with him.
"What's up?" Jasper asked suspiciously. "I get the feeling I'm about to be told off."
I snorted. "Please, I'm not your mother. Look. Jenny gave me a lecture earlier, and it's been playing on my mind for a while. I... I need to get something off my chest." Jasper waited patiently for me to proceed, and I sighed. "I don't know what this is, but I know it's not something I can just ignore and hope it goes away."
"Okay," Jasper looked confused.
"If you are open to the idea," I said uncomfortably. "Then I wouldn't mind having a regular casual arrangement between the two of us. That would be alright with me."
Jasper raised his eyebrows, and then looked pleased. "Really?"
"Yes, but I want to be very, very clear," I warned him. "I'm not your boyfriend. I'm not a boyfriend person right now."
"Oh, that has been made abundantly clear," Jasper grinned cheekily. "Regular fucking is good with me. I'm glad you've finally pulled your head out of your arse and matured a little."
"Brat," I said gruffly. Without really thinking about it, I took hold of his shirt and pulled him to me so his body was pressed against mine. His smile disappeared as my lips crashed against his, locking him into a fierce kiss. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling himself as close to me as possible. I could feel the warmth of his skin through his clothes, and the softness of his lips.
As I broke away from him, he looked up at me. "What was that for?" he asked, smiling.
"Happy Pride," I told him, and then indicated the door. "I'm taking you home."
****
At mine, the furniture became a second thought as I carried Jasper through my apartment. Throwing him down on the sofa, knocking over a lamp in the process, I pushed him against the cushions and bit down on his neck. He gasped, and his legs tightened around my waist. I felt his cock harden under his jeans and my hands slipped under the fabric to grab his arse.
"Mmft," he moaned, and I kissed him deeply. I was feeling the need to show myself that opening up slightly to Jasper was not a bad decision, and that it was going to be very fun. So far, I was doing a damn good job.
"Arms up," I ordered him, and he grinned, keeping his arms at his side. I laughed a little and pinned them above his head, dragging his t-shirt up over his head, exposing his chest. "Nice try," I said, and nipped at his neck again. "Tell me what you want."
"No," he snorted. "I'm not stroking your ego."
"Then I'm not stroking your cock," I teased, flicking his nipple with my tongue. He squirmed a little, his mouth opening as a gasp escaped his lips. God, that was sexy. He still didn't speak, so I focused more of my attention on his nipples, loving how sensitive they were. He moaned and his back arched beneath me, pushing his chest into my face.
"Tell me what you want," I repeated, kissing his stomach.
"Mean," he replied, panting slightly.
"Come on, baby," I grinned, kissing his hips. "Tell me what you want."
He hid his face from me, embarrassed, and said, "I want you to fuck me."
I unbuttoned his jeans, and laughed. "See? Was that so difficult?"
Jasper muttered something under his breath, but his grumpy expression soon made way for blissful pleasure. I loved that look on his face. My mind fought me in every way, telling me that this would fall apart the second I let myself enjoy it, but I kept telling it to shut up. I wanted to see that look over and over again.
*****
Harper: you owe me twenty quid
Raven: HOW DO YOU KEEP WINNING