May 1, 2023

Syn

I sipped my coffee as I held the newspaper in my free hand. The comic section of the paper was the first thing I went to and I read it with a straight face. My goal this morning was to be as inconspicuous as possible as I sat in the booth of the crowded cafe. Normally this wasn't my thing, but it wasn't hard to guess why I was here.

"Can I have a caramel Frappuccino with extra caramel and extra whipped cream?" Queen asked the barista at the counter. Ew. It sounded disgusting, but I glanced at the black coffee in my hand and wished I had gotten the same thing she did. I generally wasn't a big fan of sweets, but after D introduced me to better coffee, I was hooked.

I peered over the newspaper to see Queen pay and move off to the side with Abel. I sat and listened in boredom as Abel talked about some art gallery and Queen listened intently. I would've thought she would be bored but she seemed to be soaking it all in and conversing enthusiastically. Hmm, another change.

"We're going to Rhythm tonight," Queen said. My ears perked up at the mention of the nightclub and I raised a brow.

"The nightclub?"

"Yup." Queen played with random strands of her hair as she looked out the window. The sunlight casting a golden glow on her caramel skin. Her dark and curly hair was back to its deep brown color, but she seemed to keep the same short length that she had before. "Are you going to come?" She asked him, snapping me out of my trance.

"No. You know how I feel about clubs."

"It's for Xoe though," Queen whined. "She just launched her line AND her podcast hit two million listeners." Abel swung his head in her direction and she clasped her hands together to beg him. My jaw clenched at the idea of her having to beg for anything and I mentally willed Abel to say yes. The smile on her face would be worth a few hours of his misery.

"I'll stop by," he mumbled. Queen wrapped her arms around him excitedly and I relaxed into my seat. "What's the address?" Queen told it to him as he wrote it into his phone and I repeated it into my mind, now knowing my plans for the night.

I never thought I'd be one to stoop so low as to stalk someone, but I could t help myself. I knew it was wrong and I told myself that I'd leave her alone after the first time...but that always changed into "after tomorrow". I craved being around her. The sound of her laugh and voice alone was enough for me to forget who I was for a while.

꧁꧂

Queen

"Queen," the barista called out as she read the cup. I signaled at her and walked towards her to get my order and she gave me a bright smile. "Have a nice day."

"Thanks, you too." I kept my vision on my brother as we walked to the exit and he held the door open for me. We walked down the crowded street in comfortable silence and when we turned a corner, he looked down at me. "Do you think he heard that?"

"Most definitely."

꧁꧂

Syn

"Where have you been all day?" Hades questioned as I walked into the house. I tossed my keys onto the kitchen counter and he stuffed an obscene amount of dry fruit loops into his mouth.

"What do you mean all day? It's only four, Hades. I haven't been gone that long." I was irritated that he was all on my back the way that he was, but I couldn't truly blame him. It was my fault that he was here in the first place.

"I'm only asking because we have been waiting for you."

"We?"

"Syn!" I glared at Hades with my back to the high-pitched voice, and he snickered. I turned around slowly to see Stella running towards me and I held back the groan threatening to escape. I knew she was coming eventually, but I thought me not answering her calls or texts would be enough to extend the time I had. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her lips against mine as I remained frozen.  "I missed you."

"Umm." I slowly untangled myself from her arms and she frowned slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you I was coming to New York." She tucked her silky brown hair behind her ears and looked up at me with innocent blue eyes—which weren't "innocent" at all. I guess that could be chalked up to her appeal.

She was one of the few humans that lived in the Underworld, but her large following was one of the main reasons I reached out to her. I was completely upfront about why I wanted to see her, and she was fine with it as long as she could let the public believe she was dating a king.

"Right." I nodded. "I have somewhere to go tonight...you can entertain yourself, can't you?"

She jutted out her bottom lip and pouted and I resisted the urge to just walk away from her. "I just got here. Can't you cancel?" She ran her hand down my chest and gave me a seductive smile. "I'll make it worth your while."

"Would you cancel on the best thing that's ever happened to you for me?"

"No."

"I wouldn't do it for you either." I held her wrist and removed her hand from my chest. "Don't ask me to do it again." Her smile completely dropped when I let go of her hand and I turned around to look at Hades who was trying his best to focus on anything but us. "Show her to her room and keep her company."

"No need," she interrupted. "There are plenty of men here who would love to keep me company."

"Then go to them."

I heard a gasp from behind me as I walked past her and I rolled my eyes. I made it crystal clear what we were when we first started seeing one another. I told her every time she tried to cross the line to something more serious and she was always happy with it.

What fucking changed?

I walked into my room and took a quick shower before changing into what I was wearing to the club. Like Abel, I didn't truly like clubbing. I never went unless it was for someone else or there was financial gain. Tonight would have to be the latter since I was only going to see Queen.

When I was done, I walked out of the room and strode past Stella and Hades who were talking on the couch. I could see that she was attempting to make me jealous by rubbing his arm and laughing a little too hard at his jokes. But I'd let her find out for herself why she looked stupid.

I didn't know what time Queen was going to be at the club, and I didn't want to be there longer than necessary. The only way to directly find out when she'd leave her house was to just go there.

I grabbed my keys from the counter and left without saying a word. I could sense they both knew I left with the way their conversation came to a slow but I had better things to do than explain myself to them. One day I was sure I'd tell Hades why I truly came to New York, I just hoped Queen would be sitting on my lap when I had to explain.

꧁꧂

A glanced at my watch and laid my head onto the back of the seat. I'd already been waiting over an hour for her to come out and I was beginning to get irritated. Not because she was taking so long but because she'd be out so late. I knew she could take care of herself but I hated the idea of her getting hurt or behind placed in a situation where she needed to fight.

I lifted my head when I heard the familiar gates to the front of the mansion open, and my eyes landed on Queen. My breath caught at the sight of her and I was thankful for the tinted windows. If they weren't there she'd be in for the shock of a lifetime.

She walked to the trunk of her car and as she bent down, my eyes took note of her short black mini dress that exposed her back but hugged her curves like a second skin. It was accompanied by heels with silk straps that wrapped around her legs and I loosened my tie as the car suddenly became hot.

She closed the trunk of the car and ran a hand down her short chair. As if catching me staring at her, she looked towards the car and I froze. She looked at it curiously before looking around the street and I watched her attentively.

Unexpected as always, she took a step further into the street and straight towards my direction. I wanted to warn her off with a honk, but the thought of her being so close kept my hand fisted on my leg.

She rounded the car with a frown etched on her face and I kept my eyes on her. She bit her bottom lip in thought as she came back to the driver's side and I sat up to face her. We practically face to face, the only thing dividing us was a thin glass. How badly I wanted to reach to lower the window was beginning insane. If I could, I'd pull her to me and never let go. I'd apologize a million times for my past mistakes and make her never want to leave again.

"Hello?" She knocked on the window. Just leave, Princess. I figured she was going to do just that, and I got so lost in hoping that she would, that I didn't notice the door begin to open.

"Shit," I cursed as I quickly closed the door and started the car. I immediately sped off as my body heated in anticipation. I took deep breaths to calm my nerves, and it was then that I realized maybe it wasn't Queen who wasn't ready for me to reveal myself...maybe it's me.

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Author's Note
Y'all know where we are...🙈

So oop, what do y'all think is going on?👀
What just happened in that cafe with Abel and Queen?...
Lmk your thoughts ✨