golden boy.

Whatever potions they’d given him had run their course by the time he heard footsteps nearing his room. Dylan knitted his eyebrows together and stared at the door in confusion because he could have sworn he heard what sounded like hooves coming down the hall. “What the…” He stopped when he saw Royce appear, Pickles behind him. “Okay, I know I’m not still this drugged up - how the actual fuck did you get a goat into the hospital.” Dylan gave Royce a look when he saw the balloon. “Congratulations on what?”

Royce frowned as Pickles walked past him into the room, following him with a pout. “That’s not how we rehearsed it.” He grumbled, scratching the goat on the head as he passed, before untying the balloon and moving it to the side of Dylan’s bed. “You say that like it’s hard.” He scoffed, rolling his eyes before sitting on the edge of his bed. “On your little bundle of joy. Sharp shooting, tiger.” He smirked, winking at him.

“Here,” Lorcan offered, handing the other a glass. “You look like you could use a drink.”

“I wouldn’t blame you if you did.” And that was the truth, she wouldn’t have been shocked if he had agreed with her statement but she wouldn’t have been able to stand here and listen to it if he had. “Basically saying you’d rather hate me doesn’t make it any better y’know.” she muttered sarcastically, all the while she was stood with her arms folded and her head bowed, she couldn’t quite bring herself to look at him, but she looked up half-surprised at his mini-rant before glancing away again as tears sprung to her eyes, “It’s not a simple as -” But she cut herself off as his words registered in her brain, “What do you mean?” but she thought she knew what he was talking about. He knew. He knew that the breakup was down to her parents. 

“I’m not trying to make it better.” He said simply, shrugging slightly. It sounded harsh, but it was the truth. “I’m trying to be honest.” Royce went on pointedly, not looking at her as he said it, but instead glaring at all the people around them, oblivious. “Not as simple as what, Lucy?” He asked, frowning. “You didn’t want to be with me anymore. That’s as simple as it gets. And I at at least deserved you telling me that yourself.” He could feel all the anger he’d tried to shove down bubbling up inside of him, and he closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to calm himself again. He sighed as he did so, taking another drink - he hadn’t consumed nearly enough for this. Royce rolled his eyes as he finally brought himself to meet her gaze again. “You know exactly what I mean.” He answered, narrowing her eyes slightly. “You think I don’t know this is because of them?” He scoffed. “That’s what it always was.”

“Like you hate me.” She answered as he pulled her back. She didn’t want to stand here and talk to him, to face up to what she’d done, she simply wanted to disappear from the party and retreat back home and lose herself in a book. “I wouldn’t do that Royce. I wouldn’t blame you for any of this.” she closed her eyes and sighed, “Damn right none of this is fair,” she murmured under her breath. All of this was just shit. It was shit that her parents put her in this situation in the first place, shit that she hadn’t been strong enough to tell them to piss off and shit that she didn’t give Royce enough credit to even tell him why she had to break up with him, instead sending Molly to do her dirty work for her and let her say whatever was necessary, anything that wasn’t the truth. 

“I don’t hate you.” Royce countered quickly. He didn’t know why, but the words stung him more than he’d thought. He didn’t hate her, he’d been telling all of his friends not to hate her since they broke up - not to talk poorly of her. “I could never hate you, no matter how much easier it might be.” Royce shook his head with a mirthless laugh, running his hand through his hair. Her words didn’t sit right with him, her agreeing with his statement. It wasn’t fair, but it was her fault. “Are you serious?” He asked, trying to keep his temper controlled, the last thing he wanted to do was get angry with her, even after everything. And especially not here. “You can’t be serious, you’re complaining? When you had your sister break up with me for you? I don’t want to hear it, Lucy. You don’t -” He paused, suddenly slightly choked up at the memory. He cleared his throat, nodding once. “You don’t know how much that hurt. And she lied to boot. You think I don’t know what this is about?”

“Well, for one thing, I have eyes,” Brooke spoke with the tiniest of smirks before quickly wiping it from her lips. “Sorry. What I mean is, I mean- You invited me here, I’m going to keep an eye out for you, you know. Especially when it comes to the girl who broke your heart, Royce.”

Royce grumbled, gaze drifting back to Lucy at Brooke’s words. He frowned, nodding once. “You’re right, I asked you here.” He murmured, tugging his gaze from his ex to Brooke, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips for a moment before it disappeared. “So let’s not talk about Lucy.” He suggested, raising his eyebrow, although he had very little faith that that would work. “She didn’t....break my heart.” He tsked, hating the way it sounded even if it were true.

Lucy rubbed the tops of her arms nervously, she hated this. Hated that they were being so awkward around one another. She watched his eyes flick over and she followed his gaze, she recognised the girl and her mind placed her as being in her own house but the year above. “Well, ermm, thanks…” she replied lamely. There were so many things she wanted to say to him, but it wasn’t the time or place and she wasn’t sure it ever would be. “Ermm, sure, I guess.” she closed her eyes and sighed, “I think I’m just gonna go. This is awkward and it’s not my place and I can’t stand to see you looking at me like that.” As soon as the words left her lips she wished she could have shoved them back in, “Yeah i’m definitely going now.” 

Royce shifted uncomfortably as she spoke, wondering if her head was as tumultuous as his was. He cleared his throat, not sure what to say to her. He would be lying if he said he was the same person he’d been before they’d gotten together. He owed her a lot - she’d made him grow up, become more responsible and reliable. But then she’d left, so he had no choice but to try and be that man on his own, and while he didn’t resent her for that - he couldn’t, not when she’d helped him as much as she had - he still didn’t know how to act around her. “Looking at you like what?” He asked, reaching forward and grabbing her arm as she turned to go. As painful as it was for Royce to stand here talking to her, he had a feeling he needed to - to help let go of it all. He didn’t want her to leave. Even though it was awkward and painful, it was Lucy. And he apparently hadn’t gotten over her as well as he’d thought yet. “Don’t - don’t go because of me. Don’t put that on me.” He replied, a hint of his bitterness creeping into his voice. “Don’t bail on Dylan and blame it on me. It’s not fair.” He could feel his cheeks get hot in his frustration and he dropped her hand quickly, as if she’d burned him, shaking his head. “None of this is fair.”

She watched as his smiled dropped off his face when he realised it was her and looked away, he had every right to hate her and to avoid her, especially considering she had been hoping to avoid him, but hearing it out loud still hurt, “Small place, lots of people. The odds weren’t exactly in our favour.” she murmured, shuffling her feet on the stop and taking a sip from the drink somebody had supplied her with, she could tell it was alcoholic, something she wouldn’t normally drink but drank it anyway. She needed it. “Neither did I.” She shrugged, “I wasn’t going to come, Dylan is your friend after all.” 

“Yeah.” He agreed lamely, nodding at her words. He didn’t know what to say to her - he had imagined this moment, sure, but not for a while. He’d hoped she’d come round for a long time, but now that he was spending more time with Brooke...he wasn’t sure what he wanted anymore. But going backwards was not an option for him. He glanced over at the blonde in question as he thought. “He’s my best friend, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t yours too.” He said stiffly, wanting to be the bigger person as he slowly brought his gaze back to her. Selfishly, he wished she hadn’t come. Dylan was his friend, she should have known. But he wanted Dylan to have a good night, and if he had invited Lucy, he couldn’t begrudge her for coming. “Have you been doing well?”

A small smile slipped onto her lips at his words, but she continued to watch him carefully none the less. “Ok, we’re definitely coming back to that because I feel like I just got a very sugar coated answer,” Brooke scoffed a laugh. “But I was kinda referring more to the whole having to deal with your ex at an engagement party of all places, the more recent ex, that is, not me.”

Royce frowned slightly at her words, raising an eyebrow as he opened his mouth to reply, but her next words cut him off before he could start and he snapped his mouth shut. “How could you possibly already know I ran into her? It was like thirty seconds ago.”

Lucy had been standing awkwardly at Orion and Dylan’s engagement party for roughly an hour. Parties were not her thing, full stop and this one had only been made worse by the fact that she hadn’t planned to attend and therefore had no one to attend with. Sure she had participated in a few conversations with people she knew but nothing substantial enough to make this awkward experience any less so. It was as she decided that she had shown her face enough, she had spoken to and congratulated Dylan and that was the main thing, and decided it was time for her to leave when she physically bumped into quite possibly the last person she would ever want to bump into, “Oh shit sorry -” she cut herself off as she finally laid eye on the person she had walked into. Royce.

@royce-wilkinson

“Oh, please, Wilkinson,” he smirked and took the drink from him. “Stop being such a drama queen. You had a year and a half to get used to the idea of letting me go. The way you guys teased me about him, you should have known when I started dating him we’d end up here sooner rather than later.”

“Drama King, thanks.” He corrected with a wink before he took a sip of his drink. “Also, thanks for confirming that you’re gonna write me, your extremely good looking single friend, completely off once you get back down the aisle. I appreciate that.” He laughed, punching him lightly in the arm. “Guess I’ll just have to find someone else’s cereal to steal.” He sighed heavily as he fought a smirk.

With a sympathetic smile she took the proffered drink with a small nod in thanks. “How are you coping?” she asked softly, wrapping an arm around his as she lead him away from the main crowd.

“Huh?” Royce looked over at her at the question, slightly amazed as he followed her lead. How did she already know? He had literally just run into Lucy. He shook his head with a small smile, deciding she must be asking about Dylan. “I’m fine. I mean, he’s been practically married to the guy since they started dating, I don’t think it’s gonna be that different.” He shrugged, taking a sip of his drink.