Page 63 of The Ring
“Collecting some jewellery I left cleaning in Mayfair andpicking up some suits from the tailor that I will need for the office next week.”
For a moment, I think he might make a remark about me going back to work at my family’s company, but he lets it go. Instead, he asks, “Fancy some company?”
It catches me off guard. It’s not what he said that surprises me—it’s how much it excites me.
“Really?” I ask, attempting to sound calm.
He starts getting dressed. “Why not? I have nothing going on today.”
“Alright, finish getting dressed while I grab a bag.”
I head into my closet, pick out my blue Kelly 25 with silver hardware, and start popping all my essentials inside.
I come back out, and TJ is already fully dressed.
“Would you like to have breakfast in Mayfair or here?” TJ asks me.
Fuck. I’d completely forgotten about breakfast. Technically, whatever we eat now would be more like lunch, but I haven’t had breakfast in the last week. Most people don’t do that—they manage to have three meals a day, don’t they?
“Let’s grab something here,” I reply. “There should be something in the kitchen we can eat.”
I don’t feel like eating anything—nor am I even hungry—but I’m not about to say that. I don’t want him getting any ideas.
I walk to the door leading from my room to the hallway and crack it open slightly, peeking out to make sure my uncle isn’t around. I’ve been doing this every time I need to venture into shared spaces or leave the house.
I can barely stand it when he comes to London and stays with us. It makes me feel like I have to hide in my own home. I don’thaveto, of course, but I do if I want to avoid insufferable conversations. Luckily, he rarely visits, and thank Godhe’s heading back to New York tomorrow, becoming Americans’ problem once again.
“Looking for someone?” TJ asks, peering over my head to glance outside.
“More like hiding from someone, but the coast is clear. Let’s go.” I step out of my bedroom, pulling him along with me and gesturing to him to stay quiet.
We take the lift down to the ground floor—a risky move, since it could open right in front of Roland, making it impossible to avoid him. But it’s the fastest option, and I’m not in the mood for the stairs.
The lift stops, and we head towards the kitchen in silence. At every corner, I peek around, making sure the coast is clear.
When we reach the kitchen, I don’t stop but walk straight past it and head for the door that leads to the mews house. TJ follows, looking slightly puzzled.
“Let’s go to the other one,” I explain, guiding him through the door and up the stairs to the first floor, where the mews kitchen is.
I’ve been coming there for food ever since my uncle arrived. There’s no way he’d ever set foot in the mews house—even though it’s as nice as the rest of the property. That’s how much of an elitist he is.
“For a moment, it felt like we were back at Edelweiss,” TJ says as we are about to enter the kitchen.
I chuckle. It kind of did. I think that of certain things we did in boarding school, the sneaking around was the most exhilarating part.
We step into the kitchen, and I notice it is not empty. Anthony is sitting at the counter, eating what looks like salmon, with his laptop in front of him.
Seeing Anthony, I can’t deny that all this sneaking around was purely to avoid Uncle Roland. Sure, I tend to steer clear ofhim, but a bigger part of me didn’t want anyone to know that TJ had spent the night—especially not Anthony.
After all, TJ also fucked his mother, and I have no idea how Anthony would react to seeing him. He has seen him a few times, but all in public settings, and Anthony is too proper to say anything there or cause a scene. In a private setting, though, I don’t know.
I decide to act like it’s not a big deal TJ is here, because it’s not. He just gave me a ride home, and I was being a good Samaritan by letting him stay the night.
Except it’skind ofa big deal. He slept in my bed, and we almost kissed. But Anthony doesn’t know that.
“Are you also hiding from Uncle Roland?” I ask Anthony casually as I make my way to the refrigerator.
TJ trails behind me, looking a little tense, like he’s worried about Anthony’s reaction, too.
