Page 128 of Pucking Them
Robyn valiantly insisted that she didn’t want to redo them because she loved them anyway because I’d done it.
She’s going to make an amazing mum.
I catch myself, flushing at the thought.
Shit, where did that come from?
Robyn turns her head and catches my eye.
She smiles.
My heart bloody melts.
I hurriedly take a long slurp of tea.
Robyn’s brow furrows in confusion.
I busy myself like I am looking around at the closed café, which Cassian runs along with his college studies. Eden tells me that it is themed after the bookAlice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
The bookcases are built out of giant playing cards, while they are guarded by chess pieces. White Rabbit sculptures pose by the door anxiously checking their watches.
Vases of red roses stand in the middle of the tables.
My nose scrunches up at the rich, mingling scents of coffee, tea, and sweet pastries.
D’Angelo owns the place. He helped Cassian to set it up, when Cassian first arrived here.
“This is for all of you.” Cassian pulls a glittery emerald embossed envelope out of his pocket.
The envelope has a single ruby, high-heeled shoe, which looks like the type of thing Kay would wear on the front, beneath the line that is shaped in a rainbowSOMEWHERE UNDER YOUR BED.
I take the envelope automatically, blinking in surprise. “Ehm, thanks. This is…?”
To my surprise, Robyn whoops, snatching the envelope from me. “An invitation to your next fetish event, right?The Wonderful Wizard of Ozthemed one?”
Cassian nods enthusiastically, and his kitten ears flop. “Eden and I have been exchanging emails about books. He suggested it.”
My eyes widen.
I didn’t know that my brother was part of an online book club.
Running baking and book groups and even organizing fetish events… I better not tell Eden that he’s turned into a people person, otherwise his brain will short circuit. I bet that he hasn’t realized yet.
I smile at the thought that Cassian seems to understand my brother.
Cassian also struggles to make friends at college. He’s painfully shy, although he’s comfortable enough in our friendship group.
I hate the thought that someone as soft as Cassian may be avoiding the other students at college because he’s either being bullied or ignored like Eden was.
“I’m designing the decorations for the event. This will be a dark, twisted Oz.” Everett catches my eye. “You’ll be pleased to know that there will be a lot of leather.”
“Thank you for your service,” I say. “Will your brilliant shop be providing costumes that we can buy or hire?”
Everett runs one of my favorite shops in Freedom, the 1001 Fantasies boutique.
He’s bloody talented.
He nods. “Make sure that you choose them in good time, or everything will be bought. Then you’ll need to turn up as a sexy Toto. Although, I can see you as that.”
