Madeleine is wearing a pre-bridal outfit — white everything. She looks so angelic, Liam himself has trouble believing that she really is a schemer, just from looking at her. But when he thinks back of their awkward, forced interactions… He shudders. No more thinking.

Leo pats him on the back. The two brothers smile at each other. They had a heart-to-heart earlier, and Leo perfectly understood that Liam can’t ask him to be best man, with the history that he and Madeleine share. It felt good to be supported, even by just two people.

Madeleine holds out her hand for Liam to take. Together, they walk onto the platform, surrounded by reporters and various representatives of the Cordonian press. King Constantine is already on the platform, and Liam can’t help but think that he hasn’t really seen his father in motion for a very, very long time. Can he even walk anymore? In any case, he’s good at concealing. If that’s what being a King means, well, Liam won’t be any good. He can feel the beads of sweat dangling over his brow.

His father gives him a curt nod. It’s time.

He clears his throat. ‘People of Cordonia. It is with great pleasure that I officially announce my engagement to Countess Madeleine of Fydelia.’ He turns to Madeleine and they offer each other their fakest smile. ‘We couldn’t be happier about the news, and we look forward to the upcoming festivities. In four days, this Friday, we will depart for our engagement tour, which will stop in Rome, then Paris, then London, finally culminating in a trip to New York City. With us, we will have the pleasure to welcome our wedding parties. Please, Lady Madeleine,’ he says as he turns to her.

She smiles and says, ‘My maid of honor will be Lady Kiara of Castelsarreillan. In my wedding party, I will be delighted to count my fellow former contestants Lady Penelope of Portavira, Duchess Olivia Nevrakis of Lythikos, Lady Hana Lee, and—‘ she pauses and Liam could swear she let a slight smirk show. ‘Lady Amara Suarez.’

The crowd lets out a slight gasp. Liam hurries with his list. ‘And my best man will be my longtime friend Drake Walker. In my wedding party, I am welcoming my brother, former Prince Leo, Duke Bertrand Beaumont of Ramsford, Lord Maxwell Beaumont of Ramsford, and Lord Rashad Domvallier.’ He takes a long breath. ‘Thank you, dear people of Cordonia, for your well wishes. We both wish you all the happiness we are experiencing ourselves, and to all a good night.’

*****

‘Well, I guess it’s official,’ Drake says as he turns off the TV. ‘We gotta do this thing.’

Hana nods as she takes a sip of her wine. ‘Yep. Just the thought of pretending to be helpful to that bitch is giving me hives.’

Drake has to chuckle at Hana’s swearing - he might never get used to it. ‘And I have to be Liam’s freaking best man. Which, like… it’s fine, of course I want to be there for him, but—‘ He trails off. Amara meets his eye.

‘You’re nervous about being in the spotlight,’ she finishes his sentence. He nods. She continues, rubbing Drake’s hand in support. ‘I know, me too, babe. But think about it. It’s for the best. We’ll be on the frontline, ready to pounce if Madeleine shows her hand in the slightest.’

Maxwell nods. ‘Exactly. We’ll be there for each other, too. Oh and, after these drinks, let’s all write our acknowledgements to Liam and Madeleine. That way, tomorrow, we can go to the cabin without a care in the world.’

Drake smiles earnestly. ‘I can’t wait. We all need it. You’ll see, Mike, it’s as calm as what we’ve seen of the coast today, but even more remote.’

Michael smiles excitedly. ‘I’m excited! I’ll take loads of pictures for Callie, she’s been asking about where we are. She’ll love that.’

Drake looks to Amara, who is smiling quietly, a sneaky tear in her eye. Without saying a word, Drake takes her hand again, and squeezes it. He knows how much she’s missed her niece. How badly she wants to be a part of her life again. Drake can’t help but imagine Amara’s family visiting Cordonia, coming to the cabin, having long dinners on the patio, overlooking nature… He may not have much of a family —it’s broken, it spans over two continents and three countries, it’s riddled with lies and unspoken things— but Amara makes him want to fix things. With her folks, with his… He wants their ducks to be in a row.

‘Guys,’ Maxwell whispers dramatically, ‘has anyone heard from Liv?’

This takes Amara out of her daydream, and she replies, ‘Oh, not at all. Let’s hope she’s too busy to text.’ She performs a theatrical wiggling of her eyebrows.

Hana joins in, ‘Maybe she’s just too tied up at the moment.’

Michael nods, a cheeky smile on his face, ‘Maybe she needs to remain on top of things.’

Maxwell, a proud look on his face, chimes in: ‘Maybe she can’t talk because her mouth is full.’

Everyone looks on in horror, until a collective roaring laughter takes over the silence.

‘Holy shit Max,’ Amara says, crying with laughter, ‘too far, honey!’

Michael wipes off a tear, ‘Jeez Maxwell, we were trying to be subtle over here!’

Maxwell shrugs. ‘I just wanted to be a part of it, guys.’

*****

‘Please Michael, go to bed,’ Maxwell waves him off. ‘You don’t need to do all this.’

Michael continues to carry plates from the living room to the sink. ‘No, I want to help! Drake cooked, Amara made the after-dinner drinks, I want to do my part.’ He pauses and makes a charming face at Maxwell. ‘Please.’

Max sighs. Why must they always meet like this, in the kitchen? All Maxwell has ever done in here is messes, and a small fire once —Bertrand still won’t let him use the oven—, but these days, he finds himself drawn to this space. This is where he puts plates together for his friends. Even though he can’t cook, he loves to entertain, and while he happily leaves the roasting and chopping to Drake, Maxwell loves preparing snacks and apéritif trays.

Not to mention the late-night cleanups. Which Michael always joins in on.

He chuckles and busies himself with the dishes. He told everyone else to go to bed, that he’s got it. Truth is, he was kinda hoping this would happen. People going upstairs to pack for tomorrow’s trip, and, if we’re being realistic, Drake and Amara probably going upstairs to get it on. Bertrand went to bed a while ago, as soon as he came home, and that leaves him here, now.

Dammit, he thinks. Why did the girls have to put these ideas in his head?

Well, once again, if we’re being honest, the ideas were already in there, but Maxwell was simply burying them under piles and piles of insecurity, laced with unwavering friendliness.

Maxwell had never been the one in charge before —no one trusts him with anything usually, see the kitchen fire anecdote—, but ever since Michael turned up, it had been Max’s pleasure to show him around, make sure he’s okay, and, most importantly, help him and Amara fix their relationship.

He knows Amara trusts him, and considers him like a brother, which is of course reciprocal. From the moment he told her about Savannah, and instead of judging him for keeping that secret from Drake, she helped him come clean, he’s known that she is a true friend.

So, if she herself is telling him that she sees something between him and Michael, could there be some truth to it?

‘Hey Max,’ Michael says softly, interrupting his incessant internal questions. ‘Is your brother ok?’

Maxwell smiles. ‘Yeah, Bertrand’s fine. He’s just stressed out. He found out that he’s part of the wedding party and needs to come on the Tour, and he’s like Drake in a way. He doesn’t like the spotlight.’

Michael nods. ‘I see. It’s crazy how different you guys are.’ He pauses. ‘I don’t mean that you love the spotlight or anything, but you’re just more...comfortable. In any situation. It’s really admirable, actually.’

Maxwell chuckles and turns back to his dishwashing so Michael can’t see that he’s blushing. ‘Oh, thanks, but it’s nothing, really.’ He bites his lip, annoyed at himself for not finding the right words. It used to be so effortless between them, why did the girls have to fill his head with stupid fantasies?

But Michael doesn’t seem to mind. He sits at the kitchen island and starts putting cookies back in their tins, slowly, one by one, as if he wanted to drag this moment for longer. ‘I’m serious,’ he adds. ‘It takes a lot of guts, and a lot of adaptability, to be able to navigate any social situation without too much anxiety.’

Maxwell turns around to grab another dirty dish. He meets Michael’s eye. ‘Well thank you, but I don’t think I navigate that well. Plus, I was born into it, I guess, so I have no merit. Amara, on the other hand…’

Michael laughs. ‘Yeah, Amara has always been good with people. She’s analytic, too, you know. She figures people out really quickly.’ He pauses and absentmindedly plays with a cookie. ‘Like with Drake. You said he was basically the broody type, right?’

Max smiles. ‘Yeah. Not much of a social butterfly, our Drake.’

Michael chuckles. ‘Right. But I don’t know, around her, he seems to light up. Around us too, actually, when I went on the tour with him this afternoon, he was all friendly and talkative.’

Max puts down the last dish and put the kettle on, without even thinking about it. ‘Yeah. He and I have known each other forever. His sister is one of my closest friends. But before Amara showed up, I don’t know, he didn’t really open up. His dad died ten years ago and he really closed off afterwards.’ Maxwell stops himself. Shit, he thinks. That was a really sensitive topic to tackle, why did he have to talk about death right now?

Michael gets up and sets up two teacups on the island. Maxwell joins him while the kettle does its thing. ‘Well, Amara had closed off, too, as you know,’ Michael responds. ‘Just punished herself. Became a different person. Look, it’s really simple, I hadn’t seen my Amara for two years. But the minute I came here and saw her with you guys, with Drake, I knew. She’s back.’

Maxwell smiles brightly. ‘That’s really beautiful. I like that idea —they found each other and allowed each other to be open again.’

‘Right. But not just the two of them. Amara loves you, and Hana, and Olivia, and Bertrand, too. This isn’t just about Drake and Amara’s love, although that’s the obvious part. It’s more than that, it’s a group effort. You all support each other in ways I didn’t know were possible for people who’ve only been friends for a few months. It’s quite beautiful.’

Maxwell lets the silence wrap them both up, until the aggressive sound of the kettle draws them from their rêverie.

*****

‘Guys, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!’ Drake yells out from the front door. He’s been ready to go for a while, but Amara is carefully reviewing her bags to make sure she didn’t forget anything. They woke up very early and had a nice breakfast all together—Hana made a frittata—, and now Drake is loading up his Jeep.

‘One second babe,’ Amara responds, ‘Maxwell and Hana are still upstairs.’

Bertrand comes out of his study, and unsnaps his reading glasses. ‘Well, Amara, I wish you a pleasant stay, and I shall see you on Thursday.’

Amara wonders how someone who is under 35 years old has reading glasses that snap in the front. And are tied by a string that goes around his neck. Even her dad wouldn’t wear that. ‘Bertrand,’ she says as she pats his shoulder, ‘are you sure you don’t want to come? We can take two cars, we’d love to have you come with us.’

He blushes. ‘No no, thank you very much for the invitation, Drake insisted too, but I shall get my affairs in order before the tour commences on Thursday. I didn’t expect to be a part of it, you see.’

Amara smiles. ‘If you’re sure. But please, if you change your mind, call us and join us, ok?’

He nods. ‘Will do. Enjoy yourself, please.’

She squeezes his shoulder and heads outside. ‘Drake, relax,’ she says as she rolls her eyes, ‘they’ll be right out.’ She smiles upon seeing Michael outside, already loading his duffle bag into Drake’s Jeep. ‘Well someone else is eager,’ she teases.

Michael smiles, his blue eyes sparkling. ‘I gotta say, this is super exciting. Living in the city doesn’t give you too many opportunities like this one.’ He hops into the backseat.

Amara throws her luggage in the back and settles into the front seat. ‘You know,’ she says to Michael, looking at him in the rearview mirror, ‘you don’t HAVE to live in the city. From what Dad tells me, you have plenty of offers in Philly, you could comfortably live in the suburbs.’

Michael’s smile falters a bit as he nods along. ‘Yeah. I know Callie would love to get closer to Grampie and Grammie. But--’ he interrupts himself and shakes his head. ‘I can’t bring myself to sell the apartment before I find a place that I can really feel at home in. That’s the only home Callie has ever known. I can’t uproot her unless I’m sure.’

Amara nods and stretches her hand towards the backseat, reaching Michael’s knee. ‘You’re right. Sorry. You know best, it’s not my place.’

He grabs her hand. ‘It’s ok. I know it sounds silly, but nothing has clicked yet. Jorge and I visited this beautiful townhouse in Bryn Mawr, which is perfect on paper. I don’t know, it just didn’t work for me, for some reason.’

‘Listen to yourself. To your gut,’ she says. ‘It’ll happen.’

‘Wooooo here we come!’ Maxwell yells out from the front door. ‘Hana, give me your bag!’

He throws both bags in the back and opens the door for Hana, who makes quick eye contact with Amara before saying ‘Oh Max, would you mind getting in the middle? If I’m not near a window I’m gonna get nauseous.’

Amara has to fight the urge to roll her eyes and giggle. Maxwell isn’t wrong --acting must be the one thing Hana sucks at.

‘Sure thing babe,’ Max responds. He gets in right next to Michael, who smiles at him softly.

‘Alright guys,’ Drake says excitedly. ‘Let’s gooooooo!’

*****

‘Father, is everything alright?’ Liam asks, his fingers still rattling the door to ask for permission to enter.

He is met with a faint sound, emanating from his father, who is lying down on his bed, eyes half closed.

He gets closer, his hands shaky. He’s never seen him like this. He knew he had gotten worse, he knew his cancer was terminal, but he didn’t know just how bad it was.

‘Father?’ he asks hesitantly.

‘Li--Liam, you shouldn’t be here, I asked for no one to disturb me today.’ He swallows, but it’s obvious that he’s in pain. ‘Please go.’

Liam gets closer to his father. He feels like crying, but he can’t. Firstly, because it would make his father feel badly. Secondly, because Constantine has never been one to encourage displays of emotion.

‘Father,’ he whispers without making eye contact. ‘Bastien sent for me. He said you told your nurse to leave, and that you refused to take your medicine. Leo and I are concerned. Tell me what happened.’

Constantine rolls his eyes and sits up with tremendous effort. ‘Liam, this is none of your business. If you must know, this medicine is not helping, my pain is unmanageable. Please keep this to yourself, we’re not here for a pity party. The monarchy is strong, don’t let anyone think otherwise.’ He looks his son up and down. ‘How are things with your betrothed?’

Liam feels a pang in his heart. That’s the only thing his father cares about, visibly, and he’s not about to make the situation worse by opening up. ‘Things are fine. I’m hesitant to go on the tour, though, and to leave you alone here.’

Constantine lets a rare smile show on his face. ‘Don’t stay here on my behalf. Go, do your duty. You will come back here after London and attend the Engagement Ball. I’ll be here.’ He nods decisively.

Liam lets out a long sigh. ‘Alright, Father, as you wish.’

*****

‘Welcome, everyone!’ Drake yells out with a smile, as he opens the front door.

Michael takes in the gorgeousness of the scenery, before grabbing his bag from the Jeep. He shouldn’t feel so relaxed and happy without his daughter around, right? But something feels right around here. No stress, obviously, since he has zero responsibilities, and loving, supportive people surrounding him.

A pang of guilt goes through his chest. He should call Callie. Ever since Sergio passed, it’s been the two of them, always together, getting each other through life. Of course, his parents and in-laws are awesome and always around, but at the end of the day, it’s the two of them, the Hansen-Suarezes.

Drake distributes the rooms. Amara stays with him in his original bedroom, Max and Hana share Drake’s younger sister’s, and Michael is allotted the master bedroom.

‘Make yourself at home, Mike,’ Drake says to him softly. ‘I’ll let you get situated, if you need anything, let me know.’

‘Thank you so much,’ Michael replies gratefully. ‘This is amazing. I’ll be down soon, I wanna check in with my daughter really quickly.’

Drake nods. ‘Of course. Amara and I will be downstairs preparing drinks and snacks.’

Michael puts his bag down and opens it. Most of the clothes inside are too formal, too lawyery, but he notices that Maxwell snuck a couple of outfits in there for him. A note is pinned to a pair of jeans.

They suit you better than they suit me. All yours! :)

Michael smiles warmly. Maxwell never ceases to be thoughtful. He’d have to remember to buy him something as a thank you. Drake could help him sneak out and pick something.

He picks up his phone and dials Jorge’s number. His father-in-law’s warm voice picks up.

‘Hi sweetheart. Is everything ok?’

‘Hi Jorge, I’m doing great, how are you?’

‘Great,’ he says, ‘we’re in the countryside at Drake’s cabin for a couple of days.’

‘Wonderful, dear, is Amara ok too?’

Michael smiles. ‘Doing great, Jorge. You can rest assured, she is very happy here.’

Jorge’s voice lights up. ‘That’s so good to hear.’ He pauses. ‘Callie, sweetie, it’s your daddy. Come chat with him for a bit.’

Michael feels himself regenerate as he talks to his daughter. The conversation is short, it basically revolves around how much she loved going to Dilworth Park with Grampie and Grammy, and how fun it was playing in the fountain. Michael hangs up with a light heart.

He was silly to feel like a bad dad, just because he felt relaxed without her. Ever since Callie was born, he has been a reliable and loving father, who managed to maintain as stable a life for Callie as he could, after Sergio’s death. He juggled all the grueling paperwork, the grief, and the parenting duties, making sure she had enough love, hugs, support, tenderness in her life.

If anyone was good at being a widower, it was Michael. It fucking ruined his life, but he handled it like a champ. Stable in the face of adversity. Always even, only letting his feelings overflow when it came to his sister-in-law, whose grief he could not handle too well.

He had been stable. But not happy.

Of course, Callie makes him happy. She’s the light of his life, and always will be.

But he’d been on autopilot.

Seeing Amara actually thrive as her life got ridiculous and out of control had been eye opening. Maybe he needed that, too. Just for a while.

*****

Taglist:

@drakeandcamilleofvaltoria @andy-loves-corgis , @jovialyouthmusic , @mariahschoices , @drakesensworld , @thequeenofcronuts , @notoriouscs , @drakewalkerisreal , @nikkis1983​ , @simsvetements , @alesana45 @iplaydrake @emceesynonymroll @lily1999love @silviasutton1989 @dcbbw @texaskitten30 @furiousherringoperatortoad @hollygirl1269 @sirbeepsalot @ladyangel70 @thisperfectmemory @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @mrsmairstanley @addictedtodrakefanfic @msjpuddleduck @kimmiedoo5 @furryperfectionlover @princessleac1

Their lips crash together and their bodies cling to one another, not even giving each other the time to undress. She sits on his lap, facing him, his growing erection pressed against her. Drake’s hands roam up on her back, under her light yellow top, until they find her bra. He expertly unhooks it with one hand, which draws a low, unexpected groan from Amara. He pulls her top over her head and throws her bra across the room as swiftly as humanly possible, and she catches herself thinking, what did I do to deserve this sexy man?

She gets up and quickly takes of the rest of her clothes, as Drake takes off his pants too. Amara takes back her position, straddling him. He moans. ‘Fuck, babe, you’re so sexy.’ He kisses her neck and nips at her earlobe. She kisses him again, deeper and deeper, and grinds him until he’s about to burst out of his boxers. With one hand, she frees his throbbing cock from its fabric prison, and Drake groans in her ear. ‘I want you so fucking badly,’ he whispers.

His cock teases her entrance, although she can tell he’s dying to be inside her. She feels herself getting wetter and wetter, she can barely control herself as Drake’s mouth lands on each of her nipples and kisses them, licks them. She moans louder and bucks her hips, ready and eager for more. ‘Fuck me,’ she whispers.

Drake obliges, slowly and deeply. When the tip of his cock enters her, she lets out a low groan, and tugs on his hair a little harder. She wants to take him all in, she wants them to be as close as possible, always.

As they move together, she breaks their kiss for a second, just the time to say to him, ‘I love you.’

Breathlessly, he responds, ‘I love you too.’

*****

Drake pours himself another cup of coffee, before joining Maxwell on the patio. ‘Hey Max,’ he says.

Maxwell looks up from his book and smiles brightly. ‘Hey Drake. What are you up to?’

‘Not much, I’m waiting for Michael and Amara to be done with their call, and then I’m taking Mike on a tour of Ramsford. You?’

Maxwell pats his stomach. ‘Trying to relax and get over the magnificent lunch you made us. I can barely move.’ He gestures towards Hana, who’s doing laps in the pool. ‘Look at this one. She gleefully ignores the ‘wait 30 minutes after lunch before you swim’ rule.’

Drake chuckles. ‘Glad you enjoyed lunch. How is life?’

Maxwell laughs. ‘What do you mean, ‘how is life?’ We’ve been spending so much time together, you know exactly how my life has been. Amazing, surrounded by my friends, old and new. Plus, I got a new goat.’

‘Ah, right, the magnificent B-Coops.’

Maxwell smiles a bit brighter. ‘The most beautiful man in the world.’

Drake shakes his head. ‘You guys are nuts. But that’s not what I meant. You’ve been spending a lot of time and energy helping Michael and Amara mend their relationship, and helping Mike adjust. You’re a good friend, Max. I thought I’d ask how you’re doing, you know.’ He runs his hand through his hair. ‘You take care of others. I wanted to make sure you were ok.’

Maxwell sits up and closes his book. ‘Drake Reginald Walker—‘

‘Not my middle name,’ Drake interrupts.

Maxwell waves him off. ‘Your middle name will be the name I give you, my friend. Drake Reginald Walker, are you —gasp!— worried about my well-being?’

Drake laughs at Max’s theatrics. ‘Yeah, maybe, if you insist on putting it this way. You’ve been incredible with Amara. And with Michael. I wanna make sure someone’s taking care of you, too.’

Drake detects a hint of a blush on Max’s face, but doesn’t pry. Maxwell pauses and responds, ‘Thank you, friend, this means a lot. Well yeah, I’m having a good time, enjoying everyone’s company.’

‘You just came out to court. It would probably be normal if you had some, I don’t know, insecurities or whatever,’ Drake continues.

Maxwell looks in the distance before responding. ‘I really appreciate you checking in with me. You’re right, I need to take a minute once in a while to make sure I’m doing ok. So far, so good. I’m surrounded with so many amazing people, I know I’ll be ok.’

Drake smiles. ‘Do you want to join me and Mike on our tour? It’s your duchy, after all.’

Maxwell shakes his head. ‘No, no. Please enjoy your bonding moment with your future brother-in-law. I’ve spent a lot of time with him, and I can tell the two of you will get along great. He’s just like you, no-bullshit, straight-to-the point and all of that. You’ll have a great time.’

Drake smiles mischievously. ‘Been enjoying his company, Maxxie?’

Max snorts. ‘I don’t know what this is supposed to mean, but let me answer that honestly. Yes. He’s a great guy, and he deserves to have people around him, helping him grieve and take back his life.’

Drake throws his hands up in defeat. ‘True. Can’t argue with that.’ He looks to the house. ‘Oh, here they come.’

Drake’s heart tugs when he sees Amara. As usual. She’s coming out of the house, laughing with Michael. She is wearing denim shorts and a white T-shirt, simple as can be, but on her, everything is fucking enchanting. God, he loves her.

‘Hey babes,’ Amara yells out to Drake, Max, and Hana, who waves from the pool. ‘How is it going?’

Drake holds out his hands, and Amara goes right to him to sit on his lap. Drake knows they must look cheesy and cutesy from the outside, but he doesn’t give a fuck. ‘How was the call with your family?’

Amara kisses his forehead. ‘Oh, you wouldn’t believe how chatty Callie is, right Michael? The girl cannot be stopped, I love it.’

Michael chuckles. ‘Yeah, she was so excited to see me AND Auntie Amara together, she proceeded to show off every single one of her stuffed animals, and to introduce them, first and last names included. Took a while.’

They chat about the Suarezes for a while, Amara telling stories about her dad and technology.

Michael looks at Drake and asks, ‘You wanna go? I can’t wait to see more beautiful landscapes.’

Drake nods and kisses Amara deeply. ‘See you later, babe. Max, be good, and don’t buy another actor from the Hangover franchise. I can’t handle a cow named Ed Helms.’

Max gasps. ‘OMG. That is a genius idea, Drake, thank you.’ He mutters to Amara. ‘OR we could buy an angora rabbit and name him Zach Galifianakis. What do you think?’

Amara nods. ‘Yes. But think about poor Justin Bartha. Abandoned on the roof, then no one thinks of naming an animal after him.’

Drake chuckles and gets up. ‘Alright. Let’s go, Mike. I’m very scared of what we’re gonna find when we get back.’

*****

‘See that building over there?’ Drake points as he slows down. ‘This is the oldest restaurant in Ramsford. Been there since the 15th century.’

‘Wow, that is impressive!’ Michael replies. ‘This old town is so gorgeous.’

Drake smiles. ‘Alright, ready to go off roading? We can drive from here to the beach, scenic route only.’

‘Sounds great!’ Michael pauses and takes in the scenery. ‘So, Drake...I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to ask you what your intentions are with Amara.’

Drake chuckles. ‘Go for it. I think I can handle it. Besides, I like a protective brother, I’m one myself.’ He stops himself and remembers that he only has to wait a couple more weeks until he sees his little sister.

‘Ok, here we go,’ Michael says as he pretends to hold an imaginary microphone. ‘Drake Walker, what are your intentions with my sister, Amara Elena Suarez?’ He passes the non-mike to Drake.

‘Well, Mr. Hansen-Suarez, I love your sister, and I firmly intend to keep loving her as long as she’ll let me.’

Michael smiles. ‘Good answer. Besides, I don’t think this sort of menacing older brother thing suits me. It was more Sergio’s speed.’ He chuckles. ‘No one would be threatened by me, I guess.’

‘Hey hey, don’t sell yourself short, Mike. I saw you last night, that douche got hit pretty hard in the face, so I would definitely be threatened by you.’

Michael laughs wholeheartedly. ‘Thanks, man. Well, there’s also the fact that I’m not actually concerned about your intentions. I don’t think my husband would have been either. I mean, it’s pretty obvious that you love her, I could tell right off the bat.’

Drake blushes. ‘Yeah, it caught me by surprise, but...I was all in, right away. I knew that it was a bad idea, well...I thought it was a bad idea. My best friend was —is— really into Amara, and at first I thought I’d stay away. But I couldn’t.’

‘Sash guy?’ Michael asks.

Drake chuckles. ‘Heh. Yeah, that’s the one. Sash guy, aka Liam.’

‘No, no,’ Michael says, ‘I mean was that sash guy on the side of the road? Like, right now?’

Drake frowns and brings the Jeep to a stop. He looks in his rearview mirror and sure enough, Liam is on the side of the road, jogging by himself. ‘What the fuck? He’s not supposed to be in Ramsford without security.’

Michael nods. ‘Should we…?’

‘Yeah. If you don’t mind, I think we should.’

Michael nods again, more emphatically. ‘Of course. And um, I know he doesn’t know. Don’t worry.’

Drake smiles and pats Michael’s back as he backs up his car until he reaches Liam.

‘Hey Li,’ he shouts out the window.

Liam, startled, takes out his earbuds and finally smiles. ‘Hey Drake, you scared me!’

‘That’s what happens when you run around without security, man. Hop in, we were about to go grab coffee somewhere.’

Liam hesitates for a moment and nods. Drake presses the button to open the doors and he gets in the back seat.

*****

Ran into sash guy. Going to coffee with him now. Whaaaaat

Amara looks at her phone quizzically. Michael and Drake had been gone for a little while, during which she, Hana and Max had been puttering around in the pool and eating fruit. The life. When she stopped to think about it, she couldn’t really believe that this was the program for the day. Lounging, eating pineapple in a mansion with a beautiful view. Nice change from her Brooklyn dwellings and her shitty shifts.

‘I think Michael and Drake ran into Liam. Weird, huh?’

Maxwell shrugs. ‘Don’t worry. He was probably getting some air before having to go home to his ball and chain. Literally.’

Hana nods. ‘I know he was pretty shitty to a bunch of us in the recent past, but I do feel bad for the guy. First his dad is dying, then he’s stuck in this sham of an engagement with the most horrible person ever. I hope he can get out of it.’

Amara pauses. ‘I think his father is the one who really pushed him to choose her. I think those two events —his dad’s illness getting worse, and his engagement— are tied together. He wants to please the King, make him feel like he is leaving the country in good hands.’

Maxwell nods and pops a new piece of pineapple into his mouth. ‘I agree, Little Blossom. I worry about him, too, but at this point, there’s nothing more we can do before the Engagement Tour. Then, all of us can investigate and maybe catch Madeleine in a scheme, or something of the sort. I mean, we have a detective in our midst.’

‘Yes,’ Hana says emphatically, ‘we have a brilliant detective here, and, well, it’s too bad that our lawyer will be back in the States by the time we hop on that train on Friday…’ she makes eye contact with Amara in a smooth, sneaky way.

‘Right,’ Amara jumps on the occasion, ‘I’m gonna miss Michael. I can’t believe he’s already leaving in a couple of days.’

Maxwell looks at the bottom of his water glass, without a word. Hana looks at Amara again, this time seeming a bit more impatient. ‘Well,’ she continues, ‘maybe he could come back soon, right Amara? With Callie? We have all grown to like him a lot, and I’m sure you miss him so much.’

As much as she’s enjoying the theatrics, Amara feels the need to tone it down. This is getting a bit too orchestrated, even by Maxwell’s standards. ‘Definitely,’ she says. ‘I don’t know what the future holds, but if I stay in Cordonia —that’s assuming I stop being viewed as a whore by the whole community of course— I would love for my family to visit.’

Maxwell finally lifts up his eyes. They meet Hana’s. ‘Sweetie, you’re amazing at everything, but I think we just found your weak spot. It’s acting.’ He turns to Amara. ‘And you, please don’t say that people consider you a whore. Have you read the tabloids? No? Because I have. And sure, there’s some that publish the infamous Tariq picture, but most of them say it was photoshopped, and that you were too big a threat to the monarchy. The press still loves you. Many newspapers are speaking up against slut shaming, and in fact, I hope that Liam does hire a PR guy or gal for you, as he promised, because we can totally fucking spin this. Even if we don’t find stupid Tariq. Hell, if Liam doesn’t hire someone, I will. I can pull some strings.’

‘Wow, Max,’ Amara says, blown away by the monologue. ‘That was hot. Look!’ She holds out her arm. ‘I got chills!’

Max chuckles, ‘Oh, shut up. I love you, but shut up.’

‘No no, I’m serious. That was badass, and it actually made me feel better. I told myself I didn’t care what Cordonia thought about the Tariq shit, so I didn’t look online at all, but just knowing this is making me feel better. Thank you.’

He smiles. ‘You’re welcome. Bertrand and I were talking about it, and we think that maybe it’s time for you to talk to the press. They’ve been calling the duchy, but we respected your wishes not to talk about it. Maybe before we leave for Rome, we could pick a journalist and tell your side of the story?’

Amara smiles. ‘I’ll think about it.’

Hana, still silent up until now, takes advantage of a quiet moment to turn to Maxwell and ask, ‘What do you mean I can’t act?’

He bursts out laughing. ‘Oh honey. Maybe you can, on a stage, but in real life you are not smooth. ‘Oh I wish Michael stayed longer!’ ‘Oh we all love him, don’t we?’ Give me a break, I know what you’re all thinking.’

Hana pouts. ‘I didn’t mean to upset you, Maxxie. I’m sorry.’

‘No no, I’m not upset!’ He rubs her shoulder and smiles. ‘I’m not. I just—‘ he pauses and sighs. ‘I like being around him. A lot. Alright, you happy now?’

Amara smiles brightly. ‘Well, yeah, we definitely are.’

Hana’s smile is so wide that Amara is concerned she may dislocate her jaw. ‘I didn’t mean to pressure you into anything, Maxxie, but you gotta admit that you two would be so cute together!’

Maxwell rolls his eyes. ‘Fine, we’d be fucking adorable. We all know that.’ His face grows a tad somber. ‘But babe, and forgive me, Amara, for saying this and potentially ruining the day, but Michael is still grieving. In just a few days, I’ve grown fond of him, and if this were a regular situation, yeah, of course, I’d ask him out. But this is a very irregular situation. It’s delicate. I don’t want him to think that I’m going too fast, and I certainly don’t want to hurt his feelings in any way if he’s not ready to even go on a date with someone other than Sergio. I respect him —and you, Little Blossom, and your family and your pain— way too much to step into this unwelcomed.’

Amara realizes she’d been holding her breath. Hana holds out her hand for Max to take. He complies, and gives her a sweet kiss. Amara fights back tears. No, she won’t cry. Not now, not when she wants to show Maxwell that no, he’s not stepping into a bed of thorns. She takes a deep breath. ‘Shit, Max. Do you have any idea how much I want Michael to be happy? And do you have any idea how much I love you? How good a guy I think you are? If anyone is gonna be respectful and mindful of Michael’s history, I know it’s you.’ Welp, a tear escapes. She tried to hold it back, but oh well. She wipes it away. ‘That’s all,’ she chuckles. ‘I won’t overstep any more than that. You guys figure it out. And for the record, he may leave on Thursday, but he’s not dropping off the face of the Earth.’

Maxwell nods. ‘Understood.’ He takes Amara’s hand. ‘There,’ he says, ‘now I’m in a Hana/Amara sandwich. I love you guys.’

*****

‘Thanks, Drake,’ Liam says as he grabs the coffee his friend is handing him. ‘Sorry we couldn’t go in public.’

Michael waves him off. ‘This is a lot better, actually. Who wouldn’t want to have coffee on the beach?’

Liam smiles. ‘Thank you, Michael. I didn’t mean to crash your afternoon.’

Drake sits down in between the two men. ‘Don’t be stupid. Did you guys get a chance to chat while I was picking up the coffee?’

Liam nods. ‘Yes, we did. I apologized to Michael again for the ruckus at court. This is not a normal time, that’s for sure.’ He takes a sip and stares at the ocean.

Drake sighs. ‘Li, are you ok? You didn’t answer my texts.’

‘Sorry about that, too.’ He lets out a sad chuckle. ‘I’ve been shit at everything. That’s why I went for this run. I bet Bastien is looking for me everywhere as we speak, but I needed out.’

‘Liam, I know you barely know Michael,’ Drake continues, ‘but you can speak in front of him, right, Mike? He won’t care.’

Michael nods. ‘Of course. You’re going through a lot. You need to let it out.’

Liam smiles. ‘Well, I made my bed.’

Drake snorts. ‘Come on, Li. You deserve better. You didn’t ask for all this shit. We’ll find a way to get you out of this shitty engagement, I promise. If we can get some dirt on her, she’s done.’

‘You know why i ran away? I have a press conference with her tonight. The engagement conference. We’re supposed to gush over each other and talk about our hopes and dreams. Dreams of a future heir. Disclose the names of our wedding party. All wedding and marriage stuff. Nothing I want. I needed some air.’ He takes another sip, stares into the distance.

Drake puts his hand on his friend’s back. ‘Li, I’m sorry. We’ll get you out.’

Liam nods. Is he going to be able to tell him? It might be worth it to just say it out loud, even with a stranger here. ‘Drake, I don’t know if I can do this.’

Drake sighs. ‘I know it’s hard right now, especially since you’re alone at the palace with her and your dad and brother, but as soon as we’re all on the tour, I promise. It will get more manageable.’

Liam avoids Drake’s eyes. Maybe he can tell him. ‘I don’t feel good about this, Drake. I know it’s not comparable at all, I know this, but—‘ he interrupts himself. Should he say it in front of her brother-in-law? Fuck it. ‘I can’t stop thinking about what Amara went through. Tariq trying to assault her. She must have felt so fucking violated, and thankfully you were there. I can’t stop thinking about it these days. Partly because I feel responsible for her being in the spotlight, and partly because—‘ he pauses again. Can he say it without sounding like an asshole? What he’s going through is by his own volition, kind of, it has nothing to do with assault, and yet… He takes a breath. ‘Partly because I feel completely shitty about having to sleep with Madeleine.’

Drake tightens his grip on his back. Liam feels Drake’s eyes migrating to Michael’s. The two men share a stare. Is it a concerned stare? Is it one of disdain? Like oh, that spoiled mansplainy Liam, thinking his plight is the same as that of an assaulted woman? He hopes not.

Drake finally speaks. ‘Liam, I’m sorry to hear that. Please don’t be concerned about Amara, I know it was hard for her, but um, her friends and family are around her. As for you, well, I feel terrible about this. I’m so sorry that you had to go to those lengths. Please don’t let her take advantage of the situation again. You have the right to say no.’

Liam chuckles. It comes out a lot sadder than he intended. ‘I know. I just didn’t feel like dealing with the consequences of saying no. And for the record, I know that my situation isn’t the same as Amara’s. I know that. It just makes me feel even worse, because it’s already fucking terrible to force oneself to have sex with someone you don’t want. I can’t even imagine what it must be like to—well, to say the least, this whole situation is making me reconsider a lot of fucking things.’

Michael gets up from the sand, slowly and discreetly. He whispers, ‘I’m going to let you guys talk for a bit. I’m sorry, Liam, and I agree with Drake, I don’t know you, but you deserve better. Please take care.’

He walks away towards the other end of the beach, cell phone in hand, taking pictures.

Liam shakes his head. ‘See? I’m even making him run away.’

Drake chuckles. ‘No, that’s not it. He wanted to give us privacy. And probably to take pics for his daughter.’

Liam nods. ‘He seems like a good guy. He lost his fucking husband, and here I am complaining about not really wanting to fuck a Countess.’

‘Liam, there’s no competition in suffering. I wish I knew what to say or do to help—‘

‘You can’t help, not for now anyways,’ Liam interrupts. ‘But it does feel good to talk about it.’

*****

‘Hey guys!’ Drake yells out as he lets himself into the house. ‘We’re home, and we brought wine!’

‘Welcome back,’ Maxwell says cheerfully. ‘It’s just me and the girls, Liv went to her date with Rashad, and Bertrand has a dinner meeting at Castelsarreillan. How was the tour?’

Michael’s face lights up. ‘Oh, it was amazing, Max, your duchy is so beautiful. I loved the beach most of all.’

‘I’m so glad,’ Maxwell beams. ‘Come on in, guys, let’s get comfy.’

They walk into the living room, where Hana is reading a book, and Amara is on her iPad doing research. Drake sees on her screen that she’s still looking into Savannah’s location in Paris. His heart sinks. How did he luck out so much with this woman, who’s always in his corner?

‘Hey ladies,’ Drake says enthusiastically. ‘Mike and I have a proposition for you all.’

Amara raises an eyebrow. ‘Oh, do tell!’

Michael smiles brightly and looks at Drake. ‘You do the honors, you’re in charge!’

Drake nods excitedly. ‘Since Mike has never seen Portavira, we thought that we could all go to my cabin tomorrow morning and stay tomorrow night? He only has 3 nights left in this country, let’s make them count!’

Hana gasps. ‘OMG this is a great idea! I love your cabin so much.’

‘I’m SO in,’ Amara says as she closes her iPad into its keyboard. ‘I miss the tranquility of the cabin, let’s do it!’

Maxwell claps his hands in excitement. ‘Yass Kweens, let’s go bright and early tomorrow!’

‘And let’s pop this wine,’ Michael whispers to Drake. ‘We got it in an old wine store, it was so cute! I had to get two bottles for us.’

‘Aw, thanks Michael, you didn’t have to do that,’ Maxwell says as he claps a hand on his arm in gratitude. ‘Well, everyone get comfy around the table, and I’m gonna go get us some snacks.’

‘Oh, I’ll help,’ Michael follows suit.

Once the two disappear into the kitchen, Amara and Hana look at each other and put a hand to their chests. Drake smiles. ‘Alright ladies, could you be any more obvious?’ He plops down on the couch next to Amara and nuzzles in her hair. ‘Hey babe. Missed you.’

Amara kisses his nose and cups his face in her hand. ‘Me too. How was it?’

‘Good. It was fun to hang with Mike. But um, I think he told you, we bumped into Liam. He’s going through some serious shit.’

Amara makes a pained face. ‘Oh crap. How is he holding up?’

Drake shrugs. ‘Not great. I think it was good for him to talk, though.’

She nods. ‘Good. I’m glad.’

Hana sighs. ‘We were just talking about him today, right Amara? We all feel terrible about his situation, and maybe it will all get sorted out during the Tour, at least let’s hope so.’ She pauses and Drake and Amara nod in agreement. She turns her head to the kitchen and whispers, ‘What do you think they’re talking about in there?’

*****

‘Another martini?’

‘Are you trying to get me drunk?’ Liv asks sharply.

Rashad laughs earnestly. ‘No. You can drink me under the table.’

‘You got that right.’

He chuckles. ‘I hope you like boeuf bourguignon. I got takeout from this French restaurant. I know you like red wine so I figured you’d like that.’

Olivia forces herself not to smile. ‘Oh so, no cooking?’

Rashad gestures to the apartment around him. ‘This is an Airbnb. I don’t know where the pans are.’ He takes a sip of his martini. ‘Or how to cook.’

Liv can’t help but smile, ever so slightly. Rashad travels a lot around Cordonia for work, and stays at Airbnbs and hotels most of the time, since he rarely stays in his own duchy. No wonder the man lives off takeout. No servants in his life, and certainly no cooking.

Olivia likes that. The life of a loner. Depending on no one. Kinda hot.

‘I like boeuf bourguignon. You win this round.’

His face lights up. ‘Good. Not that I was nervous or anything. You know me. Cool as fuck.’

She gives him a half smile as she sips on her second martini. ‘Is the bourguignon ready now?’ She asks.

‘Not yet,’ he answers. ‘Needs to be in the oven for a while.’ He takes a sip as well. ‘Why, you hungry now?’

She gets up from her chair. ‘Nope,’ she says, as she straddles him and kisses him deeply.

*****

Taglist:

@drakeandcamilleofvaltoria @andy-loves-corgis , @jovialyouthmusic , @mariahschoices , @drakesensworld , @thequeenofcronuts , @notoriouscs , @drakewalkerisreal , @nikkis1983​ , @simsvetements , @alesana45 @iplaydrake @emceesynonymroll @lily1999love @drakelover78 , @silviasutton1989 @dcbbw @texaskitten30 @furiousherringoperatortoad @hollygirl1269 @sirbeepsalot @ladyangel70 @thisperfectmemory @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @mrsmairstanley @addictedtodrakefanfic @msjpuddleduck @kimmiedoo5 @furryperfectionlover

She smiles. So is she, at the end of the day. What was she thinking? Last night, they ended up celebrating so loudly that they woke Hana up, and she joined the five of them downstairs for lots of hugging and some champagne. When was the last time Amara had felt this much warmth in a room? Besides from her dad and Nancy, and of course Mia, over the past two years… not much.

She kisses Drake more deeply, and asks, ‘So… now that we just have to wait for the engagement tour to start, what are we gonna do with our time?’

Drake laughs. ‘Wow, I don’t know… a whole five days just to ourselves? Pff, problems problems…’

He kisses her neck, and Amara leans into the moment, taking in every second. She needs to remember this. The good. For when it becomes tough again, inevitably. She needs to soak it all in.

Drake hoists himself up until he’s on top of her, and she sees the familiar glimmer in his eyes. The want, the tenderness, the sheer adoration… all of it, all together. Everything he feels for her, everything she feels for him in return.

Amara’s breath catches. Does she deserve all this? This wonderful man, always there for her, even when he knows all of her flaws, all of her mistakes? Maybe not all yet, the voice in her head says. Maybe he will still have a few surprises. 

She shakes it off. Stop being so insecure, she thinks. Don’t create problems where there are none, not now. 

‘You ok?’ Drake asks, in between kisses.

She nods. Of course she’s ok. She’s with him, right here, right now, and that’s all that matters. She needs to silence that bitch voice in her head, pestering her with self-doubt that she really, really doesn’t need.

‘I’m great,’ she smiles, before kissing him some more.

He smiles back. ‘You’re so beautiful,’ he whispers. ‘I love you, Amara.’

His lips go down, and down, and trace a loving path from her neck to her breasts, then to her stomach… ‘I love you too,’ she whispers.

His lips are between her legs now, making her shiver like he knows how to do so well. Her back arches, and he kisses her core passionately, like there’s no tomorrow. She moans quietly, until she can’t keep it in anymore and needs a pillow to muffle her scream. ‘Fuck,’ she laughs breathlessly. ‘Drake, that was so good…’

He smiles broadly. ‘At your service, Suarez.’

She chuckles and guides him back on top of her. He lets out a low groan, almost a purr, as she wraps her legs around him and presses herself onto his length. In less than a few seconds, he’s already teasing her entrance with the tip of his cock, and she can’t wait to have him all to herself again.

*****

‘Wow,’ Drake says as he lies back down. ‘You really know how to start the day, Suarez.’

Amara laughs. Drake wonders if he’s ever heard anything more entrancing than her laugh. ‘Shower and coffee?’ She asks. 

He nods. ‘Please. I can already hear the commotion downstairs, Max is definitely up to no good.’

Amara cups her ear and listens carefully. ‘Um… Drake?’ She grabs his arm and bursts into laughter. ‘Is that a goat?’

Drake clearly makes out a bleating sound. He can’t contain his laughter either. ‘Sure sounds like it. Alright, let’s get in the shower so we can investigate this, Detective.’

*****

Amara isn’t surprised to see a baby goat in the living room, but she can’t help but squeal anyway. ‘Oh my God Maxxie, what did you do?’ She screams as she joins Hana in petting the small, delighted animal.

Maxwell pours coffee for Amara and Drake, shrugging. ‘I went to the Farmer’s Market this morning in Ramsford, I wanted to show Michael, and get some produce. My favorite vendor, Gustavo, was there, and he was selling baby goats. I thought this little guy would be a good companion for my peacocks and our two sheep.’

Amara’s eyes widen, the little goat’s head in her arms. ‘Hold up. You have sheep?’

Maxwell giggles. ‘Yeah! Have I never told you? I have five sheep, in the back of the property, they live with the peacocks, and our property manager, Silvio, takes care of them full time! Have I never told you, Little Blossom?’

Amara laughs, ‘No, you certainly have not. Can we please see them today? What are their names?’

Maxwell gloats in anticipation. ‘Well, there’s five of them, right? So, I named them Bobby, Jonathan, Antoni, Karamo, and Tan. Some of them are girls but you know, gender’s a construct.’

Hana and Amara share a look, and both burst out laughing. ‘That’s the most hilarious thing I’ve ever heard,’ Hana says, wiping a tear.

Maxwell beams. ‘Right? So, what are we gonna name this little guy?’

Drake, coffee mug in hand, squats to pet the goat, and Amara can’t help but notice the wide grin on his face as he plants a little kiss on the goat’s forehead. ‘It has to be an awesome name, as handsome as this little fella, you know. We can’t name him something boring, this guy deserves the best name.’

Amara gasps. ‘I know! I have the perfect, handsomest name ever.’

Hana smiles. ‘What is it, babe?’

Amara looks the goat in the eye and solemnly declares. ‘Bradley Cooper. His name has to be Bradley Cooper.’

Drake almost chokes on his coffee and Michael laughs wholeheartedly. ‘I see the obsession is still going on,’ he says.

Amara shrugs. ‘Not an obsession. Just the recognition of the best actor of his generation, y’know.’

Drake raises an eyebrow. ‘Don’t get me wrong, I like the guy, but… we’re talking about the man who starred in The Hangover, babe. Think about that. Think about how terribly this movie has aged. Think about Ken Jeong emerging from the trunk. Think about Bradley Cooper’s line when they’re waiting for Ed Helms outside of his apartment.’

Amara thinks for a second, and shrugs. ‘It’s not like Bradley wrote the movie, Drake.’

Drake throws his hands up. ‘I give up. Max?’

Maxwell grins widely. ‘It’s perfect. Welcome to the world, Bradley Cooper-Beaumont. We love you.’

*****

‘So? What did you think of the Fab Five?’ Maxwell asks anxiously.

‘They’re soooo sweet and so cuddly,’ Amara exclaims.

Hana nods. ‘I love how they just run towards you as soon as you get there, and how they instantly adopted Bradley Cooper!’

Drake chuckles. ‘Will I get used to that goat’s name, ever?’

Michael pats his back. ‘Let time work its magic, Drake. It shall pass.’

They both laugh. Amara smiles at the sight of her friends and family getting along, and without even realizing it, reaches for her phone in her pocket. Still no texts. Well, some from her dad, with whom she’s been texting since he woke up, but none from anyone else. Her heart sinks a bit. She contemplates writing another, but she promptly gives up. She doesn’t want to stalk her, either.

Drake swoops in from behind her and grabs her hand. ‘Whatcha doing?’ He asks, all the while knowing exactly what she’s doing. 

Amara shrugs and squeezes his hand tight. ‘Nothing. Checking my phone.’

Drake brings her hand to his lips and kisses it. ‘She’ll come around. She’s stubborn as fuck, but if there’s one person who can do no wrong in her eyes, it’s you, Suarez.’

She smiles faintly. ‘I don’t know about that.’

*****

Olivia turns her phone over, one more time, and when she sees nothing on the screen, turns it face down again. She takes another sip of coffee and a bite of her eggs, angrily.

‘Still mad?’ Rashad asks as he plants a kiss on the top of her head.

Olivia shrugs. ‘I’m not mad. It’s just funny how the bitch thinks my advice is shit when I deliver it, and then two hours later, she decides to do what I told her to do.’

Rashad raises an eyebrow. ‘So...you’re mad that she took your advice? I don’t follow.’

Liv rolls her eyes. ‘You’re pretending not to follow. It’s annoying.’

He chuckles. ‘Well, you’re right, I’m following. I just don’t understand your logic.’

She snorts. ‘No one does.’

Rashad thinks for a second and takes her hand. She doesn’t flinch. ‘Liv, I think you’re mad at her out of principle. But think about it. She went through something shitty last night, and had a gut reaction. Can you blame her?’

She shrugs again. ‘Yes.’

Rashad chuckles. ‘Alright. I guess you can.’ He starts pulling his hand away, but Olivia holds on to it, without meeting his eye. 

She sighs. ‘For the record,’ she says, looking down at her cup of black coffee, ‘I didn’t come here because I needed you. I’ve wanted this for a while, now we’ve finally boned, end of story.’

Rashad’s smile falters. ‘End of story?’ He asks worriedly.

Olivia bites her lip. That’s not what she meant. At all. Fuck, how is she going to spin that one without seeming too eager? ‘You know what I mean,’ she says. ‘I mean that I don’t want to talk about that whole Suarez shit. I know what you’re thinking, that I came to you because I was sad or whatever.’

Rashad shrugs, a shadow still over his eyes. ‘Honestly, Liv, I’m glad you came to me, and I just hope you don’t regret us having sex for the first time in these circumstances.’

She snorts. Why does he have to be such a good guy? She needed comfort last night, that’s true. Not that she would admit it, but she did. She felt betrayed by Suarez, who she considered to be...ugh, not worth putting words onto it. She takes a deep breath. ‘I’m fine. And, if you must know, it was fucking hot. No regrets here.’

He smiles a little and digs into his eggs.

She did fucking love it. They did need to break the tension. No regrets.

Still, it feels a bit...anticlimactic. Is it how it feels to have sex with someone you actually like? Sure, she had sex with Liam many, many times over the years, and ugh, boy, did she have feelings there. But he was unavailable. It was noncommittal.

Here and now, as they share breakfast, and she’s wearing no makeup, while Rashad looks as comfortable as ever in his sweatpants, Liv can’t help but feel… too safe?

Maybe she’ll tell Suarez about it, sometime, when she stops hating her guts.

Who doesn’t listen to Olivia Motherfucking Nevrakis? 

*****

Liam hasn’t slept. At all. He watches the sun rise on his country, as he sits on his balcony in his boxers and dress shirt from last night, his head full of regret. He replays the events from after Leo left last night, in his head, and cringes at the memory.

Madeleine getting impatient and knocking on the door of his study. Their small talk. His discomfort. Her advances. 

His attempts to create a diversion by offering her a drink. Her insistence at having a nightcap in his suite. 

The knot in his throat as he caved. 

His inability to say no any further. 

It would have been suspicious if he had said no, right? She would have known he was up to something. She needs to feel comfortable and safe if they want to successfully investigate her and break the engagement. Right?

He swallows his saliva, and takes a hesitant peek in his bedroom, through the French windows. She’s still sleeping, soundly, sprawled in his bed.

He had believed her. Like an idiot, he was convinced that she was the only one who still cared about him. Until the ball, until his stupid eyes were open by the picture of Amara’s assault.

He closes his eyes tight. It’s not a big deal, right? Everyone forces themselves to do things they don’t want to do, sometimes. 

Even that. Even something that you’re supposed to completely want.

Right?

*****

Drake stands in front of the stove, and flips the pan expertly. He can get used to this: cooking for his friends, with his girl keeping him company. Amara is sitting on the counter next to him, and playing with the ingredients as they chat about life.

‘This is gonna be so good,’ she says. ‘Have you made this before?’

Drake chuckles. ‘Sausage and peppers? Of course. It was a staple of the Walker household.’

She smiles. Is there anything more heartwarming than her smile? He thinks not. ‘Did you cook for your family, always?’ she asks.

He shrugs. ‘I did, sometimes. Dad was always in charge of grilling and he taught me how to take care of meat and fish. I love cooking fish above everything else. It’s delicate, precise, and so satisfying when you get it right. Mom was more into baking, and making hearty dishes like mac and cheese. Efficient stuff when you’ve got two kids that you need to feed quickly.’ He laughs. ‘And boy, did we need to be fed. Sav and I were always big eaters.’

Amara smiles a bit wider. ‘That’s really sweet. So were we. I remember Mom making chilaquiles, and Sergio and I were so impatient to eat them that we would literally wait in front of her. She’d roll her eyes and be like ‘Chiquitos, you’re not gonna make me cook any faster.’ When she baked, it was the same. I’d just stare at the oven hoping it would bake faster.’

Drake steps away from the stove to plant a sweet kiss on her lips. He loves when she shares memories like that. They both need it. ‘Did your mom cook mostly Mexican specialties?’ he asks.

‘I’d say half and half. She liked hearty American food like your mom, too! And my dad, well he grew up in Pennsylvania with Puerto Rican parents, so his comfort food is a mix of both.’

Drake smiles. ‘Sounds delicious. You’ll have to tell me about your favorites and I’ll find recipes.’

She gasps excitedly. ‘I could even send you my mom’s. Sergio and my Dad numerized her cookbook years ago, because when she passed away, they both picked up the slack in the kitchen and wanted to remember her this way.’

Drake’s heart pangs. ‘That’s such a sweet initiative. I’d love to see some of her recipes. I’ll try to cook Marisol-style!’ he says excitedly.

Amara’s smile that ensues could melt Drake’s cold heart, if it wasn’t completely melted already, all because of her. She says in a breathy voice, ‘I’d love nothing more, babe.’ 

‘Hey guys, need any help?’ Michael asks as he walks in. ‘I guess I mean...Drake, need any help, as Amara just stares at you without helping at all?’

Amara giggles and throws a dish rag at him. ‘I’m here for moral support!’

Drake chuckles. ‘I’m all good, but you can look in the fridge if anything appeals to you. Max bought a bunch of food this morning, in between buying farm animals, y’know.’

Michael laughs. ‘Yeah, full disclosure, I was with him, and I could have stopped him but...the goat was too cute.’ He reaches for a bunch of radishes and a head of lettuce in the fridge. ‘And to be perfectly honest, it felt good to be out and about in a very normal setting. No sash people, no viscounts and dukes and whatever, but just a farmers market.’

Drake smiles. ‘I feel ya. Well, in this case, we should all go out tonight, somewhere in Ramsford. Suarez, what do you say?’

Amara joins her hands together. ‘Yes! It would be awesome! Plus, Michael’s only here for a few more days, we need to make them count.’

Michael makes an excited face as he washes the lettuce. ‘Seriously? That would be great. A normal place with normal food?’

Drake looks at Amara with a victorious look on his face. ‘My man,’ he says softly, pointing at Michael. ‘Yes, a normal place and all. Ramsford is good for that. We’ll see what Max recommends, I have a few favorite places but he knows more.’

Michael smiles widely. ‘He is the life of the party.’

Amara chuckles. ‘Oh, you’ve noticed?’

*****

Drake’s lunch is a success, as always. Amara enjoys every bite, as well as conversation with her friends. Even Bertrand is in good spirits, and got over the whole goat debacle quickly. He doesn’t like when Maxwell spends money, but ever since they stopped paying off Albert the blackmailer, they are a bit more comfortable.

Hana nods excitedly at Maxwell’s suggestions for bars and restaurants. ‘That sounds so great!’ she exclaims. ‘We’re all going, right?’ she asks, looking at Bertrand.

He chuckles. ‘It’s really sweet of you to include me, Hana, but I think with all this um… drama, as you youths say it, I need to get some rest tonight.’

Amara rolls her eyes. ‘Us youths? Bertrand, you’re barely older than Michael. Calm down.’

Bertrand smiles. ‘I suppose so. But Amara, with everything we’ve been through, I just want to be in my robe and relax.’

Amara nods. ‘I don’t blame you. Your robe looks very comfortable and, most importantly, has a lot of tassels.’

Bertrand blushes. ‘Um, yes, indeed it does.’

Maxwell bites his lips to stop laughter from coming out. ‘Alright, let’s leave Grandpa Tassel alone tonight then, but Bertrand, we’re not taking no for an answer tomorrow, we’re doing something. We need to enjoy Michael’s company while he’s here.’

Bertrand nods solemnly. ‘Yes, you’re right. We need to honor our guest.’

Michael smiles facetiously and makes quick eye contact with Maxwell. ‘Thank you, Bertrand. Your hospitality means a lot.’

Amara can’t help but notice the brief looks of complicity between Maxwell and Michael. She hadn’t seen Michael be so social in years. Even before Sergio passed, Michael was always the studious one, the serious one, while Sergio was...well, also the life of the party. Hmm, she thinks. Could this be something?

‘Amara,’ Maxwell insists, ‘did you hear me?’

She shakes it off. ‘Oh, sorry, I was in my thoughts. What is it?’

Maxwell looks at Drake, and at Amara again. ‘I was asking, do you want me to invite Liv tonight, or not? She would definitely like the vibe at Zeno’s, but I don’t want to include her if you guys are still...tense.’

Amara’s smile falters. ‘No no, invite her. If I’m the one texting, she won’t answer. We need to put an end to the bullshit.’

Maxwell nods. ‘I’ll ask if Rashad wants to come, too.’

‘Oh, the sexy smoldering guy from the ball?’ Michael inquires. ‘He and Olivia seemed very close.’

Amara smiles. ‘Yes, and yes. They’re kinda dating. See? You’d make a good detective, too.’

*****

Maxwell reflects intently as he focuses his eyes on his closet. ‘No, not this,’ he murmurs.

Michael sits on his bed, feeling awkward about having to, once again, borrow clothes. ‘Max, seriously, I can wear what I have.’

Maxwell turns around and smiles at him. ‘You can, you’d look good in anything, really. But I want to give you options!’

Michael smiles. ‘Thank you. I really need a clothing intervention. I do dress like a lawyer,’ he says, looking down at his outfit made up of beige chinos and a plaid shirt. ‘If we’re going to a hip place--’

‘We’re not,’ Maxwell interrupts. ‘Whatever you’re comfortable with will be great. But I have some clothes that would look better on you than they do on me. Let me find them…’ He digs deeper in his closet. ‘Ah!’ he says victoriously. ‘Here it is. The shirt.’

He presents an emerald green shirt to Michael, who almost recoils in fear. ‘Jeez, Maxwell, it’s very green. I know I wear these colors sometimes, but… isn’t it a bit much?’

Maxwell smiles as he holds the shirt against Michael’s face. ‘No. It brings out your eyes. You can wear it with your chinos, or jeans. You have jeans, right?’

Michael nods. ‘Yes.’

‘What cut?’

Michael raises an eyebrow. ‘I’m not sure what this means.’

Maxwell smiles. ‘It’s ok. I have jeans that you will like.’

*****

Hana and Amara are sitting outside in the sun, a margarita in hand and Amara’s nail polish collection sprawled out on the table for them to choose from. Amara looks out to the pool, where Drake is swimming laps. She doesn’t even realize that she’s staring at his body as he gets out every now and then to take a sip of his water.

Hana smile mischievously. ‘Amara, honey, do you need binoculars?’

Amara shakes her head. ‘Oh shit, Hana, I’m sorry. I promise I’m not a perv. He’s just so…’

Hana laughs. ‘Oh, I know. I’m gay, not blind.’

Amara chuckles. ‘Alright, back to business. What are you wearing tonight?’

Hana nods seriously. ‘I’m gonna go with my coral sundress, with my light brown wedges.’

‘Great choice. You wanna go for a light nail, or a metallic?’

Hana thinks intensely and finally says, ‘I think I’ll go with your gold polish. Is that ok?’

‘Of course, great call. I’m gonna wear my ripped jeans and a yellow top, so I’ll go with the light gray. Good?’

Hana smiles. ‘Perfect. Amara, I’m so glad you stayed. I don’t know what I would have done without you here.’

Amara takes her hand. ‘Same. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’ve found my people, why did I want to leave?’

Hana smiles broadly. ‘Right? I feel the same way. I know my parents are leaving me tons of messages, but I’m not ready to listen to them. I want to enjoy my time with you guys, and go on the engagement tour.’

‘Plus, the tour ends in London, and you know what that means,’ Amara says in a sexy voice while wiggling her eyebrows.

Hana blushes. ‘I do know what it means, since you’re not being very subtle.’ She smiles and twists the nail polish open. ‘We’ll see what happens. For right now, I’m happy to be here.’

‘Agreed.’

She continues, ‘On another note, did you catch all the little looks between Maxwell and Michael? They’re totally inseparable,’ Hana whispers.

‘I was just thinking that. It’s nice to see Michael be close with someone. Who knows where it might lead, but it’s just nice to see, you know,’ she says, avoiding eye contact.

Hana paints her nails intently. ‘I can imagine. Michael seems to relax a bit, and tonight will help too.’

‘What are you guys plotting about?’ Drake asks as he walks out of the pool and towards the nail painting station.

Amara chuckles, ‘Nothing babe. I’ll fill you in later.’

‘Don’t come out yet, Drake, here we come!’ Maxwell exclaims, running towards the group on his bathing suit. Michael follows slowly, shyly covering his body with a towel.

Amara sits up and asks eagerly, ‘Maxxie, did Liv get back to you?’

Maxwell, still running, cries out, ‘Not yet, Little Blossom. But I gave her all the info and she’ll know where to find us!’

Amara looks down at her nails, silent. Drake sighs and puts his hand on her back comfortingly. ‘She’ll come around, baby. I promise.’

*****

‘Looking good, man,’ Drake says as he catches Michael looking at his reflection in the hallway.

Michael jumps up, startled. ‘Oh! Thanks, Drake. Is it too much, though?’

Drake shrugs. ‘I don’t think so. Green looks good on you.’ He walks to the drink cart and pours two glasses of whiskey. ‘Here you go,’ he says as he holds one out to Michael.

‘Thank you.’ He smells it. ‘This is good stuff.’

Drake smiles. ‘It really is, huh? Max doesn’t skimp out.’

Michael smiles and sips. Drake takes out his phone and looks at the text he just sent out.

I know she hurt your feelings, but she came around and apologized. Don’t let your fucking pride take you away from a friend. We’re both new at this opening up shit, I get it, it sucks to be vulnerable, but it’s also fucking satisfying to be surrounded by people who care. Don’t fuck up.

He wonders whether he cursed too much, but oh well. It’s sent. 

And read, without a response.

He sighs and looks up. ‘Sorry, Mike. Hey, what do you wanna do tomorrow? I can take you on a tour of Ramsford in my Jeep if you want me to show you around.’

Michael’s face lights up. ‘I’d love that. I want to call Callie tomorrow when she’s awake, but otherwise I’m all free.’

Drake smiles. ‘Good.’ He glances at his watch. ‘I guess we’re the fastest ones to get ready around here. When I left Amara, she was agonizing over which earrings to pick.’

Michael chuckles. ‘Max picked my outfit, so I have absolutely no merit in being quick.’

As if on cue, Maxwell appears on top of the stairs, Hana and Amara on each side. ‘Gentlemen, may I present you the two most beautiful women in the world!’

The girls chuckle and roll their eyes, they all yell out to Bertrand to wish him a good night, and they get on their way.

*****

Amara fidgets in the car, her hand in Drake’s. She is sitting in the middle, between Drake and Michael.

‘You ok, babe?’ Drake asks. ‘Nervous?’ he points to her shaky leg.

Amara promptly stops. ‘Sorry. I’m fine. I’m excited to have fun, I promise.’

Maxwell glances at Drake in the rearview mirror, a worried look on his face. Amara notices it right away. She knows it means Max didn’t hear back from Liv. She hates that she feels so nervous about it, and she especially hates that Drake and Max are, once again, worried about her. She sits up and takes a deep breath. She needs to grow a pair of ovaries and stop being this fragile little bitch who is always in danger of having an anxiety attack. 

She needs to enjoy life, dammit. It will be hard enough to sneak around and investigate while on the tour, the least she can do is enjoy her five days of freedom, and make the most of Michael’s presence.

Breathe in, breathe out. 

Maxwell parks in downtown Ramsford. ‘Alright guys, I’m designated driver tonight, you bitches go crazy, I’m there for you!’

Amara smiles broadly. ‘Max, I can bet you that we’ll end up taking Ubers back. No way you’re not getting lit.’

Maxwell laughs. ‘You may be right. This is a 24-hour parking lot, detective. Either way, we’re good. Let’s go!’

They get out of the car, and Amara walks with Drake, her hand still in his. Zeno’s is a cool bar, not too hip but definitely nice, with an outdoors section full of greenery. As they walk in, Amara finds herself relaxing. This is definitely normal, with young couples all around, and too many people for them to get noticed. Maxwell picked the perfect spot.

‘First round on me,’ Drake announces ‘Everybody tell me what you want!’

Hana requests a margarita, and everyone follows suit, except Michael who wants a lager. 

Drake smiles. ‘Babe, help me carry?’

They make their way to the bar, their bodies close to each other. Amara holds Drake’s belt loop so they don’t get separated by the crowd. This place is really happening.

They plant themselves in front of the bar, and Drake orders for everyone, and opens a tab. Amara nuzzles in Drake’s arms, taking advantage of the crowd pushing them together. She buries her head in his chest.

Drake chuckles. ‘You’re not afraid of being seen?’

Amara smiles, ‘Not really. Too crowded. Plus, it’s not my fault if people are forcing us to get close.’

‘Good excuse,’ he whispers in her ear as he squeezes her shoulder.

‘You look hot tonight,’ she murmurs. ‘I love you in black.’

‘And I love you, period,’ he says softly.

‘You guys are sickening.’

Amara whips around instantly. ‘You came!’ she exclaims.

Liv rolls her eyes and adjusts her top. ‘Of course I came. Walker threatened me via text.’

‘I did not,’ he protests. ‘I tried to convince you, that’s all.’

Liv snorts and orders two double vodkas. She pauses and says, ‘It’s not all for me. Rashad’s here with me.’

Amara smiles. ‘I’m glad.’ She hesitates, then throws her arms around Olivia and pulls her into a hug.

‘What the hell are you doing, Suarez?’ Liv asks disgustedly.

‘Hugging you. Lean into it,’ she replies.

Liv rolls her eyes again and slowly hugs Amara back. ‘Fine. That’s your one hug. You used it up.’ She pauses. ‘And never fucking blindside me again like you did yesterday. You made me be your friend, now you have to act like one.’

Amara lets go of her and grabs a couple of glasses from the bar. ‘Agreed. I fucked up, I’m really sorry. Now, can we please get drunk together and show my brother how shit gets done in Cordonia?’

*****

Taglist:

@drakeandcamilleofvaltoria @andy-loves-corgis @jovialyouthmusic @mariahschoices @drakesensworld @thequeenofcronuts @notoriouscs @drakewalkerisreal @nikkis1983 @simsvetements @alesana45 @iplaydrake @emceesynonymroll @lily1999love @drakewalkerwhipped @drakewalkerrosenberg @drakxwalker @drakeswalkers @drakelover78 @silviasutton1989 @dcbbw @texaskitten30 @furiousherringoperatortoad @hollygirl1269 @sirbeepsalot @ladyangel70 @thisperfectmemory @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @mrsmairstanley @addictedtodrakefanfic @msjpuddleduck

Maxwell smiles. ‘Good. You should get used to having fun. Maybe later this week we can organize a real Beaumont Bash, to show you how it’s done!’

‘Oh God,’ Michael exclaims, ‘will I have to wear a sash?’

Maxwell laughs. ‘Only if you want to.’

‘Anyone wanna play pool?’ Rashad asks.

Drake and Michael nod enthusiastically, while the girls playfully roll their eyes. ‘We just got here!’ Olivia yelps.

Maxwell shrugs. ‘Oh well. It super gendered I guess, but I could go for a game of pool right now.’

‘Alright boys, don’t start any trouble with your good looks,’ Amara teases, already sounding a little drunk.

*****

The three women sit in awkward silence for a couple minutes before Amara breaks the ice. ‘Ladies, if we don’t start talking right now I’m gonna go crazy. Liv, I said I’m sorry, I made you hug me, please let it be ok between us now.’

Olivia rolls her eyes. ‘We’re fine, Suarez, I told you.’

‘Then why is it so fucking awkward?’

‘She’s right, Olivia,’ Hana responds after gulping down about half of her drink. ‘If something’s bothering you, you should talk about it. Come on.’

Liv raises an eyebrow. ‘Wow, Lee. I like you assertive. Maybe you’re not such a weak bitch after all.’

‘Olivia!’ Amara scolds her. ‘Hana is just as strong a bitch as yourself, so shut it.’

Liv pauses and bursts out laughing. ‘Alright, you sexy bitches, you want me to tell you what’s bothering me?’ They both nod frantically. ‘I’m not nearly drunk enough for it,’ she concludes.

‘Ugh,’ Amara sighs. ‘Drink up, then!’ She looks around to check who’s within earshot before continuing. ‘In the meantime, can we please talk about how hot Rashad looks in a leather jacket? You go, girl.’

Olivia pauses and chugs the rest of her drink. She gets up and leaves silently. Amara and Hana look at each other, puzzled.

‘You think I offended her...again?’ Amara asks hesitantly.

Hana shrugs. ‘Please. It wasn’t offensive, on the contrary! It wasn’t the first time you guys comment on the hotness of each other’s partners,’ she remarks.

Amara nods and quietly sips her drink, her head hanging. Why couldn’t she ever shut up?

A minute later, Olivia comes back with a tray of drinks. Two double vodka rocks for her, and four margaritas for the girls. Amara gasps. ‘What did you do?? And, most importantly, how did you get the bartender to serve you so quickly?’

Olivia laughs and gestures at her body. ‘Are you really asking? I’m a fucking knockout, Suarez. You should know how it’s done, with those tits on you, I’m sure you’ve used your wiles before.’

Hana giggles and chants, ‘Liv is getting druuuunk!’

Olivia laughs. ‘Lee, you’re already drunker than me. Alright, here we go,’ she says before chugging one of the double vodkas.

Amara’s eyes are as big as saucers. ‘Is it that bad? What you have to tell us?’

Olivia puts her glass down and gestures at Amara to drink faster. ‘No, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not bad. But for me, it is.’ She pauses for a long time. ‘Rashad and I boned.’

Hana gasped. ‘OMG, congratulations!’ And she whispers in a conspiratory tone: ‘he’s so hot!’

Olivia, serious as ever, looks at Amara, ‘Does she know she’s supposed to be gay?’

Amara smiles. ‘She’s gay, not dead, it’s a whole thing. Please continue.’

Olivia grunts. ‘Alright. Well, Lee, you’re right, he’s very hot. Even more so naked. An ass like you’ve never seen, and a dick, holy shit.’ She looks away in the distance before shaking it off. ‘I digress, sorry. What I mean is, despite his perfection, and him doing everything I like, it was… well, it was good. Not great.’

Amara nods. ‘You mean he didn’t sweep you off your feet?’

‘Yeah, something like that,’ Liv says as she grabs her next drink.

Hana nods. ‘It’s normal for a first time, I think. Plus, you guys waited a little while, so there were expectations. You gotta give it time.’

Amara chimes in, ‘Exactly, and maybe it’s like Carrie and Berger on Sex and the City, maybe the first time wasn’t ideal, and you two need to work on it a little more.’

Liv looks her dead in the eye. ‘Are you comparing Rashad to whiny-ass Berger, Suarez? Also, his name is Berger. Have some respect.’

Amara smiles. ‘That’s not what I meant. I was just trying to find an example.’

Hana nods. ‘Sometimes, when you really like the person, the first time is awkward because you’re so anxious to get it right, that you get in your own head. And before you protest, I didn’t say you. I meant maybe Rashad was in his own head.’

Olivia stares at her glass silently. She sighs and pursues: ‘Maybe you’re right. Maybe I should just fuck him again. Pull a Suarez and bone him in this filthy bathroom.’

Amara grunts. ‘Come on, now you’re labeling me as the bathroom fucker? That’s not fair!’

*****

Michael walks towards the group of guys with a tray of drinks for everyone. Getting the second round was the least he could do, after they welcomed him so warmly. He didn’t really want to play pool, he’s just not good at it, and he doesn’t find it particularly fun. But he wanted to hang out with them, be one of the guys. He’s never been the most social person. He has friends, of course, albeit not many, but ever since he had Callie, he’s thrived as a father so much that he barely needs anything else.

Tonight, he finds himself missing his daughter, as always, but not in a sad way. In a way that makes him grateful to be a dad, all the while being happy to be here. With Amara, with new friends. With Amara’s new love, whom he’s grateful to get to know.

So, if he has to suffer through a few games of pool, so be it. With a couple more beers, he shall be drunk anyways.

‘Thanks, Mike,’ Drake says as he grabs a lager from the tray. ‘Next round is on Max. Right?’

Maxwell laughs as he aims for the balls. ‘Of course! My treat.’ He misses all of them, shrugs, and grabs a margarita from the tray. ‘Thank you, Michael. Rashad, your turn.’

Michael leans back against the wall and enjoys the atmosphere. He glances outside where the girls are enjoying their drinks. He notices a guy getting closer to them, then talk to them, while Amara is visibly trying to turn him down. Michael raises an eyebrow. He turns to Drake. ‘I’ll be right back.’

He exits the bar area to meet the girls on the patio. Something about this guy’s demeanor isn’t right. He stays at a distance as he listens to the interaction.

‘Come on, babe,’ the guy says to Amara. ‘Don’t tell me that you and your friends don’t want a drink from a guy like me.’ He opens his arms as if to display his body. ‘I’m no Prince, but I’m definitely capable of rocking your world. How about you, sweetheart?’ he asks Olivia.

Liv snorts noisily and responds, ‘My friend already told you we’re not interested, so fuck off, will you?’

The man laughs sarcastically and says, ‘Right, right, like you have such high standards.’

Olivia gets up menacingly and says, ‘Excuse me, asshole? What is that supposed to mean?’

Michael notices that both Amara and Hana get up also, their brows furrowed.

The guy spits out in an insulting tone, ‘I know you girls. You’re just a dyke and two whores, don’t pretend you’re anything more.’

Before anyone else can react, Michael’s blood boils and next thing he knows, he’s marching towards the man, putting his beer down, and connecting his fist to the guy’s face. He says, ‘What the fuck did you call my sister?’

The guy, taken aback, shakes his head. ‘What the hell--’ he says before he recovers and raises his fist to return the blow.

Amara leaps in front of Michael and places the guy in a strangle hold before anyone can react. The man yelps helplessly.

Michael’s head spins. It’s the first time he’s ever punched anyone. Suddenly, Drake is besides him. ‘Mike, buddy, are you ok?’

Michael shakes his head. ‘This asshole was insulting them, I--’

Drake turns to the guy, still held up by Amara. ‘What did you say to them?’

He struggles to breathe, and painfully says, ‘I was just--I was just trying to buy them a drink.’

Amara rolls her eyes and lets him go. He rubs his arm sheepishly. ‘He insulted the three of us because we refused to have a drink with him. Typical entitled dick.’

The guy mumbles, ‘Fuck you guys, I’m getting out of here. Bunch of assholes and whores.’

Drake places himself right in front of him, and he clearly towers over the guy. ‘What did you just say? Did you just call them whores? What’s your problem, man? You wanna get punched again?’

Olivia gets closer to Drake and pulls a dagger out of her jacket. ‘Or stabbed?’ she says. Michael gasps.

The guy runs off, still mumbling. Olivia puts the dagger away, as Michael is still reeling. He sits down. This is a lot to take in. His first sucker punch, a concealed weapon, and a whole bunch of dramatic confrontations. Not his typical Sunday at all.

The bartender comes out, closely followed by Rashad and Maxwell. ‘Sir,’ the bartender says to Michael, ‘you can’t stay here, we don’t tolerate violence in this establishment. As for you, Lady Nevrakis,’ he says to Olivia, ‘you can’t bring weapons here, please.’

Olivia rolls her eyes and takes a sip of her drink.

Maxwell grabs the bartender’s arm. ‘Loïc, please, they didn’t do this unprovoked. You know me, I wouldn’t bring troublemakers here.’

Loïc frowns and looks at Amara. ‘Oh, like this lady who likes to pull judo moves on people?’

Maxwell continues to barter: ‘This guy was bothering them, right Amara?’

Amara nods. ‘This douche called us whores, as well as derogatory homophobic terms. Do you welcome that in your establishment?’

Michael holds his breath as Loïc seems to take in the info. Finally, he rolls his eyes. ‘Fine. But Maxwell, next time, you’re all out. I mean it.’

As the bartender walks away, Michael takes a long, relieved breath. Amara sits by him. ‘Are you ok, Michael?’ she asks, looking at his hand.

He nods. ‘It doesn’t even hurt. I’m just in shock. Did I just punch a guy, or did I dream it?’

Drake laughs. ‘You definitely jammed your fist in his face, man. He deserved it, too.’

Hana squeezes Michael’s shoulder. ‘You’re our knight in shining armor,’ she jokes.

He turns to her, ‘I’m sorry for the name he called you. That was unacceptable.’

She shrugs. ‘It was. But you can’t change the fact that there are some terrible people on this Earth. All you can do, I guess, is…’ she pauses. ‘Punch them.’

Everyone laughs wholeheartedly. Michael takes a long sip of his beer and asks, ‘Can we talk about Olivia’s dagger, please?’

*****

‘Your Majesty?’

Constantine sighs, as if out of habit. He wishes he could get up, at least to seem like he’s doing alright, but his body is too weak. So, he calls out. ‘Come on in, Lady Madeleine.’

She walks in briskly, closing the door behind her. He specifically asked her to come by right after dinner, but it’s over an hour past, and he needs to get himself to bed. He tries to hide his annoyance and gestures for her to sit down.

‘Thank you,’ she says as she complies. ‘I won’t keep you long. I’m making progress.’

He nods. That’s all he wanted to hear. His country in good hands after he passes. That’s all he wanted. ‘Good, I’m glad,’ he says, hoping she will stop there and leave him alone. This could have been a phone call.

She nods. ‘Me too. He seems to have forgotten all about the incidents of the Ball, and I intend to help him forget some more.’

Constantine grimaces. He doesn’t need to know her methods, thank you very much. ‘Anything else?’ He asks impatiently.

Madeleine takes a breath. ‘Yes, potentially. He’s been talking to his brother a lot. He’s pensive after each of their talks. Last night, and then again this morning, and before dinner. I’ll keep an eye on it, but I thought you could ask your staff to do the same.’

Constantine nods. ‘Alright. It could just be that they’re speculating about who leaked the pictures, Lady Madeleine, nothing more. But you’re right. I will keep an eye out.’

‘Great,’ she says curtly as she gets up. ‘Enjoy your night.’

*****

Madeleine heads towards Liam’s suite. She finds herself hoping he won’t be as passive as last night. She shakes it off quickly. Who cares if he’s not enjoying himself? It’s not exactly a party for her either, but she will truly be happy when the crown is on her head.

He’ll learn to love her. If not passionately, like he would have the others like Olivia or the Mexican whore, at least he will love her respectfully, like a King loves his Queen. She doesn’t care if he fucks around. Perhaps she will, too.

But for now, she needs to keep Constantine happy. He wants the other women out of the picture, he doesn’t trust them. She gets it. She doesn’t trust them either.

She rattles her fingers on Liam’s door and waits for the weak signal to come in.

She plasters on a smile. ‘Good evening, love. I was heading to the gardens for a late night drink, do you want to join?’

Liam, already deep in a whiskey bottle, looks at his glass, chugs it, and gets up. ‘Sure,’ he says.

*****

‘Alright, alright! Rashad’s turn!’ Maxwell exclaims.

Rashad nods pensively. ‘Let’s see. Never have I ever… shaved my legs!’

Amara yelps, ‘That’s not fair! It’s clearly a twisted way to get us drunk!’

Rashad chuckles. ‘Yeah, you guys, and Maxwell,’ as he gestures towards Max taking a sip.

‘What?’ Maxwell asks. ‘I wanted to try it when I went through my bicycling phase!’

‘Ok, ok, my turn!’ Hana almost screams, leading Amara to think she’s had more than enough margaritas. ‘Never have I ever…’ she smirks at Michael’s direction. ‘...punched someone!’

Michael bursts out laughing as Drake pats his back. ‘Time to drink, buddy. I’ll accompany you, for obvious reasons,’ he says as he drinks.

‘Well played, Hana,’ Michael chuckles.

Hana mimes brushing off her own shoulders. ‘I try, I try. Amara, all you!’

Amara thinks for a second, trying to determine who she’s going to target. ‘Hmm, let’s see… Never have I ever had a child!’

Michael sighs. ‘Really, Amara? You know I’m a lightweight.’ He drinks reluctantly. ‘Ok now, my turn. Never have I ever…’ he smiles at Amara. ‘Thrown up in a parking garage.’

Amara gasps. ‘No fair! I told you this in confidence.’ She drinks. ‘Besides, it’s not my fault. I was sick.’

Michael fakes a cough. ‘Hungover sick.’

Amara rolls her eyes. ‘Fine, fine, since you’re determined to make me look disgusting.’

Maxwell puts his arm around her. ‘You could never be disgusting, Little Blossom, you’re the cutest! Even though, you know, you just had a guy almost choke in a badass move, I’m still allowed to call you cute.’

‘Alright, that’s my cue to go get another drink, you guys are too sappy for me,’ Liv says as she sighs deeply. ‘Rashad, help me carry the next round?’

Rashad follows suit, and Amara shares a knowing look with Hana. When the two are back inside, Hana asks, ‘Do you think they’ll be back?’

Amara chuckles. ‘I think if we’re expecting another round of drinks, we’re in for a big disappointment.’

*****

‘Feeling better?’ Rashad asks as Olivia is paying for the next round. He offered to pay but she looked at him with such a furious look that he put his hands up in a surrender pose.

Liv shrugs. ‘Yeah. Glad she’s back to her senses, and she apologized.’

Rashad smiles. ‘Good. Now can you tell me what else is bothering you?’

Olivia turns around briskly. ‘How do you know something’s bothering me?’

Rashad looks around for any wandering eyes and, when he realizes the coast is clear, puts a reassuring hand on Liv’s arm. ‘Because I’m starting to know your moods, Nevrakis. Now please tell me.’

She looks down at his hand. For one second, he wonders whether she’s about to tear him apart limb by limb for daring to touch her tenderly.

But she doesn’t. She looks into his eyes and says, ‘Did you really love last night?’

He gulps. He really did. It was amazing sex. But it was also somewhat awkward, and definitely not what he had been expecting from their extremely steamy makeout sessions. ‘You didn’t, right?’ He asks cautiously.

She whispers, ‘Don’t get me wrong, it was fucking good. But…’

He nods. ‘Yeah. I know. The anticipation was better.’

‘Right.’ She pauses. ‘Suarez thinks it’s just the curse of the first time.’

He nods. He should be mad that she already told her friend that he sucks in bed, but he figures, coming from Olivia, the fact that she talks about him at all is a compliment. ‘You think we should try again?’ He says, raising an eyebrow.

She nods. ‘Yeah. Let’s drop off those drinks and go fuck in the bathroom.’

He laughs heartily. ‘Um, as much as I’d love to, that’s a lot of pressure on a bathroom hookup. It might turn out to be even more awkward than the first time. Think hand dryers, weird smells, wet sink…’

‘Ew,’ she interrupts. ‘No need to get graphic, I get it.’

He gets closer to her and whispers in her ear. ‘I don’t want us to plan anything. Let’s just wait until we can’t help but fuck each other’s brains out.’

She gives him a mischievous smile and grabs a tray. ‘Well played, Domvallier. You got me wet already.’

*****

Liam zips up his pants, in silence. He looks around at the maze. Well, he thinks, there goes his maze fetish. She ruined it.

Madeleine gestures for him to help her zip up her dress. He complies. ‘That was...something,’ she whispers seductively. She looks at him over her shoulder. ‘Did you have fun?’ She purrs.

He plasters on his fake smile. ‘Of course I did, love. It was wonderful. Now let’s go back to the palace, you wore me out. I need to get some sleep.’

She seems satisfied enough with his answer. She locks arms with him and they walk on together.

Liam’s thoughts are racing, over his silence. How could he have thought she was genuine? How could he have believed her concern? All she ever wanted was to be Queen, he knows this, he’s always known this.

What he didn’t know is that she was willing to destroy others in order to get what she wants.

For now, he can’t break the engagement. But he will, right? He and Drake and Leo will find out who was in on the whole thing and Amara’s name will be cleared. Madeleine’s name will be the one with scandal associated to it. The woman who sabotaged everyone else for the throne. All they need is proof. Amara’s a detective, she can help figure it out.

His heart sinks. Amara.

She made it clear. She doesn’t have an interest in him. But maybe things will change, once she has a duchy and citizenship, and they can become friends first.

Right?

Something’s gotta give. He can’t be stuck in a loveless marriage.

*****

Madeleine runs her hand through her hair. She can’t arrive at the Palace all disheveled, although it would make for a nice statement. Sure, she’s not the first woman Liam fucked in the maze, but she’s the first fiancée he shags out there.

She didn’t hate the sex. He’s good at it. Still, this is a means to an end.

*****

‘Oh God, I shouldn’t have had that fifth beer,’ Michael slurs as Drake holds him up after the Uber ride.

Drake chuckles. ‘You’re good, I got you. Just put one foot in front of the other.’ He glances at Amara. ‘You ok, babe? Still standing?’

She gets out of the Uber and thanks the driver, a little wobbly on her feet. ‘I’m good,’ she laughs.

Hana stumbles out as well, giggly as ever. ‘Guys, I had the best night,’ she yells out.

Drake helps Michael up the steps, where Rashad, Liv and Maxwell are waiting for them.

‘Wooo you made it,’ Maxwell cheers. He holds out his arm for Michael to grab it. ‘Here, Michael,’ he says softly. ‘Let’s get you some water.’

Michael blushes. ‘Sorry everyone. I guess I’m still jetlagged.’

Olivia snorts. ‘Or maybe we wiped the floor with you at Never Have I Ever.’

Michael shakes his head. ‘I still think ‘Never have I ever been a lawyer’ was unfair.’

Maxwell opens the door delicately, so as not to wake Bertrand. He whispers, ‘Rashad, thank you so much for driving my car back. I owe you one. You can stay over if you want, Liv has a room here!’

Rashad nods. ‘Thank you Max, but I have an early meeting. I need some sleep.’ He looks into Liv’s eyes and captures her lips in a deep kiss.

Drake’s eyes widen. He looks at Amara, who’s pretending to fan herself. When Rashad’s mouth finally leaves Olivia’s, everyone else’s is still wide open.

‘Bye, Domvallier,’ Liv says in a low voice.

He winks at her and waves at everyone else. ‘Good night guys, it was fun.’ He takes out his phone and calls his driver.

Drake takes Amara’s hand and they go inside. ‘Wow,’ he says, ‘that was some PDA.’

Olivia snorts. ‘Ugh, of course you’d say that, Walker. Clearly, you have no idea what we’ve all been through with you. All your makeout sessions with Suarez, they aren’t PDA?’ She walks upstairs in the direction of her room and turns around midway, just to rolls her eyes at Drake one last time.’

He sighs. ‘Fine. I’ll shut up. I’m gonna turn in anyways. Babe?’

Amara squeezes his hand. ‘Yeah. I’m exhausted. Michael, you need me hun?’

Michael takes a deep breath, and uses the hand that isn’t holding Maxwell to hold the wall as well. ‘I’m fine, I just need water. Go to sleep.’

Maxwell shoos them with his hand. ‘You crazy bitches go to bed. I’m gonna water the kids,’ he says as he gestures to giggly Hana and wobbly Michael.

*****

‘Hana, hold still, OMG.’ Maxwell whispers, trying to help her out of her heels. ‘If we wake Bertrand he will kill me.’

Hana laughs softly. ‘Grandpa Tassel! I love his face so much.’

Maxwell can’t help but smile. ‘I do too, but if I see him burst out of his room, his lovely face furious at me, I swear to God, woman, I’m abandoning you to his wrath.’

Hana feigns shock. ‘Oh! You wouldn’t dare!’

Max blows her a kiss. ‘You have no idea what I’m capable of.’

Michael giggles, sipping on his glass of water. ‘Guys, I’m so drunk,’ he slurs.

Maxwell smiles softly. ‘It’s ok. Drink your water. I need to do the same, I’m fine but I’ve had a lot of margs.’

‘I swear Maxwell,’ he continues, ‘I never get this drunk. You have to believe me.’ He takes Maxwell’s hand. ‘It’s the jetlag, and that game.’

Maxwell looks at Michael’s hand, a pang in his heart. He puts his other hand on it, and carefully places it back on Michael’s lap, patting it gently. ‘It’s all ok, Michael. You can also blame the shirt.’

Michael makes a shocked face. ‘The shirt! It was infused with your party spirit, Maxwell. That’s it!’

Maxwell chuckles. ‘Yes, you got me.’ He finally manages to get Hana out of her shoes. ‘Hana, drink your water. I’m gonna go get you guys some of Drake’s leftovers. Be right back.’

‘Oh, I’ll come help,’ Michael whispers, getting back on his feet with difficulty. ‘Plus, I want to make sure you also bring some of those cookies we got at the farmers market.’

Michael stumbles a bit, and finds Maxwell’s arm. They walk to the kitchen together.

‘You ok?’ Maxwell asks, his heart racing.

Michael smiles faintly. ‘Yes. I’m embarrassed. I told you, I never get drunk. It’s embarrassing.’ He puts his hand on his face.

‘No!’ Maxwell protests. ‘Nothing embarrassing about having fun. You’re safe here, you can let go a little.’

Michael nods and, once in the kitchen, lets go of Max’s arm to hold on to the island. ‘You’re always so nice to me, Max. Thank you. You’re a good person.’ He pauses. ‘You don’t treat me like a pathetic widower.’

Maxwell grabs the pack of cookies and a tupperware of leftovers. ‘Michael, you’re so much more than a widower. And you’re not pathetic. You’re strong, smart, and loving. Look how far you’ve come just to reconcile with Amara.’

Michael sits at the island. Without a word, Maxwell brings him a cookie. Michael breaks it in half and offers him some. They both take a bite. Michael sighs. ‘I feel so much better,’ he says.

Maxwell smiles. ‘The power of the cookie, my friend.’

*****

Taglist:

@drakeandcamilleofvaltoria @andy-loves-corgis @jovialyouthmusic @mariahschoices @drakesensworld @thequeenofcronuts @notoriouscs , @drakewalkerisreal @nikkis1983​ @simsvetements @alesana45 @iplaydrake @emceesynonymroll @lily1999love @drakewalkerwhipped @drakxwalker @drakewalkerrosenberg @drakeswalkers @drakelover78 @silviasutton1989 @dcbbw @texaskitten30 @furiousherringoperatortoad @hollygirl1269 @sirbeepsalot @ladyangel70 @thisperfectmemory @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @mrsmairstanley @addictedtodrakefanfic @msjpuddleduck

Drake nods. ‘Sure. Give it to me.’ He pauses. There’s no right way of telling her about his doubts. ‘Suarez, are you certain you wanna do this?’

She snorts, as she energetically zips up her suitcase. ‘Yeah, fuck that. I’m not staying one more minute in this toxic place.’

He understands. Of course he understands. But he also knows that running away is not the solution, and maybe she will regret doing that, as soon as they’ve found Savannah and she no longer has a short-term goal. They’d been happy here, hadn’t they? Of course they were sneaking around, but they made amazing memories with their friends, and life was pretty good here. He knows that Amara agrees with that. He knows she loves Cordonia, probably even more than Drake does.

Maybe they should just stay put, wait until this blows over, and live at the cabin or something.

Amara stops moving for a second, and sighs. ‘I know what you’re thinking. You think I’m running. But what else can I do? Keep letting myself be victimized by this whole fucking country? No, I’m done turning the other cheek.’

Drake nods. ‘I get it. I can’t take much more, either.’

She smiles and approaches him to give him a warm hug. ‘Babe, this is temporary, we’ll see everyone again, you know that? We just need to find your sister, she needs you more than anyone here.’

He smiles and places a soft kiss on her lips. She kisses him back, deeper, until they’re so far gone in their bubble that they forget what they were even talking about. Amara breaks their kiss for a second, and says, ‘I love you, Drake.’

He smiles. ‘I love you too.’

At the end of the day, he’ll do whatever she wants him to do. This is the woman he loves. This is the woman who brought him back to life. Whatever she wants, she’ll get.

But he can’t shake the feeling that giving up on clearing her name means that the people who wanted to bring her down have won.

*****

Olivia swings the door to Ramsford open. She and Hana heard by Bertrand that the others had left and Amara and Drake were on their way to Paris, and Olivia was furious. She demanded that Bertrand drive them back to Ramsford immediately, and when his driving was way too slow for her liking, she took it upon herself to be the pilot. Upon entering his mansion, Bertrand’s coloring was very similar to that of his sweater vest. Olive green.

‘Where the fuck is she?’ Liv groans as she spots Michael and Max having a drink in the living room.

‘In her bedroom,’ Max responds, ‘they’re packing.’

Olivia stops right in front of Maxwell and points an angry finger at him. ‘And you’re letting this happen? What the fuck, Beaumont? Weren’t you supposed to be the voice of reason? She’s running away from her life, again? No offense, Michael.’

‘None taken,’ Michael says, visibly terrified.

Maxwell takes a deep breath. ‘Liv, there is no convincing her. She is adamant. Plus, can you blame her? Two nights in a row, she is put on the spot and humiliated in public. Tonight was the last straw.’

Liv chuckles. ‘Oh, that’s rich. The last straw was when this one—‘ she gestures to Hana— ‘was outed at court. We should have just thrown in the towel that day, because it was the last fucking straw, but we stuck it out! The country is at the hands of a manchild and a psychopath, and now she’s leaving?’ She strides to the staircase and makes her way upstairs.

*****

Hana sits at the table with Maxwell, Michael and Bertrand. She grabs a tumbler and pours herself a large dose of whiskey. Tonight, she needs it.

‘Guys,’ she says softly, ‘Liam told me he still plans to give her Valtoria. But she needs to clear her name. We need to investigate and make this right.’

Maxwell throws his hands up. ‘I know, hun, but she doesn’t want to. She kept saying that Cordonia can go fuck itself, and that she’s outta here.’

Bertrand scoffs. ‘Oh! That can’t be right. It’s not Cordonia’s fault if some...bastards are taking pleasure in humiliating nice ladies.’

Hana smiles and puts her hand on Bertrand’s forearm. ‘She’s angry, Bertrand. She’s tired. I get it. But she can’t give up. We have to convince her. This whole affair needs justice, we can’t let them win.’

Michael nods curtly. ‘Agreed.’

*****

Amara and Drake are in the middle of getting undressed. Drake’s belt is undone and his shirt open, and Amara’s dress is on the floor. As Drake took it off her, she said ‘Take that fucking thing off me, I don’t wanna see another stupid gown ever.’ Now he’s working on unhooking her bra and kissing her neck, drawing low groans from her.

‘Suarez!’ Olivia screams as she flings the door open.

Amara jumps up and Drake gasps in surprise. ‘Liv!’ Amara screams, covering herself with her discarded gown.

‘Oh please,’ Liv says as she closes the door behind her, ‘nothing I haven’t seen.’ A pause ensues. She continues. ‘What, too soon? Come on. What happened tonight was a fucking disgrace, and if you’re leaving town because of it, it’s the dumbest fucking thing you’ve ever done. You need to face your demons for once in your fucking life, Amara.’

Amara freezes upon hearing her friend’s cutting words. ‘You—you don’t mean that, Liv. I’ve been doing my best—‘

‘It’s not enough!’ Liv screams. ‘You can’t just up and leave. You’ve been so worried about Walker ruining his friendship with Liam, and now you’re forcing him to come to Paris with you, and miss his supposed best friend’s engagement tour? Please. All you’ve ever cared about is yourself.’

Drake steps toward Liv, not even bothering to cover his bare chest. ‘Liv, you’re crossing a line. We’re going to Paris because Amara has found my sister, and you call her selfish?’

Liv rolls her eyes. ‘Please. You two aren’t going on a normal trip to reunite with little Savannah, no, you’re fleeing, there’s a difference.’ She looks down. ‘And you didn’t even have the decency to say goodbye. If I hadn’t come back—‘

Amara feels tears coming up. She fights them down. ‘Liv, I was gonna call you…’

‘Bullshit. Call me? Pff. That’s the fucking bare minimum. Just say it, be honest, Amara. You didn’t even think about how I would feel.’

Olivia’s voice cracks on the last word, and so does Amara’s heart. Olivia’s half-right. Amara didn’t want to see her before leaving, because she knew this very thing would happen: she would try to convince her not to give up. Except that she’s tired. She doesn’t have it in her. She takes a deep breath and says, ‘That’s not true, Olivia. I did think about it, and frankly, I didn’t think I could take the confrontation.’

Olivia gets up and heads for the door. ‘Well, I was wrong about you, Suarez. I never pegged you for a quitter.’

*****

After a tense goodbye session with Maxwell, Michael, Hana, and Bertrand, Drake ordered a car to the airport. They managed to get last minute tickets to Paris, with a million connections. The trip will be tedious, especially since Amara is still upset from her fight with Olivia. Drake knows how close the two women had gotten over the past few weeks, and their fight today was very ugly. He wishes he could do more, to make Amara feel better, but she doesn’t seem to be open to conversation.

He flashes back to when they first met, and she refused to tell him anything about her old life. At the time, it was mysterious, endearing, and even sexy. Now, as they’re in a committed relationship, her silence is grueling. This isn’t how she’s been ever since they got together. During the months she spent in Cordonia, she had opened up to the world, had laughed more, and had talked about her trauma. Now, she was silent, and on the verge of tears, in the back of an Uber.

He strokes her hand. She smiles faintly, and rests her head on his shoulder. He kisses her hair.

‘I promise I’ll be more fun when we get to Paris,’ she whispers. ‘It’s just a little hard right now.’

He gets it. It’s hard for him, too. Amara is his home now, obviously he’ll follow her wherever. But these circumstances… He hates to admit it, but it really feels like Olivia is right. They’re not travelling, they’re fleeing.

His phone buzzes. He reaches inside his pocket and takes it out. Liam.

Drake, tonight was crazy. Hope you guys are ok. Call me when you can.

He sighs. After everything, he does feel bad for Liam. He’s been manipulated into a toxic engagement, and if nothing changes, he’ll be stuck in an awful marriage.

They’ve had their differences, and Drake sure doesn’t appreciate his change of personality, but he still feels responsible. He was supposed to be there for him. He texts back.

Everything ok for now. I’ll call you soon, I might have gotten a hold of Sav.

Dots appear right away.

Wow!! That is great. Some good news in this ocean of shit… Keep me posted.

He puts his phone away. Amara snuggles up to him more, and whispers. ‘I’m sorry. I ruined everything.’

He kisses her head. ‘How can you ruin everything when you are everything? Relax. Everything will be ok.’

*****

‘I’m sorry you came here to see Amara, and now she’s gone,’ Maxwell says sadly.

Michael smiles and takes another sip of his whiskey. ‘It’s fine, I can change my flight.’

Maxwell waves him off. ‘No, you should stay and enjoy. Plenty of space here. Hana, same for you, honey. Please stay as long as you want.’ He pauses and looks into his glass. ‘I’m not ready to lose everybody at once.’

Michael sets down his glass in a loud thump, which draws a gasp from everyone at the table. ‘Yeah, Max, you’re not losing anyone. Feel like a good old-fashioned airport chase?’

Maxwell gasps excitedly. ‘OMG...always.’

*****

Liam sighs as he puts his phone aside, anxiously waiting for a sign from his best friend. He can’t shake the feeling that he fucked up badly. He glances at the mirror, not ready to get out of the bathroom. Madeleine is waiting for him in the study, and he doesn’t want any of the options that are going to be presented to him.

‘Li, open up,’ he hears his brother’s voice say.

Liam opens the door to see Leo, his bow tie undone, and a chilled bottle of white wine in hand.

‘Dude, let’s pop this open. You’re gonna need it if you wanna survive your engagement. I should know.’

Liam chuckles as he takes the bottle to open it. Yes, Leo knows how Madeleine is. But does he, though? He fled as soon as their engagement was pronounced, and plus, Madeleine seems to have gotten a lot worse this time around. Liam pours two glasses and hands one to his brother. ‘Leo, this whole thing—‘

‘It was very messy, I’m not gonna lie,’ Leo interrupts as he grabs his glass and raises it before bringing it to his lips. ‘Any news from everyone who fucked off before it was over?’

Liam nods. ‘Yes. Maxwell called me, and Drake texted, I’m waiting for his call, actually.’

Leo nods and opens his mouth to say something, but closes it immediately. Liam frowns. Since when does he brother think before he talks? Leo takes another sips and says, ‘What about Lady Amara? Did you have any idea she was boning Tariq?’

Liam shakes his head vigorously. ‘No, and she isn’t. Those pictures were staged. She was almost assaulted by him, and I suppose someone took those photos at the exact right moment.’

Leo frowns. ‘So that’s why she looked on the verge of tears. Wow. Whoever did this is a fucking bastard.’

Liam nods as he takes a sip. ‘Agreed. I just don’t know what to do now, Leo. I don’t want her to leave, but I also don’t blame her.’ He pauses. ‘I want to give her Valtoria, still. But right now, the press is having a field day, and it wouldn’t be received well. This needs to be sorted out. I need to make this right.’

Leo nods. ‘How are you gonna do this all the while being engaged to Regina George?’

Liam chuckles. Leave it to Leo to make obscure references that no one understands. ‘I can’t make waves right now,’ he replies. ‘But I can guarantee you that if I could break this engagement right this second, I would.’

*****

‘Here you go,’ Drake smiles as he hands Amara a cup of coffee. Probably not the most indicated before hopping on a multiple-layover flight, but she insisted.

‘Thank you,’ she says softly. She sips in silence.

Drake sits down next to her and rests his hand on her knee. They passed security very easily and are now at their gate, with some time to spare. Drake bought them beverages and a bunch of snacks, while Amara was sitting in silence.

What he wouldn’t do to rewind back to earlier today, when they were at the pool. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again, he wouldn’t let her go to the ball. They’d go to the cabin instead, and she’d be happy right now. She’d be catching up with Michael, and Drake would get to know him. No one would have been humiliated and exposed in public.

He keeps flashing back to the moment when the lights went off. For the first couple of seconds, his heart stopped. It was exactly like the day when his father died. The total blackout. The assassination attempt that led Jackson Walker to push the King out of the way.

The last time Drake had seen his father.

What had happened tonight broke his heart. Seeing those pictures up on the screen, and Amara’s facial expression upon seeing them, the trauma, the humiliation, the desire to get the fuck out.

He understands.

Of course he’s happy to be on his way to Savannah.

Of course he’s happy to be with Amara. But he would be, regardless of the plan. He’s not going anywhere without her.

Maybe she thinks he wants this. Maybe she thinks he’s so sick of the court that they both need to get out. Maybe she thinks this is the perfect opportunity.

But it’s not. All it will accomplish is take her away from the little stability she’s known recently. From the connections she’s made with her friends. Olivia is already pissed. Not that it’s a reason not to go, Liv is always pissed. But never at Amara.

He kisses the top of Amara’s head. She squeezes his hand, ever so slightly, her head still lowered. Drake could swear that she’s sniffling.

‘Amara!!!’

They both jump up in surprise, as they see Maxwell and Michael running towards them, out of breath.

‘Guys!’ Drake exclaims, suddenly as relieved as he’s ever been, even though he has no idea what’s going on. ‘What are you doing here?’

Maxwell stops in front of them, completely out of breath. ‘I—‘ he huffs and puffs, as if he’d been smoking a pack of cigarettes à la Don Draper, ‘Jeez, I’m out of shape.’ He sits on the floor, clearly about to die. ‘We got here as fast as we could. We bought the cheapest tickets to go past security, don’t tell Bertrand.’

Michael, so far still silent, walks up to Amara and wraps her in a tight hug. ‘Don’t go,’ he says.

Maxwell smiles at Drake. Drake smiles back, and says, ‘Guys, Max and I are gonna go to that bar over there. Max needs a drink. We’ll catch up with you later.’

*****

‘Michael, come on,’ Amara says, breaking away from their hug. ‘You’ve seen what happened, you know I have no choice.’

He holds out his hand and gestures towards the seats. She obliges. He sighs and says, ‘Hear me out. I know this is fucked up, I know this was not okay, what happened tonight.’

‘Fuck no it wasn’t,’ Amara says, suddenly worried her voice might break. ‘I can’t look any of them in the eye.’

Michael’s eyes widen. ‘Who’s ‘them’? People at court?’ She nods. ‘All of them?’ She shrugs. Michael throws his hands up. ‘You can’t rule out everyone just because a bunch of dicks did something terrible. Plus, by running, you’re kind of accepting their narrative.’

Amara pauses. No, he can’t be right. ‘I’m not running,’ she protests. ‘I’m going to Paris to find Drake’s sister. Max told you, right?’

Michael smiles and takes her hand. ‘I know the official reason. But I also know that Savannah isn’t going anywhere, and that you could very well go to Paris in a couple of weeks once you have processed this whole thing.’ He looks down and squeezes her hand harder. ‘I know your MO, Amara. You block it all out, you don’t want to hear about anything, and you think things are gonna go away if you proceed like that. But they’re not.’

Amara fights back tears. Second time today someone confronts her in a friendly intervention. She’s not gonna cry, dammit. ‘This has nothing to do with...with two years ago.’

Michael smiles at her, in a way that breaks her heart. She knows that, despite what she’d like to believe, he understands her more than anyone. He saw her at her low point. He whispers, ‘You can’t even say the words, Amara. That’s how running away feels. You can’t confront it, two years later. You say ‘two years ago’, or, as I call it, when Sergio was shot. And I lost my sister, because she couldn’t face me, and I made mistakes, and I wasn’t there for you like I should, and I let you isolate yourself. Well fuck that, I’m not doing that again.’ His voice is louder now, and he catches himself almost shouting. He continues, calmer now. ‘You can’t run away from what you’ve got, here. Drake is wonderful. I know he’s coming with you, wherever you decide to go, but you know what I mean. You fell in love here. There is something for you in Cordonia. You found amazing friends. Maxwell took it upon himself to fix our bond, and he did it. That’s the kind of friends you surround yourself with. Are you willing to not see them for a while because you can’t face, what? Two people at court? The media?’

Amara can’t fight the tears anymore. They’re falling down no matter what. She knows he’s right. ‘But—‘ she protests, ‘but everyone thinks I was sleeping with Tariq, and I wasn’t, but on some level, I kinda did what they accuse me of, you know. I am in a relationship with Liam’s best friend.’

Michael makes an annoyed face. ‘Oh, and you owe the court your body and your heart? Honey, by leaving now, you are giving everyone the impression that you’re ashamed. When really, what happened is that you were almost sexually assaulted by a dirtbag who has now fled the country. You are the victim here. Of that Tariq, but also of the people who staged this whole thing. Don’t you think you deserve justice?’

Damn, Amara thinks. Being a lawyer really was Michael’s calling. She sighs. ‘I can’t abandon Drake, I promised him to find his sister.’

Michael smiles. ‘And you will. But don’t leave now, please. It would mean too much if you did. To others, yes, but mostly...to yourself, hun.’ He kisses her hand. ‘You have to face this. You’re Amara Motherfucking Suarez, you can face anything. Stop believing that you can’t.’

*****

Amara and Michael are still talking near the gate, and Drake can’t stop looking over to see what’s going on. Maxwell puts his hand on Drake’s arm, reassuringly. ‘Hey,’ he says, pushing his beer towards him, ‘drink this, you didn’t pay airport prices for nothing.’

Drake smiles weakly. ‘Max,’ he whispers, ‘I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to go to Paris just yet, I wish we could stay. Amara will regret it if we just run, you know. And...maybe I will, too.’

Maxwell nods. ‘I know. We all agree. But let Michael work his magic,’ he gestures towards the gate, ‘he’s a lawyer, he knows what he’s doing.’

Drake chuckles. ‘True.’

Maxwell pauses and continues. ‘Drake, are you ok? I thought of you, too, tonight, when the lights went off. It must have brought up terrible memories.’

Drake sighs deeply. ‘Yeah, it did. But I have to move forward, you know.’ He takes a sip of his overpriced beer. ‘Thank you for thinking of me, though.’

Max smiles broadly. ‘Of course. We’re co-uncles, after all!’

‘Right! Well, don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to meet the little guy and to see Sav again, but…’

Maxwell nods. ‘I know. Now feels rushed. Plus, I don’t know what you think, but I believe it would be more fun if we were all to come with you guys. Make a trip out of it.’

Drake smiles. A few months ago, a collective trip would have sounded like a nightmare. Now, he would love it. Of course, being alone with Amara is still what he wants most, but that’s what locked doors are for.

Maxwell continues. ‘Plus, there might be a way to arrange for that to happen. Two birds, one stone.’

Drake raises an eyebrow. ‘Do tell.’

‘Well, we can all go on the engagement tour. We can arrange it with Liam. It goes through Paris in a couple of weeks, we can look for Sav then. It would allow for Amara to clear her name and to show she’s not hiding. And also…’ He pauses, a guilty look on his face.

‘What, Max?’ Drake asks, worried.

‘Well, I know Liam has been a dick. I know he’s been very self-centered and all, and I haven’t forgiven him for his attitude towards Amara. But…’

Drake nods. ‘I know. I feel the same. I don’t feel good about leaving him to be engaged to a woman who manipulates and forcefully outs people.’

Maxwell smiles. ‘We’re on the same page, then.’

Drake gasps. Amara and Michael are walking over to them, a faint smile on their faces. They are both holding Drake and Amara’s carry-ons. Maxwell grabs Drake’s arm excitedly.

Without saying a word, Amara plants a kiss on Max’s cheek, and goes straight to Drake. She wraps him in a tight hug, which draws a relieved sigh from him. She kisses his neck a million times, and whispers in his ear, ‘I’m sorry babe. I acted like a coward, when you clearly told me that you were partial to staying. Please forgive me.’

He breaks away from her hug, only to kiss her passionately. ‘I know this was hard for you. I didn’t want to push you. And for what it’s worth, you could never be a coward.’

Michael chuckles. ‘That’s what I said. She’s Amara Motherfucking Suarez, after all.’

Drake laughs. ‘Exactly.’

Amara pulls Drake closer again. ‘Do you mind if we stay? I want to face this head-on. We’ll find Savannah soon, but leaving now…’

Maxwell smiles broadly. ‘We were just saying the exact same thing. In fact, we have a plan.’

*****

Amara listens carefully and nods. Maxwell is right. She needs to clear her name, even if she doesn’t care what other people think. She needs to stand up for what’s right and she won’t accept the blame for something she was a victim of.

She’s sitting as close to Drake as possible, not wanting to let go of him. She feels like a terrible partner right now. He clearly expressed his opinion earlier, and she brushed him off with her desire to get out as fast as possible. They’re a team, and she kinda forgot that for a second. She’s not used to people being on her team, not since two years ago. Not since Sergio died, and she isolated herself.

But now, she has other people to think of. Drake, the man she loves. Her family. Her friends.

Drake strokes her arm lovingly, his other arm around her. ‘So, what do you say, babe? We completely get it if you don’t want to go on the tour. You can say no at any time.’

She nods. ‘I’m in. Let’s do this.’

Maxwell squeals. ‘Woo! Overpriced beer for everybody!’

Amara laughs. ‘Plus, it will feel like an undercover mission, you know. Old times.’

Michael smiles. ‘You’ve missed it, huh?’

Amara blushes. Yes, yes she has. ‘Yup.’ She plays with Drake’s glass absentmindedly. ‘Captain Braugher would be impressed, an undercover job with royalty…’

Michael laughs. ‘That man always terrified me, but he had a real soft spot for you.’ He reaches for Amara’s hand. ‘I’m glad you’re staying, hun. You’re running out of continents.’

Amara lets out a throaty laugh and playfully swats his hand. ‘You bastard,’ she jokes.

Drake laughs along and says, ‘Guys, keep my expensive beer cold for me, I have a phone call to make.’

*****

The phone doesn’t ring for long. Drake can’t help but think that Liam has been waiting for his call, which breaks his heart a little bit. ‘Hi, Drake,’ Liam says.

‘Hey, Li. Sorry it took me so long. I was making some last minute decisions regarding Sav,’ he lies. Well, half-lies. It’ll do, for now. ‘How are you holding up?’

Liam sighs. ‘Not great. I’ve been with Leo, I’m delaying meeting Madeleine, I just don’t know what to do.’

‘Look, I’ve talked to Max, and we want to help you break your engagement. We think we can pull it off, along with clearing Amara’s name. All we need to do is some sleuthing, to find out about who leaked all those pics. Maybe find Tariq, he’s gotta be somewhere. As you know, Amara’s a detective, and she can do that sort of stuff.’

Liam quickly replies, ‘That sounds great. Do you think you can all come on the engagement tour? It starts on Friday, so you have a few days to move things around. We’ve commissioned a train, we’ll go to Rome, Paris, and London. Then, we’re all flying to New York for the last leg of the trip.’

Drake nods. ‘We’re all in. To tell you the truth, I’m happy we’re going to Paris. It’s, um… it’s where Savannah has been.’

Liam gasps. ‘Oh my God, Drake, really? Well that’s wonderful. We’ll be in Paris two weeks from now. You’ll see her then. Is that ok?’

Drake smiles. ‘Yeah. And Liam?’

‘Hm?’

Drake pauses. ‘I’m sorry I’ve been distant. I want to make up for it. I’m gonna help you get your life back.’

Liam sighs. ‘Thank you, Drake. Oh, and you can tell Max that I’m hiring a PR person for Amara. We’re all in this together, she’ll have her name cleared in no time, and she’ll be able to claim Valtoria.’

Drake swallows hard and slow. ‘That’s great,’ he forces himself to say. ‘I’ll let Max and Amara know. Hey, Li, don’t sweat it, ok? Just be normal with Madeleine, don’t force yourself to do or say anything. Be yourself, everything will be fine.’

‘Thanks, man, I appreciate it. I’ll be in touch for the planning of the tour.’

*****

‘Bertrand, pop the champagne!’ Maxwell shouts out as he plops down on the couch back at Ramsford.

Bertrand comes out of his study wearing a burgundy silk robe with so many tassels that Amara can’t even count them. ‘Maxwell,’ he whispers, ‘it’s very late, I was worried about you all. Hana just turned in, please keep your voices down.’

Maxwell mouths ‘I’m sorry’, and walks to the kitchen with his brother to fill him in.

‘If you’ll excuse me,’ Michael says softly, ‘I’m gonna go to the kitchen too to see if I can find a snack… Is it just me, or is the food at court a little scarce?’

Drake’s eyes widen. ‘That’s what I’ve been saying for YEARS, Mike.’

Amara smiles and sits down on the couch. Drake follows suit. She stares at her phone and puts it away, sadly.

Drake looks at her and raises an eyebrow. ‘Still nothing from Nevrakis?’

She shakes her head. ‘Nope. She won’t take my calls, or answer my texts. I really pissed her off.’

Drake smiles. ‘You’ll find her tomorrow. Once she sees you listened to her and stayed, she’ll cool down.’

Amara nods. ‘Thanks for being there for me,’ she says. ‘I’ll never thank you enough.’

He kisses her tenderly. ‘I’ll always be there.’

She nods. ‘So will I. I need to tell you something.’

He looks panicked for a second. ‘What?’

She smiles and strokes his cheek. Her heart feels full. ‘I was a shitty girlfriend today. Only thought of myself and the quickest way out of here. There’s a bunch of things I didn’t see.’

He smiles and takes her hand. ‘Suarez, you had something traumatic happen to you tonight. You’re allowed to think about your own feelings for…’ He glances at his watch. ‘What, five hours? It’s a pretty sweet deal.’

She smiles and kisses his lips. ‘Still. When the lights went dark, I heard several people freak out, and I realized that they must have thought it was some kind of attack…’ she pauses and strokes his hand with her thumb. ‘Like the one that killed your dad.’

He blushes, and looks down. ‘Babe, I’m fine. I promise. It did cross my mind but then, all I wanted was to protect you.’

‘I know, and I want to protect you, too. We’re a team, Drake. Partners. I just want you to know that you can talk to me about anything, anytime, like I can do with you.’

Drake smiles broadly, his face beaming. ‘What the fuck did I do to deserve you?’

Maxwell barges in with a bottle of champagne, followed by Bertrand and Michael, each holding a tray of snacks. ‘Woooo!’ Maxwell says softly. ‘To Amara fighting back!’ He says as he pops the cork. ‘Team Peacock for the win.’

Bertrand chuckles. ‘Team Peacock? Who is that?’

Maxwell shrugs. ‘It’s us, Bertrand! We’re Team Peacock! They’re the best animals, plus no one takes them seriously because they’re fabulous, but they are smart as hell.’

‘Are they?’ Drake asks, dubious.

‘Who cares?’ Maxwell laughs. ‘They’re awesome. Like Bertrand’s robe.’

Bertrand blushes and grumbles, ‘Well, no one was supposed to see it, you know.’

Amara grabs the glass that Maxwell is holding out to her and raises it. ‘To you guys. To Drake, the best partner I could dream of, and to the three of you, the best brothers a bitch can hope for.’

Maxwell clinks his glass with Amara’s. ‘To brothers!’

*****

Taglist:

@drakeandcamilleofvaltoria @andy-loves-corgis @jovialyouthmusic @mariahschoices @drakesensworld @thequeenofcronuts @notoriouscs @drakewalkerisreal @nikkis1983​ @simsvetements @alesana45 @iplaydrake @emceesynonymroll @lily1999love @drakewalkerwhipped @drakxwalker @drakewalkerrosenberg @drakeswalkers @drakelover78 @silviasutton1989 @dcbbw @texaskitten30 @furiousherringoperatortoad @hollygirl1269 @sirbeepsalot @ladyangel70 @thisperfectmemory @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @mrsmairstanley @addictedtodrakefanfic

*****

Amara paces back and forth in the living room. Hana and Liv, originally waiting with her, were now changing into their bathing suits, as Amara told them to do their thing and enjoy the pool. 

She would like Drake to do the same, she is terrified to hold him back and ruin his day. But here he is, patiently waiting near her, sitting in an armchair and watching her pace.

‘You sure you don’t want to sit?’ He asks, with a sad smile.

She shakes her head. She knows she’s ridiculous. It’s her brother-in-law she’s talking about, not someone who wants to torture her and make her suffer. ‘I can’t sit still,’ she says faintly.

Drake smiles once again and holds out his hand for her to take. She closes in the distance between the two of them and puts her hand in his. He squeezes it reassuringly and draws her close, until she’s in his arms. ‘It’s gonna be ok,’ he says softly. ‘You’ll feel better afterwards, I promise you.’

She nods. ‘You’re probably right. It’s just hard to envision. I’ve been running from this for...a while. Then, he said all those things.’ Her words catch in her throat. ‘And then I wanted to disappear. I didn’t think we’d be speaking face to face anytime soon.’

Drake runs his thumb across her palm. ‘I know. But he came all this way to see you for a reason. Besides all the blackmailing shit that he didn’t know anything about. He came because he wanted to reconnect, and perhaps even to apologize for what he said to you.’

Amara gulps with difficulty. She nods, hoping she won’t just burst in tears. She needs to be strong, not the shell of a woman that she was yesterday. She needs to be Detective Suarez again. No, scratch that. She needs to be who she’s grown to be in the past few months, here in Cordonia.

She hears Maxwell’s tires screech to a halt in front of the estate. Her heart nearly stops. Drake squeezes her hand harder. ‘I could stay if you wanted me to,’ he says. 

She shakes her head. ‘It’s ok.’ She loves that he’s so thoughtful, but hates that she comes off so weak that he feels the need to protect her. ‘Go enjoy the pool with the girls. I’ll come out when we’re done.’

Drake nods. He holds out his arms, and Amara falls into them. She leans into his hug, smells his shirt for as long as she can, and tears herself away. She needs to be strong. Drake kisses her lips gently and walks outside.

Here goes nothing, she thinks. 

*****

Maxwell turns his car off, and looks to Michael next to him, a gentle smile on his lips. Michael is grateful not to be driving here alone in a taxi, where he would have lost his shit and had a complete breakdown. He owes it to Maxwell to conserve just a tad of dignity. 

Max asks, ‘Do you want me to come inside with you? I can if you want. Or I can let you go in alone, whatever you’re most comfortable with.’

Michael takes a deep breath. ‘I think I should go in alone. Right? I need to apologize and own up to my shit, so I should face this alone.’ He pauses. ‘But thank you. For everything.’

Maxwell smiles and nods. His phone pings. ‘Oh,’ he says as he reads his texts. ‘Amara is waiting for you in the living room. Drake just texted me.’

Michael nods. ‘Point me to the right direction?’

*****

Amara’s breath catches when she sees Michael appear through the doorway. Her feet almost give out from under her. He looks sad and worried, and she can’t help but notice that he’s wearing a dark green shirt, just like Sergio always said he loved. She can just hear him say ‘Look at my handsome husband,’ as he beams with joy and love. 

If any couple ever loved each other, it was Michael and Sergio. The thought fills her eyes with tears. She didn’t mean for them to be apart forever, of course, but she can’t shake the feeling of guilt.

‘Hi kid,’ Michael says faintly, his voice breaking even on two syllables.

Amara’s chin wobbles. ‘Hi Michael.’ She pauses for a long time. ‘Um, you want to take a seat?’

He nods, and walks with her towards the couch. They are sitting so far away from each other that it breaks Amara’s heart. 

Michael takes a deep breath. ‘Amara, I’m so sorry,’ he says in a shaky voice.

She can’t hold back her tears now. Hearing him apologize for those words, the words she, herself, had thought so many times. I wish it had been me, Papi, she kept repeating to her dad. How damaging must those words have been to her poor father? She can’t even imagine.

Her chin is now moving with a mind of its own. ‘No, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Michael, of course you were feeling this way, of course you were blaming me. I blame myself, every day.’ She bursts into tears. ‘I’m so sorry.’

Michael closes the distance between them and hugs her with his right arm, letting her head rest on his shoulder. Her tears turn his dark green shirt into black. 

His breath is jagged. ‘Amara, stop. It was never your fault. It’s just easier to be angry than to be devastated. It’s no one's fault, except for the man who fired the gun, and he’s behind bars.’ A fat tear rolls down his cheek, and Amara feels her heart shatter. ‘The truth is, you’re my sister. I don’t want to live in a world in which you’re not.’ 

Amara hugs him tighter. ‘I’m sorry, Michael. We should have shared our grief instead of living it on our own, but I-I needed to punish myself. For being alive, when my brother wasn’t.’ She wipes her cheek. ‘Every morning, as I brushed my teeth, for two years, I replayed the moment…’ she pauses, unable to say the words. ‘And I wished I would have pushed him out of the way. When he leapt in front of me, I should have pushed him. Not let him take the bullet. The bullet was meant for me.’

Michael stays quiet for a while. He sits up straight, and Amara breaks away from his hug, afraid of what he will say next. He takes her hand in his. ‘No. It wasn’t meant for anyone, it was not supposed to happen, not to either of you. Sergio made a decision in a split second, the decision to save his sister. I will be forever pained that he died, and I’ll never be the same. But he saved you in the process. I’m glad he did.’

Amara didn’t think she had any tears left to cry, but she really did. A lot. They all flow out, at once. ‘Michael, I—I’m sorry I’ve avoided you for two years. I wanted to be there for you, I wasn’t strong enough. But now, if… If you want me to, of course, I’d like to be back in your life. In Callie’s life.’

Michael smiles through tears. ‘We would both love that. She misses you. She always says she doesn’t see you enough.’ He chuckles. ‘She says that Christmas is her favorite holiday, because she can see Auntie Amara.’

Amara laughs. ‘I miss her too. I should have been there more, I know Sergio would have wanted me to be around, to watch over her… I’m her godmother, and I completely failed.’

‘You’re here now.’ He smiles. ‘Besides… Even without you or Sergio in her life...she’s all Suarez.’

Amara’s face lights up. ‘I know… she’s like a mini-Sergio. With longer hair.’

Michael laughs. ‘Not to mention the Suarez personality. Stubborn as fuck.’

Amara’s eyes fill with tears again. She catches her head in her hands.

Michael puts an arm around her, worried. ‘Hey, hey, are you ok? Did I say something wrong?’

She shakes her head. ‘No. I’m just—I just feel so guilty for not being in her life. I want to see her grow up.’ She pauses. ‘I really wasn’t there for you, huh?’ She adds with a broken voice.

Michael smiles sadly. ‘No you weren’t. But I wasn’t there for you either. Now I’d like to be able to talk to you about how much I miss my husband without you running away for two years on a bartending retreat.’

Amara swallows back tears and gives Michael an understanding smile. ‘That’s fair.’

He squeezes her hand. ‘But the opposite is true too. You should be able to talk about how much you miss your brother without feeling guilty about me and Callie. We can grieve together, and with Jorge, too. Let’s be a family again, huh?’

Amara smiles broadly through tears and opens her arms to offer Michael a bear hug.

*****

Michael’s heart rests a bit easier, as he and Amara make their way outside to the pool, where they meet the others. All eyes are on them as soon as they’re spotted, and he can’t help but smirk when he sees the protective look on Drake’s face. That guy really looks at Amara like she’s the sun. As he should. 

‘Hey guys,’ Amara says to her friends. ‘This is Michael.’

She gestures at him and Michael waves. ‘Hi everyone. Thanks for having me. I just wanted to say hello before I’m on my way.’

Drake and Maxwell get out of the water in a haste, but Michael can’t help but notice the wildly different vibes they give off. Maxwell is all smiles and is giving them a hopeful look, while Drake makes a run for Amara and wraps his arm around her, not caring that he’s dripping pool water everywhere. Drake asks Amara, ‘Are you ok?’ as he kisses the top of her head.

She nods. ‘Yes, we’re good.’

Drake’s face lights up and he enthusiastically shakes Michael’s hand. He can’t believe how much his demeanor has changed. He says ‘Hi Michael, I’m Drake, it’s nice to finally meet you. Amara’s told me so much about you.’ His eyes are kinder now, less defensive.

‘Nice to meet you too, Drake,’ he responds. ‘Thanks for looking out for my sister.’

‘Awwwwww,’ Maxwell squeals, ‘sister? So, I take it you guys talked it through?’

Amara smiles and rolls her eyes. ‘Yes, Max, we’re doing better. I guess it was long overdue, huh?’ She turns to Michael.

‘I guess.’ He holds out his arms and gives Amara a hug. ‘I should go. I don’t want to intrude on your pool day.’

Maxwell gives Amara a quizzical look, and she nods. Max enthusiastically grabs Michael by the shoulders and says, ‘No way, my friend. You’re not going anywhere, there’s plenty of room here for you. Right, Bertrand?’

A slightly older, serious-looking man gets up from a chaise longue. He’s wearing very long, brown swimming trunks, with a brocade pattern on them. He approaches Michael and shakes his hand. ‘Of course you can stay here, if you wish. I’m Bertrand Beaumont, nice to meet you.’

‘Nice to meet you too, Bertrand.’

Amara puts her hand on Michael’s arm, and gently says, ‘Duke Ramsford.’

Michael’s eyes widen. Shit, he thinks, he didn’t even think about that. ‘I’m so sorry, Duke—‘

‘No, no,’ Bertrand chuckles. ‘We’re among friends, Amara, come on. Bertrand is fine. Make yourself at ease, join us!’

Michael walks towards the rest of the group, and Amara introduces him to the two ladies. The redhead who helped her out last night is called Olivia, she gives him a firm handshake. The other young woman seems much gentler and has kind eyes, she instantly hugs him.

‘I’m sorry, everyone, I don’t seem to be dressed for the occasion…’ Michael looks down at his outfit, definitely not appropriate for a poolside day.

Maxwell laughs excitedly. ‘Well, you couldn’t possibly know you’d end up in a pool with us. How about I call the hotel and have your things sent here?’

Michael nods. ‘That would be really nice of you, but um… that doesn’t solve the swimsuit problem. I didn’t bring one.’ He smiles awkwardly, kicking himself mentally for not thinking of every possible scenario. He’s usually so good at this. Packing is his shit.

Max waves him off. ‘That’s ok! There’s plenty of clothes here.’ He looks at him intently. ‘I’m assuming we’re more or less the same size. Would you be opposed to borrowing a swimsuit?’

Michael chuckles, both grateful and embarrassed. In less than a day, he has managed to impose his presence in a foreign country, and bothered the nobility so much that they have to pay for his hotel room, and lend him a swimsuit. Great job, Mike. 

Maxwell guides him upstairs, where he shuffles through his closet. ‘Sorry,’ he says, ‘I have so many unwearable things. I like colorful clothes, and animal prints, and you seem like you’re a lot classier than me!’ Maxwell adds.

Michael smiles. ‘Please. I have absolutely zero style, I dress for comfort. Anything will do.’

Maxwell nods, and hands him a swimsuit with a discreet fish pattern. ‘Will this be ok?’

‘Yeah, that’s perfect. Thanks for everything, Maxwell.’

‘Oh stop. Anything for Amara. I’m so glad you guys worked it out.’

Michael smiles and sighs in relief. ‘I know. I thought for sure she would never talk to me again. She and I have a lot of work to do to heal, but… I’m hopeful.’ He smiles peacefully.

Maxwell nods enthusiastically. ‘That’s great. I can already see a difference in Amara. Her nightmares are still there, and she had a panic attack a few days ago, because of me really…’ He trails off. ‘But all in all, she’s able to talk about her grief more and more. It’s good to talk about it.’ Maxwell smiles. ‘Drake had a good idea, actually. He told Amara that she should, once in a while, when the mood strikes… talk about Sergio, but not about what happened to him. Just talk about who he was, the things he used to do, or tell a funny anecdote. I think it’s helping her remember him without the guilt.’ Maxwell takes one more step towards Michael. ‘You should try. If you want.’

Michael gulps down hard. He nods absentmindedly. He’s talked about Sergio a lot, with Jorge, Nancy, and especially with Callie, so she knows how amazing her daddy was. But randomly, just a silly little anecdote… he hadn’t been able to do that yet. All his memories of Sergio were weighed down by the grief. ‘I’d like to, Maxwell. But I don’t know if I can.’

Maxwell gives him a reassuring smile, more benevolent than Michael’s ever seen. ‘Oh, I didn’t mean now, with an almost-stranger! In your own time. When it feels right.’ He pauses. ‘Alright, let’s go have fun at the pool.’ They both turn towards the door and Maxwell exclaims. ‘Oh! I almost forgot to ask you. If Amara is ok with it, would you like to come to the Decision Ball tonight?’

The Decision Ball? What an odd tradition, really, it sounds like something out of the Bachelor. Sash Guy was really taking advantage of the tradition. ‘Would I be welcome?’ he asks.

‘Of course. I can bring you as my plus one,’ Maxwell responds. ‘You know, because Amara can’t bring one, since she’s supposed to…’ he makes air quotes with his fingers, ‘“court” the freaking prince.’

Michael bursts out laughing. ‘That sounds good. If Amara wants me there, I’ll be happy to come. But um…’ He thinks of his suitcase, probably on its way from the hotel right now, full of lawyery outfits and drab colors. ‘I’m not sure I have an appropriate outfit. I packed suits, of course, but after seeing how stylish everyone is at court…’

Maxwell’s face lights up. ‘Michael. You’ve seen my closet. There’s more than enough for two in there.’

*****

Amara is lying in Drake’s arms, both floating around in the pool. Drake is lazily stroking her hair. He’s amazed at her, her strength, her resilience, her forgiveness. He knows where Michael is coming from, of course he gets it. The man is grieving for the love of his life, so he said something he didn’t mean. Something awful, something he probably lies awake thinking about every night and regretting. This kind of shit happens in families when tragedy strikes. But it happened to his Amara. And Drake cannot take the idea of her suffering. 

He’s happy she and Michael talked it out. He seems like a sweet guy, who cares deeply about his sister-in-law. In spite of everything, Drake is happy he’s here. He can’t wait to discover everything about Amara’s world.

‘You ok, babe?’ he asks.

She nods and smiles, tightening her grip on him. She plants a kiss on his lips. ‘I’m fine. Thanks for being there for me. I’m happy he’s here, now. I’m happy you guys can get to know each other.’

Drake smiles. ‘I’m so fucking proud of you, Suarez.’ He kisses her again, this time lingering longer. 

‘Gross,’ Liv says with a disgusted expression on her face. 

Drake rolls his eyes. ‘Sorry, just expressing feelings, Nevrakis. Next time you’re making out with Rashad, I’ll hang around and tell you that you’re gross.’

She snorts. ‘Except that we’re hot. You guys are so lovey dovey, it’s repulsive. Keep it in your pants.’

Amara laughs, and Drake’s heart flutters. Last night, when her PTSD flared up, he wasn’t sure how long it’d be until he heard her laugh again. But that’s the thing with Amara. She’s like a fucking phoenix.

Once Liv has turned around to swim with Hana, Drake holds Amara tighter. ‘I can’t wait til everything is over. Go on dates with you. Cook together.’

‘Or better yet,’ Amara adds, ‘you cook, and I watch you.’

He laughs. ‘Yeah, that’s what I meant. Although your baking skills are on point.’

She smiles. ‘Thank you. I can’t wait for all of this either. We can go on trips, wherever we want, and we can finally focus on finding your sister.’

Drake kisses Amara’s neck. ‘You’re amazing. Fuck, I wish we could skip this dumb ball.’

‘Me too,’ she says wistfully, ‘but it would mean that those bitches win. They didn’t break any of us, see?’ she gestures at Liv and Hana. ‘Our friends are standing taller than ever, and me...well, they haven’t broken me yet.’

Drake smiles. That’s his Suarez. He notices Max and Michael walking back from inside the house, and Michael is now wearing one of Max’s swimsuits. Thankfully, it’s not one of the ones with glitter. 

‘Hey guys,’ Drake yells out, gesturing for them to approach. ‘Come on in!’

Michael offers him a shy smile. Drake wonders if he’d been too cold before. He couldn’t help but be protective of Amara. The two men join them in the pool. Maxwell, who usually does a backflip everytime he goes into the water, is suprisingly calm. 

‘Nice bathing suit,’ Amara says. 

‘Ha, thanks,’ Michael replies, ‘Maxwell lent it to me.’

Maxwell waves him off. ‘It suits you better than it suits me. Little Blossom, before I forget, I told Michael he could be my plus one tonight at the ball, is it ok with you?’

Amara smiles. ‘Of course. That would be great. One more friendly face in court.’

Maxwell claps his hands in excitement. ‘Awesome! I’m gonna grab my phone and contact the Palace to make the arrangements. Be right back!’

He waddles away. Drake’s eyes meet Michael’s. He realizes he has no idea what to say to break the ice. Is it too noncommittal to ask him about his trip? Nevermind, he’s going in. ‘So, Michael,’ he says, ‘I hope Cordonia’s not treating you too badly.’

Michael chuckles. ‘Well, I had a rocky start, as you know, but it’s all better now.’ He pauses. ‘I’m sorry if it’s too personal, don’t feel like you have to answer, but I have to ask--how come you have an American accent?’

Drake smiles. ‘I’m from Texas,’ he replies, ‘My mom is American and I spent a lot of time there. Some full years in my early childhood, plus all my summers growing up.’

Michael’s eyes widen. ‘No way! I lived in Texas when I was little, too! My parents had a small firm in Austin.’

Amara laughs. ‘I can’t believe I never made the connection. Drake loves talking about his family ranch in Texas, Michael, you’re in for a treat.’

Drake gently nudges her arm in mock outrage. ‘Hey!’ he says, ‘why don’t you go ahead and say I’m a broken record?’

‘DRAKE!!!’ Maxwell screams from the patio.

Drake’s heart leaps in his chest -- what did he find out when he called the palace? ‘What’s wrong, Max?’ he asks worriedly.

Maxwell trots to the pool. ‘I forgot to get more food and we have no staff. What are we gonna do for lunch? I need your help!’

Drake rolls his eyes. ‘Max, you scared the shit out of me. You have a ton of food around the house, we’ll put something together.’ He turns to Amara and kisses her on the lips. ‘I need to go save the day, Suarez. I’ll be back.’

*****

‘Suarez?’ Michael smirks.

Amara chuckles. ‘Yeah yeah, laugh all you want.’

Michael shakes his head and gets closer to her, now both sitting on the steps in the pool. ‘No, I wasn’t making fun. In fact, it’s painfully cute.’

Amara stares at her feet, feeling a mixture of pride and embarrassment. Her brotherly figure is about to question her about her relationship, she can feel it. ‘Thanks. I hope you and Drake have time to get to know each other a bit while you’re here.’

Michael nods. ‘He seems like a good guy. And for what it’s worth, it’s been a while since I’ve seen this spark in your eyes when you look at a guy.’ He snorts. ‘No, scratch that. I’ve never seen this spark in your eyes.’

Amara laughs wholeheartedly. She knows what he means. ‘You’re right. I mean, remember how tepid I felt about Rick?’

‘Poor Rick,’ Michael teases. ‘He was crazy about you, and you were like...meh.’

‘Come on. I thought it was love,’ Amara shrugs. ‘I thought that was it, you know. And then…’ she debates whether or not she should talk about the rest, and decides to go for it. ‘And then, when everything happened, I realized he was literally the last person I wanted by my side to comfort me.’ She studies her toes intently, avoiding eye contact by staring at the nail polish that she bought with Hana. ‘I chose to be alone over being with Rick. Now, everything’s different. I find myself…’ she stops.

Michael looks at her, but she doesn’t meet his gaze. ‘Yeah?’ he asks. 

She continues. ‘I find myself wanting to share everything with Drake. The good, the bad, everything. His shit, my shit, I want it all in the same baggage and I wanna carry it together.’ She takes a deep breath and meets Michael’s eye. ‘Is that dumb?’

He bursts out laughing and nudges her arm with his elbow. ‘Dumb? Kid, that’s life. That’s love. Nothing dumb about that.’

*****

Everyone had gathered around the table to enjoy the feast carefully prepared by Drake, with Maxwell’s help. Michael was deep in a conversation with Hana, who was asking him questions about his most interesting cases. Amara was seated between Drake and Olivia, her heart finally resting easy, after so many weeks --months, even-- of running around. Of running away.

She takes a bite of her meal, enjoying all the flavors of the stuffed zucchini that her boyfriend prepared for everyone. She turns to Drake. ‘Walker, this is delicious as fuck.’ 

He chuckles. ‘Right? My dad’s recipe. I knew you’d like it.’

She smiles. ‘I love it.’

He inches closer to her and whispers, ‘You look super relaxed. I’m so happy to see you like this.’

‘I feel relaxed. Being here with all of you… I’m almost forgetting that in a few hours, we’ll be back to business with this shitshow of a ball. Right now, I don’t even care.’

Drake smiles. ‘Me neither.’

She raises her eyebrow and whispers in his ear, ‘After lunch, you wanna meet me upstairs and help me get dressed?’

She can feel his pulse quicken, as she holds his hand. ‘Fuck yeah,’ he says softly. ‘Although I’m not sure how efficient I’ll be at getting you dressed.’

*****

Drake closes the bedroom door behind him. Even though he sleeps next to her every night, and makes love to her every day, his heartbeat quickens every time he’s alone with her. He knows that tonight, they’ll probably be free of her commitment to the competition. But he’s learned to be cautious, especially with all the curve balls thrown their way. So, he’s inclined to enjoy the moment as it is, right here, right now, with the woman he loves. 

He clicks on the lock, force of habit. He closes in the distance between the two of them and she kisses him deeply. His hands frame her face, her delicate features that he loves so much. He can’t get enough of kissing her. 

She tugs at his T-shirt, until it’s over his head, and then on the floor. She kisses him again, all the while running her hands all over his torso. He follows her lead and slips his hands under her sundress, where he finds her bikini top. He slides the straps off, and runs his hands over her breasts. God, her breasts. He feels his shorts get tighter and tighter.

As if she’s reading his mind, she unbuttons them, and in one swift motion, gets him out of them. He lets out a faint groan as he feels her hand on his hard cock. 

*****

She wants him so bad, she doesn’t know if she can wait any longer. She doesn’t know what did the trick the most -- seeing him all chef-y and proud of his food creation, seeing him in his swimsuit, or simply being close to him. Maybe all three. 

Without breaking their kiss, she throws him on the bed, and promptly straddles him. Without missing a beat, he gets her out of her bikini bottom, and draws her closer. She grinds on his hard cock, forcing herself to wait a bit before riding him. They’ll run out of time soon, they’ll need to be at that stupid ball she gives zero fucks about, but for now, the world will have to wait until she’s done having sex with Drake Walker, thank you very much. This man has been there for her, has loved her like no man ever has before, for all these action-packed weeks, so the world can wait.

He breaks their kiss for one second. She’d almost be mad, she misses his lips already, except that he only stopped kissing her to tell her he loves her. ‘I love you too,’ she whispers in urgency. That does it. She can’t wait. 

They both let out a low groan as she guides his hard cock into her, and as he enters her slowly. ‘Fuck,’ he groans. ‘You feel so good.’

She rides him slowly and deeply, his hands all over her body, her back, her breasts, her ass, her legs. ‘Fuck, Amara,’ he whispers, ‘I can’t get enough of you.’

She can’t either, she thinks. She’ll never get enough of him.

*****

Taglist:

@drakeandcamilleofvaltoria @jovialyouthmusic @andy-loves-corgis @mariahschoices @drakesensworld @thequeenofcronuts @notoriouscs @drakewalkerisreal @nikkis1983 @simsvetements @alesana45 @iplaydrake @emceesynonymroll @lily1999love @drakewalkerwhipped @drakxwalker @drakewalkerrosenberg @drakeswalkers  @drakelover78 @silviasutton1989 @dcbbw @carabeth @furiousherringoperatortoad @hollygirl1269 @sirbeepsalot @ladyangel70 @thisperfectmemory @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @mrsmairstanley