#fjpara

Alyssa knew that her Friday night was super lame. She knew it, no one had to tell her. She was sitting at home, in her pajamas, going through old photograph boxes while watching 21 Dresses on tv for the millionth time. Of course she would rather be at the Valentine's party but her jerk of an ex cancelled his father/son weekend which meant she was stuck at home. And the fact that she considered it being stuck made her feel bad but she was actually looking forward to doing something for herself for once. And now she was alone, as usual while her son slept and the first guy she was interested in in the last seven years was probably off having a great night without her. So, yea, she was pouring herself another glass of wine when she heard her cellphone ring.

Faye wasn't one for dances or anything but still managed to get out and go. Mainly for people watching, mainly for free food, but it was still weird without having Alyssa there. But spotting Duncan, obviously just interacting with a few of his coworkers, Faye perked up and hushed Lucas for a moment beside her before dialing her best friend's number.

Alyssa "Hey!" she had answered a little too excitedly. She was just very happy to have some adult interaction for the evening. "How's the party? Is it fun? Tell me it's awful and you're calling because parties without me are meaningless and you want to ditch and come watch romcoms with me."

Faye made a face as soon as Alyssa mentioned romcoms. "You're seriously watching those? Can you get even more cliche?" Faye joked, shaking her head some even if Alyssa couldn't see. "No, it's fun. Good food, childish music, but people watching is spot on. You're missing out." She said, tilting her head some to wink at Lucas beside her. "And people watching meaning seeing a certain boy toy with another blondie..."

Alyssa rolled her eyes a little at Faye's comment before letting out a soft laugh. "It's what's on, alright?" He defended. She began to pout when Faye didn't pretend to hate the party like she wanted. "A certain boy toy?" She questioned, actually not getting what she was meaning. "Wait! Is Richie Rich there with someone else? I will totally destroy him if he is!"

Faye "You do realize you don't have to watch live tv, right? You're the one with fancy cable and all that." Faye added on before realizing that was beside the point, shaking her head. "What? No! Why does everyone call him Richie Rich?!" Faye said, exhaling a deep breath. "I meant Duncan!"

Alyssa "Right...well, I like romcoms then, ok?" She said, not even going to try another excuse. "Plus, it's that 21 Dresses movie and you know I love James Marsden. He's so cute!" She took a sip of her wine, shrugging lightly, forgetting for a moment Faye can't see her. "Because he's rich?" She answered. "Wait...what? Really?! Who is with? Is...is he like, with with or like, they just both happen to be there and near each other?

Faye "See, you should've just admitted that. You're a bad liar." Faye added when Alyssa came clean. "He's alright, kind of looks like any other white dude in a movie." She said and pushed her lips together. "You're rich too? Still, no, it's not him. I'm not even sure he's here. But... yeah, he's here. With the blondie with the glasses."

Alyssa "Well, I didn't want to be judged right away," she joked. "Hey! Take that back. He's handsome and can sing!" She paused for a moment before letting out a small laugh. "Well, I guess you've got me there. But he seems super rich. So, Richie Rich still. A blonde with glasses? Wait...oh no...are you talking about his ex?!"

Faye "Too late, sweetie. It happens before you even speak." Faye joked again with Alyssa and made sure her tone was teasing so she wouldn't get too mad. "No, no... again, just like any other white dude in a movie. That's who you're choosing to spend your Friday night with? Seriously?" She asked, before shaking her head. "He's rich and attractive, he's got that going for him. Yep, the one and only. Blondie with glasses way too big for her face. Hitting it off by the snack table."

Alyssa "I mean, I'm not really choosing this. It was kind of forced since someone can't take up and responsibility to watch his kid and no babysitter in town wanted to miss tonight's celebrations," she said, a bit annoyed. But not at Faye, at her ex. "That might be his ex. Now, are they like...flirty or just being friendly like you do with an ex? Or...like a normal person might do with an ex, I should say."

Faye "Eh, the kid's asleep. What good are you really doing at home?" Faye asked with her brow arched. "It's totally his ex. I recognize her from emerging from her home in the basement and the cutest couple picture they had in our yearbook." She said, shrugging some. "Totally flirty. Like, she's had one too many shots before this and is all over him. She so wants him to put out her fire again."

Alyssa didn't say anything back right away, waiting for her to say she was joking or something. But when it didn't come she sighed into the phone. "Faye. That's illegal. I can't leave him all alone," she explained to her friend. When Faye confirmed her worries, she actually felt herself getting teared up. Though the fact that she was on her fourth glass of wine didn't help matters. "Oh, God...I...I can't believe this is happening! I finally thought I...ugh, this...this...just sucks. This sucks!"

Faye rolled her eyes again. She knew it was illegal, but also just really disliked kids. Ryan was an exception but really, he was asleep. What would be the harm? "He's asleep. That's like borderline close to being knocked out. He's fine." Faye countered, even if it would have gotten no where with Alyssa. When she began to panic over the phone, Faye sighed, knowing she was overreacting. "Alyssa... Alyssa! Shut up. Stop. Are you crying?"

Alyssa "I can't leave him, Faye. What if he wakes up? What if someone breaks in? What if something happens and I'm not here for him?" She countered. Alyssa was full on in panic and sadness mode. "Shh! Don't tell me to shut up! I'm allowed to feel! I thought he liked me. He made it seem like he liked me and if he's flirting with his ex then they'll probably get back together and I'll just continue being the lovely, single mother while Jonathan gets to do whatever and whoever he wants all the time."

Faye "Listen, this is why you need to let me teach the kid a few pointers. Especially if someone breaks in. I'm like, the master pro and if he knew how to defend himself, he would be fine. You're overthinking things!" She said and shook her head quickly with the phone nudged up by her shoulder. "Alyssa... Jesus Christ, no. This is your time to you know... start a fire or something... not cry!"

Alyssa "Teach him what exactly?" She questioned, not liking the sound of it already. "What?! Start a fire? That you insane?! And, no...if...they have history together and he'd totally choose her over me. This is the worst thing ever."

Faye "You don't need to worry about that. Let aunt Faye take over." She said, rolling her eyes immediately. "Alyssa, listen. He's not even dressed for a party so I'm pretty sure he's on call but like... where is he gonna go? We're at the station, so he'll obviously mingle. All you need to do is let off a innocent smoke alarm or like... pretend to... I'll slip the word to Julian or whatever and bam... you steal your man back."

Alyssa "Yea, I don't know if Aunt Faye is taking over anything any time soon." She made a little face when Faye started on about her plan, sighing loudly. "Alright but...what if that doesn't work and he's interested in someone else now?" She asked as she got up and grabbed a lighter and a candle. "Also, what if there is an actual fire? I can't have like...a whole squad or fire truck here. That would be crazy..."

Faye "This is why you're gonna have stress wrinkles before you hit 40," Faye added on and shook her head before glancing at Lucas, making sure he wasn't judging the phone call. "Girl, listen. This is why I'm gonna slip the word out. Just something someone needs to check up on! Maybe give him a little scare, so he could rush away from the so called nerd and be your savior."

Alyssa "Take that back!" She snapped, not liking that kind of curse to be on her head. She thought it over for a moment, looking at the candle before lighting it. "Alright, fine. But I'm just going to set off one alarm and you better make sure that only Duncan comes and there is no truck or craziness or I'll be super mad at you."

Faye "Nope, sorry. Can't take back the truth." Faye was laughing at this point, knowing that Alyssa was overthinking it due to the wine and what she implanted in her head. "Can't you trust me? I'm helping you out. Who knows? Maybe he'll put out your fire instead."

Alyssa "You're so mean to me. Why are we friends?" She sucked in her bottom lip, considering the plan a little longer. "Shh, the last time anyone put my fire out, I ended up with a kid, remember? And I believe that started with one of your great plans to help me out too..."

Faye "Because I love you and you still love me, even if you let me be a bitch to you." She added on with a growing smirk, knowing that eventually, Alyssa would cave to her plan. "Alright, that plan was good and how was I supposed to know he would be a dick? Just use good protection this time. We all need our fire tended to sometimes."

Alyssa "Not so sure I'm loving you at the moment," she teased a little. She did love Faye though. She was a good friend, even if Faye liked to pretend to be all hard and mean. "Ugh, alright. Fine. But this better not back fire," she said before blowing the fire out and holding the smokey candle up, right under a smoke alarm until it started to beep.

Faye "Don't lie to yourself, you're bad at it." She joked, biting down on her tongue to hide the fact that she was actually excited. She loved it when people went along with her plans, especially Alyssa. "It won't, I swear. Look, as soon as I see the beepers go off... I'll slip the word to Julian. I'm sure he would love to see his friend get laid. Also, wear something cute and sexy... okay bye!" Faye said into the speaker last minute, before she eventually spotted Duncan getting the word, which she was quick to spread her own to the rest of the guys.

Alyssa groaned a little at Faye and her confidence. "Bye!" She called out as the phone hung up. The moment the alarm began to beep, she put the candle back and ran upstairs to change out of her pajamas and into something nicer. She wasn't sure how much time she had so she didn't get as picky about it as she usually did.

Faye it took a little of convincing, but with the chief out of the station for the night and Julian being the first one to hear from Faye, word got back to Duncan that it was something minor though would need to be checked up on. Faye watched for a bit, noticing that once Duncan learned of what address it was, he was quick to grab his jacket and the station's normal truck to head off to Alyssa's house, pulling up to the house rather quickly.

Faye changed name to Duncan

Alyssa decided to skip make up and getting her hair fixed up too much, not wanting to be so obvious that she was expecting him. She wanted to look good but also casual and not like this was some part of an elaborate plan. She checked on Ryan quickly to make sure he hadn't woken up from the beeping before running back down the stairs. And just in time too since she heard a truck pulling up just outside. "Alright, Alyssa...be cool, casual...calm...don't be obvious," she said to herself, taking a few, deep breaths as she spoke.

Duncan arrived to the house quicker than he should have, especially if it was something minor and didn't require a whole team of men to arrive at the house. Still, it was enough to get word to the station, so that could have easily meant it was something medical or along the lines of something else. It was also Alyssa, and that worried him. Shutting the truck off quickly, Duncan hoped down, not bothering to throw his jacket back on over his station's t-shirt as he jogged up over the yard, knocking at Alyssa's door quietly but firmly.

Alyssa jumped a little, feeling a little more nervous than before once she heard the knocking. Not wanting Ryan to wake up from it, she quickly ran over to the door, pulling it open. Trying to be cool, casual and calm, she gave him a fake, confused look. "Hey? Is everything alright?" She asked, opening the door up further so he could come inside of her house.

Duncan looked down at Alyssa when she opened the door and when she seemed as confused as ever, it put Duncan off a bit. "Everything alright?" Duncan breathed out as he stepped around her into the house, immediately glancing around before moving into the living room. "Did you not hear your alarms go off?"

Alyssa watched him as he stepped around her, shutting the door behind him. "Mm, yea...no, I did. I...had a candle lit," she answered, leaning her back against the front door, smiling over at him before following him into the living room. "But it's fine now! So, no need to worry, right?"

Duncan moved further into the living room where the alarm had been which held a candle underneath it near the table, a sigh passing through his nose. "Jesus, Alyssa." He breathed out, pinching the bridge of his nose before turning to face her. "Don't you know you can't leave a candle unattended?"

Alyssa paused when she heard his sigh, thinking that she was totally busted and was about to get yelled at by him. Though when he finally spoke, she relaxed a bit and just made a little, cutesy expression. "I only ran upstairs to check on Ryan for a minute," she defended. "But thankfully I have a personal firefighter to come save me, right?"

Duncan looked from the candle toward her and let out a deep breath. He wasn't mad nor upset, more so worried. He dealt with a lot on the job and the least thing he would need was for something to happen, in this house of all places. "You could have easily had your brother come instead of me," Duncan started with a shake of his head, stepping up closer to the shorter girl. "Just be careful next time, ok?"

Alyssa lost any sort of confidence she had as he spoke, almost making her go into full on sad mode again. "Right...sorry. I...do have my brother. Um, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your evening plans or whatever you were doing, with whoever. Um...I'll...definitely be more careful..."

Duncan let out a laugh this time and shook his head as she seemed to back peddle. He had a habit of teasing her at her cheesy lines, he couldn't resist this one. "Alyssa, I was kidding." He said, lifting his eyebrow. "You just lucked out and got me with being on call. I... wasn't doing anything with anyone?"

Alyssa bit down on her bottom lip as he laughed. It might have been the wine she had but she really couldn't tell what exactly was happening anymore. He seemed actually upset about being there a moment ago and now he was saying he was joking. "Oh, right. Sorry. I just can't tell sometimes. I'm happy you were on call and that you where doing anything with anyone."

Duncan licked over his lips and twisted the watch he had on his wrist to it's right position, stepping up closer to her until he was up within reasonable distance. "It's just... I'm glad you're okay. That's all I was worried about."

Alyssa 's confidence began to come back as he stepped even closer to her, a smile returning to her lips. "You're so sweet to me," she said, as if he didn't know already. "Which is why I feel really guilty now. Faye convinced me to trick you into coming here..."

Duncan knew that the smile returning to her lips was a good thing and he was about to comment further on him turning sweet for her, but her next comment almost caught him off guard. Really, he should have figured it was a trap, but he was also a little amused. "... Really?"

Alyssa was now feeling a bit embarrassed and was sure he could tell since she could feel the blush on her cheeks. "Yes. I don't know why I let her talk me into things. She told me to make an alarm go off and she'd make sure you were sent out. But in my defense it's because I like you and under the impression that another girl was all over you so I got a bit jealous."

Duncan kept his brow ticked upward and attempted to keep the smug, amused look over his face at bay but was clearly failing. Especially with the blush crossing over her cheeks. "You... you especially composed a trap and got me here because you were jealous?" Duncan said, smirking now.

Alyssa pursed her lips a little as he questioned her. There was really no way to make this sound less crazy. "Yes," she answered slowly, nodding her head lightly. "To be fair...I have been drinking a little. Also, Faye told me someone was hanging all over you. And again, I like you so...yea..."

Duncan Again, did his best to hide his amusement but failed once more. He made it clear he liked Alyssa and was attracted to her, but still wasn't entirely sure if she felt it back. Sure, they had a date, and flirted. But most of the time, it was him showing interest in her and her dropping hints. "You're insane, Alyssa Carter, y'know that?"

Alyssa started to feel a little nervous about this entire plan as he just stood there with an amused look on his face. She was sure he was thinking she was insane and that he needed to get away from her now before she did anything else. As he spoke, a small sigh escaped her. "Yes, I've been told. Sorry. I...don't mean to be insane? But yea, I just...like I said, heard there was another girl hanging on you and it kind of freaked me out because I thought maybe you and I might have something, you know? If not, I get it..."

Duncan waited for Alyssa to speak since by the look on her face, she was wanting to explain. Her explanation almost amused him further but he refrained from showing it, not wanting to give her the wrong idea. "Insane is not necessarily a insult." Duncan replied under his breath and shook his head, smiling some. "What? No, no... there is definitely something. Unless you changed your mind?"

Alyssa quickly shook her head at him. "No! No, of course not. If I did, I wouldn't have held a candle under the fire alarm to trick you into coming here," she answered, which probably made her sound crazier. "If anything, I was thinking you changed your mind and going back to your ex."

Duncan glanced toward where the candle and fire alarm was at and chuckled, stepping forward so he could lightly lay his hand down on her hip. "Greer?" He murmured, arching an eyebrow. "Greer is the one that left me. I'm not going back to her anytime soon."

Alyssa glanced down as his hand moved to her hip, causing a wide grin to make it's way to her face. "Yes, yes...I know. I know that she left. But Faye said that she saw..." She trailed off, her rational side beginning to catch up with the rest of her mind. "That sneaky...she totally played me!"

Duncan began laughing as she came to the realization. He wasn't mad or upset by any means, actually a little surprised instead. "I think you got tricked just like I did." Duncan said, smirking a little. "Good to know you were jealous though."

Alyssa was feeling even more embarrassed now since she was so easily tricked by her friend. It should have been obvious. "Shh, jealous is so not a sexy look," she huffed, covering her face with her hands, trying to compose herself a little better.

Duncan "It's not a sexy look, no, but it's a signal that it might bother you enough..." Duncan countered with a smirk toying on his lips and he nodded, moving to dip down and lean into her, pulling her hands away.

Alyssa gave him a small pout as he pulled her hands away from her face. She couldn't believe she let Faye trick her like this. But he didn't seem to be annoyed by the fact that she faked an emergency to get him there. "Do you have to go back to the station?"

Duncan tried to hide the fact that he was more amused than average, not wanting to embarrass her even more. "Nah," He said, grabbing the pager from his hip. "I've got this handy thing right here that works everywhere."

Alyssa perked up when he said he didn't have to go. "I've never been so happy to know that someone owns a pager," she laughed lightly before leaning up and pressing a quick kiss against his lips. "Happy early Valentine's Day?"

Duncan laughed at her response. "Yeah, happy I'm still old school?" He joked and shook his head, happily returning the kiss and even pulling her a little closer. "Happy Valentine's To you too. What're you doing home tonight?"

Alyssa quickly responded by nodding her head, even though she did think the whole pager thing was a bit on the dorky side. She didn't even know those were still made. She let out a small sigh as his question, leaning back slightly. "I hate complaining about it because it makes me feel like an awful mom but Jonathan decided to skip daddy/son weekend and I couldn't find a baby sitter and despite what Faye thinks, I can't just leave Ryan home alone."

Duncan laughed again. "Don't judge me though. The entire station has these." He kept a hold on her hips lightly even when she leaned back. "You don't gotta feel bad, you deserve a night to yourself too." Duncan stated, nodding some. "Why'd he skip?"

Alyssa "Really? I've never seen my brother with one. He must hide it so I don't laugh at him." She gave him a small, quick pout before flashing a smile. "I know. But I still feel guilty when I think it. And...who knows? Probably had some fantasy sports game thing he needed to go to or something as equally as juvenile as that. He never has a real reason, just that something came up."

Duncan "Well maybe your brother wasn't included with the crowd." Duncan teased, squeezing her hips some. "That's fair, I guess." Duncan teased with a shake of his head. At the description of her ex, or assumed ex, He made a face. "That kinda sucks. Does he do this often?"

Alyssa let out a small laugh as he teased, though mostly over the fact that he was squeezing her hips. "Yea," she sighed lightly. "And he's been doing it a lot more lately and it's really frustrating," she added before moving to wrap her arms loosely around his neck. "But...you're here now so I guess it's not such a bad thing."

Duncan watched her for a moment, keeping his eyes on her face before taking the movement to move down over her entirely. "Doesn't sound very fair to you." Duncan said, having his own opinions about him skipping out on his chances with Ryan, but he kept quiet about that. Half smiling, Duncan dipped down for another kiss. "You really dig me, don't you?"

Alyssa shrugged her shoulders lightly. It wasn't fair to her or to her son. But she tried not to complain since at least he was somewhat involved and didn't completely cut her and Ryan out of his life. "I don't know. You've got a pager and say stuff like dig me," she teased.

Duncan didn't wanna press further about it, figuring he hadn't got to that point yet, or didn't want to bring down what mood they had down. "But I'm also a guy who saves lives and has a body you enjoy looking at," Duncan suggested, moving to pull her in closer.

Alyssa 's eyes widened a bit at his comment, not really expecting that to come from him. "Well, I mean...I can't really argue with you there since I do really enjoy your body. Which is sadly has been covered up the last few times I've seen you..."

Duncan smirked some. "Of course you can't argue, you would be lying." Duncan replied, his hand moving up to tuck some hair behind her ear. "You just want any excuse to get me out of my clothes, huh?" Duncan teased.

Alyssa pulled back a little as he teased her, shaking her head lightly. "Ok, cocky. I don't need an excuse to get you out of your clothes. Pretty sure I just have to ask," she pointed out to him. "Plus, you know you want me out of mine just as bad."

Duncan tilted his head some to look down at her and pull himself away to make a show of it. "Well, no. I think I've made it clear that I'm very attracted to you, too." Duncan said, smirking again. "Maybe, maybe not."

Alyssa "Just say it, you totally want me," she teased, smirking up at him. "Maybe? Maybe not? No, nope. Sorry, I think if I were to say, lets go up to my room and get it on, you would have a hard time saying no to that."

Duncan 's eyes widened but mainly because of the fact he was so not expecting that. "Well... you're right," Duncan said, looking over at her again. "I'm a guy and you're very, very beautiful."

Alyssa laughed at his reaction to her comments before nodding her head. "Exactly. Glad you can admit it," she teased lightly before grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the couch. "Do you want some wine?" She asked. "Wait...are you allowed to have wine tonight?"

Duncan "My mother didn't raise me to be a liar," Duncan responded and pivoted himself around so that he could follow her to the couch. "It's probably not a good idea in case I have to leave you," Duncan said, leaning down to take a seat. "Shouldn't be drunkenly putting out fires."

Alyssa "Good to know," she breathed out, completely meaning it. She had enough men lying to her in life so it was good that there was finally a nice one around. She scrunched up her nose a little before letting out a little huff. "Yea, I guess that wouldn't be so smart. Hopefully there aren't any fires to cut the night short."

Duncan flashed her a smile once more at her response, leaning back in the couch to get comfortable. When she huffed, Duncan couldn't help but laugh. "Small town, they're all at the station pretty much. There shouldn't be unless there's some freak accident." Reaching out, Duncan pushed some hair behind her ear. "I'll take advantage of what we have though."

Alyssa "And hey, if everyone is at the station and there is a fire there, there;s gotta be at least twenty guys that could take care of it without you," she pointed out, smiling up at him. As he reached out to brush her hair back, she moved closer to him on the couch. "Mm, please take advantage of as much as you want."

Duncan "Yeah, exactly. They don't need me and I certainly am not looking to leave anytime soon." Duncan said, moving his arm to the back of her when she moved closer, toying with the ends of her blonde hair. Pursing his lips, Duncan leaned up a bit into her. "You're sure?"

Alyssa nodded her head lightly as she bit down onto her bottom lip. "Yea, I'm sure," she murmured. "I mean...we can't go too far since my son is here but an old school, make out session on the couch could be fun, right?"

Duncan adjusted himself on the couch so he could be facing her instead, brushing his fingers over the back of her neck then down the length of her arm. "A make out session like we're seventeen years old and our parents could walk in any moment?" Duncan joked, "I'd be okay with that."

Alyssa laughed a little at the way he worded it, nodding her head. "Yep. Except instead of parents, a very confused child," she teased, turning slightly to face him a little more. "I know that dating me isn't going to always be easy or really that exciting so I understand if you're not actually into taking it slow and having to cancel because Ryan's dad bails last minute..."

Duncan chuckled and rolled his shoulders back. "We'll make sure a confused child doesn't have anything to walk into, don't worry." Duncan reassured, his head immediately shaking when she went on. "I'm not some guy who's going to drop you because you can't come out with me every night. I'd like to think I'm a bit more mature than that."

Alyssa "Thank you," she said, being sincere. She really wasn't ready to explain certain things to her son just yet. "Well, I know that. But I mean, you're young, newly single. I wouldn't want to keep you from having fun and going out and stuff."

Duncan "You don't gotta thank me," Duncan said, laughing as he did so and keeping it a quiet rumble so he didn't actually wake her son. Leaning forward, Duncan pressed a kiss to her lips before tilting them down to her jaw. "Alright, you've got a point..." He murmured, laying a kiss to her skin. And another. "But I've had my fair share of prowling the bars, and it's kind of old."

Alyssa smiled as he kissed her again, kissing him back happily until he pulled away to move his lips to her jaw. "Alright, you've convinced me," she giggled, tilting her head back slightly to allow him more access. "No more talking about that from me."

Duncan focused a bit more on laying his lips against her neck some more. "Good," Duncan started before leaning back up, his hand moving to her cheek to kiss her again. "Because I really do like you."

Alyssa moved her arms loosely around him as he started kissing her again, smiling against his lips. "Mm, you better," she mumbled against his lips before leaning back against the couch, pulling him down with her as she began kissing him back.

Duncan used the muscle in his arm to push himself up when she began to make the move to lean back, not wanting to rush her back though wanting to be ready to move with her. "How could I not?" Duncan breathed out against her lips, using the moments he took to breath as a time to speak, before he would kiss her again. "Enough that I'll be patient."

Alyssa could feel her smile growing as he kissed her back and assured her that he liked her. It had been a really, really long time since she felt like this for a guy and had a guy treat her like Duncan did. "Why are you so perfect?"

William was making his rounds at his parent’s gala party, talking to a couple of old family friends here and there who thought dressing up in expensive clothes, drinking expensive champagne and throwing very little of them money to a random charity made them good people. He never liked these sort of parties and if he could, he’d skip them. But he knew a lot of these people were important connections for their family and for their business so he had a to play nice. He just wasn’t too into making small chat. Not while he was waiting for Faye’s arrival. He hoped she wasn’t going to bail on him, even though he wouldn’t blame her if she did. He was kind of tricking her into coming to the gala by sending her a fancy dress and a car to pick her up. He just wanted to hang out with her though and was sure the only way the night wouldn’t suck was if she was there with him. So, as he waited for her to come through the doors, he talked to some hundred year old guy and his twenty something year old wife, pretending to care about the interior decorating project they just launched on their summer home in the Hampton’s.

Faye should have been expecting something since as soon as she came close to agreeing to hanging out with William, a decorative box ended up in her possession and a dress that was probably a couple of her paychecks was just in her size. It was almost amusing, she had to give it to him. He was clever enough to even think about tricking her in the first place because if she knew it involved all this dress up, she probably wouldn’t have gone. It was plenty with Jan and Cassie’s richie rich family. Though either way, she found herself actually getting into the dress and attempting to make her hair go along with the style, which was much different than her regular jeans and ponytail. She had to remain humble and did her best to put a kind front to the older driver that seemed to be her guide to this party since really, she hadn’t known what to expect, but she definitely wasn’t expecting a champagne glass to be shoved her way as soon as she came though the doors.

William was nodding along to some boring story, trying to keep himself looking completely interested right up until he noticed his mother making a face and looking toward the doors. “​Looks like we have a crasher,​” she whispered to him, causing him to glance back. As soon as his eyes landed on Faye, he began to perk up. “No, no. She was invited,” he informed his mother. She began questioning him but instead of answering anything, he excused himself and headed over toward Faye. “Wow…you look beautiful,” he complimented as he got closer to her. “I’m so glad you made it tonight,” he added.

Faye awkwardly took the glass since she figured it would be rude if she didn’t, pushing her hand over the wrinkles of the dress on her stomach. For once, she was extremely thankful she spotted him. “What exactly did you have me come to?” She whispered through her teeth as soon as he came up, before exhaling a breath. “And thank you.”

William laughed a little at her immediate question. “My mother’s December charity gala,” he answered, reaching out to lightly grab her hand and lead her away from the entrance. “She has these all the time and they are always so unbearable and I always beg to skip them and she said if I ever brought a date, I’d enjoy them more. So, I thought I’d take her advice,” he explained.

Faye felt her eyes widen the slightest bit but that definitely explained the dress she stuffed herself into, which she reached up and grasped onto the side of her dress to pull up on. “You tricked me,” She accused and immediately shook her head, turning her eyes to scan the room. “Well you obviously don’t enjoy them… they’re just rich old people talking your ear off.”

William pretended to be offended by her accusation. “Tricked you? How? I asked if you’d go somewhere with me and wear this dress and you said yes. How is that tricking you?” He questioning, really playing on the innocent act. “They’re not all old,” he defended. “The gold diggers are all your age,” he added, teasing as he nodded toward a group of women that all looked like they’re just now legally allowed to drink alcohol.“

Faye "Maybe, but you left out exactly what and I just figured you had some sort of fetish.” Faye’s shoulders lifted up to shrug and her eyes moved away from the crowd up to land on him, giving him a little look. “Okay, maybe, you’ve got me there.”

William smirked and let his eyes move over, really taking her in this time. “Hm, that might also be true,” he joked, winking at her. “It’s really not all that bad,” he said, trying to sell her on the gala now. “Free booze, free food, Callum usually embarrasses the family before midnight so you know…entertainment. Slip the band a few hundreds and they’ll play something other than classical music and then mom will flip out so…more entertainment.”

Faye “Oh now you enjoy them? Bipolar much?” She said in a joking tone even if she wasn’t really joking half the time, brushing the strands of hair that framed her cheeks. “Depends… do you have something better than this fake excuse of a booze and something other than fancy cheese? And what does he do?” She asked, lifting her thinner brow as she glanced toward who she assumed was her mother. “She looks like she would blow a blood vessel if she lost it.”

William “I’m sorry…is Dom Perignon below your standards?” He questioned, a little surprised by her distaste in the champagne. “And yes, there is plenty of food here other than fancy cheese. Well, he generally gets very wasted and sleeps with someone’s wife or mistress in the coat check room,” he answered. He followed Faye’s gaze to his mother, stifling a laugh. “Yes, well…you would be surprised how well she holds herself together as she goes off on all of us the moment our guests leave.”

Faye “Dom who?” Faye asked as soon as he mentioned a name that went right over her head. “Good, because I don’t see how people can just eat straight cheese. Also, impressive for your brother to pull that… but you have a coat check room? Really?” Curling her fingers around the base of the glass she was holding for no reason, she turned to face him instead of her mother. “I almost feel sorry for you all.”

William narrowed his eyes at her a little, not sure if she was messing with him. “The champagne…it’s Dom Perignon,” he explained, tapping her glass lightly. “Of course we have a coat check room. Where else would everyone hang their coat up?” The difference in their upbringing was really beginning to show already tonight. “Feel bad for the others. I generally don’t disappoint anyone. I’m the good son.”

Faye looked down at the glass he tapped against. “Yeah, I still have no idea who that is. The only champagne I’ve really come across was the ones I’d convince Alyssa to take from her parents. I’m more of a cheap 12 dollar pack of beer.” Faye admitted, eventually laughing. “Uh, well, in my case the backseat of my car.” Which was true, a lot of her high school days were spent in the beaten up car that was once her passed mother’s. “The good one is always so uneventful though, unless he’s secretly a freak.”

William “Alright, well…it’s really good and really expensive,” he informed her. “But…if you hate it, I will have someone make a run for something you would like better,” he offered before taking a sip of his own champagne. “Well, that’s…a weird place for coats to be placed but I’m not going to question that too much,” he responded, shaking his head lightly. He smirked lightly at her comment but refrained from commenting. “Do you like dancing?”

Faye twisted her wrist around as she examined the glass in her hand, before she took a sip. “How expensive?” She asked after she swallowed, dampening her lips to savor the taste. “No… that’s okay. No need to make any runs for me.” She watched him take the drink and smiled a little, nonchantlonly looking him over as she did so. If she was gonna be stuck here, might as well enjoy the view. “It was my makeshift bedroom for awhile so, yeah, probably weird.” Moving her hand up, she pushed some hair back. “… Dancing isn’t my forte.”

William “Mm, probably…two hundred a bottle,” he answered, shrugging his shoulders a little. “Are you sure? We pay these people for a reason so they wouldn’t mind it,” he assured her. He gave her a little look when she mentioned her car being a makeshift bedroom for her and had a million questions. But this was not the time for that so he decided to save them for later. “Really? Oh, that’s not going to be good then…”

Faye felt her eyes go a little wide as soon as she named the price. “Are… you… serious?” Her eyes squinted toward the glass before back at him, her head shaking quickly in response. “No, it’s ok. They can have the night off or something.” She could tell she was pretty much out of place, not only due to upbringings they had but also her own looks. “What? Why?”

William “Alright, calm down. It’s not like I said they were a thousand a bottle.” He laughed a little at her and shook his head. “So nice to the help,” he teased slightly and decided not to point out that they were already technically working tonight. “Because I’m definitely going to insist on dancing sometime this evening.”

Faye “Two hundred bucks is a lot of money, man.” Faye insisted as she shook her head though despite her words, she took another sip. She might have talked a little trash but two hundred bucks tasted real nice. “I gotta be nice to somebody at least once, right?” She murmured, reaching up to tap on his shoulder before moving around him. “Good luck with that, because you might be the embarrassment of the night. Also, where’s this food?”

William “I guess?” It really wasn’t, not to him or his family. But he could see how it was a lot for others who didn’t have the kind of money his family had. He watched her for a moment as she walked around him, smiling a little to himself. “Why would I be embarrassed?” He questioned. “Well, allow me to show you,” he said, taking her hand and leading her toward where all of the food was laid out. “There are assigned seats at this gala. I arranged for your seat to be near mine. So, if you want to sit and eat, I’ll take you there next.”

Faye almost gave him another look as if he was insane but it also wasn’t new. His appreciation for the dollar was much different than hers, which normally annoyed her with most people she came across. “Well, because you’re going to have a terrible dancer who has no idea how to prance around. You think I stick out now? Just wait.” She said, following him when he grasped her hand, leading her the way. She then set her nearly empty glass down on one of the trays used for dirty dishes, her eyes scanning over what felt like a million options. “Well, thanks for not sitting me next to the old guy. Or wait, how old are you?” She questioned with a smirk, turning to make sure her plate got plenty full.

William made a little face at her when she mentioned sticking out. “I don’t think you’re sticking out. And if you are, who cares? You’re much more interesting sticking out then blending in with the crowd.” He narrowed his eyes at her once they got to the table of food and she made fun of him. “I’m not sure I’m going to tell you since I’m fairly certain you will just use that to make fun of me all night and every day after.”

Faye reached up and adjusted the neckline of the dress again, eventually reaching out to signal what exactly she wanted. “What? Are you actually really old?” She actually laughed at that. “Lemme guess. Forty?”

William laughed, a little amused by her guessing. “Is forty considered really old to you?” He questioned, actually curious as to what she thought was old. They had quite a bit of an age gap but he didn’t think she really had a problem with it until that moment.

Faye reached down and grabbed a cube of the cheese to pop into her mouth, licking her thumb afterwards. “Why? Are you fifty or something?”

William “Fifty? Really? Do you think I look like I’m fifty?” He questioned, actually offended by her question. He might be older than her but he is not that much older.

Faye “I mean… there are some fifty year old people out that that could pass for it.” She said as she swallowed another cube of cheesy, before being directed elsewhere once she got her plateful ready.

William “Wow. I’m not fifty, ok?” He informed her, still a little offended. “Did you get everything you want?” He asked, seeing that her plate was pretty filled up. She was probably the only person who was going to have an actual meal tonight.

Faye “Then how old are ya?” She questioned with her brow arched and her eyes narrowed in on him, wanting to know the answer already. When he asked about her plate, Faye quickly added another small piece onto the top of her plate. “Yup,” She said simply, ushering for him to lead her to wherever as she bit down on her fork to carry.

William “I’m thirty-eight,” he answered, preparing himself for whatever teasing was sure to follow. He tried to hide the amused smile on his face as she topped her plate off. “You’d think you were starving,” he teased, leading her away from all the food and toward their table.

Faye “Eh, not that as. You’ve still got the little three in front to balance that era out for you.” She said with her shoulders lifting up in a shrug, following him toward the table. “I have a big appetite, plus, I got tricked into coming here. I think I deserve it.”

William laughed at her response, shaking his head. “So glad to know you’re ok with my age,” he joked. “Alright, fine. That’s fair. Sorry for tricking you. But hey…I think you’re going to have fun tonight. And if you don’t…we can cut out early and do whatever you want.”

Faye “Though… you are now closer to being over the hill. Like, that’s your next big milestone. How surreal is that?” She joked herself, pulling the fork down toward her plate instead so she could talk properly. “You think? And I doubt you’d be up for my kind of ‘gala’.”

William “It’s not really surreal to me? I mean, I…am ok with my age? I had my youth and I’m an adult now. I have a career and my own home. I’m not in that awkward, young adult stage where I’m trying to live on my own for the first time ever and struggling to pay the bills,” he defended slightly. “What’s your kind of gala?”

Faye pursed her lips some once they reached the table she assumed was theirs, but she couldn’t really tell either. The cardholder was a way too fancy of a cursive to even make out a name. “Alright alright, you’ve got a point. Owning the age that isn’t even that bad.” Poking her tongue out toward him, she looked over the crowd again. “Usually involves peanut shells on the ground and really bad pool players trying to make an attempt at it.”

William pulled her seat out once they got to the table for her to sit down, waiting for her to sit before he could push the chair in for her. “Thank you for saying my age isn’t that bad,” he said in a sarcastic tone. “Those are the kind of bars you enjoy? Ones that are dirty?”

Faye refrained from looking to surprised or weirded out by the gesture since she was definitely used to pulling out her own chairs, but alas, she weaved her hips around the chair to lower herself down in. “You’re welcome, sir.” She added with a grin on her face, setting her plate down. “It’s not dirty. It’s just really laid back.

William smiled lightly as she sat down and then went to sit in his own, gesturing toward a waiter near by so he could grab a couple more glasses of champagne for them. "Mm, no. Peanut shells on the floor? That’s dirty. Laid back would be a normal bar without garbage lying about.”

Faye leaned up into the table as she picked at what she wanted first, taking the bite and swallowing. “Dude, no. It’s not dirty!” She then said, wiping st the corner of her mouth. “They clean it every night. But like… you get a bucket of peanuts with whatever you order and you just… toss them.”

William grabbed the champagnes off the trays as the waiter came over, setting one down in front of Faye as she defended the dirty bars she liked going to. “Why not just give two buckets? One filled with peanuts and one for trash?”

Faye “Because that takes away from the experience.” She replied as if it were matter of fact, taking a couple of bites off the quarter of her plate, eventually thanking him for the glass he grabbed.

William sipped on his champagne as he watched her eat and continue to defend the bar. “If you say so,” he conceded. “I’ve never been to a bar like that though. I’d stick out there.”

Faye actually rolled her eyes at him this time, sitting up straighter. “For real? Probably. Plaid and jeans aren’t a contrast with your suit.” Moving to take another bite, Faye eyed him again. “Are you not eating?”

William “First of all, I don’t own anything plaid. Second, I do own and wear jeans. I don’t know why people think I only ever wear suits.” He shook his head lightly at her. “No. I don’t usually attempt to eat anything at these events because generally the moment I do try, my mother interrupts and wants me to go talk to someone and the food is just wasted.”

Faye “It’s probably cause that’s all anyone might see you in?” She suggested as she pulled a sip from the champagne glass, poking a piece onto the fork as she held it up and looked at him. “Well, your mom isn’t here.”

William “Well, I own other clothes and people will see me in them one day.” He was determined to prove that to her now. He smiled lightly as she held some food up. “Wow, you’re willing to share some of your food with me?”

Faye “Always gotta prove them wrong?” She asked as she continued holding up the fork holding the piece, and once he questioned her, she shook her head some. “Hurry up and take it before I become less than generous again.”

William “I wouldn’t say always but…some of the times,” he answered. He let out a small laugh before leaning in to take the bite from her fork. “Delicious,” he commented after he swallowed the food. “Thank you for sharing.”

Faye “Maybe not always but it’s usually more than people admit,” She teased him with a shrug of her shoulders, tucking her crossed ankles back underneath the seat. She could tell most just crossed them and sat lady like and all that, but she always found that more uncomfortable and annoying than attractive. When he took the bite, she couldn’t help but laugh about it, pulling the utensil back to cut up another bite of her own. “See what you’re missing out on when you’re talking about something you don’t care about?”

William “You really like finding ways to make fun of me, don’t you?” He questioned, giving her a fake annoyed look. He really didn’t mind it but part of him was pretty sure she liked to find flaws in him since she was always so crazy about their differences. “You’re right. I am missing out but unfortunately I have to do these things. It not only helps my parents out with their events and charity fundraisers but also helps our business out.”

Faye “Eh, it’s what I do.” Faye shrugged as she continued to eat the remaining part of her plate before she licked over her lips, making sure she didn’t actually have something all over her face. “Why can’t you make time for both?” She said, turning her head to face him a bit more. “I mean… that would be reasonable.”

William “So glad we’re hanging out,” he joked in a sarcastic tone of voice. He shipped on his drink, shaking his head lightly at her. “We’re not reasonable people,” he began to explain. “You could ask us all the time why we don’t do certain things because they make more sense and the reason is…because we don’t. It’s a whole thing. We shouldn’t really get into it too much or we’d be here all night.”

Faye “You should be, you did have me stuffed in this dress and chauffeured here.” Faye replied as she leaned back in the seat she occupied so her back pressed into it, taking a sip from her glass. “Alright alright, you like things the way they are. Got it.”

William smirked a little as he looked over at her, checking her out once again. As much as he liked her dressed up like this, he did prefer her usual look more. “If you want, I could help you out of the dress later tonight,” he offered. “Yes but…that’s not to say I don’t like change in other aspects of my life.”

Faye ticked an eyebrow up immediately at his offer, almost a little amused. “Is that your move?” She asked with a tilt of her head, lips pressing together to hide the grin she was joking with. “Okay, fair, other aspects like what?”

William shrugged up one of his shoulders, glancing around the room full of people. “Maybe,” he answered, leaning into her a little. “Do I need some huge move to win you over?” He questioned. “Well, I can’t give away all my secrets that easily, Faye.”

Faye watched as he came in closer to her though kept the arch of her brow. “Eh, not really. I’m pretty easy.” She admitted as a matter of fact, leaning forward toward the table. “You can, if you really wanted to.”

William closed his eyes to take a moment for himself at her comment, his head shaking slowly. “Maybe don’t undersell yourself,” he suggested, pulling back a little from her. “Well, I don’t want to so I guess you’ll have to learn them the old fashion way.”

Faye “Relax, I was kidding.” She commented with a light shake of her head, fully amused with herself at that very point. “I’m, believe it or not, pretty pricey and in high demand.” Keeping her eyes on him as he moved his body back from her, she sighed a little dramatically. “Fine, we’ll do it the boring way.”

William “You can’t describe yourself as pretty pricey. It makes you sound like an escort,” he pointed out to her, not sure if she realized that when she said it. “How is getting to know someone by hanging out and going on dates considered boring?”

Faye “How do you know I’m not?” She commented at his response as her elbows came down against her table, resting her body against it. “Is this what this is? A date?”

William “Because I didn’t have to pay you to come here tonight,” he answered, giving her a serious look. He had to resist the urge to make a comment about her putting her elbows on the table and how it was ill mannered. He was trying to be easy breezy with her tonight. “No, no. When I ask you on a date, you’ll know it.”

Faye “Well, maybe I’m some free escort. Doing it for the good and looks or whatever.” She joked, even if it had some little truth behind it if she really thought about it. Her eyes narrowed in at his lack of a response pretty much. “Do you enjoy the whole mysterious and broody thing you got going on?”

William “A free escort?” He laughed at the ridiculousness of that. “That would be a terrible profession to get into if you’re not receiving any money,” he teased. He laughed again at her question and shook his head. “I’m mysterious and broody? Really? Here I thought that was my brother Charles thing.”

Faye “Hey, maybe? I do it because I’m so kind and I make due with what I’ve got.” Faye laughed along with him and lifted her hands up in defense. “See, I don’t know your brother well so I can’t comment on that but… you do have it going for you.”

William “As a CFO, if any of that were true, I’d suggest charging a little. Just here and there so you can pay bills easily and maybe retire one day,” he joked, playing a long with her now. “Well, I’d point him out so you could see what mysterious and broody truly looks like but I haven’t seen him tonight.”

Faye “Well, I should. Probably. Considering what money I do have, it’s not handled that responsibly. I don’t even have a bank I go to.” Her head turned away from him so she could scan the crowd for someone that could even closely resemble a sibling of his, but all she saw were old white guys mingling and girls who looked stiff and uncomfortable in their dresses. “What? Did they manage to skip out on it and not you?” She asked as she returned her attention to him. “Is this the one with the kid?”

William paused and replayed her words in his mind a couple of times. “You don’t have a bank you do to as in…you don’t have a bank account?” He questioned, his eyebrows furrowing together as he turned his body more toward her. “Yes, he is the one with the child. So, they probably stayed home because of the baby and that will be their excuse when mother throws her fit. But Callum and Adeline are both here. So, three out of four, close enough.”

Faye knew that probably sounded confusing, especially to him, so she just shrugged. “Nope, I don’t. Just cash checks at some stores that offer it.” Nodding her head when he answered her, she then looked again when he mentioned other siblings. “For once you luck out with a kid. And Callum, fun one. Adeline is the… what one again?”

William was trying to wrap his head around what she was telling him. “So…no checking account? Or savings account? Or a CD? Or an IRA?” He really couldn’t believe she had nothing. “Callum is not the fun one. He’s the troublemaker. And Adeline is the sweet, baby sister.”

Faye “Nope. Definitely don’t have anything for savings so that would be pointless, and what cash I have is minimal so… there’s no point dealing with banks. You’re forgetting you’re talking to someone who has… give or take fifty bucks to her name right now.” Dampening her lips, Faye creased her brows together. “As long as he isn’t killing anybody. It’s still fun for him.”

William “Right but if you were to save up some of your tips and paychecks, you could invest those into a CD and then you can put the earnings from the CD into a savings account with interest once you are able to cash the CD out without penalty,” he began to explain. “Then you would have way more than fifty bucks.” William shook his head at her. “I love my brother but he does not make good choices, ok?”

Faye “Yeah… As nice as that would be pretty much every paycheck goes toward my crap of an apartment and money for the bus that week, and the rest goes to new brushes and paints since I run out of reds and blacks pretty much within two weeks. Plus, the whole not eating diet does not work for me and I can only mooch of Alyssa’s home cooking for so long.” She admitted with a light hearted laugh, though all was pretty true. “Like what though? Because… he sounds like a great partner. Pretty sure Hazel mentioned him once?”

William made a little face when she started to go on about her expenses. He really couldn’t imagine what that was like and felt really bad. He wanted to help her but was pretty sure she’d never accept money from him so he wasn’t even going to try. He’d just have to get creative. “Well, you can always mooch off of my food,” he offered. “Like…drinking all the time, ruining hotel suites, crashing cars, being arrested, gambling. I’m surprised he has any of his trust fund left. And…Hazel is not an angel either.”

Faye glanced down at the mostly eaten plays of food she had then turned toward him some more. “Aren’t I already doing that?” She said with an actual laugh sounding from her throat. “Okay, that’s fair. It’s all a little far and actually kind of dangerous. And I don’t doubt she isn’t, but she’s also kind of amazing.”

William “Only sometimes and when I convince you to come over. But you could come over more often and mooch every day,” he suggested. Honestly, he had more than enough for just himself and wouldn’t mind Faye’s company. He liked talking to her and it was better than going home and being alone every day. “She is, I agree. She’s a good friend to have. Even if she can be a bad influence. She’s one that’ll always stand up in your corner. But she is also sometimes the one that backs you up into a corner.”

Faye “You know, most people would be glad their friends aren’t mooching off of them.” She argued with a shrug of her shoulders, it not so much being far from the truth. Licking her lips, Faye chuckled at the explanation of Hazel. “Are you speaking from experience, or?”

William shrugged his shoulders a little. She was right, it was a blessing to not be mooched off of. But he never really experienced that. All of his friends growing up were rich families and really, in the last few years, he’s mostly been focused on work and wasn’t close enough to anyone have try to mooch. “No, just witnessing how she is with my brother. Though I’m sure if it came down to it, she would defend me if it was needed. But, alas, I’m the good brother.”

Faye “Well from the sounds of it, your brother does a lot of it to himself.” She suggested as she took a sip from the beverage to only be placed back down on the table moments later, folding her hands back into her lap to try to keep herself looking as polite as she could be, even if she was slouching. “I’m sure you have your moments.”

William nodded his head in agreement with her before leaving back slightly in his seat. He let his eyes move over the room, noting his mother attempting to keep her attention off of them and his father completely oblivious about it. “What makes you think that?”

Faye allowed herself to watch him for the time being when she got her chance without looking like she was gawking. “Because you definitely would have been long after kicking the bucket from being bored stiff otherwise,” The brunette countered, a smirk pulling at her lips once she glanced at his mother. “And I’m pretty sure you might have pissed off Queen Bee with inviting me here so that’s a dangerous move.”

William turned his attention back onto her, his brows furrowing slightly. “Are you calling me boring and stiff?” He questioned. She had a point when it came to his mother though. He pretty much did what they wanted but he, unlike his siblings, found loopholes in their parent’s demands and exploited them as much as possible to drive his mother insane. “She’ll get over it.”

Faye “No. I was saying if you didn’t have your moments, you would have offed yourself from being so bored. I was complimenting you.” Faye chuckled, shaking her head at the look he gave her. From the looks of his mother based off the way she was eyeing both her and the table they were at, she definitely was not getting over it. “But will she really?” She laughed again, this time turning more toward him.

William “Alright, that’s better. And…I’ll except that. But does a boring person realize they’re boring?” He questioned. “Because I can point out ten really boring people who think they’re the most interesting person in the world,” he joked slightly. He glanced over to his mom and then back to Faye, smirking lightly at her. “Doesn’t really concern me if she does or doesn’t.”

Faye “Yeah, you should. That’s the best compliment you’re gonna be getting from me. And maybe? They often have this sudden realization that they wasted half their lives. I think they call it a midlife crisis.” She joked again, before she perked up and pointed toward him. “Ah, see? There’s something. Scandalous.”

William “That’s the best compliment I’m going to get from you? That I can’t be that boring since I haven’t killed myself?” He questioned, raising an eyebrow in her direction. “You’re not very good at complimenting, are you?” He questioned, a bit more teasing in his tone.

Faye leaned away from the chair as she swiped her longer hair back behind her shoulder, sprawling it out of her back in the process. “Yeah,” She started, shrugging as she did so. “I don’t usually compliment people, so.”

William shook his head lightly at her, chuckling under his breath. “I guess I’ll give you a pass this time,” he said after a moment. “Have you had enough to eat?” He asked, looking down at her plate for a moment. “If not, we can go back for more.”

Faye reached over to playfully pinch at his cheeks though made no actual effort to even fully pinch him. “How kind of you,” She said, pulling back from the position so she could straighten up in her chair. “Yeah, I’m actually stuffed.”

William pursed his lips slightly at her after she pinched his cheek. “In that case, would you like to continue ignoring the other guests and dance or would you like to ditch this party?” He asked, completely ready for either of the options.

Faye turned her torso so she could eye the larger room with various people mingling, eating, and dancing. Much like a normal party yet she was pretty sure she stuck out like a sore thumb. “Well, I can’t dance, so there’s your answer.” She said, rising from the seat only to tug down the stress to try and adjust it.

William almost laughed at her response before standing up after her. His eyes stayed on her as she adjusted the dress. “Maybe next time I trick you into coming to one of these parties, we’ll find a dress you’re more comfortable in,” he suggested, holding his hand out to her.

Faye smoothed the wrinkles she created afterwards as another laugh left her lips, shaking her head some. “It’s not the dress. It’s fine, really.” She said, moving to push in the chair she was using so it wasn’t in the way before she slowly took the hand he offered, not wanting to be rude.

William wasn’t entirely sure he believed her. Or maybe she was telling the truth and he was just reading into things too much. He was fully aware that his family were not like the average families in the town they’ve recently moved into so he expected people not to fit in with them or be comfortable at these sort of events. Holding her hand, he began to lead her away from the table and toward the exit, smiling politely to the people they passed by. “Did you want to go home now or would you be interested in some other activity?”

Faye wasn’t entirely lying but wasn’t telling the full truth, either. It wasn’t the dress as much as it was her, the fit was perfect and it was of perfect length but it differed much more than her usual day to day jeans. Doing her best to actually present herself as welcoming rather than off putting to the people she passed, Faye eventually looked up toward him when spoken to. “You gotta tell me what some other activity is before I decide, obviously. What kind of options are those?”

William shrugged his shoulders lightly before looking down to her, smiling lightly. “You’re the one from around here. You would know better out of the two of us what these other activities could be. Also, I already picked the first activity tonight,” he said, motioning to the party around them. “Lady’s choice.”

Faye “Are we really gonna do this whole tour thing again? Really?” She said with her head tilted to the side to look up at the taller guy, before sighing through her nose. “Fine, I can deal with that. I’ve been in this town since the day I was born, so.” She tugged at his hand at that point, furthering from the crowd. “I’ve got a place in mind.”

William “Yes, well, I can argue that I didn’t get a full town tour. Just a few stops and you were done,” he joked. “See! Exactly. Now, if we were in my hometown, I’d suggest the places since I would know,” he said, smiling at her. “Really? That fast. Alright, I’ll have a car come for us then. Shouldn’t be too far.”

Faye “You were a stranger, and as friendly as some of those could be you could have just as easily been a serial killer. I’m not dumb enough for that.” Faye said and actually laughed at the little joke, pulling her arms over her chest to relax some. “And where’s that?” She asked, tilting her head. “There’s only so many places to go in this town so we can knock them all off the list pretty easily.”

William “Alright, that’s fair,” he laughed. “But I feel as though I’ve proven that I am not a serial killer at this point, right?” He smirked a little at her question. “You don’t know?” He laughed. “And here I thought you got the full biography of the Sinclair family from the lovely Hazel,” he teased. “Do you ever get tired of a small town?”

Faye “Maybe, maybe not. You could easily being pulling one of those moves were you try to get close to the victim and earn trust only to take advantage… or murder her in the most brutal way possible.” Faye shrugged it off, holding back her amused expression. As serious as she could be at times, humor and sarcasm was her actual default. “Ha, funny, but no. Though, I can go by Hazel’s thirty second Sinclair run down if you want me too. No promises on how accurate it is.” Her lips pursed a little at his question, tightening her arms. “I don’t know, maybe? It’s not like there’s some huge castle waiting for me outside of it. It’s decent here.”

William thought about it for a moment before shaking his head slowly. “No, no. That would be…well, dumb. Everyone always suspects a man who is close to the victim. Whether it’s the boyfriend or husband. Which, granted I’m not. But let’s be frank, I’m attracted to you and I’m not necessarily downplaying that attraction. Also, small towns generally suspect a newcomer before someone within the town. I’d be the first and probably only suspect in your murder investigation.” He glanced over her for a moment, amused by the thought of the run down. “I’m curious now. What did Hazel tell you in this rundown?” He nodded his head at her answer. “Understandable. I guess I’m just interested in knowing since most television shows, books or movies based in small towns features people trying to escape to the city.”

Faye “Ok, ok, you have a point. But you could also be one of those ruthless murders who doesn’t care if he does time or not.” Faye said, pursing her lips at him some. If she was being honest, she was a little hesitant with it all. Their differences were not only a big reason but the fact that he hardly even got a glimpse as to how she really was. “Yeah yeah, I know. I saw the eyes wandering.” She mentioned, stepping off the few steps slowly until she came to a halt, unsure of where to even exit in that place. “I can’t rat out my girl like that.” Faye joked, shaking her head. “Because that’s usually the small town, girl next door thing they’ve got doing. I’m not that. You should probably talk to Sophia King if you’re looking for that, though.”

William “Rest assure, I’m not a ruthless murderer,” he promised, completely amused by the absurd conversation they were having. He smirked to himself a bit when she mentioned seeing his eyes wandering. He wasn’t really hiding it when he did it so it didn’t embarrass him. As she stopped, he did too, watching her for a moment before nodding his head toward the right, letting her know that was the way they were heading. “Fine, be secretive,” he sighed. “Sophia King…she’s the…nanny, correct? Or something that has to do with children. I believe my sister has spoken about her before. She said she was…the perfect depiction of the girl next door in all her glorious but annoyingly sweet, prom queen ways.”

Faye placed her hand over her chest to resemble holding her heart, letting out an overly sarcastic gasp. “Such a relief,” Faye said, taking note of the direction he nodded toward, pivoting around in the shoes she wore to head in that direction. “I’ll tell you someday,” She said, shrugging again. “Yup, runs a day care out of her house. How she does it is beyond me and how she still has hair is questionable.” Nodding at the description, Faye waved her finger. “Ding ding ding, she nailed it. It’s almost annoying how nice and perfect she is but she’s the type you can’t even be a bitch to.”

William rolled his eyes before letting out a soft chuckle at her sarcasm. He followed her down the hall, casually directing them the right way as they walked. “Wow, a whole day care. Here I thought it was just one child.” He was amused by how accurate the description was, laughing a little to himself. “You know, they say those kind of people…the super sweet, perfect ones…they’re crazy and hiding a lot of terrible stuff. Maybe her basement is full of dead bodies,” he joked.

Faye glanced behind her shoulder at him as she practically led the way but was directed by him, holding back her own laugh. “One child or fifteen, she’s insane.” She noted with a shake of her head, eventually escaping the building to a much colder brisk of air. “Shit, I hope not. As much as kids aren’t my thing, that would be insane on a whole other level.”

William “I didn’t mean children!” He laughed, moving closer to them once they were outside, waiting for their car to pull up and take them wherever Faye decided on. “I meant adults. Talking about murdered children is awful.”

Faye reached up to push her hair off her forehead as she laughed, looking toward him when he moved closer. “Well? Daycare has a hella amount of kids in it.” Shaking her head, Faye even grinned a little as she laughed. “Murder is murder.”

William shook his head at her. “This conversation went to a dark place. I accept full blame on it. But still, very dark and needs to be directed elsewhere,” he said with a slight sigh. As the car pulled up, he stepped out to open the door for her to get in first. “You’ll have to let the driver know where to take us.”

Faye smushed her lips together and turned to walk backwards once the car pulled up, facing him. “You bet your ass you’re taking the blame for it. For once, I didn’t do it.” She joked, shaking her head some. Once he actually opened the door Faye paused before bending over to get inside, immediately scooting up so she could tell the driver where to go. “You sure you trust me?” She laughed as she turned back into a seat, immediately grabbing her heels to take off.

William waited for her to be fully into the backseat before getting in next to get, closing the door. “I trust you,” he assured, her smiling over to her. “Unless this whole time you’ve actually been the ruthless murderer and are planning to kill me in the woods,” he added, teasing of course.

Faye settled into the seat and placed her shoes beside her. “Nah, you don’t have to worry about that. I would get myself lost if I tried. The only place I know how to get to is the sacred smoking rock, and that’s kept hushed.”

William raised an eyebrow in her direction at the mention of a sacred smoking rock. “Do I even want to know the details of this rock you’ve deemed as being sacred?” He questioned. It was honestly shocking that they seemed to get along so well. She was definitely more his young brother’s type.

Faye “Hey, I haven’t deemed it. Just passing on the wisdom of the rock is all.” She held her hands up in defense and laughed. “In high school, it’s the place you go when you skip math class and get stoned. It’s still there and as active as ever. Maybe it gives you an extra trip, or something.”

William “Ok, then who is the wise person that says it’s sacred?” He questioned. “Did you used to hang out with a pot smoking Buddhist?” He teased. “Also, that’s the hot spot in town for skipping class? That’s…sad…”

Faye “Honestly? I think it was just a lazy super senior who had a crazy acid trip and named it that. Since then it stuck.” Faye replied and laughed some, realizing how insane it sounded. “There’s not much to do in this town. But the people that skipped usually skipped for that reason, to get drunk or smoke some.”

William laughed at the explanation, shaking his head. “Wow, that is ridiculous,” he breathed out. “I never skipped school so I couldn’t tell you the exciting places to go to from first hand knowledge. However, my siblings did. They usually just went to a friend’s home or to the mall. No smoking rock as far as I know of.”

Faye “Really? What’s ridiculous is spending time at the mall or a friend’s home. That’s so lame.” She joked and shook her head, glancing out the window to make sure the driver actually knew where she was talking about, before looking up toward him. “You never skipped? Ever?”

William made a little face before shaking his head. “I don’t know. I think skipping school in a pent house or a mansion is much better than some rock,” he commented. “But again, good brother…didn’t skip so I wouldn’t know what’s more thrilling.” He shook his head. “No. My parents were much more strict with me and kept a closer eye on my studies. If I did skip, they’d know and get mad and I didn’t like the idea of them being mad at me when I was younger.”

Faye “I guess. Depends on what you do in those pent houses or mansions. I wouldn’t know, haven’t been in one until at least tonight.” Faye shrugged her shoulders and twisted her torso so that her shoulder was against the seat of the car, ticking her eyebrow upwards. “Lemme guess. You don’t skip a day of the family business, either?”

William “Well, spend a little more time with me and you’ll see plenty of pent houses,” he promised, giving her a little smirk. He almost laughed at the look she gave him when he answered her question. Slowly, he shook his head. “No, not really. I expect our employees to be at work every day, on time without any issue unless they are ill or have a family emergency and I think I should have those same standards for myself.”

Faye “Are you gonna trick me into going to those too?” Faye asked in an almost teasing tone but was actually curious. Half the time she wasn’t normally easily tricked, so the fact that he managed to pull that night’s fast one on her was a total surprise. “Do you have more than one pent house, or something?” She murmured, curling her hair behind her ear once the car managed to slow after awhile. “Wow. You really need to take some personal days, boss. No one likes working everyday.” She said with a shake of her head before turning to push the door open, nodding her head out the door. “Come on, my own gala awaits you, sir.”

William scrunches his nose up slightly at her and shook his head. "No, don't worry. Tricking a girl to a pent house sounds a little creepy. And I don't think you're normally one that needs to be tricked into going to a party. Unless it's one like tonight's. In which case, probably." He thought about her question for a moment and how to answer without sounding too richie rich. "I guess you could say that. I, personally, only have the one I currently live in. However, my family does have vacation homes that we more or less share. And, well, I guess I have two penthouses but since I've moved here, I'm renting the other one out," he answered, feeling as though he failed to do what he wanted. He perked up a bit as they got to where they were going, moving to get out of the car. "Your own gala, huh?"

Faye "Well... depends on what party. I'm aware of stranger danger." Faye countered and lifted her shoulders in a shrug, scooting up so it would be easier to climb out of. When he went on about the penthouses, Faye gave him a little look. "Where are these vacation homes, then?" The brunette asked as she climbed out, turning to face him. "You're gonna experience the "dirty" bar."

William "Do you?" He asked in a teasing tone, smirking over at her. He shrugged his shoulders when she asked for more information on the vacation homes. "Just, various places," he answered vaguely. He gave her a bit of a funny look when she mentioned a dirty bar. "You brought me somewhere dirty while I'm wearing a three piece, Gucci suit?"

Faye "Yeah. Is that so hard to believe?" Faye asked as she glanced over at him behind her, tugging open the door to let him go inside first. She watched him when he hardly answered and when he mentioned his suit, she laughed. "Yep. I'm sure buying another wouldn't put you on your back," She commented, moving past him to weave through the darker lit bar up to the counter, drumming her hands against it. She really didn't have to order, they learned it by now.

William shrugged his shoulders lightly at her before grinning playfully. He looked down at his suit and then back up at her, sighing lightly. "Fair," he admitted, walking into the bar, stopping to wait for her. Immediately he stuck out and so did Faye in the gala dress he purchased for her. He followed her to the counter, stopping as they got to the bar. "So, is this one of your usual spots?" He asked, glancing around the dimly lit bar.

Faye leaned up against the bar and smiled in thanks when a tray was pushed her way, pulling it toward her and William. "Yep," Faye said, keeping it simple with beer but sliding a mini menu William's way in case he wanted something else. "The cook in the back would save me dinners and stuff since I was sixteen." She admitted, taking a seat on a stool. "The food is greasy and heavenly.”

William noted that she frequented the place enough to not even have to put in an actual order before drinks were brought to her. Shrugging off his jacket, he played it onto the back of the stool before taking the seat beside her, looking over the menu for a moment before deciding what he would get. "Most greasy foods seem to be more on the heavenly side. No one has ever said that about something healthy," he half joked.

Faye settled down into the spot and pushed her hair off her shoulders so it wouldn't get in her way of sight or anything. "Yeah but not all. You can have a heavy in grease food and it taste disgusting, landing you in the hospital for a clogged artery." Faye laughed, sipping from the beer she poured.

William "Well, thank you Nurser Faye for that warning of what happens when you have unhealthy food," he teased. As the bartender made his way back toward them, William put in his drink order and then glanced back over toward her. "So, is this your big plan tonight? Bring me to a bar, get me liquored up and take advantage?" He asked, still teasing.

Faye sipped from the beverage and licked her lips afterwards, collecting all the foam that got on her mouth. "You're welcome. I beat out the Kramer chick for the best nurse around here. Just don't ask me to bandage you up." Faye said, smirking slightly before leaning in toward him. "Like I need to get you drunk to take advantage."

William joined the chat 2 hours ago

William "I'm not sure who the Kramer chick is but I am going to go ahead and agree with you," he said, an amused look on his face as he spoke. He did his best not to laugh as she leaned toward him, leaning closer to her himself. "What makes you so sure about that?"

Faye "Do I need to give you the town 101? I'm a real good observer. I know about everyone." She said with a nod and tilted her head to the side, moving her hand up to slide over his back. "Because you're insanely attracted to me."

William made a little face and shook his head. "Not at the moment. I don't know if my big city mind could really accept the fact that I'm living in a town so small that I could easily learn the names of everyone who lives here," he answered. "That's very true. Doesn't mean I'd do anything and everything you ask of me."

Faye "A little much, huh?" Faye said and laughed a little, moving back in her spot though her hand moved down to his lower back. "I never said anything, did I?"

William "Just a little," he breathed out with a small nod of his head. He perked up as her hand moved down his back, curious as to how this would all play out. "That's is true. But I'm still standing my ground here and saying you can't simply take advantage of me as easily as you think you can."

Faye "It's not that much but ok," Faye teased with a shake of her head, biting her lip some. "Would you really say no to me right now, though?" She asked, moving her hand down to his thigh at that point.

William "Oh, I know it's not that much. Your town has very few people, which the idea of is a bit much to me. I don't know how you do it." His eyes moved away from hers for a moment, going to her hand on his thigh. "I could," he answered before looking back up at her. "The question is do I want to."

Faye took a big sip of her beverage before standing so she could move her smaller body to the area between his stool and the bar. "I'm sure you're smart, you can figure it out." Faye murmured, turning when the bartender brought his drink to grab it. "You don't want to?" She asked, holding his drink up for him but also closer to her.

William let out a light, breathy laugh as she moved off her stool to stand between him and the bar. She was really good at this teasing thing and if he wasn't used to it, he probably would have fallen for it a lot easier. "Not particularly," he answered, his hands moving to grab hold of her hips.

Faye took a sip of his drink before she would look down at him, pursing her lips. "I don't believe you," Faye countered. "You sure you're not bluffing?"

William kept a smirk on his lips as he pulled her hips forward slightly, bringing her even closer to him. "Maybe, maybe not. You'll just have to play a little game of risk and reward to find out."

Faye watched him for the moments that passed, pulling his drink up between them so she could let him drink it. "Maybe I'll just get you drunk instead," Faye suggested, smiling some.

William laughed as she held his drink up to him, moving one of his hands from her hips to take the glass. "Oh? Don't like playing games unless you're the one in control?" He asked as he took a sip.

Faye released the glass when he took it front her, moving up a little closer so that her thighs were hitting the front of his stool. "No, I'm just switching up my methods." Faye shrugged her shoulders.

William quirked up an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to go on. When she didn't, he set his glass down on the bar and gave her a curious look. "And what methods will you be going with now?"

Faye watched him set his glass down, moving her hands up from his elbows, biceps, to the shoulders. "Getting you completely wasted to get you to admit it," Smirking, she moved up to his neck.

William laughed at her answer, leaning back only slightly away from her, not actually wanting her hands to move away from him. "So, going with my original suggestion then? Alright, good luck on getting me completely wasted."

Faye watched as he moved before moving her hands down to his thighs, sliding them up slowly this time. "Well depending on your tolerance to alcohol, it will either happen quick or slow."

William "And what exactly do you plan on doing once I'm drunk?" He asked, both hands moving back to her hips now. He was already ready to leave this bar, which he was sure wouldn't happen since leaving the alcohol behind didn't go along with her plan.

Faye moved up so her hands were not at his hips, before moving one up to play with the collar of his jacket. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She joked, though her lips were peeked up in her own little smirk.

William "I would love to know. It's why I asked," he pointed out, teasing her, of course. As she smirked at him, he leaned forward until his lips were only a few inches away from hers. "Please tell me?"

Faye puckered her lips out as if she was thinking, moving to wrap her fingers around his tie now. "Again, I don't think so." Faye said, her other hand moving to pull his shirt up slightly by his hip.

William knew it wasn't going to be that easy, not when she was obviously so determined to maintain the upper hand here. "You know, you're playing with fire here," he whispered to her, letting his hand moved down her hip, over her thigh and then back up, pushing her dress up along with it.

Faye moved to brush her hand up underneath his shirt to his bare side, untucking the part of the shirt. It was later in the evening, so everyone in the bar was in their own groups, not that it mattered much to Faye. "I think I can handle whatever I'm playing with," She murmured, tapping him lightly on the lips.

William smirked as she tapped against his lips. "I don't doubt that for a moment," he whispered back to her, his fingers sliding up her inner thigh as he used his other hand to pull her closer toward him.

Faye arched an eyebrow at the movement of his hand, dragging her finger across his bottom lip. "Are you sure you're not the one playing with fire?" She suggested, glancing down between them.

William shook his head lightly at her question, his fingers stopping once he started to run out of inner thigh to touch. "I'm quite good at handling fire," he answered.

Faye "I can see that," The brunette replied under her breath, moving her hand out from his shirt to rest back down on his thigh now. "Are you ready to admit it yet or are you going to keep denying the real fire?"

William quirked up an eyebrow at her as she questioned him. "And what exactly am I supposed to be admitting to?" He questioned in return. He was pretty sure he was doing a fine job keeping up with her and not having letting her take advantage of him just yet.

Faye reached behind her and grabbed the drink once more so she could take a few sips, leaning back slightly to look over him then his face more once. "That you want me to take advantage of you," Faye said.

William "Ahhh," he responded with a bit of a laugh, leaning back slightly. His eyes moved over her for a moment before back up to her eyes. "Of course I want you to take advantage of me."

Faye twisted around so she could lean up and sit back down on the stool, though kept her legs draped over his thigh, pulling his tie into her hands that time. "Incredibly sexy that you can admit that," She said, taking a sip again before passing it over to him.

William almost frowned when she was back in her own stool and not as close as she was before. He leaned toward her as she pulled on his tie, smirking a bit as he grabbed his drink. "Is that it then?" He asked, finishing the drink off. "Done playing?"

Faye "I think if we continue playing we'll end up in trouble with an audience," Faye pointed out and wrapped the end of the tie around her fingers, still pulling lightly on it when he leaned in forward. "You know what I mean?"

William glanced toward where she was pointing, barely even noticing the others in the bar until then. His attention went back to her when she pulled on his tie again. "You say that like we can't find somewhere a little more private."

Faye watched him as he glanced around the bar then back at her, knowing he pretty much forgot about the rest of the people. "Are you suggesting something so scandalous, Mr. Sinclair? Tsk, tsk."

William laughed as she teased him, shaking his head. "You know, just because I'm generally thought of as the more responsible one of my siblings, doesn't mean I don't know how to be a little bad."

Faye purses her lips some as he defended himself, somewhat amused st that point. "Prove it," Faye challenged, dropping his tie now.

William licked over his lips when she told him to prove it, not at all surprised that she would turn this into a challenge. Without a second thought, he pulled her into him and pressed his lips against hers.

Faye He really should have seen thsi coming, or rather, she should have as well. They pretty much walked right into it, and teasing him was more fun than she actually thought. Feeling the little tug, Faye willingly let him pull her to him and kiss her, a laugh escaping in the mean time and her lips immediately moving back up to claim his.

William quickly deepened the kiss, one hand on the small of her back, keeping her close and the other against her neck. He always liked the playful banter and the teasing but that was nothing compared to actually stopping the game and kissing Faye as he had wanted to for some time now.

Faye felt the grip he had on her back and neck and used her hand to hold loosely onto his wrist to steady herself, not wanting to get too aggressive that quickly. PDA and doing things in public weren't something Faye was a stranger to, she was just impressed William willed up to her challenge. Lightly nipping at his bottom lip, Faye pressed her lips back into his a little harder before she murmured. "So scandalous, Sinclair."

William smirked lightly into the kiss as she nipped at his bottom lip. William had few vices but this, Faye, was easily becoming one. He let out a soft laugh at her teasing, pulling back a little. "Hardly," he breathed out, his thumb swiping over her lips.