With Love // Farleigh X Reader // Saltburn ✔️

8. Awkward Breakfast

At breakfast time I was reading the paper. I saw that Venetia and Oliver were silent. It wasn't long until Felix joined us. "Morning, Felix." I said to him with a smile.

"Good morning." Oliver said to him as he sat down.

"Morning." Farleigh said to him.

"Hello, darling." Elspeth said to him. Felix wasn't his usual self. That would be because of what Farleigh told him. Vee had been silently glaring at me during breakfast. But I meant this all in good means. Not to ruin her life.

"You sleep well?" Oliver asked and I knew what he would say.

"No, not really, mate." Oliver said to him dismissing him. Our plan was already working. Let's just hope there'd be no kinds of backfire into me or Farleigh. But let's face it, Vee has dirt on me. She could quite easily tell Farleigh and fuck me over as well.

"We're 30 for dinner tomorrow night. Stopford Sackville has cried off." James said to Elspeth who was sitting the other end of the table. I was currently skim reading the article. It was something that was all about finance stuff and it wasn't really for me.

"Oh, dear, that's a shame." Elspeth said, I wasn't really looking forward to dinner. It was the time where I'd have to talk with my father along with his younger girlfriend. She was close to my age and it was just awkward.

"God, I forgot about fucking dinner." Felix said and he threw his head back I closed my paper up and started to smoke. This was going to be one torturous dinner.

"Wait, who is coming to dinner again?" Farleigh asked as he looked around the table.

"The Henrys." Vee said as she was pulling apart her croissant. And to think one of those Henry's would be my father. The one guy I always tried to avoid. But even in another house I was never fully away from him. I guess that's the worst part of being family friends who grew up together. The parents always get a long.

"No, please!" Farleigh got out and I looked at him.

"And all I wanted was a summer away from my father." I said but that would never be the case.

"Who are the Henry's?" Oliver asked and he would be in for a real boring surprise.

"Dad's friends. They're all called Henry." Venetia said and that wasn't a lie. It would be a rare occurrence if you found someone to talk to that wasn't a Henry. Well apart from the wives but that was different.

"Not all of them. Just most." James said to us but most was basically all of them.

"It'll be fun." Elspeth said and her form of fun was so much more different to mine. That definitely wasn't my idea of it. We needed a big party or something.

"It'll be being molested by Henry. You know which one." Vee said and I knew exactly which one she was on about. He tried to do it to my last summer but thankfully I was pulled away. By my dads younger girlfriend. Not the hero I pictured.

"I'll put you next to Oliver, then. He can molest you instead." Elspeth said and that only got a small chuckle out of Vee. Of course she would like that. "Oh, Oliver, I was going to say we should do something fun for your birthday. A proper party. No Henrys. Something actually fun. What do you think, darling?" Elspeth said and that was exactly what we needed. Some kind of big party where we could all be free in a way. That's what summer was about.

"If Oliver would like it, I think it's a splendid idea." James said but Oliver didn't seem to keen on the idea. This would be my one and only chance to like him for a split second and he was already disappointing me.

"I think Oliver looks like he'd rather throw himself off a window." Farleigh said before smiling at him.

"Yeah, he is giving that kind of look isn't him." I said to him before smiling at Oliver as well. He wasn't happy with this. He looked at Elspeth.

"What kind of party?" Oliver asked her, finally the guy got interesting for a second.

"I don't know. Whatever you want. What do you think? About 100 people?" Elspeth asked him, Oliver didn't even have one friend. He would never find 100 people in time.

"A hundred?" Oliver asked her, like he couldn't believe the number.

"Or two. It invariably ends up being two, doesn't it, with this sort of thing? Invite whoever you want. All your friends." Elspeth asked, but he couldn't. He didn't have. Not anymore. Especially since Felix was mad at him and Farleigh and I didn't like him. We couldn't say anything for Vee given the events of last night.

"What friends?" Farleigh asked rhetorically. This was an impossible task for Oliver. How to make 200 acquaintances in a few days.

"Oh! Oh! How about fancy dress?" James asked and now it depended on the theme.

"Oh, yes!" Elspeth said to him, looks like it was to be fancy dress.

"I can wear my suit if armour, Elspeth." James said and now I wanted to see this but I didn't at the same time.

"Good idea, darling." Elspeth said and that's when Vee stood up and walked off. She was clearly done here. "We could have a theme. What about Midsummer Night's Dream?" Elspeth asked and that would be an interesting one to do but it would be fun.

"Lovely." James said, clearly he was liking the sound of this.

"Bring on the slutty fairies." Farleigh said and I looked at him.

"Trust me, I'll make sure the best one out of all of them." I said and I saw a small smirk appear onto Farleigh's face. I could tell that he was already imagining how everything was going to be in his mind. Hopefully it would be that way. With nothing but a good outcome.