Summer of Like // Farleigh Start x OC

17: We Were All Newborns with Blurred Vision and No Sense of Direction

I am so incredibly glad that Elspeth put my seat next to Venetia, otherwise I would be completely lost at this dinner. The people I know are vastly outnumbered by the people I don't, and I feel for Felix, who looks so bored stranded between two men (who I can assume are both named Henry).

"And what's your name?" The man to my right is already red in the face, and we're only on the second course of the meal.

"Evelyn." I say, shifting slightly in my seat to face him.

"Henry." He says, extending his hand to shake. His palms are sweaty, and I try not to cringe at the way he leaves a film on my hand.

"I figured." I say, wiping my palm on the skirt of my dress.

He laughs, even though I didn't really mean it to be all that funny - but drunk people make the best crowd. "I've not seen you about before." He says. "Or maybe I have -" He chuckles. "Parties here do tend to get rather crowded."

"This is my first time." I say. "Venetia brought me home for the summer."

His eyebrows quirk up. "How are you liking it?"

"It's great." I say, turning to my plate to spoon a bite of dinner into my mouth. "The house is beautiful."

"Oh, yes." He says. "I remember the first time I saw this house - of course, I was very young, then - but I still remember that grandeur feeling. And the people - James's mother and father were such lovely people."

"I'm sure." I say, trading my spoon for my wine glass. It's white wine tonight, and it goes down easier than the red.

He stops himself to drain his own wineglass. "Really such lovely people, the Cattons."

"Mm." My eyes drift along the table until they reach the end, where Elspeth and Farleigh are sat around a corner. Even though Elspeth is talking to him, Farleigh's eyes are on me as he takes a long draught from his glass. He tilts his head as he sets his cup down, and smirks.

"Truly, it's a sort of fantasy, being here..."

Mostly prattling to himself at this point, I turn away from Henry and back towards Venetia. Her back is to me though, talking to Oliver.

"No thanks." Venetia says, sighing. "It's just so disappointing. You're just another one of his toys."

"You're upset." Oliver doesn't sound sympathetic at all.

"No! Don't worry! I'm used to it, honestly." She says it so flippantly my heart breaks a little. "He never liked sharing his toys. Even the ones he doesn't want to play with anymore." She turns away from him, to face me with a sad sort of smile.

"Venetia..." Oliver hisses. "Venetia..."

She pays him no mind. "Hi Evie."

I smile. "Hi baby."

She drops her voice, and picks up her wineglass. "He's such a bore, my god." She flicks her hair over her shoulder towards Oliver. "As soon as Felix says no, that's it. Done." She glances across the table. "Felix hasn't spoken to me since yesterday morning."

"He'll come around." I say. "You're his sister."

"I know." She sighs. "Still - there goes my summer entertainment."

I roll my eyes. I don't believe for a second that she's going to stop batting her eyelashes at him. She'll take a break, sure, but she couldn't even come up with a word to describe the way he gave her head - she's going to at least try again.

"What about you?" She says. "What about last night?"

"What about last night?" I say.

"Farleigh was on your bed."

"To gossip." I say.

"To gossip," She mocks, rolling her eyes. "Without me? Alone, in your room, when you'd just gotten out of the shower? Gossip."

"Yes, gossip." I say. "You know about his weird hate-boner for Oliver."

"I know about his boner-boner for you." Venetia says. Her eyes skip away from mine, past me, to where Farleigh is sitting.

"We almost kissed." I say, hushed. "I think. I don't know."

She bites her lip as she grins. "Go on." Sure, Oliver might be too scared to keep their summer romance going, but that doesn't mean she can't doubly invest herself in mine to keep herself entertained.

"We almost kissed that night on the roof, too, I think." I say. "I don't know, he's not... most guys would just do it, you know? He keeps just waiting."

"And you haven't kissed him because?" She asks.

"I'm kind of enjoying the tension." I admit, a little sheepishly.

"Me too." She says, grinning. "It's like my own soap opera happening in my house, starring people that I already know and love. I'm so glad that I brought you home, Evie, really."

"So glad that I could make your summer more interesting." I say, truthfully.

"You'll have to tell me if he's a good kisser, when you do end up snogging." She says. "I've always wanted to know who's the best kisser out of the three of us - everyone says Felix is quite bad, and I think I'm alright, but I don't know anyone that's kissed Farleigh to check."

"If we end up snogging." I say, mocking her accent.

"Oh, shove off, New Yawk." She grins. "And if you don't at least kiss him, I'll be furious."

"Well, if you'll be furious." I say, taking another draught of my wine.

"Please," She snorts. "I know you want to."

"But-"

"And I already know what you're going to say, 'what if we kiss and then it's boring' - it's Farleigh. You can say many things about Farleigh, but you can't say he's boring." She gives me a pointed look.

I grin. "You know me so well."

She smiles back at me. "I do, don't I?"

I glance back to the end of the table where Farleigh sits. He's leaned over towards Elspeth, saying something that I can't make out, but like he can sense my gaze shifting, his eyes meet mine, and he smiles. I return his grin, and take another sip of wine, licking the excess off my lips.