Chapter 14

Chapter

Fourteen

Ruune

I walked into Griff's suite at the Plaza, my mind still buzzing from my time with Olivia. I’d only intended to take her out as part of being her fake boyfriend, but I wasn’t sure if I’d been a success or not. Things didn’t feel so fake.

"Ruune?" Griff's voice cut through my daze. "Are you alright?"

I blinked, finally taking in my surroundings. Griff sat on one of the beige, tufted chairs wearing his usual all-black ensemble, and I plopped down across from him on a small, matching sofa. Fresh flowers sat in a bowl on the low, glass table between us, their delicate scent a nice change from the aroma of car and horse fumes.

"How was the carriage ride?" my cousin asked as he pulled out his device. “According to this list of 'Most Romantic Things to Do in New York City,' a carriage ride through Central Park should have been perfect."

The carriage ride. Images flashed through my mind—Olivia snuggled under the blanket, her laughter ringing out as we joked about the smelly horse, the way her eyes sparkled when she eyed the banana pudding. And then the kiss.

I groaned, running a hand through my hair. "It was perfect. That's the problem."

“I do not understand.”

I sank deeper into the soft cushions. “She gave me many rules and then she broke them.”

“Rules?” Griff looked as confused as I felt. “Rules about what?”

“Rules about being a fake boyfriend.”

Griff glanced at his device again. “There are rules for that?”

“She seemed to think so. No PDFs and no smoldering looks.”

Griff pressed his brows together until they formed a wrinkle between his eyes. “No PDFs? That does not sound right.”

“I think it was PDF. It could have been PD-something else. Basically, no touching or kissing unless we discuss it ahead of time.” I drummed my fingers on my leg. “She does not like surprises, which is curious because she is constantly surprising and confusing me.”

Griff held my gaze for a moment before throwing back his head and laughing.

I frowned as his laugh practically rattled the glass in the table. “I do not understand what is so funny, cousin.”

“You,” he gasped for a breath, “expecting human females to make sense.”

I leaned forward and braced my elbows on my knees. “Explain.”

“Females can have many conflicting thoughts and requests, and they often do.”

I stared at him, waiting for more. “But how do you know which ones to listen to and which ones to ignore?”

Griff put a hand to his side as his laughter faded. “I will tell you when I figure that out.”

I eyed my cousin, the future leader of Valoria, sitting in a hotel suite after becoming engaged to a beautiful human. He was no longer the serious, sad Valorian I’d known. “I’m impressed, cousin. You have changed for the better, and you've adapted well to this planet. Your lack of advice about human females, withstanding.”

Griff chuckled. "Caroline taught me a lot. But trust me, it was also a baptism by fire. I made plenty of mistakes along the way."

"Oh?" I leaned forward, eager for a distraction from my own confusion.

"Well, for one thing, ice skating is not as easy as it looks," Griff said. "And females do not appreciate being carried around on the ice like a sack of grain."

I blinked, trying to picture the scene. “Ice skating?”

"Humans strap bladed shoes to their feet and glide on ice.”

That did not sound like fun to me. “Very strange.”

Griff shrugged. "I suppose we've seen stranger customs. Remember the fire bathing on Veria Prime?"

I shuddered at the memory. "Fair point."

“You did this ice sliding with Caroline?”

“No, with another female who did not appreciate my lack of knowledge regarding human customs”

“You have dated more than one female since arriving on Earth?”

Griff ran a hand over his face. “Do not make me recount all of it. It would take many drinks for me to tell you of wearing a red-and-white-striped dress to escape photographers.”

I perked up. “Then where is the bar?”

Griff laughed and stood, moving to a small inset counter in the corner of the room. He poured two glasses of an amber liquid, walking one over to me. "Earth alcohol. They call it scotch."

I took a sip and immediately regretted it. The liquid burned a fiery path down my throat, settling in my stomach like molten lava. I coughed, eyes watering. "This is meant to be enjoyable?"

"You get used to it," Griff said, though his expression suggested he wasn't entirely convinced of that himself. “It is no worse than Parvisian fire ale.”

I nodded, even though I set my glass on the table. “The story of you in a dress will have to wait if it means downing more of those.”

“Griff in a dress?” Caroline swept in from the attached bedroom in a cloud of perfumed steam. She wore a fluffy, white robe, and a white towel wrapped around her hair. “You can hear all about that tomorrow at game night.”

“Game night?” Griff asked before I could.

She bent down and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Didn’t I tell you? Carl and the girls want to meet Ruune.” She winked at me. “Besides, it will be the perfect place for you and Liv to test out your fake relationship. There’s no one like drag queens when it comes to sizing up relationships.”

“Drag queens?” I grinned at her. “I look forward to socializing with your planet’s royalty.”

Caroline laughed and headed back to the bedroom. “This is going to be so much fun.”

Why did her laughter worry me?