Chapter 20: 19

Beating Hearts [Knight's Rest #1]Words: 11232

Thelonious woke up to a surprise the next morning.

A very pleasant surprise.

A deep, throaty groan passed his lips as his eyes closed shut, tight. Clutching the sheets with one hand, he used the other to weave into her hair, tugging harder when she nudged his ball sack with her nose, her mouth inching towards the base of his hardened cock, bobbing up and down as she took more of him down her throat each time

Morning wood.

Thelonious could get used to waking up like this.

"Someone got lucky last night." Romeo chimed in as he sat down at the table with his breakfast, his eyes flitting between Thelonious and Darcy, a cheeky grin on his face.

Darcy smirked as she chewed her toast. "Definitely wasn't you."

Mac laughed aloud, snorting some of his orange juice through his nose.

Thelonious smirked from beside her, but sent a warning look towards Romeo.

"What's everyone's plan for today?"

"I have to go to college."

Darcy nodded, shovelling some eggs into her mouth as she noted the time on her watch. "I've got to get going too. I only have one lecture today so it shouldn't be too bad."

"I forgot you children still go to school."

"TGIF!" Romeo exclaimed.

Mac turned his nose up at the abbreviation, as well as the chunk of food he had just spotted in Romeo's open mouth. "Don't chew with your mouth open. It's disgusting."

Thelonious took the opportunity to grab Darcy's attention. "What are you doing this weekend?"

"I'm spending the day with my dad tomorrow. I think he mentioned that he has something planned. I also have some work that I need to do."

"And on Sunday?"

"I don't have plans," she shrugged.

He smirked and placed his lips against the side of her head. "You do now."

"What are we doing?"

He pursed his lips for a second. "I'm not sure yet. But I'll call you later tonight."

"Thelonious!" Mac called, pulling them out of their conversation. It appeared he had finished chastising Romeo for his poor table etiquette.

The man in question quirked a brow.

"That digital marketing company called today and asked if you were still interested in having them design a website for you."

"Ah! I forgot about that." He ran a hand down his face. "I need to call them back."

Romeo spoke with a full mouth again. "I thought you weren't interested."

"I'm not. They were too overpriced as well." He shook his head. "I need to turn them down and then start looking for a different website designer."

Darcy swallowed her eggs. "I could do it." She offered quietly, not quite sure if she was overstepping her boundaries. It sounded like a business decision and she was aware that she didn't work for the hotel.

All three pairs of eyes turned to look at her.

"What do you mean?" Thelonious asked, maintaining a poker face.

She wasn't sure if he was annoyed for her jumping into the conversation, she couldn't tell. Perhaps this was his business face. She knew he took all matters regarding the hotel very seriously.

"I could design the website for you. I've done it before."

Mac turned to Thelonious. "She is a computer scientist. It makes sense."

"And you wouldn't have to keep pursuing these companies anymore."

Thelonious nodded before he turned to Darcy. "It isn't a bad idea." He noted aloud. She could practically see the gears in his head turning as he thought about the decision. "It's actually a pretty good idea. And this won't interfere with your uni work?"

"No," she denied. "This would be more of a side project. When do you need it by?"

"I'd like it before Christmas."

She smiled. "That's plenty of time. I finish with my final exams in May anyway."

"You mentioned you've done this before?" He asked, curious.

"Yes," she nodded. "I created a chatroom, forum type of website, kind of like stack overflow for a project at uni last year."

"I'd like to see it if that's okay."

Darcy nodded. She liked how he was genuinely thinking about this. "I can show you on Sunday or sometime next week?"

"That sounds like a plan." He smiled. "And then we'll talk about the plan for the website, the pay and all the other technicalities."

"Oh, you don't have to pay me for it."

"No, I do." He was determined. "I was willing to pay a company to design a website for me so I'm going to pay you. I won't take advantage of you like that."

"Okay, we can discuss all that later."

"Are you sure you'll be able to handle it alongside uni?"

"Don't worry," she brushed it off, though couldn't hold back her smile at his concern. "Plus, it would look great on my CV and the experience would be great."

"Okay, that sounds like a plan." His smiled down at her, his eyes lingering on her.

Romeo coughed aloud, having finished with his breakfast. "If you lovebirds are finished, I have college to get to."

Thelonious chuckled and finished the rest of his juice. "Come on, I'll drop you off at your primary school." He stood up and walked around the table, reaching out to mess up Romeo's hair.

He chuckled and backed away when he swatted at his hand, a deep scowl on his face. "I'm at college!" Romeo shot him a murderous look, reaching up to fix his hair which he had spent twenty minutes styling to give it that perfect, tousled, 'just rolled out of bed' look.

"I call shotgun!"

Thelonious snorted aloud. "You wish. Darcy's sitting at the front."

Darcy paused halfway through her toast. She stared at him question as she finished chewing. This was news to her. "You're dropping me off at uni?"

He nodded.

"Isn't that going out of your way?"

He merely smirked. "Don't worry about it."

"I can take the train." She offered even though she knew very well by now, he wouldn't accept that answer.

"Nonsense. I'll meet you guys at the car, I have to get my keys."

Darcy smirked at Romeo. "Seems like I'm sitting at the front."

Romeo frowned, but stood up and grabbed his bag nonetheless. "I get shotgun next time."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Thanks for the breakfast, Mac." She smiled at the chef, holding a half-eaten piece of toast in her hand.

"Don't worry about it," he smiled at her. "I'm sure I'll see you around soon."

Darcy smiled and reached down for her bag. Hiking it up on her shoulder, she bid Mac farewell before heading out of the hotel with Romeo following her.

"Thanks, Tom." She smiled at the doorman.

"I hope to see you soon Miss Blake, Mr Bourne." Tom smiled politely at both of them as he held the door for them. Romeo fist bumped him on the way out.

Seeing as Thelonious had not returned with his car keys, Darcy was left waiting against the car with Romeo. "What lessons do you have today?"

Romeo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, frowning slightly as he thought of college. "I have Math and then my tutor group."

"And you're in your first year of college?"

He nodded.

"How are you liking it?"

"I'm not."

"Why do you say that?"

He shrugged and looked away. "I only go college because Thelonious said he wouldn't let me work at the hotel if I didn't."

"He just wants what's best for you."

"I know," he nodded. "I just don't like school."

"Do you find the subjects difficult?"

"No, not really." He shook his head. "I actually enjoy them. I just don't like the environment."

"Are you struggling to make friends?"

Romeo scoffed and looked away. His jaw tightened but he didn't deny it. "I'm not a child anymore. I don't need friends."

"Everyone needs friends."

A pregnant pause passed between them. Darcy didn't dare say anything more on the matter in fear that she was crossing a boundary. Sure, she had known Romeo for nearly a month now but that didn't mean that she knew him very well. And he was clearly upset about it, so she didn't want to make him feel worse by pushing things.

Romeo sighed and turned to look at her. "I feel like everyone looks at me different."

She hesitated briefly. "What do you mean?"

"I live in a care home. My dad left before I was born and my mum was too drugged up all the time to even bother to feed me. I was taken away from her and put into care before my first birthday." A deep-set frown rested on his face as he spoke, a serious crease between his brows. It was strange seeing Romeo not crack a joke at the end of every other sentence. "I don't even remember her. I just have a picture which I swiped from my file when I was younger." He admitted honestly. "I bounced from foster home to foster home until I grew up and everyone decided I was too much trouble to keep. I was put in a care home when I was eleven and haven't left since. That's where I met Thelonious and the other guys."

He opened his mouth and then closed it, a thoughtful look on his face. Almost as if he was looking for the right words.

"It's just hard making friends. Even harder when you're the care kid among a group of kids who go home to both parents every day. I don't want anyone to pity me or anything. Pity just makes everything worse."

"What was it like in high school?"

"High school was okay." He explained. "There were a few of us from the care home in the same high school so it made things a little easier. But it's just me in college."

"It's only been a month since college started. It'll get better."

"Everyone says that."

"I know," she offered a small smile when he finally looked up to meet her eyes. "Have you tried making friends?"

He shook his head.

"Well, maybe that's where you've been going wrong."

"They all look at me weird."

"You don't know that. You're probably just exaggerating about that. And anyway, if you're the one quiet kid that refuses to look at anyone, then yeah, I guess I would look at you weird too."

"What are you trying to say?"

"That maybe, you should try speaking to them. Even if it's just one person. Speak to them, say hi. People are friendlier than you think."

He frowned. "That sounds like a lot of work."

"Won't it be worth it if you have some friends to hang out with in college?"

"I guess, yeah." He shrugged. "I'll think about it. Thanks."

Darcy smiled and nodded. "No problem." She paused, still looking at him. "Romeo?" She called out to him.

"Yeah?" He questioned.

"I know it's not the same as having your parents with you, but Thelonious and the other guys really care about you. And so do I, so don't think you're alone."

He smiled at that. It was small and barely there, but she took it. "Yeah, I know." He nodded.

Very soon after that heavy conversation, Thelonious returned with his keys dangling from his hand and a black leather jacket thrown over himself, no idea what he had just missed. "Let's get this show on the road." He smiled, pressing the key to open the car doors.

Romeo turned to look at Darcy. She nodded in understanding before taking a seat. She knew not to say anything.

Romeo Bourne had absolutely nothing to worry about.

-

NOTE - not edited

The next chapter should be uploaded on 30/03/2020

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Layla Knight

15.09.19