Chapter 332: house party II

Chapter 332: Chapter 332: house party II

By the time they reached William’s house, it was just past nine.

The party had started.

But it was still early.

William’s house stood in the middle of University Town, close enough to Saint Albion that students could easily walk over from campus.

The lights were on.

Music drifted through the open windows.

A few cars were parked along the street.

Students stood outside in small groups, talking before heading in.

Julian looked around.

"Not too crowded yet."

"Good," Adrian said.

Julian nodded.

"Exactly what I wanted."

Damian glanced at him.

"You wanted it empty?"

"No."

Julian started toward the entrance.

"I wanted time."

"For what?"

Julian looked over his shoulder.

"To find you a woman."

Damian stopped for half a second.

Then continued walking.

"You’re still on that?"

"Obviously."

Adrian laughed quietly.

Julian pushed open the door.

"Tonight is a very important night for Lord Blackwood."

Damian sighed.

"You’re taking this too seriously."

"I am taking your emotional recovery very seriously."

"I’m fine."

"Of course you are."

They stepped inside.

The house was already alive.

Not crowded.

Not yet.

But there were enough people downstairs to make the place feel occupied.

Music played from somewhere deeper inside the house.

Someone had turned the living room into a makeshift dance floor.

The dining room had been cleared for drinks.

A long table near the kitchen had been covered with bottles, glasses, mixers, and bowls of snacks.

William had clearly prepared for a crowd.

Julian looked around.

Then he led them toward the bar.

Not directly in front of it.

Slightly to the side.

From there, they could see the entrance without being immediately visible to everyone who came through the door.

Damian noticed.

"You planned this."

Julian poured himself a drink.

"Of course I did."

Adrian leaned against the counter.

"You’re actually taking this seriously."

Julian looked offended.

"I have known Damian for four years."

He glanced at Damian.

"I know exactly how difficult this is going to be."

Damian raised an eyebrow.

"How difficult?"

Julian took a sip.

"Very."

"I’m standing right here."

"I know."

Damian looked toward the room.

He wasn’t nervous.

There was nothing to be nervous about.

He had already made his decision.

Tonight, he was going to prove to himself that Vivienne wasn’t the only woman in the world.

That was all.

There were plenty of women here.

Beautiful women.

Interesting women.

Women who would probably be more than happy to talk to him.

All he had to do was let himself notice them.

Julian nudged him.

"Look."

Damian followed his gaze.

A girl had just walked in with two friends.

She was pretty.

Very pretty, actually.

Dark hair.

Nice body.

Confident enough.

She looked around the room before joining a group near the stairs.

Julian looked at Damian.

"Well?"

Damian considered her.

"She’s pretty."

Julian waited.

"And?"

"And nothing."

Julian frowned.

"What do you mean, nothing?"

"She’s not my type."

"You don’t even know her."

"I don’t have to."

Adrian glanced between them.

"What exactly is his type?"

Julian looked at Damian.

"That is what we’re trying to figure out."

Another group entered.

Two girls.

One blonde.

One brunette.

The blonde laughed as she walked in, already talking animatedly to the people beside her.

Julian immediately looked at Damian.

Damian watched her for a moment.

Pretty.

Well dressed.

Confident.

She seemed intelligent enough.

Then he shook his head.

Julian stared at him.

"What now?"

"She’s too loud."

Julian blinked.

"You haven’t spoken to her."

"I can hear her from here."

Adrian covered a smile with his glass.

Julian pointed at Damian.

"This is exactly what I mean."

"What?"

"You’re impossible."

Damian said nothing.

Another girl came through the door.

This one was quieter.

Elegant.

Long dark hair.

A familiar face from Political Governance.

Julian looked at Damian again.

Damian considered her.

"Too reserved."

Julian groaned.

"She hasn’t even done anything."

"Exactly."

"You are judging women by imaginary criteria."

Damian took a drink.

"Apparently."

Julian stared at him.

Then looked at Adrian.

Adrian was trying not to laugh.

"What?"

Julian shook his head.

"We didn’t know you had a type."

"I don’t."

"You clearly do."

"I don’t."

Julian gestured toward the room.

"You’ve rejected three women in the last five minutes."

Damian shrugged.

"They weren’t right."

Julian stared at him.

"Right."

He took another drink.

Then his expression changed.

"Oh."

Damian glanced at him.

"What?"

Julian studied the group.

"Not your type."

Damian frowned.

"You don’t know my type."

Julian slowly looked at him.

"Oh, I think I do."

Damian said nothing.

Julian smiled.

"Apparently, your type is blonde, blue-eyed, ridiculously beautiful, outrageously sexy, extremely well-born, and completely capable of ruining your life."

Adrian finally laughed.

Damian gave Julian a murderous look.

"Fuck off."

Julian laughed.

"I’m not wrong."

"You’re definitely wrong."

"Then tell me what your type is."

Damian opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

Julian’s grin widened.

"Exactly."

Damian looked away.

Because, annoyingly, he couldn’t actually answer.

For the longest time, he’d never really thought about it.

He liked beautiful women.

That much was obvious.

But beyond that?

He had never cared enough to define it.

Not until Vivienne.

And even then, it hadn’t happened because he had suddenly decided she was his ideal woman.

It had been much simpler than that.

When they were children, Vivienne had never been an option.

She had been too busy chasing Anthony.

Always Anthony.

Damian remembered it clearly.

The pouting.

The way she would push him away whenever he tried to bother her.

The way she would immediately turn her attention back to Anthony.

Damian had never entertained the thought of liking her romantically.

She was Vivienne.

Anthony’s little shadow.

Someone he had been fond of in the way one was fond of a childhood friend.

Nothing more.

Then seven years passed.

And they met again at university.

And she was different.

Or perhaps they both were.

Vivienne was suddenly friendly with him.

Actually friendly.

She talked to him.

She laughed at his jokes.

She let him tease her.

Sometimes she teased him back.

She could be confident and sharp one moment, then unexpectedly shy the next.

She was kind.

Sweet.

Smart.

She could make him laugh.

And she was beautiful.

Absurdly beautiful.

That part had been impossible to ignore.

Everyone knew it.

Vivienne Beaumont was widely considered the most beautiful woman in the continent.

Damian had heard people say it.

He had seen the way people looked at her.

He simply hadn’t expected it to matter so much to him.

But then she smiled at him.

Then she started letting him get close.

And somehow, that was all it took.

Two months.

That was all they had known each other again.

Two months since the beginning of term.

Two months since she had walked back into his life.

And then she had let him kiss her.

Let him touch her.

Let him have her.

And Damian had been completely, hopelessly gone.

Julian was still watching him.

"You’re thinking about her."

"I wasn’t."

"You were."

Adrian laughed.

Julian shook his head.

"It’s actually impressive."

Damian looked at him.

"What is?"

"You only had her for four days."

"So?"

"And you’re already ruined."

Damian gave him a flat look.

"I am not ruined."

Julian grinned.

"Fine."

He looked around the room.

"Then let’s find someone who comes close."

Damian sighed.

"That’s the plan."

"Good."

--

Tbc