Innocents abroad (Modern day AU)

[Sara]

She was disappointed when he pulled on a shirt, but given the topic of the conversation, reluctantly agreed that it was probably for the best. It was a damn good kiss, and she felt her skin prickle at the memory which she tried to disguise with another sip of her coffee. 

"Not all of us can be a free spirit like you, Lucius." She retorted but there was no anger in her voice. What it came down to, she thought in that moment, was a question of bravery. She wasn't brave enough to go against familial expectation, their social circle, and reach for things she'd never planned for. Naturally risk averse, it was alien to her, how he spent his time. 

But cards on the table? Fine. She tried to project a confidence as she made her bargain; "I'd like that too. God, that sounds so cheesy." She offered him a flicker of a real smile as she sipped her coffee, "But...I'm not going to stop seeing Jacob." Because at the end of the day, Jacob - bland and condescending as he might be, he was going places and she knew better than to let something like that slip through her fingers. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"Not all of us can be a free spirit like you, Lucius." 

Lucius had never really thought of himself as rebellious. Sure, his family saw him like that, but inside, he felt like he was just searching for things that fit him. Whatever they may be. He certainly did not expect Camilla to be one of those things when they met; on the surface, they could not have been more different.

"I'd like that too. God, that sounds so cheesy. But...I'm not going to stop seeing Jacob."

There was another pang of pain at her words. Not that Lucius logically would have expected her to drop everything after one kiss, and leave Dream Boyfriend for him. But a less logical part of him couldn't help but be disappointed.

"You like to be safe." he nodded. Not leaving a good thing for an unsure future. "But... would you be able to handle that? Lying to him?"

@Sara

[Sara]

So she hadn't irrevocably damaged things with her honesty. Good. She had half expected him to be appalled by the prospect, or tell her it was him or nothing. That, to her at least, spoke volumes about the way he viewed her. She'd be lying if she said she didn't get a thrill out of it. She sipped her coffee again, to dissipate the tension. 

"I wouldn't be the first person in the world to lie to a boyfriend, and besides, he travels a lot with work so maybe I'd not have to lie  to him." it was a naive hope, but she clung onto it. "Don't you think it's very European?" she offered him some humour in what was otherwise a dark conversation; "To take a lover?" It wasn't an affair, she wasn't cheating, she simply had...other pursuits she saw on the side. She was splitting hairs...or ignoring them altogether, but it made her feel better. 

"Could you handle it?" She ventured, turning the question back on him. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"I wouldn't be the first person in the world to lie to a boyfriend, and besides, he travels a lot with work so maybe I'd not have to lie  to him."

Yeah, no. That was not going to work. She probably knew it too, trying to reassure herself that what she was about to do was not wrong on many levels. Jacob was a douche, but people didn't usually deserve to be lied to. And yet, Lucius knew he was not going to say no either. Dammit.

"Don't you think it's very European? To take a lover?" 

Lover. The word, the idea, had a physical effect on him. His chest tightened, and he folded his arms trying to hide the goosebumps on his skin.

"Could you handle it?" 

"... no." he watched her intently, want and reason fighting a battle "...not on the long run, anyway."

@Sara

[Sara]

She felt a crushing weight in her chest and she swallowed, trying to hide her disappointment as she looked down at her coffee, almost all drained now. It hadn't made her feel any better, maybe it wasn't the hangover that was making her head pound? 

"It doesn't need to be in the long run," She ventured, compromising, and finally dragging her eyes up to his with a somewhat pleading look in them. "I...just need time, time to figure out what I want but...I don't want to stop seeing you, either of you," She underscored that bit with a firmer intonation in her voice - he needed to hear it, "Whilst I..decide." She leant forward and tried to take his hand; "You  get that, right?" 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

He could see that his answer was not what she had expected. But it was the truth. Him pretending otherwise would have been just as much of a lie. He was too far gone now to say not the idea altogether. But he knew he could not be her secret lover for ever while she lived her rich wife life.

"It doesn't need to be in the long run. I...just need time, time to figure out what I want but...I don't want to stop seeing you, either of you. Whilst I..decide. You  get that, right?" 

"I think." he sighed as she took his hand. Touching definitely did not help the situation. He gave her a small smile. "We both know I'm not strong enough to say no to being with you." Hell, he was barely strong enough to carry this conversation.

"But. I'm not competing. This is not a game for scoring points. You get what you get, until you make up your mind. I'm not going to start some weird contest to be a better lay than Jacob."

@Sara

[Sara]

His words intoxicated her and she felt her breath catch in his throat. It wasn't a firm no, and she could feel the tension building again. It dissipated as soon as he'd finished speaking and she let out a laugh with a devilish grin, shaking her head, "I don't think you need to worry about that, if memory serves." 

A flush came to her cheeks. Lots of people dated lots of people simultaneously so why did she feel so...embarrassed? "Jacob is good at a great many things," She dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "That is not one of them." None of her ex-partners had been. 

Gently running her fingers over the back of his hand, the mischievous grin still lighting her lips, she studied him for a moment. "Have we reached an agreement then, Mr Roscoe?" Flirtation dripped off her words. God it felt so good to be...reckless. At least right now it did. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"I don't think you need to worry about that, if memory serves."

Lucius quirked an eyebrow. Sure, it wasn't a contest.

"Jacob is good at a great many things. That is not one of them." 

Ow. That poor guy. Lucius almost felt bad for him for a moment, but he was soon distracted by the look in Camilla's eyes. Apparently she had made her mind up too.

"Have we reached an agreement then, Mr Roscoe?"

Lucius pulled on her had with a sudden move, catching her as she fell forward against him. "It seems like you got yourself a lover, princess."

@Sara

[Sara]

"God," She grinned, her mood changing, her smile genuine and her laugh real as she fell into his lap. She shifted her position and moved her fingers to brush his hair from his forehead, "With a line as cheesy as that, I might be changing my mind you know." 

She wasn't. Every part of her felt like it had been stung, the slightest of his touches was electrifying to her. She'd lived such a sheltered life, had known the same version of men over and over again that his difference - even if he was part of their elite little club really - it was...well, it was intoxicating to her. 

She leant forward, her hair falling in her face as she did - her hand still gripping his. Lightly, she brushed her lips with her own, a smile toying at the corner of hers; "I still want that date. Don't think I'm going to do anything until you impress me." 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"God. With a line as cheesy as that, I might be changing my mind you know." 

"No, you won't." Lucius grinned at her as she settled on his lap. They were past the point of changing their minds. For now, anyway.

She ran her fingers through his hair and he sighed, visibly relaxing. He was allowed to touch her now. He reached up, doing the same, enjoying the feel of her hair between his fingers. He liked it when she was not perfectly styled anymore. Camilla leaned in and their lips brushed. His breath caught in his throat but she was not done playing yet.

"I still want that date. Don't think I'm going to do anything until you impress me." 

"Oh." he breathed, looking up at her. His hands moved to her hips, thumbs brushing her skin between her blouse and the waistline of her jeans. He leaned in, breath tickling the skin of her neck. "Should we get dressed and go out for drinks now?"

@Sara

[Sara]

Camilla grinned against his lips but let out a little, indescribable sound at the sensation of his hands on her hips. Their conversation, her anger last night, and most pointedly - her boyfriend - were completely out of her mind at this precise moment in time. 

"No," She stated, her voice low with lust. She'd wanted to do this last night - in the heat of the moment - but between the others sat in the hall and the chill on the fire escape, somehow it didn't seem practicable. Here though? In his arms, in his apartment? Well...she grinned against his lips. They had all the time in the world. 

"I have better things to be doing, I think." She said as her lips brushed his and she moved her hands to his chest. "You know, when I walked in here what I thought?" She gave him a beat to answer before her hands moved to the hemline of the shirt to try and tug it off, "I thought, it was a shame the lights were off in that cult temple..." Because well...damn, son. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"No,"  

Damn right.

"I have better things to be doing, I think. You know, when I walked in here what I thought?... I thought, it was a shame the lights were off in that cult temple..."

"Funny. I was thinking the same thing." Lucius grinned. The shirt's career was short lived, and the moment it was off he dove for a kiss. Flirting and playing were all nice and fun, but also, they had gone on long enough. And this time, they had the time, and they had the place. And an actual bed. He kissed Camilla like his life depended on it, hands already moving to her blouse (that mercifully tied at the front), trying to do too many things at once.

@Sara

[Sara]

She grinned against his lips as the shirt flew off and he dove in for a kiss. Her arms were around his neck and then on his thighs and then on his chest. She felt...famished for him and when she pulled back so she could stand and remove her jeans and her boots as he'd managed to do to her blouse, she grinned at him. 

"I still want that date," She repeated as she finally managed to decant the rest of her clothes until she was in her underwear and moved back to the couch to sit on his lap again, "I'm holding you to that...but...for now I think you'd better get me to bed, you know...I'm suddenly feeling exhausted." 

She leant in for another heated, lustful kiss. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

There was not enough touching. Hands roamed as they kissed, but it felt like there still needed to be more. More touching, more kissing, more of everything. More of her.

Camilla stood, and for a brief moment he thought she was going to take him up on the drinks option. Which would have just about killed him. But instead, she got undressed, and holy hell, it was good they were not in the dark this time.

"I still want that date. I'm holding you to that...but...for now I think you'd better get me to bed, you know...I'm suddenly feeling exhausted." 

"Yes your majesty" Lucius grinned into the kiss, hands moving to her ass as he stood, lifting her up to carry her to bed.

Their encounter inside an ancient underground monument had definitely been exciting, but having an actual bed made all the difference. They took their time. Lucius lost himself in the moment that turned to hours, learning things about Camilla's body, listening for the sounds she made, both of them burning with an intensity they had not felt before. And yes, unlike at the mithraeum, this time, they could see each other.

FTB

They must have dozed off at some point, eventually, because by the time Lucius became aware of his surroundings again, it was late afternoon. Camilla had been comfortably wrapped up in his arms. Another bonus of having a bed instead of a stone floor...

@Sara

[Sara]

"I've got to go." She mumbled into his side as she felt him stir awake. She herself had only been awake for five or so minutes, content in her little, exhausted bubble of bliss. There was absolutely no going back now and she found that she really didn't care. She would have stayed here, with him, all afternoon if she could. Maybe all week. It put her bargain into question given that her body was telling her exactly who she wanted out of Lucius and Jacob...but her body wasn't being ruled by her head at the moment, and she was sure it would feel more evenly matched between the two men later...if she ever managed to extract herself from his embrace. 

"I've got class..." She mumbled again and stifled a yawn into his chest, "I almost failed composing class in Italy because of that seminar I missed because of you," Her voice was sleepy and her head felt fuzzy but she was the most relaxed she'd ever been, "So I'm not going to repeat the mistake." She'd not miss the class but she could be late, couldn't she?

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

He could tell Camilla was awake too as she nuzzled into his chest. Lucius smiled a lazy smile as he looked at her. Her hair was a mess, and her lips still swollen from all the kissing. It was an amazing sight to behold.

"I've got to go. I've got class... I almost failed composing class in Italy because of that seminar I missed because of you. So I'm not going to repeat the mistake." 

"You know, one day, I definitely want to listen to your music" Lucius chuckled, leaning over to kiss her on the forehead. With all the passion spent, he found that he still wanted to hold her close in a more affectionate way. "Alright, let me see if you are presentable" he added, rolling her over to run his fingers along her neck and collarbone as he carefully inspected her skin. "No bites, no hickeys. I feel like I deserve a medal."

@Sara

[Sara]

"You were going to, weren't you?" She frowned, trying to draw back a memory from her fuzzy mind. "I swear you were trying to make a deal with me, to hear me sing...I can't remember why we never stuck to it." Because you refused and had sex instead, idiot. "You're not going to hear me sing any time soon, but find me a piano and I'll play." She was arguably better and more impressive at piano than singing, but enjoyed it less. It was something she did because she had to, for her minor, and because it was always a classy look when Dad or Jacob could wheel out 'Millie the classical pianist'.

As he rolled her over she grinned, laughing and leant down to kiss his forehead as he'd done a moment ago. "I'll make sure to get you one, when we go on our date." Grinning against his lips she left him with a lingering kiss before pulling back with a little moan and a sly smile, "And just FYI, for our date, yellow roses are my favourite flowers." 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"I swear you were trying to make a deal with me, to hear me sing...I can't remember why we never stuck to it."

"Because you are more stubborn than I am" Lucius noted, smiling. The deal had not worked, but they had fun that afternoon anyway.

"You're not going to hear me sing any time soon, but find me a piano and I'll play." 

"Deal." he grinned, before rolling her over to inspect her. The piano would have to wait until later. Where did one find a piano anyway?

"I'll make sure to get you one, when we go on our date."

"A medal, or a hickey?"

"And just FYI, for our date, yellow roses are my favourite flowers." 

"Noted." Lucius nodded, smiling back at her. She looked happy. And at ease. "Can we be seen in public, though?... What are the ground rules on this?"

@Sara

[Sara]

A medal or a hickey? She grinned, "Both." 

She did look happy and at ease, right up until he asked that question and then she frowned, rolling herself off of him and to his side. She tucked the sheet up under her arms to preserve some modesty (amusing, given what they'd spent the morning doing) and propped herself against the pillows. 

"Of course we can be seen in public....I'm not going to keep you locked in a cupboard," She offered him with a slightly anxious smile as she realised the practicalities of this would be messy, "Although having you at my beck and call would be nice." Shifting a little so she was staring down at him, she moved a hand to ruffle his hair. "Just...not anywhere I think the group from last night would be. And...not at my school, unless I say it's okay." She had friends there, but friends who gossiped, "Unless...you can pretend to just be my friend, in public?" She bit at her lip, "At least in those places?" 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

It was a valid question. For a large city, New York was not that big that one couldn't run into acquaintances who favored the same places. Especially when it came to their social circles.

"Of course we can be seen in public....I'm not going to keep you locked in a cupboard... Although having you at my beck and call would be nice."

Lucius quirked an eyebrow at the suggestion.

"I learn new things about you every day."

"Just...not anywhere I think the group from last night would be. And...not at my school, unless I say it's okay. Unless...you can pretend to just be my friend, in public? At least in those places?"

"Keep my hands off you, you mean?" Lucius considered the question "I guess I can. If I have to. Or... I can take you on dates to places where they wouldn't go." Like, a library. "Gotta give up the Michelin stars, sadly. But I bet I can find better food. That doesn't come in tiny portions."

@Sara 

[Sara]

"Oh no, no I'm afraid that's out of the question. Two Michelin starts at least, or no dice." She grinned, joking and then slunk Lowe run the bed, her limbs feeling as if they had lead in them. 

"But if anybody does see us, or...we go on dates near campus, or you hang out at mine," Because nice as his apartment was for...a studio, she had no qualms about saying her bed was much more comfortable, "Then we're just friends reconnecting after Italy." How Jacob would feel about that, she wasn't sure. She'd seen a jealous streak to him last night that hadn't been exposed before in their five month relationship thus far. But she was a persuasive person, she was confident she'd win him around. 

"So..." She said, trying to brush off the awkwardness of the practicalities of their dating as she leant over the side of the bed to try and find...well...any of her clothes, "This date. Paint me a picture of what I can expect, lover boy." 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Sara]

...

6 months later, May

Twenty-one. Fucking finally. Italy had been good for Camilla in a number of ways; it'd taught her a language (sort of), opened her mind to new ideas, she'd immersed herself and culture and well...met Lucius. What was not so great, of course, was that she'd had the freedom to drink. A freedom - up until tonight - she hadn't had because the US, whilst brilliant for many things, still believed that you should be able to get married, serve your country and vote...before you could handle alcohol. Idiots. 

But the day and evening had finally arrived, and she was ready for it. It would have been an awkward party - a melding of worlds between her rich friends and friends of the family (boyfriend included), her year abroad friends (Lucius included) and her college friends - had it not been the cost that had been put into the event. Her father had rented one of the bars at the Plaza out, solely for her, and the room was thrumming with people. She joined one conversation and started another, sipping her now legal alcohol as she did. She felt happy, giddily so. 

She'd spent the day, and the first part of her party with Jacob but now he was off with some colleagues who had been invited (for some reason), and so seizing the opportunity she sidled up to one of her other very important guests. The room was so heaving she doubted anybody could hear the conversation over the music and other chatter, so she felt secure. She inclined her head. "God, so ostentatious, isn't it? I wonder rich spoiled rich kid is having this party?" 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Worst party ever.

Honestly, Lucius had been hesitant about attending at all, but in the end, as usual, he could not say no to Camilla. They had been meeting in secret for half a year now, and he was beginning to admit that he had fallen for her. Also, his parents were invited too, to make matters worse. It would have been weird if he decided not to attned, after playing up the 'friends from Italy' angle.

But now, he had to watch Camilla mill about hand in hand with Jacob, and it was just about killing him. He stood back, exchanging polite word with some people and nursing a drink, trying not to stare at her all the time. Eventually, she found her way to him.

"God, so ostentatious, isn't it? I wonder rich spoiled rich kid is having this party?" 

"I am sure they are daddy's favorite" Lucius smirked at her, keeping a polite distance. They had been joking about her having her dad wrapped around her little finger. The party was definitely proof. "So, how is your first ever taste of alcohol?" First ever legal, that is...

@Sara

[Sara]

"Of course they are," She smiled brightly at him, "Only daughters have that effect I suspect." She sipped her drink and eyed him. He looked deeply uncomfortable, which she'd grown used to when he was forced to spend time at 'fancy' parties, but she'd ensured that the invitation specified 'ties, optional' for his benefit. 

"Mhmm." She said with a chuckle and set down her empty glass on the bar, "Good. It's a daiquiri, I think? Fruity and pink and basic, that's me." She frowned at the empty glass. "What do you recommend for my next one?" She tilted her head to the side, studying him. She was trying to put him at ease, but she wasn't convinced it was working. "You could try and look a little bit happy, you know." She commented quietly. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

She looked happy. Or cheerful, anyway. It was her birthday, and she enjoyed parties and being celebrated.

"Mhmm. Good. It's a daiquiri, I think? Fruity and pink and basic, that's me. What do you recommend for my next one?"

"The same. You shouldn't mix your cocktails." he noted with a smile. He knew she was trying to put him at ease with the whole parents-and-boyfriends party.

"You could try and look a little bit happy, you know." 

"I'm doing my best." he sighed, glancing around, expecting Jacob to saunter over any moment. He realized it sounded a bit harsh. "I am happy for you, princess. It's your day. I just generally don't enjoy parties much when my parents are present." or Jacob.

@Sara