Chapter Text
Timing is everything. Timing is the hardest thing to get right. When to start the water, when to start the salad, when to start the meatballs? It’s all about timing. Thankfully, I’ve mastered the art of timing…. dinner, that is. Life? Yeah, still working on that timing.
Who else needs to work on their timing? My friends.
The doorbell goes off, just as I pull the garlic bread out of the oven. I purposely started dinner 20 minutes late, knowing the gang would show up at least 20 minutes late.
“I got it!” My brother, Brennan, calls from the living room, that’s just off the large kitchen.
At 27, moving in with my brother and his family was not the kind of timing I had planned. But when you walk in on your live-in boyfriend of a year fucking your red-headed neighbor: well, that timing was perfectly on time, actually.
Halden and I had known each other most of our lives, his father being my mother’s boss at Calldyr Industries, the largest gun manufacturer in the country. We had circled each other for years, never having the timing right, until my final year of my PhD in Linguistics. We fell fast and hard, moving in together two months after our first real date, and talking about marriage and babies four months after that. The timing just seemed right. Our parents were thrilled we were finally together. It felt like things were finally falling together. I was about to earn my PhD, about to get engaged, buy a house and eventually have the three kids I always knew I wanted.
Then, the cracks started to show.
A month before I graduated, I got my dream job, Language Documentation / Field Linguist in Tyrrendor at Aretia University. Unlike Navarre, Tyrrendor was obsessed with preserving their history, their stories, their lost languages and no one had a bigger library, a larger database, or a more massive budget for preserving history than Aretia U. And they wanted me. Felix Gerault, Department Head of Linguistics, reached out and offered me the position of Associate Field Linguist and I couldn’t say no. I thought, for sure, Halden would be thrilled, supportive. Thought he would gladly move to Aretia with me, his job at Calldyr Industries was more nepotism and for show than hard work and earned.
He was not supportive. He took our neighbor to bed instead.
Brennan and his husband Naolin didn’t hesitate to offer me their spare bedroom in their five-bedroom McMansion 20 minutes outside of Aretia. The sprawling “house” as they call it, is set on 2 acres of land, with the Cliffs of Dralor as its backdrop, an in-ground pool, an over the top playset with the large yellow slide that wraps around the two story wooden structure, and a massive covered patio that has heaters stationed every few feet so that even in the colder months, you can enjoy a glass of wine outside. It’s an idyllic up-bringing for their three children, Ellie and Alexander, their 4-year-old twins, and 6-year-old Benjamin. The house is nothing short of what you would expect from Naolin Sorrengail, Program Director of Residency and his husband, Brennan Sorrengail, Chief of Neurosurgery, both at Aretia University Hospital.
Which is why I am currently timing this particular dinner perfectly.
It’s why I made homemade pasta, spent hours making my grandmother’s Sunday gravy (sauce but god forbid we ever called it sauce in front of her. Just thinking it probably has her turning in her grave), why I opted to make two different types of meatballs (turkey and traditional), and why I didn’t buy my go-to frozen garlic bread but chose to get Italian bread and make garlic cheesy bread.
Because not only are my four closest friends coming to their first Sorrengail Game Night. The first since my college besties Rhianna, Sawyer, Ridoc and Jessina moved to Aretia with me. But so are my brother’s best friends. The ones he met when he first moved here for his own residency at AUH, 15 years ago. The friends whose parents happen to be the C-suite of said hospital and the one and only Xaden Riorson.
Yeah, that Riorson.
Son of Fen Riorson, the founding family of Aretia University Hospital and probably Aretia herself.
Xaden Riorson, Chief Resident. Earned not given.
Xaden Riorson, the man I’ve crushed hard on since I met him 5 years ago while visiting Bren and Nao one summer.
Xaden Riorson, best friend of said brother.
Xaden Riorson. Off-limits. Hottest man alive. Neurosurgeon. Body-builder. Timing all wrong.
Xaden Riorson. Lover of pasta, meatballs, and chocolate cake.
“Come in you filthy animals,” my brother says at the door, “Vi just took the bread out of the oven. I don’t know if you're late, she’s late with dinner, or your timing is impeccable.”
“They’re late,” I call over my shoulder and I catch sight of Imogen taking her daughter, Quinn’s, shoes off, “I put dinner in 20 minutes late because…well, they’ve proven my timing was correct.”
I move the bread to the counter to cool and cut into smaller pieces when I hear the commotion of Ridoc arriving. No doubt already flirting with Bodhi, who pretends he has no interest in my loud mouth, floppy haired friend. But his smirks and gentle touches when he thinks no one is watching give him away.
The noise of our friends’ arrivals makes my heart clinch in joy. All my favorite people, minus my sister Mira, are in one place.
“I would like the record to state, I wasn’t late. I was right on time,” a deep, raspy voice whispers in my ear as a dark shadow falls over me. I don’t need to look to recognize the voice, the smell of mint and leather that over takes every one of my senses, but I turn anyway.
Xaden Riorson, all 6’4 tawny chiseled skin, covered in a navy henley, and jeans, is invading my space over the oven. His black wavy hair falls into his face as he leans into my space, so close our foreheads almost touch. I lift my chin so my hazel eyes meet his onyx ones, noticing the shining gold flecks inside them, He smirks and he hands me a glass of red wine and as our fingers brush on the transfer, I shiver. Sparks shoot through my body and I try to tamp it down so he doesn’t notice.
His smirk grows. Bastard.
“UNCLE XADEN!!!!” Ellie screams as she comes running into the kitchen, blond hair bouncing all over, her smile overtakes her entire face as she barrels towards the large man beside me.
Xaden Riorson is broody and quiet most of the time, but seeing this Xaden, down on his knees, his large tattooed arms outstretched ready to catch my niece, is a sight to behold.
“Ellie Belly,” Xaden says as he wraps her in his arms and squeezes tight.
Not to be outdone, or overshadowed, Alexander is right behind her, his latest lego creation in hand, wriggling his way into Xaden’s arms.
“You like my ship, Uncle Xae? I made it with Aunt Vi,” he holds up the square Alex and I made before his nap, only a kid with a big imagination would call that a ship. But without missing a beat Xaden examines it closely and decides,
“Best ship I’ve ever seen,” and then he turns and looks up at me, “Aunt Vi has a real knack for ship building, wonder what else she can do with those hands,” and he winks at me.
I take a sip of my wine to try and hide the blush. The audacity of this man, right in front of children. But before I can respond, Alex speaks and changes the subject.
“Will you build a dinosaur with me?” Alex asks him with his big blue eyes, and matching blonde hair like his sister. The twins were only supposed to be with Bren and Nao for a few weeks, fostering them while their mother got her life together. But after four months, and many slip ups, their birth mom asked if they would adopt them, fully knowing she couldn’t take care of them the way they deserved. Bren and Nao didn’t hesitate. And on their 2nd birthdays, the twins officially became a part of Bren, Nao and Benjamin’s family.
“How about after dinner? I’m going to help Aunt Vi get everything on the table. I hear Bodhi, though, can make an excellent dinosaurs with legos,” Xaden’s smirk tells me he’s setting his cousin up for failure and with that he ushers the twins out of the kitchen and towards Bodhi, who is sitting suspiciously close to Ridoc on the couch in the living room talking to Garrick, Imogen and Rhi.
My attention back on the bread, I feel Xaden closing the distance again.
“I really don’t need help; you could have played with them. They’ve been waiting for you all day,” I put the last piece of cheese bread into the bowl and turned to him.
His eyes are on me as he takes a sip of wine, “Never occurred to you that maybe I just wanted to spend some time with you…alone,” and he lifts his scared brow at me. The one I still have yet to hear the story of how he got it in the first place.
I roll my eyes. Xaden is always like this when he’s here. Flirty, sometimes a little touchy, and always close but then he’ll go off to the bar and go home with someone.
Then there was Catriona, I only met her once and once was enough. I heard from Brennan and Naolin, though, that their nine-months together was nothing but fights and snarky comments. Everyone was happy the day Xaden finally walked away from her.
“Nope, not once,” I hand him the bowl with bread, “How’s Soleil? Wasn’t she your latest conquest?” Conquest might be a bit harsh. I don’t know enough to be honest, Brennan told me Xaden was dating her when I first moved here. Apparently, they’ve known each other as long as I knew Halden, always circling each other, but the timing wasn’t right. I don’t even know if they are still together. Xaden flinches. A look crosses his face, but it’s gone before I can name it.
“Soliel wasn’t a conquest,” he turns to walk out of the kitchen, but then pauses and looks back at me, “We realized we were better as friends. No need to be jealous, Violence. I’m single,” and for the second time tonight the infuriating man winks at me before he walks out of the kitchen with the bread.
The group files in around the table as I bring the main dish in. The bread Xaden had taken is already on the table, and he’s sitting comfortably next to the only empty chair. Convenient. Brennan is at the head of one table, while Naolin takes the other. The twins, Benjamin, and Quinn are already seated at a smaller table in the corner, munching on a piece of bread and awaiting their main course. The rest of the crew is spread out, and I notice that Bodhi is next to me, while Ridoc would be opposite of me. It surprises me that they wouldn’t want to be across from each other.
“Do you want to switch?” I ask Bodhi, trying to not give away my intentions. If it also gets me farther from Xaden so I can maybe go the entire dinner without blushing or allowing him to frustrate me or both, then that’s just a bonus.
Bodhi looks at me, blinks, and then looks at Brennan, and then Xaden. Like he’s asking permission. “Uh…no I’m good. Sit Vi, I’d love to have you as my neighbor.” He doesn’t seem sure, but when I look at Brennan, he just smiles and sips his wine. Whatever.
Dinner is relatively uneventful. There’s discussion about my new role, the original Aretia crew asking my friends and I how we’re enjoying the city and how the move has been going. I notice that when Xaden speaks to Jesinia, he’s signing as well, which is just fantastic. Not going to make my crush any stronger at all.
Also, not going to make my crush stronger? The way his leg conveniently rubs against mine over and over. Or how he refills my wine glass without me asking, his arm resting on the back of my chair casually. I catch Brennan’s eye at one point and roll my eyes at the raised eyebrows he gives me.
I don’t need to be reminded that Xaden is off limits.
Brennan makes most of the guys clean up dinner while Imogen and Naolin start on some bedtime routines. The kids are going to be in the playroom on some sleeping mats, watching a movie, while we play games. Rhiannon sets down a few boxes of games, along with a deck of cards, and takes her spot next to me. “So…when are you going to act on that tension with Riorson? The man looks at you like you’re his favorite meal and he can’t wait to devour you.” She raises her brow at me and I scoff.
“Oh please, he just likes to toy with me,” I argue. “Besides, Brennan would have a cow.”
“Are you sure? I mean, have you ever heard him say Xaden was off limits?” She asks and it occurs to me that I haven’t. Not really. Brennan scolded me playfully when we all first met, but I was young, and so was Xaden. I also lived in another city. But still, Brennan had made it a point to tell me that he only wants “the best for me,” something he has said my whole life when referring to my love life. If he thought Xaden was the best for me, he would have said something.
By the time everyone comes into the room, Rhiannon has changed the conversation to a date she has planned this weekend. Everyone chooses their seats, Xaden taking the armchair across from me on the other side of the coffee table. Not that I noticed.
Bren picks a game called Say Anything and we all take our little whiteboards. We play for a while, answering questions about what we would do in unique situations, revealing more about our personalities. The person who asks the questions picks the answer they like the best, and we go on and on. Mostly, we chat about people’s answers and rag the ones we don’t believe. Like when Garrick said he was in community theatre as a child. Or when Brennan told everyone that he didn’t believe in love at first sight, and Naolin quickly called him out on it, saying Bren had declared his love for Nao on their third date.
Imogen pulls the next card and reads aloud, “What’s something you’re good at that no one would expect you to be?” Everyone furiously scribbles down and throws their plaques into the middle. She reads them for us and we’re surprised that Xaden said “baking”, which he just shrugs at our disbelief, and more surprised when Jesinia says she can pole dance. Sawyer nearly chokes on his drink, but Jes just explains she needed a dance class in undergrad and it was fun, but that she’s never done it professionally.
“I qualified for a professional darts tournament once and can beat anyone in this room,” Imogen reads the last card. “Wait…Violet? This is yours?” she says with a small amount of disbelief in her voice.
“No way,” Garrick snatches the card and reads it, like it might say something different.
Brennan shakes his head while swallowing down his latest sip of wine, “No it’s true, Vi is freakishly good at darts.” He beams at me with pride, before shifting his eyes across from me. “The only person I think who might give her a run for her money is you, Riorson.” I feel my cheeks heat, though I’m not sure why.
Xaden’s dark eyes are on me, a mischievous gleam in them. “Time and place, Violence. I’d be happy to prove your statement wrong.”
“In your dreams, Dr. Riorson. I’d wipe the floor with you.” I counter, jutting my chin out in confidence. He smirks, that glint in his eye never wavering.
Brennan interrupts our staredown then, making my cheeks flush, “No need to size each other up here. Let’s go to Dylan’s Pub and settle it now.”
I try to protest, I try to tell everyone this is silly, but a half hour later, I find myself in a booth at the local dive bar with Xaden, Garrick, Rhiannon, and Brennan. Imogen and Naolin stayed back with the kids, Jes and Sawyer headed home, and no one knows what happened to Ridoc and Bodhi, but we know their locations are turned off, and that Bodhi told Xaden to “stop hovering” when he asked him where he’s at.
“I heard there’s a challenge happening?” a voice says as a tall figure comes up to our table.
“Liam!” I shout and leap to wrap my arms around him. He’s in scrubs, like he just got off a shift. He’s a first year medical student and Brennan said he was missing dinner for some shadowing opportunity he couldn’t pass up. We’ve met a few times and I’ve always liked him, but since I moved in with Naolin and Brennan, our friendship has blossomed.
Liam is just…decent. Good. Easy to talk to, incredibly kind. A bigger flirt than even Xaden. He’s perfect.
But not like that. For me at least.
“Violence here thinks she can beat me at darts.” Xaden says from his spot in the booth, where he’s all but manspreading in his confidence. I’ve kept my mouth shut on the trash talk. Let him stew. It is all about timing afterall…
“Well let’s see it, Vi.” Liam says, his ever present smirk on his lips. We all make our way to the back where they keep the pool table and the dart board. We decide to play Cricket, which allows us to show our accuracy better, rather than how many times we can hit a bullseye for points. Brennan writes out names on the chalkboard and my stupid, pathetic heart flips at the Violet and Xaden next to each other.
What am I, twelve?
“Ladies first,” Xaden murmurs in my ear, causing me to jump. He smirks when I look at him, which causes me to glare. I take a glance at the board, take in my mark, turn back at Xaden and pull one of his moves. I wink and throw my first dart, never taking my eyes off him. I know it hits true by how it leaves my hand, but the resounding gasps from our friends is enough. With another quick glance at the board, I follow with the next and the final dart immediately, all three landing triples in a different number.
“Shit.” Garrick says from behind Xaden. Rhiannon cheers and shakes my shoulders while Brennan watches Xaden and I.
Xaden hasn’t stopped watching me. His eyes have gone wholly dark. I flash him a sinister smile before taking the darts Liam retrieved and handing them over. “Think you have what it takes, Riorson?” I ask.
His fingers brush mine as he takes the darts from me. His eyes still locked on mine, he flashes me some teeth in a wolfish grin. “Oh I’m sure I know just how to handle you.” My cheeks flush scarlet. Seriously, this infuriating man.
Xaden sinks the same numbers I did and we have a game. A game that aggravatingly continues like that— us trading loaded comments and heat-filled looks, until we’re tied, neck and neck, twenty minutes later. I’m lining up my shot, needing to hit this final number to close it out. If I don’t, and Xaden does, I’ll lose. I’m through with the trick shots and instead square my shoulders to the board, breathe out and close my eyes to visualize the shot. I feel him before I hear him. The hair raises on the back of neck, and I feel a shiver shoot down my spine and around low into my belly. “What do I get when I win?” he asks. I can hear the flirtation in his voice.
“What do I get if I win?” I whisper. I swear I feel the ghost of his fingers on my lower back. He simply hums, as if in agreement. Of what, I can’t be sure. I let the dart fly and I…miss.
I let go too early. It flies too high, hitting a number I don’t need. Xaden doesn’t laugh, doesn’t tease. Simply takes the darts from Liam, throws three and wins the game. There’s cheers and jeers, but he doesn’t join them.
“Good game, Violence.” Xaden comes up to me and leans down to get closer to my face. “Really, you were impressive.”
“Yeah…my timing was just off I guess,” I say, and I can’t hide the sour look on my face. Xaden nods and says nothing more, going to join Garrick back at the table. When he moves out of the way, I catch Brennan’s eyeline. He looks…pleased. Like this was incredibly enjoyable for him.
I can’t help but wonder what would Xaden have wanted if I had made a wager with him. If my timing hadn’t been off.
Instead, I go back to the table and join my friends.