Mind Games

Chapter Sixteen: Honourable Intentions

To say that Lucca's absence by his side dulled his evening would have been an understatement, though by no means a stretch from the truth. Everybody that had so far had the pleasure of meeting his friendly acquaintance this evening knew it, even if they weren't so freely willing to admit it.

Bill Hastings being at the top of the proverbial list.

She'd done a good job of damaging both his pride and his ego, to the point where Kanas had felt inclined to apologise on her behalf the moment that she had stepped out of earshot. If Hastings could tell that his heart wasn't in the apology he didn't comment.

As soon as Lucca had left his side, his eyes tracked her around the room. Whether that be because of some unconscious trait left over from his time in the prison or because some part of him was attracted to her every movement he didn't know, nor was he particularly concerned with finding out.

He liked watching her. Observing her in this elitist environment. Observing the way she looked very comfortable and at ease, as though this was where she belonged just as much as the crowded school hallways. Or sitting across from him in his office. Or his dining room... His bedroom.

He erased the thought immediately.

Focused instead on the way that she had been smiling politely. Engaging in conversation and arguments, all the while watching her surroundings with an attentive gaze. Perhaps too attentive.

Over cautious, maybe.

Kanas watched as she came to settle at the bar. Watched as she was approached by a man who looked slightly out of place among the crowd. For a moment it appeared as though Lucca was paying him little mind, until she turned her head to look at him, and the two started up a conversation that told Kanas that they knew each other well.

Kanas frowned, could feel his blood beginning to boil. Questions began filtering through his head at too fast a rate, with enough curses thrown in to make a nun blush.

He watched their interaction closely, barely paying attention to the monotonous conversation regarding the political views of some social talking point he'd forgotten about, his eyes tracking Lucca as the man straightened from where he had been leaning against the bar and held out his hand.

It felt almost shameful to admit that he so desperately wanted Lucca to decline the man's obvious offer to dance. She'd come here with him, after all. She was his date. His plus one.

Which went a long way to fuel his anger and disappointment when Lucca accepted the invitation gracefully, accompanying the man onto the dance floor. They slipped into an easy dance, a slow four-step beat that was easy to follow and allowed the two to continue their conversation with little distraction. Kanas watched their body language with a clenched jaw, wondering what conversation between two people who already knew each other could carry out this long, at a function like this.

They were talking like good friends.

And there was a familiarity to the way they held each other. A gracefulness that came with the knowledge of how the other moved. There was a closeness to their bodies that suggested friendship, a distance that took away the possibility of lovers.

Their conversation appeared private. Something that was between the two of them, and the two of them alone. He wondered if it was personal, how personal it could be. Then the man said something that Lucca must disagree with, her shoulders tensing, her steps rigid as she faltered a step or two in the dance. The movement was subtle, so much so that Kanas wasn't entirely sure he hadn't imagined it.

Her discomfort served to move him forward. To galvanise him into action before stopping. Would she interpret his appearance at her side as a rescue or as interference? Would he be considered her saviour, or the imbecile idiotic enough to disturb them?