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Chapter 87
~Spring’s POV~
By an hour past noon, I was dressed and pacing the living room like a caged cat.
I wasn’t nervous. No, not at all.
Not like I would say it out loud, but... who the hell was I kidding? When I suggested it, I didn’t think it would wear on my nerves like it is now. I just wanted to...
Urgh! I thought this was going to be just like any other outing, but this... this was a whole lot worse.
Except maybe a little. It wasn’t every day you went on a date with four compelling, absurdly attractive guys who were low-key competing for your attention.
And who also kind of kissed you? Two of them anyway.
I had chosen a soft sundress with light floral patterns that Rhys had picked for during our shoppin,g and pulled my hair into a loose twist behind my head.
It was both simple, soft and neutral. Hopefully not screaming "I picked a favourite!"
They all waited outside like princes cursed with too much testosterone. The mont I stepped out the door, they turned in unison.
Storm, in a fitted black shirt that made him look even taller. Jace in a laid-back white button-down, sleeves rolled up, and mischief in his eyes.
Kael wore a navy jacket over a plain tee, looking like he’d walked out of a photo shoot.
Tyrion had gone classic with grey slacks and a wine-colored shirt, unbuttoned just enough to remind everyone he was far too confident.
Did they all go shopping in the short ti it took to dress?
I paused. "You all look... coordinated."
Jace grinned. "We texted. Had a group chat."
"You what?"
"Relax," Kael said, walking up and offering his arm like a gentleman. "We thought you might combust if we showed up in tuxedos. So while you took your ti picking out an outfit..."
"I was barely gone fifteen minutes."
"You sure?" I turned around to see Kaius standing by the door with a cup of lemonade; the scent wafted into my nostrils. "You were there for thirty."
I... I was gone that long? In my head, it was what... ten? I literally added the extra five just for the sake of it.
I sighed and rolled my eyes, but took his arm anyway. "So, where are we going?"
Storm gave a rare, easy smile. "You’ll see."
********
Turns out, "see" ant a surprise brunch by the lake just outside the city.
Sohow, they’d gotten a private area roped off—complete with a long table dressed in fresh white linens and trays of exotic fruit, warm pastries, freshly squeezed juice, and smoked at.
A soft breeze blew through the trees, carrying the scent of lavender and sun-ward grass.
"Did you guys rent this entire place?" I asked, stunned.
Jace winked. "Wouldn’t be the first ti."
Tyrion pulled out my chair for , as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Make yourself comfortable. You deserve the peace."
It should’ve been awkward, but it wasn’t. Sohow, it felt like a weird kind of family reunion—if your relatives were all alarmingly hot and maybe lowkey fighting for your affection.
Then yes.
I exhaled and sat comfortably.
It didn’t take long for all of us to start eating. We joked. Storm buttered my croissant when I wasn’t paying attention. Kael poured juice and scolded for not drinking enough, claiming I needed to put on so weight and add more curves.
Of course, Tyrion scolded him for complaining and stating he loved like that.
It almost beca a big topic of discussion, but I shoved it aside while Jace fed a strawberry like it was totally normal. Tyrion kept brushing his fingers over my wrist like he was reading my pulse for answers I didn’t even know I had.
It was easy.
Too easy.
"So," Jace said at one point, lounging back on the picnic blanket after we left the table for the grass, "do you normally make n take quizzes to win a date with you?"
"Only when they bring armies of roses to my house and almost give my brothers an aneurysm."
Kael chuckled, lying beside with his arms behind his head. "Your brothers were oddly calm, considering."
"That’s calm?" I asked. "Well, maybe... I was waiting for them to pull out a shotgun or a holy water kit."
Kael laughed. "I honestly expected Kaius to co out with a list of conditions and a silver dagger. You know—older brother energy."
"He nearly did," I muttered. "They all practically held interviews for you guys at ho."
Tyrion smirked. "Rhys is the calm one. But even he stared at like he was calculating how many bones he’d need to break to make a statent."
Storm leaned back against the trunk of a tree, arms crossed casually, but there was an edge to his gaze when he said, "Eryx didn’t like when we first t."
"You have?" Jace questioned.
"Yeah, in the shopping mall close to my brother’s. He thought I was going to kiss Spring."
"Were you?" Tyrion asked instantly, and Storm shrugged.
"Yeah, definitely."
"He was jealous," Tyrion said with a soft hum.
"Definitely jealous," Kael agreed.
Jace, sprawled next to on the blanket, grinned widely. "Nah, he was mad. Like, ’I’m gonna rearrange your face’ mad."
Storm chuckled dryly. "He cornered outside the mall the next day when he saw . Asked what my intentions were with his sister, like he was casting judgnt at a public trial."
"What did you say?" I asked curiously.
He shrugged. "Told him the truth. That I’d protect you. That I wasn’t playing gas."
My heart stuttered a little at that, but I said nothing.
"Well," Kael stretched his arms over his head, "before things get too emotional, let’s shake it up a bit. I’m thinking..." He looked at with a spark in his eyes. "Truth or dare."
"Oh no," I groaned.
"Yes," Jace countered gleefully.
"Seconded," Tyrion said, already sitting up straighter.
Storm gave a look. "You in?"
I sighed, dramatically falling back onto the blanket and throwing an arm over my eyes. "I already regret saying yes to this date."
Kael grinned. "That’s not a no."
And just like that, the air beca less intense, more playful but still dangerously charged.
"It’s only fair, Spring. We need to... bond," Kael stated as his eyes glead. I could already see the mischief in them.
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