A / N

Nothing else needs to be said except to see the title below. Happy reading!

x Noelle

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2 3

the one about Prometheus

CAFFEINATED, DURING THE rush hour, was chaotic as all other diners usually were. But if you got up early enough, there was a particularly peaceful time you could catch.

"Your usual, Darce?"

I grinned at Carson, who'd been surprised to see me at his diner this early. "I haven't really decided—" I trailed off as the door swung open. A sharp chill blew in, but I barely noticed and smiled at the person who'd just stepped in. "On second thought, I'll have my usual. Serve it together with whatever he's having, please."

Carson laughed. "Darcy Evers in love. Never thought I'd see the day."

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"No, just that no one in this town ever seemed to interest you."

He wasn't wrong. It wasn't that the guys here in Caverly weren't interesting. It was just that the only guy I was ever interested in had left Caverly years ago. And now that he'd returned, I found I could no longer keep my eyes off him the way I couldn't ever keep him out of my mind.

Carson exchanged a clap on the back with Miles and handed him a menu. "Whatever you want. It's on the house."

"What?" I yelped. "Then why do I have to pay?"

"When you stop coming here on a weekly basis to order cakes for everyone in your department, then you can eat for free."

I scowled. So what if I liked treating my employees to dessert whenever they did a good job? And whenever a customer left us a great review? And whenever it was a Friday afternoon... Damn it. Maybe Brielle was right—I did spoil my employees.

Miles shot a glance at me. "I'll have whatever she's having. And let me have the bill."

I didn't think it were possible for Carson to look any more smug, and I was half-tempted to throw a menu at him. "Coming right up," he said, as he gathered our menus and swept away.

As soon as he was out of earshot, I turned to Miles. "Hi," I said, with a bright smile, before I winced. Honestly, I didn't even sound this breathy back when I was nineteen. Was it possible that I liked him even more than I did back then?

"Hey."

He draped his jacket over the back of the chair, and I tried to study him without being too obvious about it. He seemed well enough—his bruises had faded and his split lip had healed. It'd be a shame if it weren't, because he had the most delicious mouth that was made just for kissing, among other things...

Miles cleared his throat and my eyes flew to his. Shit. And I'd thought I'd managed to be subtle. He arched an eyebrow at me.

"So how're you feeling?" I asked, keeping my voice as casual as I could. As if I hadn't just imagined biting down on his gorgeous as hell mouth.

"I'm fine," he said, "It's nothing I've not been in before."

My smile faded. "Actually, that's one of the reasons I asked you to breakfast. I mean, apart from the face that you haven't lived until you've tried Caffeinated's signature breakfast platter."

He quirked a wry smile, but didn't speak as the waiter set down a coffee pot for us. Once the waiter left, he poured out two generous helpings into our mugs and reached for one. "I'll take your word for it," he said. "So what is it?"

I offered him a deprecating smile and sighed. "First, my parents would like to invite you to have dinner with us this weekend. Something about a thank you for, and I quote, 'saving Ean's life' in that fight. He got grounded for two weeks. You, on the other hand, get a free dinner. Of course, it's totally okay if you have more important things to go to, or if you don't want to—"

"It's fine," he cut in. "I'll be there."

"Really?" A smile leapt across my face. "Okay, I'll let them know. I—they'll be glad to have you."

He nodded. "And the other reason?"

I let out a slow breath. The conversation we'd had that night had stayed with me for days. But it wasn't until I saw another pledging by the same frat at the beach that it'd finally dawned on me how bad things were. Several pledges being forced to chug down beer while a crowd jeered them on. It was like Miles's pledging into Corvus all over again. Only this time, it was for a new frat called Prometheus.

Then and now, it was all the same.

"Actually, I want to apologize for what I said that day. About not being able to save everyone from being bullied, I mean," I added, when he frowned in confusion. "It's just...hard for me, I guess. I'm not m able to see Caverly the way you do. When you've lived and loved a place all your life, it's hard to see it as anything else."

Miles nodded, but held his silence as he drank his coffee. I was grateful for that, because it gave me time to gather my thoughts.

"I've realized that there's a part of me I've lost while growing up," I continued, my voice quiet. "Younger-Darcy would never have allowed something like this to happen. She would've stuck up for that bullied kid no matter what. And I think that's the Darcy you liked all those years ago."

My heart constricted even as I said those words. If that's the Darcy he liked then, does that mean I'm no longer the Darcy he likes anymore? It was a doubt that lingered in my mind, but I shoved it aside and forced myself to go on.

"I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to belittle yours or anyone else's experiences of being bullied. It's just so easy pretend that bullying hasn't happened in this town—even though I see it often enough, like with Liam Tulden and his friends; or that new frat called Prometheus. But I won't stand and watch anymore—especially with the hazing. Just because it happens often enough doesn't make it right. And to show you how sincere I am, I've come up with a plan."

His eyes widened. He opened his mouth to respond, but we were interrupted by a waitress who set our food down. As soon as she left, he picked up his fork and looked at me. "So what's the plan?"

I smiled and swallowed the bite of toast I'd taken. "Okay, let me ask you something. When someone picks on you in school, who's the first person you turn to for help? A friend?"

"Friend, then teacher."

"And if neither work, then you go to your parents. Which often has an adverse effect because the bullies will pick on you even more. So if that still doesn't work then you go even higher—to the level head, then the principal. Or even the president or dean of a college, like your dad."

"That's correct," Miles said slowly, but I could tell that he still didn't see what I was getting at.

I leaned forward and lowered my voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "What's the one thing that's higher than the principal? The one thing that could make or break a school as prestigious as Riverton?"

His blue eyes sharpened. "Public opinion."

"That's right," I said, my smile widening. "Public opinion could make a top-tier school hit rock bottom. We won't even have to create a scandal at Riverton; it's already there—hidden behind the closed doors of certain frat houses. All we need to do is to show it to everyone at the most public event possible. And what's the Riverton event that's just around the corner?"

His gaze narrowed and he stared at me for a long moment. Then he eased back in his chair and raised his mug. "Ms Evers, congratulations on a diabolical, but fucking brilliant, plan."

"Well," I smiled and reached forward to clink my mug with his. "I learnt from the best."

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When I'd broken up with Miles, never had I imagined that, years down the road, I'd be right where we started. It was difficult to shake the feeling of familiarity when he pulled into the driveway of my apartment building. He'd offered to drive both me and my brother over, and had seemed amused when I'd told him that Ean was grounded at my parents' anyway.

"It's fine," he'd added, when he'd called two hours earlier. He didn't seemed fazed when I told him that driving to Bayside to pick me up would be inconvenient. "I'm coming in from the city so it's on the way."

It wasn't. Bayside was tucked in a corner of Caverly and known as one of the most inaccessible neighborhoods. But he'd been serious about his offer, so I'd bit back a stupidly wide smile and said yes.

He'd told me to be ready by six-thirty, which, given my knack for being late, meant that I was ready by seven. I smiled brightly when he arrived, thanked him for the ride, and climbed in. The first thing I noticed was that the car lacked the comfort and scent I'd long come to associate with him. The leather was worn, the dashboard a little scratched, and he didn't reach over to turn on the radio like I expected he would.

"Rented car?" I asked.

He nodded. "I never intended to stay for long anyway."

My chest tightened at his words. I'd gotten so used to his presence in my life that I'd forgotten he had other plans. He'd returned with the goal of taking over Caverly and it was likely that he'd leave once the job was done. Question was, how far was I willing to go to convince him to stay? Years down the road, and I was faced with the very question that had changed the course of our relationship to begin with.

Fortunately, Miles's next words broke me out of my thoughts. "This place is...different," he said, as he started the car again. "Not quite what I expected."

"Bayside?" I asked, and he nodded. "Yeah, well, it's my haven in the chaos that is Caverly. I stayed for awhile at Blue Haven during my first two years at Linville. But before final year, I realized it was anything but a haven. Too many parties, obnoxious neighbors, loud music at four in the freaking morning."

"It's like college all over again."

"Exactly! So I left Ean my apartment and moved here. Bayside is everything people our age don't usually like. Great view but inaccessible, farther away from the city and the other neighborhoods, with plenty of retired people who just want a bit of peace. I love it. It's...almost a home."

"Almost?"

"It'll be a home when the people I love are with me." Through the rearview mirror, I met his gaze for a second. I looked away and studied the dashboard instead. "I moved out to get away from the chaos but... It gets pretty lonely, sometimes."

"I know."

When I turned to him, his eyes were fixed on the road ahead. A bout of silence descended between us. Not wanting to make things awkward, I cleared my throat and changed the subject. We kept an easy conversation going on the ride over, as I told him about the list of things I'd forbidden my family to speak or do over dinner.

"No talk about your family, of course," I said, as I ticked off one finger. "Ean isn't allowed to hog all your time with video games—only twenty minutes before dinner. Mom won't gush over you the way she does over every leading man in the novels she reads. And Dad won't reveal any private information about Sereinn. I mean, you are still our rival."

"Fair enough."

Miles didn't seem to take any offence to that, and I figured that covered the list of topics that were strictly off-limits. I was wrong. When we arrived, Dad and Ean greeted us at the door. My brother had two game controllers in hand, one of which he handed to Miles.

Dad thanked Miles for the dessert that he'd brought and ushered us in. "Oh, and Darce," he called over his shoulder. "Make sure not to watch the documentary channel. It's about lions mauling their prey, and we all know how that makes you cry when you're on your period."

Ean hooted in laughter and I caught Miles fighting a smirk as he followed Dad in. I sighed and hung my head. This is going to be a long night.