Corin’s palm met the back of Ilyas’ arm before he had even processed his ill-mannered behavior.
“My apologies,” Corin started, a small smile playing on the edge of his lips as he readjusted his coat. “I do believe I have often read of lying being a sin, Mr. Keats. As well as vanity. You might wish to watch the tongue you bolster yourself with.” Corin jested. “Besides, if any among us holds allure, I do believe Lord Davis’ etched face takes the win. If a lady is at all dissuaded by his charm, I am sure you hold no such luck, dear Ilyas,” Corin’s eyes met Harrison’s again. This time, his gaze appeared slightly different. There was a darkness to them.
Alluring for sure.
A strange glance seemed to pass between Harrison and Ilyas as Corin’s subtle retort was unsuccessful in clearing the air.
“Letters? You received letters?” Harrison half laughed, but the displeasure in his face was hardly impossible to miss.
Corin took in a breath, his eyes shifting from Ilyas to Harrison.
Tensions brewed like a fast-paced thunderstorm, rolling dark clouds over their once joyous and friendly discussion. Awkward pauses punctuated each sentence, and the air seemed to thicken with unspoken words. Harrison’s body language spoke volumes, with slightly clenched fists, a shifted stance, and piercing eyes betraying his discomfort.
‘I have seemingly stumbled upon the perfect combination of words…as always…to ruin a good moment.’ Corin thought to himself, hesitantly looking between the men.
Every word uttered felt like a verbal minefield, with the potential to explode into conflict. Harrison seemed to choose his words carefully, tiptoeing around the core issue, his sentences loaded with hidden meanings and undertones. It was a conversation marked by what was left unsaid, the elephant in the room that no one dared to acknowledge. And Corin, for one, would not be the person to acknowledge it first.
The discomfort lingered long after the words had faded, but Harrison’s shift in conversation seemed to slightly alleviate the stressful mood.
“I’m sure you know he does love the art of the bedding. he’s quite good in that and he brags about it all the time. Was he bedding any ladies when you guys were together? Do tell how did you guys met” Harrison inquired, glancing back at Corin.
Corin cleared his throat, shifting back into a more comfortable and open facial expression from his shocked and slightly uncomfortable position before.
“Funny you were to mention it. Ilyas took on many…extracurriculars during our time in academy.” Corin smirked, eyeing Ilyas. Although many of the jokes toward bonding between Harrison and Corin had lent themselves to Ilyas’ expense, Ilyas seemed far from upset. In fact, he seemed quite overjoyed that Harrison and Corin were able to flow into conversation so readily.
Corin looked back at Harrison, a smile spreading across his face.
“Our fated meeting was on the first night of our newest year. He had arrived at the common room to our dorm, drunk, and covered in various shades of red lip markings imprinted on his neck. And, attempting, in vain, to stumble up the stairs to our beds.” Corin gave the story pause, laughing slightly as he took a swig from his flask.
“He was so in his cups (drunk) that I had to carry him up the stairs and wipe the prints off of his neck myself. At least…the ones that would wipe away.” Corin’s voice swelled with nostalgic joy as he was reminded of his first encounter with Ilyas. They were boys back then. It seemed so far away.
“It was not until the next afternoon…” Corin emphasized, implying Ilyas had not awoken until late the next day. “That he even told me his name.” Corin laughed again, glancing toward Ilyas.
It was the first true laugh he had let spill from his lips in three years.
Harrison responded to Corin’s previous question, his grievances with a lady seemingly still plastered on his face as he spoke of her.
“The eldest daughter of the Ellis family, she’s quite multiface no? A heart filled with rock, I can see why my mother does not like such a family.” Harrison spoke with such distain, it made Corin wonder what a lady might do to deserve such a description.
Being new to the ways of English court and social intricacies, Corin knew little of feuds that plagued the families of the ton. In fact, he had no such interest in learning of them, however, he had never heard of a woman spoken of so poorly. Perhaps she was rather deserving of the discussion surrounding her.
Corin had heard little of Miss Aurelia Ellis outside of the fact that she had been in an accident and that his cousin was quite taken with her. Orpheus had often written to Corin during the courting season of the previous year, describing her ethereal appearance, her candor in conversation, and often of the dates they had spent in each others company. Outside of those wildly romanticized letterings, Corin had yet to even meet the girl everyone seemed to speak so often of. It seemed with each conversation he held, differing opinions and rumors of her life took root in his mind.
His curiosity was peaked.
Even still, Corin remained silent, not wanting to speak an out of turn word that might cause further tension between the other two men. Instead, Corin simply awaited Ilyas’ reply, hoping the conversation ended as civilly as it had begun.
mentioned :
Harrison (@Kristi)
Ilyas (@Madilfill)
Aurelia (@benitz786)
Orpheus