Chapter 6 A Platonic Relationship

Talia answered, "I'm his wife." Astonished, the two men before her began to openly appraise her from head to toe. "You're—" "Talia Ainsworth. That's T-A-L-I-A." The men froze. Talia simply asked with a smile, "Is there a rule against bringing spouses to this school reunion?" "Well, no…" "Great. I'll show myself in then." Talia brushed past the men into the dry bar with her purse in hand. She had to admit that the reunion had a great turnout. Lucien was unmistakably the center of attention, constantly surrounded by a crowd and exchanging pleasantries with everyone. Talia had no interest in such niceties, so she staked a booth and sat down. The dry bar was surprisingly rowdy. Lucien must have felt warm at some point, for he shrugged off his jacket and draped it over his arm. But someone quickly reached for the jacket and offered, "I'll hold it for you." Lucien drew his arm back, smoothly avoiding the other person's outstretched hand. "It's fine. I can manage on my own." Thalia chuckled and said softly, "Look at all these people. I doubt they'd let you off the hook until you're passed out drunk. I'll hold on to your jacket while you handle the crowd." Lucien hesitated for a moment but didn't turn Thalia down again. She took the jacket off his arm, and true to her word, held onto it. She didn't look like she planned to set it down somewhere, either. Suddenly, she tugged on Lucien's sleeve, indicating for him to lower his head. He did as he was told, lowering himself slightly until the height difference between them vanished, and leaned his ear close to her lips. Thalia whispered something in his ear. Lucien's eyes flickered, and he smiled as he gave her a nod. "Hey, what are you two whispering about?" Forthcoming as ever, Thalia declared, "Just so we're clear, I've got Lucien's back, so go easy on him. That means no getting him drunk, got it?" Someone jested, "My, my, are you worried we'd hurt your little baby Lucien, Lia?" A mild blush crept over Thalia's cheeks. "As if! I'm not worried about him at all." Lucien's brows furrowed. "Hey, no horsing around, okay? Thalia's already married—and pregnant, for that matter." Everyone seemed intimidated by Lucien, for his words straightened them out and stopped them from cracking jokes. The man beside Lucien even spoke up. "Yeah, back off, guys. Just because you've had drinks doesn't mean you get to make up nonsense. Lucien and Lia's friendship is rock-solid!" "That's right! They could check into a hotel room right now for no reason other than to play poker! Damn, some of you really like to stir up non-existent drama." While the others were speaking, Thalia subtly handed Lucien a decanter full of clear liquid. Anyone might have thought it was some kind of clear, hard liquor, but Talia knew better. From where she sat across the room, she'd seen Thalia empty the liquor from the decanter while everyone was talking earlier and replace it with drinking water. As if acting on sheer rapport alone, Lucien took the decanter from Thalia and poured a full glass of water for himself. "Cheers to us." "Cheers to our high school days!" "Cheers to our youth!" School reunions were all about old friends gathering to reminisce on the good old days and silly, funny moments from school. Toward the end of the reunion, almost everyone was swaying on their feet after downing their fair share of alcohol. Lucien was the only one still sober, even though his face was a little flushed. He loosened the top few buttons of his shirt and rolled up his sleeves. The navy sleeve garter gleamed on his bicep as his slender fingers reached to adjust his gold-framed glasses, his movements fluid and suave. It made him look all the more elegant and dapper. However, he suddenly frowned as he searched his surroundings, only for his gaze to fall on a man nearby. He approached the man and kicked him without warning. "Snuff out that cigarette right now. Thalia's pregnant." The man eyed Lucien blearily for a moment before snapping out of his daze. He let out an embarrassed laugh, then quickly snuffed out his cigarette and tossed it in the trash. "Sorry, Lucien. I forgot about that." Lucien glared at him. "Try to remember next time." "Yes, of course," the man replied, nodding and smiling in deference to Lucien. "Never seen Lucien like this, huh?" Someone else suddenly joined Talia at her booth and claimed the seat across from her. She wasn't sure when he'd appeared or how long he'd been sitting there. Nonetheless, she appraised him and reckoned he was around Lucien's age. He must have come for the reunion. However, he sported slightly long hair and wore black-framed glasses, looking studious. He also boasted a rather affable face. He didn't look like he had much of a temper at all. "And you are?" Talia asked. "Last name's Jorden," he replied. Talia put two and two together. He seemed like a well-mannered, gentle type. Could he be the same person those two men at the bar's entrance had mentioned? "Is your first name Jimmy, by any chance?" Jimmy Jorden looked down and chuckled. "You've heard of me?" "I overheard a couple of your friends mention your name in passing just now," Talia said. "Why aren't you drinking with the rest of them?" He waved his hand flippantly. "Lucien's there." "Is that a problem for you?" Jimmy sighed, an exasperated laugh escaping him. "Thalia had a crush on me back in high school." The realization dawned on Talia then. When Brenda said Thalia had a crush on one of Lucien's friends back in high school, she'd meant Jimmy. "You're Lucien's wife, right?" Jimmy asked. "Yes." "Well, he's very lucky to have married someone as pretty and graceful as you." Talia quirked her lips but said nothing. Jimmy continued, "Lucien's changed a lot for the better. He was quite the impressive character back in school. All the guys treated him like a king." "Really?" Talia drawled. "Maybe it's because the ladies had a thing for men who knew how to use their fists. They were crazy about him—that much I can tell you." Jimmy paused, then added, "All except Thalia." Talia pointed out helpfully, "Because Thalia had a crush on you." "Did she now?" Jimmy snorted self-deprecatingly, and his next words were loaded with implication. "Sure didn't seem like it." "What makes you say that?" Jimmy seemed a little tipsy as he raised the glass of wine before him and stared at the clear liquid swirling in it. "Do you believe that a platonic relationship between a man and a woman is possible?"