"WHAT time will Lauren get here?" Astrid asked as he packed the food into heat-preserving containers. Heād put them all in his space ring later to bring them over to Caseyās place.
Today was the day he would go see Casey and finally tell him about his relationship with Wulfric. Thomas and Nicol would be there too. Heād originally planned to go alone, but when Reas came back from the military academy last night and found out, heād asked if he and Lauren could come along.
Astrid agreed right away. Heād actually been planning to ask Reas if Lauren was free today anyway. His original plan was to talk to them after he got back from visiting Casey, over dinner, and tell them both about Wulfric then. With Lauren coming along now, it meant he only had to break the news once.
"Heās close," Reas said. "Probably about ten more minutes."
As Astrid started loading the containers into his space ring, he glanced over at his brother. "Are you sure youāre ready to tell Lauren about our complicated family?"
If Lauren came with them to Caseyās house, he would inevitably find out about their connection to the Grimaldis. And he would definitely have questions. If Reas was a good boyfriend, he would have to tell Lauren everything. It wasnāt that Astrid worried Lauren would go around spreading the information. It was more that once Lauren knew, he would be tied to their mess, and Astrid wasnāt sure that was something Reas had fully thought through.
Unlike Wulfric, who was equipped to handle the Lancasters if things went south, Lauren was just an ordinary citizen. If things blew up, he could easily get caught in the crossfire.
Reas looked at Astrid from where he sat. He understood what his brother was getting at. Heād already thought about it before making this decision. He knew how risky it could be, but he also felt like keeping such a big part of himself from Lauren would make their relationship feel hollow. So even with the possible dangers, heād still chosen to go through with this.
Of course, he wasnāt going to let anything happen to Lauren. If it came down to it, heād ask the Grimaldis for help. Heād even swallow his pride and go to the general if he had to.
"Iām not sure if Iām ready," Reas said in a quiet but firm voice. "But I know Iām going to tell him anyway."
Astrid smiled. "Then I support your decision."
~~~
Just as Reas had said, Lauren arrived at Astridās apartment ten minutes later. He parked his car on the rooftop, following the permission Astrid had arranged. At first he wondered how Astrid managed that, since visitors werenāt allowed to park there. But then he remembered who owned the building, and it all made sense.
Riding the elevator down to Astridās floor, Lauren tugged his cap lower over his face. He knew the residents here valued their privacy, so they probably wouldnāt pay him much attention even if they saw him. But he still wanted to be careful. The last thing he needed was for someone to start a rumor that he was visiting Astridās apartment, which would definitely lead to dating speculation. Not that he cared, and he was sure Astrid and Reas wouldnāt either. But he wasnāt so sure a certain prince would feel the same way.
Standing in front of Astridās apartment, he pressed the doorbell. The door opened quickly, and when he saw who was on the other side, a smile immediately spread across his face.
"Hey," he said, smiling warmly at Reas.
Instead of greeting him, Reas reached out and pulled him inside. The door clicked shut behind them, and before Lauren could say anything, Reas wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug. Lauren froze for a second, surprised by the sudden action, but he quickly melted into the embrace and hugged him back.
"I missed you, baby," Reas murmured against Laurenās neck.
Lauren let out a soft laugh, even as warmth spread across his cheeks. No matter how many times Reas called him baby, it still made his stomach flip. "Me too," he said quietly.
Reas pulled back just enough to look at Lauren, his hands still resting on his waist. He tilted his head slightly, and Lauren knew exactly what he was thinking. So he leaned in and waited for the kiss. Reas let out a quiet chuckle at how eager he looked, and was just about to close the gap between them when someone cleared his throat behind them.
At the sound, Lauren jerked back, or tried to, but Reas held him in place. Lauren shot him a glare, and Reas just raised an eyebrow in return. Lauren shook his head and peered over Reasās shoulder to find Astrid watching them with an amused look on his face.
"Iām happy for you two, really," Astrid said, a teasing smile on his face. "But maybe keep the public display of affection to a minimum while Iām still in the room."
Despite himself, Lauren felt his face heat up even more. He finally managed to slip out of Reasās hold and quickly walked over to where Astrid stood, putting some distance between himself and his boyfriend before Reas could pull him back again.
He gave Astrid a quick hug. "Itās been a while. I miss you, Aster. And congratulations on the movie, by the way. Iām sure itāll be part of the weekly box office rankings."
Astrid smiled. "Thank you. I really hope it does."
Lauren was confident it would, judging by how well the movie had been doing since its release five days ago.
"By the way, where are we going today?" he asked. "Reas didnāt tell me when he invited me today. He just said the three of us will go somewhere."
Astrid looked at Reas, his expression clearly asking, āYou didnāt tell him?ā Reas just shrugged in response.
"Weāre going to our uncleās house," Reas said simply.
Lauren blinked, unsure if heād heard correctly. But one look at Reasās face told him he had. "Your what?"