Chapter Text
Feyre hiked the bag back onto her shoulder as it slips for the umpteenth time. The walk to her dad’s office was only ten minutes but when she had to keep readjusting her bag every half a minute, it somehow seemed infinitely longer.
She and her two sisters, Nesta and Elain, went different days of the week to spend their lunch break with their dad. They only lived about 20 minutes away, so in theory it was possible for them to live at home while attending Prythian University. But like many young students, they all wanted some independence, so one by one, the three sisters moved into the University’s dorms. To remind their father that they won’t forget about him, they visit him during the week and often on weekends.
She walked through the entrance of Ashwood Arts Building and made her way to the reception desk. “Hello Miss Archeron,” the receptionist said, “Here to see your father?”
“As per usual, Isaac.” Feyre grinned. Isaac Hale was a couple years older than her, but didn’t want to go to university like most people his age. Instead he got a job as a mail sorter at Ashwood, and climbed his way up to being the receptionist. He was an old childhood friend of Feyre’s, so she thinks her dad had something to do with the quick promotion.
He knew all three girls, and he had learnt their pattern pretty quickly. Nesta had been coming every Monday for three years, Elain every Wednesday for two years and Feyre had been coming every Thursday for nearly a year now. Isaac often joked that he was waiting for the fourth sister to start coming in on Tuesdays.
He handed Feyre her visitor’s lanyard that stated who she was and why she was there, and she slipped it over her head. Feyre walked over to the lift and pushed the button for the 24th floor. Just before the doors closed a blond figure dashed through the small gap.
“Tamlin!?” Feyre said incredulously. “What are you doing here?”
“I knew that if I could get you while you were in the lift, I could get you alone for a while.” He replied, stating it as if it were obvious.
Feyre was still looking at him in confusion and shock, “But why? Did you follow me?”
“Yes, and so we could talk properly about us getting back together!” He said triumphantly, taking a step towards her. Feyre countered him, taking a step back so she was pressed against the railings on the wall.
“We’ve already talked about this Tamlin.” She sighed, worn out by his constant advances.
“Yeah, but I thought you might have changed your mind!” he said eagerly, taking another step towards her. The lift stopped and Feyre glanced at the floor number: 9. She took a step away from Tamlin, sliding into the corner, and got a glimpse of dark hair before Tamlin filled up her view again.
“Tamlin, I haven’t changed my mind the last 12 times you’ve asked me, I’m not going to change my mind this time.” Tamlin’s face darkened, and he took a step closer again. Feyre was completely trapped and she was starting to feel panicked. She was aware of the lift stopping again but she didn’t know what floor.
Tamlin spoke in a low, furious voice “Why not? I was a perfect boyfriend, you were the one who couldn’t do as you were told and were always making me angr-”
“Feyre?” A male voice said from behind Tamlin. Tamlin froze and spun round, seeing who had interrupted him. The dark haired male grinned, “I thought it was you! Have you done anything for our English project yet?” He came and stood in the gap that Tamlin had made, and now she was cornered on both sides. But he leaned against the metal wall, creating a gap between him and Tamlin that allowed Feyre to feel like she could breathe again.
Tamlin swung round to Feyre again and growled “Who is this?”
Feyre looked into the attractive male’s violet eyes and said “This is Rhysand.”
“Who?” Tamlin repeated.
“He’s in my English class, we’re doing a project together.” Feyre said, picking up Rhysand’s bluff, never taking her eyes off of his. The lift pinged at level 24, and the doors slid open.
Rhysand pushed off the wall and stood by the doors and asked, “Care to discuss said project as I walk you to your father’s office?”
Feyre ducked around Tamlin, but he grabbed her arm before she could reach the exit. “We aren’t done here!” he hissed. Feyre pulled her arm out of his grip and hurried over the threshold. Rhysand followed her out and waved to the fuming Tamlin as the doors closed.
Rhysand turned to Feyre, and noticed that she was rubbing her arm where Tamlin had grabbed her. “Are you okay?” She had been looking at the door but her attention snapped to the concerned man in front of her.
“I-yes, sorry, I just- I wasn’t expecting to see him.” She looked down the hallway to her father’s office, and then back to Rhysand. “Thank you for that, Rhysand-”
“Please, call me Rhys.”
Feyre smiled, “Thank you, Rhys.”
“So what’s with you and blondie?” Rhysand questioned, his eyes curious.
Feyre just shook her head. The story was too long to explain and she didn’t really want to share anyway. “It doesn’t matter, it’s in the past so…” She said, drifting off. She looked down the hallway again, “I- I don’t want to seem rude but-”
“You’re meant to meet your dad for lunch?” He cut in.
“You have a thing with interrupting people don’t you?” She said with a grin.
He smirked in response, “Only when it concerns someone beautiful.” Feyre’s mouth dropped open a little at his forwardness, but before she could say anything, Rhysand continued “Which is all the time, I mean, have you seen me?”
Feyre opened and closed her mouth for a couple seconds before bursting into laughter. Rhysand just grinned the whole time. Feeling somewhat foolish that she had fallen for that, she shook her head and left, but she was grinning as she walked away, Rhysand calling out to her that he would see her tomorrow.