Chapter Text
Anthony Bridgerton wasn’t one for house parties.
He wasn’t one for parties in general, but house parties with his younger brother’s 20-something friends especially didn’t appeal to him. But Anthony must have been in a particularly odd-headspace when Colin invited him to that random party one night—because not only did he agree to go, but he actually showed up. And on time.
Colin’s new coworker, Kate Sharma, wasn’t on time.
She showed up two hours after Anthony did. He was already on his third beer, bored out of his mind, and in the process of texting his latest hook-up a slightly more dignified version of “you up?” when she’d first walked in.
But as her gaze momentarily passed over Anthony’s, all thoughts of leaving slipped away.
Anthony wasn’t the most observant guy, but by the end of the night, he’d made a handful of very specific observations he wouldn’t be forgetting anytime soon.
Kate Sharma scrunched up her nose when she laughed. She favored gold jewelry, wearing several rings on each hand—though her left ring finger was noticeably bare. And when she’s was annoyed, she somehow became even more breathtakingly beautiful.
Unfortunately, he learned that last tidbit the hard way—by being the one to annoy her.
He didn’t do it intentionally. At first, he was just being himself, which was probably part of the problem. As Colin was quick to remind him, he wasn’t great at first impressions. He tended to come off as an asshole, which actually helped him at work—and oddly enough, with pulling women who weren’t interested in ‘nice guys’—but hurt him in nearly every other social situation. He never cared much either way, to be honest.
But then he made some off-handed comment about a movie Kate and Colin were discussing, and somehow that set Kate off like a bomb. He could barely get a word in edge-wise—but even if he could, any thought he had to apologize quickly melted away when he marked the changes in her appearance. The slight flush on her cheeks, the quickening of her breath, the fire in her eyes.
Anthony never experienced such a befuddling attraction to a woman. It was…intriguing, to say the least.
By the end of the night, he felt very certain of only two things—one, Kate Sharma absolutely hated his guts. And two, he didn’t hate her at all.
X
“Read ‘em and weep, boys” Kate said as she fanned out her hand of cards.
Okay, maybe he hated her a little bit.
Kate glanced up at Anthony before he had a chance to wipe his stunned expression off his own face. She grinned, shooting him a little wink.
“Sorry, Ant. Kate’s full house beats your pair” Colin told him.
“No shit, sherlock” Anthony replied, not looking away from Kate.
“Better luck next time, Bridgerton” she said, reaching forward to collect her winnings.
“Is this the part where you confess to being a secret card counter?” Anthony asked her.
“I don’t need to cheat to win. I can read your face like a book” she said.
“And what exactly does my face tell you?” Anthony asked, half-fearing the answer.
Kate looked at him thoughtfully, like she was really considering how best to answer the question. Then she leaned forward, enough to give him a good view down her top if he broke eye contact with her—which he decidedly couldn’t in the moment. He was too drawn into her dark eyes and the playful curve of her lips as she answered him:
“You fucking hate to lose.”
Anthony was pretty sure he might also have some latent humiliation kink that Kate was helping him unearth… there was no other reason why her statement would leave him half-hard—and yet, there he was.
“Well. It’s been fun, boys, but I’m afraid the reigning champ needs to be on her way” she said.
“So soon? Don’t tell me you double-booked yourself tonight” Colin said.
“Alright then, I won’t” she said, bumping her shoulder against his affectionately.
The ease with which she smiled at his brother made the contents of Anthony’s stomach lurch unpleasantly.
“Wait, this isn’t date number three with Jack the barista is it?" Colin asked.
“Maybe” Kate said, getting up to collect her things.
“Wow, third date already. Guess you’re not gonna be the only lucky one tonight” Colin said.
Kate flipped him the bird—barely sparing Anthony a glance as she called “Until next time, Bridgerton” over her shoulder.
X
“What was that earlier?” Anthony asked a few hours later, once the rest of Colin’s friends went home.
“What was what earlier?” Colin asked.
“With you and Kate. Those little jabs about her date.”
“Oh, you know some girls don’t believe in putting out until the third date” Colin said.
Anthony swallowed hard at that.
“I see. And Kate’s one of those girls?” he asked.
“Hell if I know, but she did look pretty dolled up tonight, so it’s not hard to draw that conclusion” Colin said.
Kate always looked gorgeous, but even Anthony had to admit she had arrived at Colin’s looking like she was trying to impress someone.
For a few fleeting minutes, Anthony had managed to convince himself that he could have been that person—crazy as it sounded.
But no, it wasn’t for him. It was for some douche. Jack the bloody barista.
“Does it bother you?” Anthony asked after a moment.
“What? Kate dating? Why would you ask that?” Colin asked.
“I thought maybe you liked her” Anthony threw out, trying to shake off his own warring emotions.
Naturally, Colin chose that moment to take a hefty swig of beer—prompting him to cough, choke, and spit a majority of it into his kitchen sink.
“Jesus, Ant. Warn a guy next time” Colin said, coughing a few times in the process.
The rush of relief that washed over Anthony would have been embarrassing if he thought too hard about it.
“I take it from your overreaction that you don’t fancy her” he said.
“God, no. She’s like a sister to me—an older sister” Colin told him.
“She’s only a few years older than you, that’s hardly cougar-status” Anthony said.
“Maybe for you, old man” Colin told him, “Even if she wasn’t, despite my chosen profession, I’ve thankfully never been ‘hot for teacher’.”
Suddenly Anthony found himself picturing Kate in a white blouse and tight pencil skirt, glasses perched low on her nose and a ruler gripped in her hands…
He quickly shook off the image, making a mental note to file it away for later.
“Why are you asking so many questions, anyway?” Colin asked.
“Can’t I be interested in your love life?” Anthony asked.
“You’ve never once been interested in my love life.”
“People can change” Anthony said, only half convincingly.
He braced himself to get called out by Colin. There was no way his brother couldn’t see right through his obvious bullshit.
“Okay, well, in that case I did meet this girl at the club last night” Colin began, seemingly oblivious. “Her name is—”
“—Good for you, Colin” Anthony said, cutting him off with a hearty pat on the shoulder, “I hope it works out with you and….”
“Celia” Colin supplied, narrowing his eyes.
X
A few months later, Anthony offered to pick Colin up from work when his car was in the shop. He idled at the curb in front of the school, all but zoning out, when suddenly a knock on the window shook him out of his stupor.
He turned his head, expecting to see Colin. Instead, he saw Kate.
Devastatingly, she wasn’t dressed like a sexy headmistress, but rather as the sensible primary school teacher she was.
(She still nearly took his breath away).
Kate motioned with her hand for Anthony to roll down his window. He did.
“Hey” she said simply, bending down to see him more clearly.
“Hey yourself” he replied.
Poker nights at Colin’s were already a thing of the past, but that didn’t mean they were strangers. Anthony found himself accepting more and more invitations to hang out with his younger brother lately; and as Colin’s friendship with Kate grew, it meant Anthony and Kate were spending more time together too.
“Colin told me your brother Benedict got engaged, I wanted to say congrats” Kate said.
“Oh, thanks. I guess” Anthony said.
Kate narrowed her eyes at that.
“Why’d you add the ‘I guess’?” she asked.
“I don’t know, why are you congratulating me on an engagement that doesn’t involve me?” Anthony asked.
“I’m trying to be nice. Why do you clearly hate your brother’s new fiancé?” Kate asked.
Anthony could barely sputter out a response.
“I don’t hate Sophie at all” Anthony told her, “She’s an incredible woman.”
“Oooh, so that’s it then” Kate said with a grin.
“That’s what then?” Anthony asked, confused.
“You like her too much. You loooove her” Kate teased, running her hands over her body suggestively in a way Anthony would have enjoyed under any other circumstance.
“I do n—” Anthony began, almost shouting, before regulating his tone and trying again, “I do not like her in that way.”
Kate stared at him for a moment before she burst out laughing.
“Christ, Bridgerton. I’m just taking the piss. It’s incredibly easy to get you worked up, did you know that?” Kate asked.
“Maybe you just have a particular talent for it, you ever consider that?” Anthony asked, annoyed.
“Oh, don’t be pissy. I’m just having a laugh—that’s what friends do, don’t they?” Kate asked.
“So we’re friends now?” Anthony asked.
Kate shrugged, a small smile still playing on her lips.
“Hate to admit it, but I think we may be on our way” she said.
Her phone began buzzing, indicating an incoming call. Kate pulled it out, checked the name, and silenced the call.
“You need to get that?” Anthony asked
“Nah, it’s just some guy” Kate said offhandedly as she put her phone away.
Anthony felt an increasingly familiar tug in his chest. He tried to ignore it.
“So” Kate continued, “What do you say?”
“To what?” Anthony asked.
“Us becoming friends. You got any room on your roster for me?” she asked.
Anthony could count the number of friends he had on one hand—two, if he counted the ones he was related to. Not that she needed to know that.
“I might have a slot opening up” he told her.
“Good” Kate said with a genuine smile, “I’m glad.”
Anthony hated to admit it, but he was too.
X
Siena was never meant to become his girlfriend. They started out as a casual hookup from a dating app. Things were easy with them. Uncomplicated. Always satisfying.
Anthony liked her well enough. He wasn’t infatuated with her by any means, but she was charming, smart, and knew what she wanted. He liked those things about her.
So when she declared that the thing she wanted was, in fact, him, he couldn’t bring himself to deny her.
Casual hookups became casual dating, which became exclusive dating until one day, he found himself in a relationship.
It was hard to say whether him and Siena were truly compatible, but for the time being, they seemed to suit each other well enough. It wasn’t like he was looking for marriage or children.
And if Siena was…well, that would be a problem to deal with at a later time.
Tonight wasn’t that night. It would just be a regular night at the bar with his friends.
With one noticeable difference—Siena was coming with him.
It shouldn’t be that big of a deal, but Anthony felt oddly out of sorts at the idea of Siena meeting his friends—though he couldn’t put his finger on exactly why.
When they first arrived at the bar, his gaze found Kate’s from across the room almost immediately. She wore a smile on her face—one that wavered ever so slightly as her gaze moved down from his to Siena’s. But with a final pull of her beer, Kate stumbled over to them.
“Anthony, you made it!” she exclaimed, surprising Anthony by opening her arms for an out of character hug.
While the two had certainly become friends, they never hugged before.
And perhaps for good reason. As Kate went in to hug him, she drunkenly stumbled over her heels and fell into his arms, prompting Anthony to grab her and hold her much longer than a friendly hug permitted.
The divine scent of lilies that Anthony had come to associate her with hit him like a ton of bricks. Her dark curly hair brushes against his lips as he tried to help steady her.
“Oopsies” Kate said as she got ahold of herself, “Think I’m bit buzzed.”
“I think you are too” Anthony told her, trying very hard to not be utterly charmed by her. He spared a glance over to Siena, who most definitely wasn’t charmed by Kate.
“Kate, this is Siena” he said.
“His girlfriend” Siena said, reaching over to grab Anthony’s hand in hers to prove a point.
“Of course, it’s so nice to meet you” Kate said.
Siena offered a tight-lipped smile in return, but said nothing more.
“Okay, well, have fun. I’m gonna” Kate motioned vaguely behind her before disappearing back into the crowd.
Anthony turned his attention down to Siena.
“You want a drink?” he asked.
“What the fuck was that?” she asked, immediately dropping her hand from his.
“That was Kate. I’ve mentioned her before” Anthony said, pushing his way to the bar.
“You never said she looked like a fucking supermodel. Or that she clearly wants to fuck you” Siena said.
Anthony laughed, he couldn’t help it.
“She doesn’t. Trust me” Anthony said.
“Uh, no. She does. Women know these things, trust me” Siena told him.
“She’s just a friendly drunk, I promise” Anthony said.
Siena shot him a look that told him she didn’t believe him at all.
“Have you slept with her before? Honestly, it’d be better if you just told me now” Siena told him.
“Jesus, Si. It was just a hug.”
“I know you think you know everything, Anthony, but I know other women. And that hug was either her staking a claim in something she already had, or something she plans on having in the future” Siena told him.
Anthony suppressed the urge to roll his eyes in frustration. How was this night already taking such a turn for the worst? It’d had barely been five minutes.
But he knew Siena well enough by now to know she wasn’t going to drop this topic willingly. So Anthony did the only thing he could think of, he kissed the argument right off her lips.
When he pulled back, he could tell Siena was already half-way to forgiving him.
“Who Kate does or doesn’t stake her claim in is no concern to me,” Anthony continued, “The only woman I’m taking home tonight is you.”
Siena smiled up at him, pleased with his words and with herself.
Shortly after that, they left the bar. Anthony didn’t say goodbye to Kate. Nothing good would have come from that anyway.
X
“Hey, stranger” Kate greeted as she stepped into Colin’s kitchen, away from the rest of the party.
“Sharma” Anthony said, leaning against the counter. He had stepped away for a moment of peace, but he couldn’t say he minded her presence.
“It’s been a minute since you’ve been around. You good?” Kate asked.
“Yeah, just busy. You know how it goes” Anthony said, “How ‘bout you? Seeing anyone special?”
“Not really. I’m starting to think all the good ones are taken” Kate said, adding cheekily “With a few notable exceptions, of course.”
“Some of us scoundrels do manage to slip through the cracks” he replied with a smile of his own.
“The wedding looked beautiful, by the way. I saw pics on Colin’s Instagram” Kate said.
Anthony smiled at the memory of the wedding.
“It was. I’ve never seen Benedict so happy” he told her.
“You cleaned up nice in that suit” Kate said, before taking a sip of her beer.
Anthony felt strangely flushed from the complement. Or maybe it was the alcohol.
“You’ve seen me in suits before” Anthony told her.
“True, but you’re rarely smiling when you’re straight from work. Maybe it’s happiness that looks good on you” Kate said.
“Maybe” Anthony mused, taking a sip of his own drink.
“Siena looked pretty” Kate offered then.
“She always does” Anthony agreed.
“Did she come with you tonight? I haven’t seen her” Kate said.
“Uh, no. She, uh, had other plans” Anthony covered. While it was utterly obvious to everyone that Siena didn’t like hanging out with them, it felt easier to lie.
“Ah” Kate remarked, understanding him all too well.
A few quiet moments pass between them.
“So tell me, is the pressure all on you now that your younger brother is hitched?” Kate asked.
Anthony laughs sardonically.
“Just the opposite, actually” he said.
“Really?” Kate asked, “How so?”
“They’ll have kids soon enough. Our mother will have the grandchildren she longs for and I can rest easy knowing the Bridgerton name will carry on” Anthony told her.
“So you don’t want kids yourself?” she asked.
It was the first time someone brought up the idea of children to him since the horrible fight he had with his mother nearly a year ago.
“I’m not sure I’m meant to be a father” Anthony said, the words he once believed so assuredly suddenly tasting like ash on his tongue.
“Seriously? Anthony, you’re already the most fatherly not-actually-a-father I know.”
“Meaning?” Anthony asked.
“Meaning you’re stern and caring and give good advice and are fiercely protective of all your younger siblings” Kate told him.
Her words temporarily stunned Anthony. He watched Kate wince, clearly mistaking his silence for something else entirely.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to put you on the spot. I’m just saying, if you did become a dad one day, I think you’d be really great at it. That’s all.”
Before Anthony could respond, Kate left the kitchen to rejoin the rest of the party.
X
A month later, Anthony was back at Colin’s place for another ill-advised rager of a party. It didn’t take him too long to figure out that Colin had a crush on a girl that lived somewhere in his building and he was throwing these frequent parties like some modern Gatsby to draw her out.
It hadn’t worked yet, as far as Anthony could tell, but work was kicking his ass and he was going through a bit of a rough patch with Siena, so the distraction was welcome.
Eventually, he noticed they were low on beers and made his way over to Colin’s pantry.
That’s where he found Kate, looking as good as she always does, balancing on a small step stool and attempting to grab a case of beer off a high shelf.
“Need help?” he asked, announcing himself.
Kate jumped, nearly falling off the step stool before catching herself.
“Jesus, you scared me” she told him.
“I can grab that for you” Anthony tried again.
“We’re practically the same height” Kate said, turning back to her task.
“But I’m not in heels” he said.
“Precisely, which means I have several inches on you presently. I don’t need your help, Bridgerton, I’ve nearly—”
But she didn’t finish her sentence, because before she could, her heel slipped and she went crashed into the shelves—the force dislodging the case of beer and sending it over the edge.
A near-paralyzing fear gripped Anthony so acutely he barely felt his body spring into action. One second, he was watching Kate fall and the next thing he knew, he was yanking her body tightly against his chest, backing away to the opposite end of the closet just as the case of beer crashed onto the floor with a heavy thud—narrowly missing her head.
“Are you alright?” Anthony asked, his breath coming out in erratic pants, “Are you hurt?”
He felt Kate’s heart beating wildly against his hand—but it was nothing compared to the sheer agony going on inside his own chest.
“I’m—I’m fine” Kate finally got out, sounding breathless herself.
“Are you sure?” Anthony asked. He spun her around and backed her against the wall so he could take in her appearance. He swept his hands over her head and shoulders. “It didn’t hit your head? You’re sure?”
Kate looked at him with such pity in that moment that he knew at once that she knew what happened to their father. There was no other explanation for what he saw in her eyes. He never told her, of course, but Colin must have.
It had been a freak accident. Their father had too much to drink one night, causing him to stumble and hit his head on the dining room table. He said he felt fine—though perhaps he had a slight concussion. No one was too concerned, but Anthony offered to drive him to the hospital at his mother’s behest. Edmund decided to sleep it off.
He never woke up.
“Oh, Anthony” Kate whispered. She reached up her hands to cradle his face, “I’m alright. I promise. All’s well.”
Anthony nodded, relief hitting him like bullet, causing his body to sag against hers. He rested his forehead against hers, taking a few moments to calm himself down.
“I’m alright” Kate said again, stroking the side of his face in a comforting way.
Anthony opened his eyes—realizing in that moment just how close their faces were, just how easy it would be to kiss her. He also realized just how badly he wanted to kiss her.
And in that moment, it almost looked like Kate wanted him to as well.
But then her hands moved to his chest, and she gently pushed him back, putting distance between them.
And just like that, the spell was broken.
“I’ll, uh… I’ll go find something to clean up the mess” Anthony said finally, making his way out of the pantry before Kate could stop him.