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If Rohan has learnt one thing over the past year it was that Savannah Grayson and her twin had one thing in common, it was their stubbornness to see a plan through. That was how they ended up on a roof overlooking New York's Time Square on new year's eve. It was a very public setting filled with tourists, celebrities and paparazzis.
Rohan wasn't fully aware of the plan. But if he had to bet he would say that the choice of venue wasn't unintentional in the least, rather it was a way to ensure the presence of a certain heiress' lawyer and somehow (he would leave it to gigi grayson to figure out the how) a grandest game player with whom the said lawyer had "nothing going on".
Ofcourse, this wasn't the only reason all of them were here. It was also a way to force Savannah, Grayson Hawthorne and Mattias Slater to interact with each other. The former two still hadn't particularly warmed up to the later.
This is going to be fun.
Initially Rohan wouldn't have agreed to the arrangement. There was nothing The Mercy couldn't have that Time Square did.
Except for the fact that Savannah Grayson was here.
The last time they had met has been moments before he left for London. It had been a mostly silent affair, both too proud to say what they really wanted to. And so here was he was, standing with the Jameson and Grayson Hawthorne and their partners on a rooftop with dining tables, a champagne tower and a pool. Looking for the winter girl who he hasn't been able to get out of his mind ever since he left for London.
As if on cue Savannah Grayson entered roof. She was wearing a navy blue dress that fell above her knee, hair pulled back in a bun and eyes fixed straight ahead. She looked as she always did. All too powerful. Majestic. In Control.
She must've felt his gaze on her, 'cause moment after she entered the room she turned to him.
"Funny so they do let you have a life after all" The lady did not dissappoint and went straight for the jugular.
"Let him have a life? he didn't knew what reddit was before I explained it to him like 5 minutes ago" Gigi chimed in.
"Did you get lost on your way or did you just miss the sound of my voice?" Savannah asked
"The voice is a bonus," Rohan said, looking Savannah in the eye. "I mostly came for the view."
And what marvellous view it was
"We still have 2 hours to midnight. Any ideas as to how we're gonna kill the time?" Jameson Hawthorne asked
At that Rohan produced a deck of card out of thin air.
"Show off" Savannah murmured.
"I prefer the term 'extraordinarily capable'" Rohan corrected.
"Poker?" Jameson asked, eyebrow raised.
"Don't worry Hawthorne, maybe I'll let you win this time" Rohan smirked
"That's not the the main concern here."
"Pretty sure most of us can think of better ways to spend the night then playing a poker game you most definitely rigged." Lyra pointed out.
Rohan shot her a mock-offended look "Siding with the enemy are we?"
"You cheated on Uno yesterday. God forbid I have my misgivings when real money is involved"
"Fine if you really don’t trust me" he continued, with a sigh "I'll let Gigi deal the cards." He said tossing the deck to Gigi "Plus we aren't playing with money"
He paused for the dramatics. Relishing the look of deep mistrust Grayson Hawthorne was giving him. "After each round, you can spend your chips to force a person of your choice into a game of Truth or Dare. Each demand costs ten chips."
"How original" Jameson Hawthorne remarked. Rohan knew he had noticed the similarities between this game and the one Rohan and Savannah had to play to earn a hint in the 2nd grandest games.
He glanced at Savannah, from her expression it was clear she remembered that quite clearly too.
"What if a person refuses a dare?" Grayson Hawthorne asked
"Then the person who refuses has to give 10 chips to the person who challenged them."
"Fair enough"
"You sure you don't want to play?" The Hawthorne heiress asked her Lawyer, Alisa Ortega, who was by the edge, enjoying the view below
"No, I would suggest you two don’t either"
"Come on, it's New Year's eve! You can’t spend it like that" Avery Grambs insisted
"As long as you two don’t create a scene that I would inevitably have to fix, I think I can spend my new year's eve like this - peacefully"
"No promises" Jameson Hawthorne chimed
"JAMESON!"
"Sorry heiress. How about this, a person can stop someone else from answering a truth or doing a dare, if they give the challenger 10 chips. There's no better way for you to do damage control"
The lawyer considered that for a moment.
"I'm in" she declared.
Gigi didn't wait for a second invitation. She began to shuffle the cards with a speed that suggested she has spent quite some hours practicing. "Ante-up ladies and gentlemen."
At that, Savannah took up the spot next to Lyra, farthest from Rohan.
I see, that's how you're gonna play this love.
After seven rounds of poker, Rohan had the higgest number of chips, followed by Gigi, Avery, Savannah, Jameson, Slate, Alisa, Grayson and Lyra. Lyra wasn't bad at poker but was in desperate need of a better poker face.
"I am still pretty sure that you somehow rigged this" Lyra remarked, pointing at Rohan
"Somebody is a sore loser" Rohan had infact rigged the game so he that he win the most, that had been his condition when he taught gigi how to rigg a game the night before.
Surprisingly, it was the Hawthorne heiress that started the game "Truth or dare Alisa"
"Truth" Alisa Ortega said, moments later, with deep mistrust in her eyes.
"What is going on between you and Knox?"
"Nothing" the lawyer didn't elaborate further.
Unfortunately, for Alisa, people weren't so easily discouraged.
"Truth or dare, Alisa" the second youngest Hawthorne asked.
"Dare" Alisa answered, looking daggers at him. If only looks could kill.
"I dare you to call Knox Landry and ask him to come here."
Immediately, Alisa slid down 10 chips to Jameson, her expression never changing.
Unfortunately, Lyra chose that moment put Miss Ortega out of her misery, "Truth or Dare, Hawthorne"
"Truth" Grayson Hawthorne said, smiling.
"Do you really have a secret Instagram account? And is it really filled photos of tiramisu? Or are Rohan's stalking skills really that lacking"
The smile was gone as soon as it came "It's not on Instagram and it is not just filled with pictures of tiramisu"
"Oooh where is it?"
"That will cost another 10 chips Sweetheart"
Savannah went next "Truth or dare, Lyra"
"Dare" Lyra answered, a bold smile tugging at her lips.
"Make the paparazzi below believe in a completely fake story"
Tomorrow the headline would be that the Grayson Lyra Kane is actually dating is Savannah Grayson.
In the next few rounds, they found out the last person Grayson Hawthorne called was Lyra Kane (there were 15 missed calls), Gigi kept giving Mattias Slater the same dare, until he ran out of chips and was forced to spend 7 minutes in heaven with Grayson Hawthorne, Savannah had danced to a pop song and Rohan standing at the edge of the roof, sang a nursery rhyme on top of his lungs.
Jameson Hawthorne was dared to convince some A-list celebs to join a cult he just made up and Gigi was dared to recite the alphabets backwards while having as many espresso shots as she can. Both the dares were blocked by Alisa Ortega and Grayson Hawthorne, respectively.
"Truth or Dare, Gigi" Lyra Kane asked
"Dare" the younger Grayson replied.
"I dare you call Knox Landry and convince him to come here."
Gigi obliged very happily.
Alisa who didn't have enough chips left seemed to be reconsidering whether it was worth it to start murdering people afterall.
Knox Landry arrived a few rounds later. It was 15 minute to midnight. By then, everyone had finally exhausted themselves and their chips and Savannah Grayson was still pointedly ignoring Rohan.
"Gigi said there was a situation involving a Hawthorne, an impending lawsuit and a lawyer ready to murder the said Hawthorne."
He looked at Alisa, still sitting at the poker table, champagne in hand and murder in her eyes. "I was also told that the said lawyer was being kept hostage by a deck of cards, I didn't knew she was being literal"
"The situation is now taken care of. Thank you for coming but I would suggest you go back now."
"He can't go back, they are just about to drop the ball" Avery intoned.
"I am not paid enough for this" the lawyer murmured, rubbing her temple.
"I am not just going. I spent forty dollar on a taxi just to come here and solve a non-existing situation. I think you atleast owe me a drink"
Reaching for a drink, he continued "It looks like you were losing at poker, Lawyer Lady"
"I was not playing. I was doing damage control"
"Is it what the kids are calling it nowadays"
"I assure you Mr. Landry that...."
Rohan tuned them out, focusing on the sole reason he flew here last night. He turned to Savannah Grayson who had just left her twin's side a few minutes ago. Juliet Grayson was now standing by the edge looking at the scene below with her boyfriend.
He walked towards the vicious, winter girl. The ice queen he knew had fire in her eyes. "Truth or Dare, Love" he asked, handing Savannah ten chips.
"I got an impression the game was over, that we weren't playing anymore" she replied, her expression dangerously neutral.
Rohan knew she wasn't talking about the game. She was talking about Them. About us. He knew Savannah Grayson. He knew if looking at him didn't hurt her too like looking at her did with him, she wouldn't have spent the whole night pretending like he didn't exist. He knew the thing between them was Real.
"We are always playing, love. Now, unless you are scared, Truth or Dare."
"I'm not the one who's scared. I am not the one who runs. And Dare"
For once, he tried not to read too much into that sentence "I dare you to tell me what you were going to say the day I left for London."
"It's not a dare."
"Rules are rules." Rohan shrugged, like the answer didn't matter. "10 chips to refuse or you can do the dare."
Savannah looked as if she might just push him down the roof. Then took a step closer.
"I was going to say that London is a long way to go just to realise you were a coward for leaving."
Rohan thought she was going to stop at that, that they might be done for good this time but she continued.
"I was going to say that if and when you came back, I wouldn't be waiting." Then after a pause, as if considering her next words. "We are all Liars, aren’t we Rohan? Because here we are"
We are all liars Savvy. Knowing that, living it, is the grandest game of it all.
He deciding to give her tit for tat.
"I hated it back in london. I thought once I got control of the mercy, it would be fine. Nothing else would matter anymore. But here we are" Rohan admitted, his voice tight.
The countdown started below. A minute to midnight.
"You already made a choice Rohan. You don't get to come here and say things like that as if you are planning to stay. We both know you're not."
"I made choice, I chose power. But power is the only way people like me have to survive. I needed to play the game"
"Goodbye Rohan" She turned to leave.
"But I am done playing. Winning is not worth it. You were right, I was indeed a coward for leaving" Rohan was the propertior now. He had the power. He didn't have anyone holding power over him anymore. And if it really became a choice he won't be repeating his last mistake this time.
TEN
The countdown started.
NINE, EIGHT
"You want me to believe it, just like that? You left, you can't make that right with a card game"
SEVEN, SIX
"I know" for once he didn't throw back a smart reply, he wasn't even grinning. His expression solemn. "I don't expect it to make things right. I just need you to look at me long enough to hear me say that I am sorry. That if I could somehow turn back time I would choose a different path and that if you give me a chance this time I would stay." He said, putting all the emotions he felt into each word.
FIVE, FOUR
Everyone moved closer to their partners.
He even saw Alisa Ortega and Knox Landry clinkng their glasses.
THREE
He became aware of Savannah's hand on his coat
TWO
He looked down, leaning towards her touch.
ONE!
The crystal ball dropped, covering everything in confetti. Fireworks filled the night sky, and just as loud was the crowd cheering down below.
Savannah didn't wait for him to make the first move. Her hand tangled up at the nape of his neck, pulling him down. Their mouths collided, the kiss wasn't soft, it was demanding. desperate. Saying everything they wanted to in these past weeks.
The fireworks still adorned the sky when they broke up.
"Happy new year, Rohan" Savannah whispered.
"The view", he smiled, still looking at her eyes "is as magnificent as I remember."
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