A Not so Chance Encounter: Chapter 13
Rhys is persuaded to attend a fundraiser by his cousin Mor. He didn’t expect to meet the girl of his dreams.
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Chapter 13: Pics and Kicks
Once Rhys had recovered enough from the shock of Nesta’s blunt, though rather perceptive question, he stammered, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He cursed inwardly at the heat he felt creeping up along his neck and face, certain that it would give Nesta a legitimate reason to doubt the sincerity of his words.
Nesta inspected her immaculately manicured nails as though bored and drawled, “Oh… so you don’t stare at Feyre Darling when you think she’s not looking or hang on her every word?” She gave him a piercing look, as though daring him to disagree with her.
“She’s got you there, bro,” Cass snickered. Rhys shot him a glare and flipped him off, muttering a string of filthy curse words under his breath.
“Well, it is kind of obvious that you have feelings for her, Rhys,” Az said consolingly.
“To everyone, that is, except for my sister.” Nesta snorted before continuing, “How she hasn’t seen and called you out on your constant ogling is a mystery to me.”
Rhys crossed his arms over his chest and scowled, “I do not ogle her.” Admittedly, he had already checked her out a few times that evening, and... well… every time he saw her. But Nesta sure as hell couldn’t know that. Could she? Fuck. Had it really been that obvious? He replayed the evening in his mind, hoping that his appreciation for how beautiful Feyre looked had not been that noticeable. Discrete, he assured himself. He had definitely been discrete when he had checked her out.
Nesta rolled her eyes and sneered, “Cut the shit Rhysand and answer the damn question. When are you going to tell my sister that you are in love with her?” Rhys looked at each of his friends in turn, silently beseeching each of them to help him out of this situation.
“I’d like to know the answer to that question myself,” Amren said with an irreverent shrug of her shoulders.
Cassian, who had been inconspicuously moving closer and closer to Nesta as the conversation proceeded, chimed in, “You’re on your own here, Rhys. I highly doubt Nessie is going to let this slide without an actual answer from you.”
Nesta slowly twisted around and faced Cassian. The smile she gave him was, undoubtedly, the most frightening thing that Rhys had ever seen in his entire life. She sauntered over to Cass, hips swishing with each step she took as she closed the distance between them. Cass’s eyes grew wide as Nesta stopped a hair’s breadth away from him, her chest imperceptibly brushing up against his. Cass gulped audibly as their eyes made contact. Rhys shared a concerned glance with Az, unsure as to what Nesta had planned. Whatever it was, he thought, it couldn’t be good. Amren watched the two with amused interest, much like one would watch a movie. In fact, the only thing she seemed to be missing was the popcorn. Cass’s breath hitched as Nesta reached up and ran a hand through his long hair, which happened to be down for once and not in its usual bun. His eyes glanced down at Nesta’s lips briefly before flicking back up to her eyes. Nesta’s smile grew even wider as she wrapped her other arm around his neck. Cass’s eyes darkened with desire as he placed his hands on her hips, pulling her impossibly closer to him. Never taking her eyes off of his, Nesta tilted her face towards him. With the slightest of smiles upon his face, Cass closed his eyes and leaned towards her. Just as their lips were about to meet, Nesta grinned wickedly. She removed her hands from his hair and the back of his neck and gripped his shoulders. Rhys watched in both amusement and horror as she proceeded to knee Cass viciously between the legs. Both Az and Rhys winced at the sight, knowing exactly how painful the blow had been. Amren, being the ferocious beast that she was, began cackling uncontrollably.
“Nice try, asshole,” Nesta sneered as she stepped out of his arms.
“What the fuck?” Cass roared, doubled over in pain as he grasped his manhood gingerly.
“I warned you not to call me Nessie, you imbecile.” She gave him a serpentine smile and warned, “Now maybe you’ll think twice before doing it again.” Cass gaped at her, a mixture of disbelief, pain, anger, and lust upon his face. Rhys wasn’t surprised in the least that Cass could still be turned on by a woman who had just kneed him in the balls. For someone, such as Cassian, who had no difficulty attracting members of the opposite sex, a female not throwing herself at him was seen as a welcome challenge.
Cass stuttered, “I… You… What the…”
Ignoring Cassian and acting as though nothing remotely interesting had just happened, Nesta turned to face Rhys and sniffed, “Well?”
Rhys had an overwhelming desire to shield his own private parts from her, just in case she turned her wrath towards him. Stifling that impulse, he said, “Feyre and I are just friends. And she happens to be engaged, in case you hadn't noticed.”
Nesta snorted, “That idiot doesn’t deserve her. He’s selfish. Not to mention controlling, condescending, and arrogant.” She looked Rhys up and down before saying, “At least you treat her with respect. Even if you do gawk at her every chance you get.” Rhys wasn’t sure how to respond to that. After all, how much of a compliment could it be, saying that he was a slightly better choice than Tamlin? It’s not as if someone could get any lower than him.
Rhys shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced around, wanting to look anywhere but at those steely grey-blue eyes. Cassian was intentionally keeping his distance from the eldest Archeron sister, though his attention remained fixed on her. He was no longer cradling his balls and his face was uncharacteristically stoney as he stared hard at her.
“Nesta is right. You should tell her, boy,” Amren stated. As usual, her tone of voice indicated that she was talking to a child, and a dimwitted one at that.
Rhys narrowed his eyes at the small, yet strangely fierce and intimidating woman. “Why? What good would that do?” He ran a hand through his hair and said rather defensively, “The only thing that would happen if I told her how I feel is that she would get pissed as hell and I would lose her as a friend.”
“Rhys, we’ve all told you this before. Many times. She has a right to know how you feel,” Az said beseechingly.
Nesta stalked up to Rhys, poked his chest with a finger, and snapped, “It would give her a choice in whom she is in a relationship with. That’s what telling her would do. She deserves that- a choice.”
“She made her choice when she put that ring on her finger.” he hissed. He paused, taking a deep breath in order to get his rising temper under control. “And unless she chooses to take it off for good, I am not going to tell her anything.”
“Then you’re a damned fool, Rhysand. And I was very, very wrong about the kind of person I thought you were,” Nesta spat at him, standing so close to him now that they were nearly nose to nose.
He threw his hands up in exasperation and took a few steps back. There was no way that he could tell Feyre. Especially not now, seeing as though she had been distancing herself from them lately. For Cauldron's sake, she hadn’t even spoken to Mor or him about her engagement to Tamlin. It was going to be hard enough for him to broach that particular subject with her tonight, let alone confess his feelings for her. He needed to take things slowly, one step at a time. Otherwise, she would walk out of his life and he would lose her forever.
Some of the devastation he was feeling must have been showing on his face because Nesta’s expression softened slightly as she implored, “Rhys, trust me. Please. I know my sister and she would want to know how you feel about her.” Rhys was instantly struck by the softness and sincerity in her voice. That, and the fact that she had just called him Rhys. There was definitely more to Nesta than meets the eye, he decided.
“We have drinks for everyone!” Mor chirped as she sauntered up to the group, hands laden with beer bottles. Feyre, who was also holding several bottles, wasn’t far behind. She passed one to her sister first. After the rather heated conversation with Nesta, Rhys was feeling somewhat exposed as Feyre made eye contact and approached him.
“Here you go, Rhysee Poo,” she said in a sing-song voice as she offered him a beer. Upon seeing her smile, he found himself beginning to relax.
“Why thank you, Darling,” he murmured, still somewhat unnerved. Her brows narrowed in a silent question, one which he answered with a smile that was just for her.
***
Rhys watched as Mor and Feyre sashayed back to the table, arm in arm and giggling like fools. After Mor’s endless badgering, Feyre had finally relented and joined her on the dance floor. Cauldron, her smile was breathtaking.
Before he could lose his nerve and chicken out, he asked with a smirk, “Care to join me for a minute out on the balcony, Darling? It looks like you need to cool down.” In all honesty, she did look slightly sweaty from her and Mor’s antics on the dance floor. It was a good opportunity to get her on her own and talk- too good for him to pass up.
“Sure, why not. I could definitely use some fresh air.”
As they walked outside, Rhys said a silent prayer to the Mother that the conversation he was about to have went smoothly. Once they were outside, Feyre leaned up against the railing and gazed up at the sky.
“Have I ever told you how much I love the night sky?”
“No, though I should have guessed since that’s what you painted me for my birthday.” She smiled, her eyes remaining fixated on the night.
Rhys walked up and leaned against the railing next to her, so close their elbows nearly touched. They stood in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.
Unsure of how to begin, he asked, “Enjoying yourself tonight?”
“Yup! Watching Cassian and Nesta glaring at each other during dinner was rather entertaining,” she chuckled.
He snorted, “I bet you a hundred dollars that Nesta knees him in the balls again before the night is over.” They looked at each other and burst out laughing.
“I wish I would have been there to see that!”
“Me too! I think Cass has finally met his match.”
She turned her attention back to the view, still chuckling slightly.
“I’m glad you came tonight. We’ve missed you.” The smile on her face instantly disappeared and her body stiffened.
He turned his body so he was facing her more fully. “I’ve been worried about you, you know.”
Feyre sighed heavily and turned to face him. “I’m sorry I’ve been kinda distant lately. I’ve… had a lot going on.”
“Like an engagement ring you’ve failed to mention?” Feyre broke eye contact with him and stared down at the offending piece of jewelry. Her continued silence began to make him uneasy, so he continued, “You know that you can talk to me about anything, right?”
Silence. He wished he knew what was going through her head. He placed a hand on her shoulder and said quietly, “Feyre?” Her eyes finally lifted to meet his and he was lost in their blue-grey depths. Standing this close together, they were nearly touching foreheads. A stray curl had come loose and lay in front of her face. He reached his hand out and tucked it behind her ear. Her breath hitched ever so slightly at the contact. He stared at her in wonder. Was she… Did she… Could she… It happened so fast that he almost didn’t catch it- her eyes darted down to his lips quickly and then right back up to his eyes. He ran a hand down her check and whispered, “Feyre, I..”
A bright flash of light stopped him in his tracks. He and Feyre jumped apart and whipped around. Mor stood grinning like a fiend while holding up her phone. “I’ll send you the picture Fey.” With that, she turned around and flounced back inside.
“Well, we should get back to the party,” she stammered. He watched as she practically ran inside and away from him.
And just like that, the dream he had been living in came to an end.
***
As they often did on Saturday afternoons, Rhys met Mor the following day at their favorite little bookstore. They would frequently spend an hour or two perusing the books and then grab a coffee at the shop next door, something they had been doing for years. They were currently sitting at a table near the window, enjoying their drinks when Mor’s phone began to vibrate.
“Huh. That’s strange. Fey just messaged me on Facebook. I don’t think she’s done that before. She normally just texts.”
Rhys watched his cousin’s face become incredibly pale and horror stricken as she read the message.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” he demanded.
Unable to speak, she offered him the phone. He wrenched the phone from her hand and quickly scanned the text.
Mor, I need you to come pick me up at Tamlin’s place now!! Please get here as soon as you can! It’s an emergency! I’ll explain everything later, but I need your help! Please hurry!
Rhys grabbed the keys off the table and was running out of the door in an instant, Mor following closely behind him.
His hands shook in fear as he turned the ignition. Shit. Shit. Shit.
***
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All the amazing things Rhystrash did to Feyre on top of my head:
(I also don't remember the books pretty well, so a lot of things are problaby missing)
Invade her mind
Drug her
Sexually assault her
Insult her by calling her human
Read her private thoughts about Tamlin
Break her arm
Tell Amarantha about her existence
Never apologize about what he did UTM
Put her on revealing clothes
Paint her like she was his property
Kiss her without her consent
Lick her without her consent
Make a deal with her for all the eternity when she was very vulnerable UTM
Use her fears to take advantage of her
Don't tell her about the pregnancy that is gonna kill her
Make her read creepy phrases about him
Send her to a suicide mission when she was bad because of her depression to get a ring so she could proove she was a good mate
Use her as bait without her consent
Don't tell her they are mates
Be a jerk around her because of his "persona"
Make her feel guilty for not talking to Mor when he was horrible to her and he knows the NC has a bad reputation because of HIS PERSONA
Don't mind his business and meddle her relationship with Tamlin
Don't mind his business and meddle her relationship with her sisters
Don't mind his business and meddle her relationship with Lucien
Make her feel guilty for saying nice things to Tarquin
Don't tell her about the whole picture
Make her the High Lady when she knows nothign about politics, the night court and basically anything
Put a MAGICAL SHIELD AROUND HER (cof cof Tamlin cof cof)
Show off her pregnancy so everyone can know how disgusting macho he is and that she is his
Don't respect the fact Feyre already forgave Tamlin (the guy is clearly depressed leave him alone Rhysand)
Make Feyre feel guilty for being depressed and not knowing how to deal it pretty well in the Spring Court
Please forgive the weird tense.
Best regards,
Me.
Ps. How can anyone say they are couple goals????
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when i see posts that say “bla bla bla i don’t understand the hate rhysand and feyre get for being realistic, having flaws and making mistakes” it makes me laugh. yes, it’s very interesting to read about characters that have flaws and make mistakes that they get held accountable for. it’s annoying to read about characters that are always framed as perfect and don’t have to face any consequences 👯♂️
feysand literally don’t get held accountable for anything. i mean feyre destroys a court AS A HIGH LADY and rhys is like “it’s ok ❤️”
she fucks up spring and summer and she faces no consequences. tarquin forgives her for theft, for fucking up his court as colateral to the damage she causes at spring and no one cares that she left multiple courts vulnerable to hybern🧍♀️ #girlboss
feyre assaults officials from other courts in the high lord’s meeting and uses her powers when it’s prohibited and rhys tells her not to worry, even though she hurt the LoA (not purposely but still) as well. yes, beron and tamlin are assholes but this pass that feyre always gets from rhysand and everyone else when she makes mistakes is so annoying
cassian is allowed to tell nesta she’s unlovable and that everyone hates her but only nesta has to apologise for being a bitch. according to SJM, cassian is a perfect boy that nesta feels she’ll never deserve. never mind the fact that they’ve been equally as mean to each other. it’s only nesta that needs to apologise for everything and constantly feel terrible
rhysand drugs feyre nightly for a month and forces her to dance in front of him and everyone, touching her inappropriately and humiliating her, and this man doesn’t ever apologise to her. he just gives her a sob story and all is forgiven and him being a literal SA perpetrator is never brought up again
rhys chooses to not inform feyre that their baby will kill her during labor, even after he constantly reminds her every 2 seconds that “it’s her choice,” but tells ALL of her friends and makes them keep that information from her too. about her own body.
well, i guess you only have a choice if rhysand decides to give it to you
BUT THEN rhys wants to kill nesta for telling feyre the truth (though spitefully) about her pregnancy complications. RHYSAND. the man that lied to his wife in the first place. feyre isn’t even angry at nesta, RHYS is.
and then rhys faces a total of 0 consequences for his awful behaviour and mistakes and nesta is made out to be the one to blame??? nesta literally is forced into a hike where she wants to die all the while rhys is facing ZERO consequences for being the one that fucked up in the first place 🥲
the only three characters that are actually held accountable for their actions are nesta, lucien and tamlin. the inner circle hate lucien for whatever he did UTM (even though he was the only one to help feyre as much as he could and got beaten for it) they hate nesta for not hunting instead of feyre and being a bitch sometimes and they hate tamlin for, well being tamlin
but i suppose someone should tell tamlin that he did nothing wrong bec rhysand has proved in acosf that, in fact, it is ok to lock someone up in a house because you believe it’s for their own good, it’s ok to be an overbearing idiot and it is also ok to keep and hide information from your partner ❤️
this rant is all over the place but i’m so tired of seeing people say “rhysand is morally grey bla bla” when SJM keeps writing him as this perfect girlboss that can do no wrong. if the narrative doesn’t acknowledge his flaws then how is he morally grey? sarah janet hold this man accountable pls 😗
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