Chapter 19: Part 19

Turning on my feet, I met his eyes, his gaze unwavering and sharp as he stared back. From the corner of my eyes, I could feel several eyes on us. My hands were clammy as I folded them in front of me.

“I am working.”

“When does your shift end?”

“At six.”

I immediately cursed under my breath for blurting that out. It’s only ten minutes for my shift to end, and he won’t mind waiting.

“I will wait for you in the parking.”

Moons! Just what I thought. I let my hands fall by my side, sucking a sharp breath.

“Umm…”

“I think you should get back to work now.”

I dumbly nodded and turned around.

***

By the end of my shift, I was still having trouble taking deep breaths, and my heartbeat was fast and erratic, hands trembling with suppressed nervous energy.

As I stepped out of the cafe, I noticed a few buildings were illuminated, colouring the concrete in warm hues that dragged shadows with them. I could hear my pulse throbbing loudly in my ears.

My legs were cold and stiff as I took the slippery steps down the front door to the parking. A sense of dread filled me as I realised there was no going back now. I will have to face the Alpha who kissed me less than six hours ago and talk to him.

Exhaling deeply, I gave myself a mental talk while dragging my feet.

“Miss Emma,” Abel cleared his throat, his face appearing clear as he came to stand in front of me. His sleek black car was parked a few meters away from him. “You came!”

At the lilt of his tone, I couldn’t breathe. “I–Yes…” I almost choked on that because my tongue felt a foreign organ in my mouth. “I am sorry for keeping you waiting, but it’s my first week, and I had to wrap things—”

"It's fine," He cut me off, finally letting his hands fall to his sides, fingers twitching until balling them into fists, then unclenching them again. “I am glad you came.”

The Alpha moved closer without me noticing, and when the floor creaked underneath his feet, I pulled away from my thoughts, whipping my head around fast enough to give myself whiplash. I suppressed a wince, the urge to press my palm against my burning neck because my face was heating up beneath his unwavering gaze.

“I—”

“Ah—”

We both started simultaneously, my mouth pressing in a thin line, head bowing down. The Alpha cleared his throat, apologising for speaking up first and making sure to start first. I let him continue, eager to know what was going through his mind.

“I believe it is important we address the incident that took place in my office today….”

Oh, so we are calling it an incident? Huh. I thought to myself. It's as if invisible fingers were encircling my throat, squeezing all air out of me, and it went to my head, making me momentarily dizzy. I wanted to curse myself, still unable to move, because I was usually more self-preservative. Before, I always found a way to get through, to survive and I knew standing here and waiting for something to happen wasn’t the way to do that. But the thing is, I had no idea what to do and why I found the Alpha so fascinating enough to listen to him.

It's odd to see this shift in Abel, who's been so sure of himself up to this point, quietly confident and steady. It made him look very young all of a sudden, and there was tightness in my chest that wasn't there before when he ran a hand through his hair and ruffled it nervously. I could feel his body heat radiate off of him.

“You must be very upset, considering you ran away before I could have a chance to explain myself.”

Colour rose in my cheeks, the vivid images of our kissing, the hushed sounds and heavy breaths followed by my cowardice action flashing through me.

“Umm…”

“I am sure you were shocked and enraged by my behaviour.” He lowered his voice; hands clasped together. “I don’t know how to apologise for my behaviour. That crossed all the boundaries, and I never do that…You are my student, and I should have kept that in my mind.”

“Sir…”

“Let me finish.” Abel cleared his throat. “I am sure that you didn’t want it to happen at all, so once again, forgive me, Miss Emma. We are both adults here, and I am sure we can find a way to move past this and pretend it never happened.”

I gaped at him.

“What do you think?”

Looking away, I bobbed my head. “Sure.”

***

"Do you not like your pasta?" Allies' voice snapped me out of my daydreams, noticing that I was twirling the spaghetti. Pressing my lips in a thin line, I shook my head at her.

According to our plan, we sat in a restaurant, celebrating my best friend bagging a job. Both of us got a job. It's been a long time since we went to dinner anyway.

Ever since that encounter with Abel outside the cafe, I cannot stop thinking about it. His words. The way he said them—it stung. I was not expecting the Professor to have a change of heart with a single kiss, but still, I hoped better.

"Okay...what is it? You have been acting weird all day."

"I have not!"

She pinned me with a look I eventually cowered and sat up straighter in my seat. I swept my tongue over the bottom lip, taking a deep breath.

"So there's this friend...she goes to my university, and I am thinking about her."

"What about her?"

"You see...I-I mean a guy kissed my friend today, but he hates her. He also apologised later and told her to pretend it never happened..." I went off with my lie, toes curling as her eyes narrowed together. "She is not fond of him either, and they always fight, but that hurt her. What should I do?" I coughed, looking away. "I mean, what do I tell my friend?"

"Your friend...hmm..." Allie made a sound, propping up her chin, forgetting all about the greek salad on her plate. "Does she like this guy?"

"I...I don't know."

"How did she feel about the kiss?"

"She kinda ran away after the kiss."

"Wow."

I winced, my fingers clasped in my lap, watching as Allie twisted her lips.

"Does she want more from him?"

"She shouldn't..."

"Why not?"

I let out a breath I had been holding, suddenly interested in staring at the table cloth patterns. "They are two very different individuals—like oil and water. It will only complicate things, so I think it's better this way."

"Looks like something she's trying to convince herself, perhaps an excuse not to pursue him anymore."

I inhaled sharply at that, snapping my head to meet her eyes. My nose scrunched at those words hanging in the air, my throat going dry. Was it true? Am I scared of messing up things between us?

A lump formed as I tried to reply, heart, pounding loudly in my chest, "I..."

Allie placed a hand on the back of

hand, comforting and warm. The air between us shifted, the hair on the back of my head standing up. "It's going to sound cliche, Em, but for once, I think your friend should let the time take its course."

"Mhm, I think so too."

***

Avon excitedly waved at me as soon as I walked into the football ground, his eyes gleaming due to the harsh sun. Our team was practising, and Naya insisted that we check them out. It was for research purposes, she said.

“Hey, girls!” He rushed, wiping a hand over his sweaty forehead, clad in a white jersey with a number on his sleeve and our university logo.

“Hey!” Naya apologetically smiled, nudging my side. “Excuse me while I go greet my friends in the back.”

I gaped at her as my friend swept past us to the last stand. Turning to Avon, I raised my brow. “So…I had no idea you played for our team. When did this happen?”

The Alpha awkwardly chuckled, “Spur of a moment thing. They were short of a member, so I came to tryouts last week, and here I am.”

That explains him missing most of the classes last week. I had no idea that he was good enough to be selected for our team. What more things did he hide from me? I thought under my breath.

“Uhh…I was planning to invite you for a game this weekend—” He added, “—And Naya.”

Before I could reply, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed in our direction. I froze in my spot as soon as I heard that familiar voice, sending chills down my spine.

“Well…well, if it isn’t the famous lovebirds!”

***