Chapter 29: Part 29
I dug my nails into the flesh of my palms hard enough to draw blood. If looks could kill, Abel would be buried underground right about now. The Alpha was purposely riling me up like a needle to the pole; I was letting it affect me.
“That’s more like it!” Abel slapped my brother's shoulder, his lips splitting in a wide grin. Why was he doing this? Maybe he genuinely wanted to spend time with my brother and catch up, or he had a hidden motive. From the look on his face, I could not tell them apart.
“Uhh…why don’t I catch up with Emma first? We haven’t seen each other for a while.” My brother murmured, tilting his head to the side and facing me. “Text me your location, and I’ll find the address on my own.”
“I don’t have any classes left for today, so we can drive together.”
I exhaled hotly under my breath, looking away so that he cannot see the rage taking over my face.
“What a coincidence! We all can catch up then.”
Coincidence? Please! I thought under my breath. I wouldn’t put it past Abel to make up something like that in order to torment me.
I opened my mouth, ready to make my escape. “Ed, I would love to stay back, but my classes….”
“They are cancelled for today.” Abel provided, cutting me off with a glint in his eyes. “The senior staff is having a meeting, so there won’t be any afternoon classes today.”
My brother’s mouth quirked at that, and he nudged Abel. “That’s one perk of having a Professor as a friend, I guess.”
“Don’t mention it!” The Alpha said.
Silence fell between us again, my nerves alight as I kept shifting in the spot. The urge to make an excuse and bolt from the scene was still there, itching inside. Before I could open my mouth, Abel motioned at the suitcase my brother was carrying.
“Let’s get you settled first. I am sure you want to freshen up.”
“Yes!”
“Let’s go then.” Abel cleared his throat, giving me a fleeting look. “Miss Emma come on.”
My brother slung his arm around me and pulled me so that I was walking along with him. He had giant feet, so naturally, I was teased a lot for not being able to catch up with him. Fortunately, Edward did not do that trick, simply dragging his feet against the floor. He must be exhausted, I thought.
“Em, where are you living, by the way?” My brother looked over his shoulder from the passenger seat. “Is it far away from the uni? We can drop you off if you want.”
From the mirror, I could see Abel’s mouth twitch at that. The Alpha made no effort in chiming in or helping me get out of this awkward scenario. I should have known.
“Uh…it’s not far from the uni, don’t worry about it.” I cringed, bunching my shirt in between my fingers. He will be finding out the truth in a few minutes anyway. What’s the point of evading his question?
How would my brother react? He looked at me weird when I failed to mention my true identity to Abel.
“Okay!” Edward chirped.
It was quiet for the next couple of minutes, the radio jumping stations a handful of times because Edward could not decide on one. Abel drove slower than he would usually go, testing my patience.
“We are here.”
“Wow! You live here?” My brother said in an awed tone, stepping out of the car and shutting it with a thud. “Do Professors make this much in a year?!”
Abel snorted. “You would think. This is all my investment money.”
I meekly got out of the car and trailed behind them, heart thudding loudly in my chest. My palms were clammy as I rubbed them against my arms, finding the courage to come clean to Edward.
“Come on!”
I gulped as we inched into the elevator and slid in, the cold surface digging into my back. My eyes shut as I saw Abel come to stand next to me, purposely leaning into my space to press the floor number. I inhaled sharply as his delicious, spicy scent filled the lift, toes curling.
“Umm…” I turned to my brother, about to explain when we reached the desired floor. A curse escaped my lips lowly, trailing behind him.
Abel pointed to his door with an innocent smile taking over him. “Here we are!”
I opened my mouth but was rudely interrupted by the sound of the door pushing. My eyes widened as I saw Allie emerging out of our flat, quickly stilling in the spot.
I could feel Edward’s gaze burning against the back of my neck, but I couldn't get anything else out. A lump
lodged in my throat. So much for trying to be honest.
“Wow, you are back so soon!” Allie remarked gleefully, not yet acknowledging Edward standing behind me.
“I told you my brother will be visiting today….”
“Edward!” Allie squeaked, her face brightening as she hurried steps in his direction. My friend threw her arms around him while my brother remained stiff at his sides. It was not surprising as they were close to each other.
Allie, more often than not, hung out in our house, and we also had sleepovers. Edward is used to all her antics and behaviours.
“I-I missed you.” Her voice was choked, hand gripping tightly at the lapel of his jacket. I arched my brow at that, and when she released him after a moment, Edward couldn’t do anything but stare. His jaw was sharper, more pronounced, and it suited him, made him look almost regal, and put together from head to toe. But he looked out of place.
“Uhhh…Allie, what are you doing here?”
“Well, um," She shyly said, pulling at her lower lip between her teeth for a moment. It was so unlike her to be at a loss of words. “I live here with Emma. Did she not mention that?”
“No.” Edward glared, turning on his feet, giving me a harsh glare. “She did not mention anything at all.”
“I can explain….”
“You better!” My brother raised his voice, crossing his arms together, tapping his feet impatiently against the floor. “Why would you not tell me anything? Em, if this is anything like the last time….”
I gritted my teeth together. “It’s nothing like the last time. Also, I told you that we live together.” I lamely huffed.
“That’s not what I am referring to.” He scowled, the vein in his forehead ticking, and I knew the matter was only going to escalate.
“Edward, you must be tired from the trip….” Abel jumped in as if he could sense the tension radiating off my brother, hesitatingly nudging his arm. Edward pulled away.
“What is the meaning of this?” He glared at his friend, a furrow in between his brows. “You had so many chances to tell me, Abel! Why would you not mention that my sister is also your neighbour? What game are you two playing?”
“Nothing!” Abel scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Can you stop being dramatic and let your sister explain before jumping to conclusions?”
“Are you taking her side now?” My brother groaned loudly.
Allie took my wrist and pulled it back before I jumped into my defence. She gave me a look and came to stand in front of me. Putting on a smile, my best friend shifted her attention to the Alphas in front.
“This is not the place to have this discussion. Why don’t we all talk about this over dinner after everyone has freshened up? Hmm?”
My brother opened his mouth to argue but instead grunted in response. I blinked at that. Did he agree to her so quickly? Allie smiled back, and she took my wrist.
“Great! See you in an hour then. We will text you the perfect location.”
***
Once inside the comfort of the flat, I nearly broke my neck trying to take a long, hot shower.
The water took a few seconds to get warm, but I gritted my teeth and did not move out of the spray, the shock to my system was surprisingly pleasant. I tipped my head back, wiped a hand over, applying enough pressure in hopes to push away the image of smug Abel.
Muttering out a silent curse, I made a sound, ignoring the stirrings in my belly and starting to wash my hair and body, letting my mind drift to the earlier conversations.
I turned off the faucet and reached for the robe, slipping into it and tying the sash around my waist. A relieved sigh escaped my lips as I felt fresh, standing in front of the oak wardrobe, wondering what I was supposed to wear.
Just then my phone pinged, almost making me jump on the spot. I frowned at the number before tapping on it and gawking at the text in bold letters.
‘Meet me inside the elevator right now’ — Abel
***
unedited. please comment if you find obvious mistakes