Chapter 38: Part 38

It took me a moment to register that my brother was sitting next to Abel on a chair, hunched over a small book. A thread of guilt weaved into my conscience, head lowering. My brother has travelled very far to spend time with me, and I have not spared him a moment's thought. I was always indulged in my problems and silly conflicts.

Determined to change that, at the very least, I stepped forward until my shadow fell across the book and made him look up.

"Emma!" He sat up straighter, abandoning the book on table while angling his body towards me. "Hi."

"Hey..." I greeted him shyly, offering a smile, all while aware of another set of eyes trained on me. "Did you have lunch?"

"No, but I am going out. I can cancel if you want." He furrowed his brows together. I could see the Alpha sitting up from the corner of my eye, deliberately keeping my body angled towards Edward so I won't be tempted to stare. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes." I breathed. "What are you doing here?"

"I am not used to it being so warm; it's a rare sight for me, so I thought to soak up in the sun and read."

"G-Good." My stomach fluttered over pleasantly when Abel blinked in my direction. Turning for a slight second, I saw the sleep behind his eyes, but the smile he offered was warm and genuine, and a sudden gust of wind blew through the open area, sending the curtains flapping like mad and toppling over his glass on the table. I shivered at the drop in temperature, glancing out the window, baffled.

The sun was still shining bright, and there was not a hint of cloud in the blue sky. Abel hurried to clean the shattered pieces while Edward pulled me to his side.

"I am fine!" I rolled my eyes at him. "Can we talk for a second?"

"Now?" He raised his brow, watching his friend scramble to pick the pieces only to spread it more.

"Yes."

"Fine!" My brother walked on his tip toes, asking me to follow him as he nudged at Abel's side. "We will be waiting outside."

"Okay." Abel nodded his head furiously, waving his hand while engaged in his activity.

Once we stepped inside the comfort of the living hall and away from Abel's earshot, I turned to my brother. "So, how is it staying at your best friend's place?" I asked shoulders rolled back, glancing at the walls around.

"Pfft, you can see for yourself. It's the most fun I had in years." My brother responded, giving me a quick smile. His cheek was freshly shaven; hair swooped back off his forehead. "I don't think you are here to know about that."

"You are right," I said with a twist of my mouth, arms crossing together. The image of Allie from earlier flashed in my mind, anger curling in my belly. "What is going on with you and Allie?"

He averted his eyes, suddenly looking at the wall behind me. "I don't know what you mean."

"Come on!" I nudged at his side. "I know everything! You don't need to hide from me."

I watched him stiffen, taking a sharp breath as he slowly tilted his head. "What do you mean you know everything?" Edward's tone dropped, a glint in his eyes which took me back. I had never seen him act this way.

"I-I mean about your behaviour towards Allie. She told me your declined her invitation for lunch only to accept her colleague's offer."

He sagged in relief. "Oh...that. She asked me on a date, and how could I say no to her?"

"So you said no to my best friend?"

"Those are two different things. We see each other all the time."

I made a face. "True, but she is upset about it..."

From the corner of my eyes, I saw a flicker of emotion before he had a guarded look on his face again. He was acting out of character while talking about Allie.

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"Apologise and make up to her."

"I will think about it!"

A squawk escaped my lips, and I pinched at his arm, shaking my head. "No...No thinking about it, Eddie. I hate to see her mope. Go do it now."

"Wow, you are so bossy!" I heard him grumble while he rubbed at the spot. "Fine, I am going."

***

As soon as he walked out of the door, I saw Abel push past the balcony. I was reminded of how agreeable he looked in that shirt. How much I wanted to tangle my fingers in his hair and track the lovely curve of his face. Glancing away, I pulled at the sleeves of my shirt, pretending to appear busy.

"Where is Ed?"

I blinked as the Alpha closed the distance between us. My breath hitched as his scent hit me, sharp and musky. "Huh?"

"Your brother?"

"Right..." I ran a tongue over my bottom lip, "He's with Allie. They had a silly fight over something."

That was all it took for him to wrap an arm around my waist and pull me flush against his chest. I gasped, my hands flailing before clutching his broad shoulders.

"What are you doing?"

"Have dinner with me."

I blinked at the sudden request, a blush crawling on my cheeks. Was he trying to court me? A delicious shiver ran down my spine at the thought.

"But you have that staff dinner tonight..." I squirmed in his hold, hyper-aware that the door was still wide open. Anyone could walk in and find us in such a position. My brother won't hesitate to kill him.

"Fuck!" He raked a hand through his hair, loosening his hold. "I almost forgot. Why did I agree to that thing?"

"Maybe tomorrow?" He added.

"I'll think about it." With a nod, I stepped away, "I must be on my way... should check on those two."

I could still feel his intense eyes on my profile, a soft, questioning, "So soon?"

I gave a sharp nod, turning then to slip back out the doors I had come. It felt cooler in the hall, almost refreshing compared to the stifling heat that seemed to have overtaken in the living room. It was not stimulating enough, though, the change in atmosphere. I could feel it still coursing through my veins, warming the inside of my skin—the sudden want. I took a shuddering breath, hoping the bitter air would soothe the blush one final time as I headed to my own home.

***

The following day, I saw Abel leaning against his car, but he was not alone. As expected, the Alpha had a woman in front of him, her hair dark, slim and tall. Her back was facing me. I frowned a little harder. Before I could think about it, my feet stomped over to them.

The Alpha looked towards me as I approached, smirking like he had been expecting it. The stranger on his opposite side was none other than the person who threatened me earlier in the cafeteria. Bree. What was he doing with her?

I waved in her direction, trying to be polite even as it prickled at how close they were standing.

“We are in the middle of an important conversation here…” Bree huffed.

"Excuse me..." I murmured before turning towards Abel and keeping my pout well pronounced. I inhaled deeply, irritation flaring inside my chest.

“Yes, Miss Emma? How can I help you?”

My mouth twisted as he did not call me by my name.

“I accept your invitation, Abel.” The name rolled out of my mouth before I could stop, watching as the Alphas lips only pulled up further at the corners when I did. His body was angled towards me, almost making me forget that there was someone beside us. Why did I bring that up now?

Bree cleared her throat lightly as if she wanted to intervene, but his gaze did not waver. The Alpha continued watching my expression, seeing how my brows eased slightly, though my cheeks were still puffed in a scowl.

“Good. I’ll message you the further details about the plans.”

The dinner. He was alluding to that, but there was no way he could disclose it in front of Bree.

His eyes followed down the line of my body, and if I were not already full of irritation, I would perhaps flush a bit at the attention. As it was, I could not stop the tiny pleased pull in the pit of my belly, unfurling and snapping.

Abel still had not looked back over at the woman in front of him.

“Okay….” I sunk my teeth over the bottom lip before turning on my feet. I did not need to glance back as I walked away to know that he was still watching me, eyes raking on the sway of my hips.

***