Chapter 44: Part 44

/Abel's POV/

I lost track of time. I went to bed the night before when my friend walked away. Waking up only a few hours later after a restless night, I rushed to continue my daily activities. A sinking feeling formed in the pit of my stomach, which stuck to me even when I had a long shower, relying on muscle memory to get me through the morning.

After the shower, I felt much more calm and relaxed than when I first stepped inside the bathroom. That sinking feeling in my stomach, easily described as guilt, for letting my emotions get the best of me. I had unknowingly betrayed Edward by sleeping with his sister.

If not for Emma's quick thinking the night before, we would have been caught. The thought made me shudder.

Once I put together an outfit, I took a long minute to brush my fingers through the fringe before opening the bedroom door. The sound of cutlery scraping together swarmed me, the hair on the back of my neck rising.

Edward is awake. How did he get up so early after all the drinking? There was no point in running away from this problem. Even if I did, I would have a real hard time doing so since there are not many places to hide. My best friend stayed in the same place, for the moon's sake.

I gently closed the door behind me and felt my stomach bubble with nerves as I walked to the living hall.

"Hey..." I croaked, peering at Edward, busy stirring the spoon in his cup. "You are up early?"

My friend sagged against the nearest wall, a sigh escaping his lips as he hummed. "I have some work to catch up on. What about you? Already leaving for work?"

"Mhm. I have to meet dad for lunch, so it's better if I go to work early and tie up loose ends."

"Lunch with your dad? Sounds fun."

"Why don't you go in my place instead?"

He let out a high pitched laugh, raising the cup to his mouth and taking a sip. "I'm fine. Thank you."

"Bastard." I cursed quietly under my breath, very well knowing he was aware of my issues with him and still made fun of me. "Did you make another cup?"

"You have hands! Do it yourself!" With that, my friend walked away, showing a middle finger as if he sensed the scowl taking over my face.

***

A grimace settled on my features when I took the sight in front of me. I do not come here often, and it still wasn't a place where I felt at home no matter how many times I tried.

Beth sat behind an old, sturdy desk right, a couple of candles lighting the darkroom, reflected in her thick-rimmed glasses. A smile broke on her lips, eyes as sharp as ever when they fell onto me.

"Abel! My child!" The housekeeper cheered, motioning to come close.

"Hey, Beth," I greeted her and closed the door. "How are you doing?"

Her spindly fingers closed around a paraffin jar filled almost to the brim with amber liquid. Whiskey. "Better than you, my dear. You look pale."

"It's the effect of this place."

"Hush you. Whiskey?"

"Yes!" I pulled on the bar stool and plopped down, shrugging out of my jacket. With my hands clasped and resting on the table, I watched as she poured a glass before screwing the bottle shut again, putting it somewhere on the top shelf. "Thank you, Beth."

"Please!" She rolled her eyes.

"Any idea why dad summoned me here?" I took a sip of the whiskey. It burned and went to my head almost immediately. The warm and bitter after taste made my face scrunch.

"No idea, dear. He must be missing his son."

"I highly doubt that."

"He cares about you, dear..." She cut me off and flicked her hand in a waving manner. "Anyways, I asked the maids to make your favourite dish today."

"See, this is why I love you, Beth." I grinned at her. She's the only one who has been there and watched me grow up. More than my parents did. "Thank you!"

"I rarely get the chance to do something for you anymore. You are always busy."

"Sorry. The work is killing me."

"It's your family's university. It won't matter if you take a break."

"It does to me. Besides, believe it or not, I love my job."

She hummed.

"So tell, has anything interesting happened lately?" I raised a brow at her, taking a sip and swirling it around my mouth. More often than not, I get my updates from Beth, and she doesn't shy away from telling me.

"Eh, the usual. The Luna went over budget again this month. Your little brother is in trouble again and...Avons happy. I am sure he's found, someone."

Something twisted in my stomach. "Huh? Why do you think that?"

"He has been watching too many cooking videos and asked me for tips to make an easy meal for two. I am sure he's planning to ask out someone for dinner."

"Interesting..."

Before we could get into detail about it, a guard cleared his throat, interrupting us midway. Twisting my mouth, I turned to glare at him when he simply bowed down. My father summoned me to the first floor to have lunch. Bidding the housekeeper goodbye, I followed the guard.

***

"Good afternoon, son."

"So, what is the reason I am here?"

"Always to the point." I heard him mutter under his breath while he pointed towards the empty chair.

"Small talk is overrated."

"Only you can think that."

I watched the plates arranged on the table neatly, the silver cutlery alongside. My mouth watered when I saw the chicken curry and rice.

"So, how's everything?"

My hand halted in the air, pinning him with a look. Since when did he care about such silly things? Placing the spoon down, I let out a sigh.

"What's going on, dad? Why are you acting so weird?"

"Weird? I want to know what's going on in my son's life. You never tell me anything!"

I didn't even flinch at his loud tone, shrugging. "Well, I'm sure you spies in the university are updating you about my every move."

"It's not enough! I need to hear it from your mouth."

See? He didn't bother to deny it. I was aware that my father pulled these sorts of tricks behind my back.

"Hear what exactly?" My nostrils flared as I calmly stood up. "I am fine. I have a job, my own place and a good life, so I don't know why you are suddenly doing this."

"And what about a mate?"

A chill ran down my spine. No way. Did someone tell him about Emma? I don't think so, considering we are discreet at the university.

"What about it?"

"Do you still not know?"

"No!" I lied, looking away.

His body sagged, a sympathetic look taking over him. From the corner of my eyes, I saw his body gliding towards me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I am sorry."

"It's not a big deal, dad. Besides, I have no interest in such things."

"You say that now, but a few years down, you'll want a companion. A person to stay by your side.”

An image of Emma's face flashed in front of my eyes when I hurriedly blinked. What was wrong with me?

“Whatever. Are we done here?”

He gave me a long hard stare before dropping his hand and turning on his feet, back tensed. “Yes, but I am not letting this go so easily.”

***

“Sorry,” I mumbled, switching on the headlights, which did not have any effect on the visibility. After the lunch, I went to pick up Emma up because it started raining. The omega had no ride, and I didn’t want her to get cold. I was driving considerably slow, the rain transforming into a nearly impenetrable curtain.

It felt odd, this intense desire to talk to her without knowing how to articulate the ruckus in my brain. The lunch with my dad left me feeling weird in the pit of my stomach. Also, there is something that remained unsaid between us.

“So, how were your classes today?”

I looked to the side and watched as she squinted, her hands folded in her lap, knees bouncing.

There's a small parking bay ahead, used mainly for the view it provides of the hills forward. Fortunately, it was deserted, and the gravel crunched under the car's wheels, rain hitting the roof and windscreen as I parked right there.

“Cannot complain!” Emma lowly murmured, her eyes focused on the foggy window.

“Umm…so are you free tonight? We could do something together. Your brother is busy.” I couldn’t hide the weak grin curving on my lips.

She shook her head, fidgeting with her fingers. “I-I can’t. Not tonight, Abel.”

“Why?”

“Avon invited me for dinner, and I am going.”

“No!”

***