Chapter 37

Chapter 37
Nyra's POV
I sat behind the table, the smell of decent food interrupting my breath intakes. I glanced at him and the way he casually ate his food and the way he acted like we were more than strangers.

It bothered me that I interested him.

Studying his facial features while I played with my fork, I noticed his round face and squared jawline, his eyes were almond and almost looked shut when he lowered them,

“I'm sorry for spilling coffee on you,” he finally said as I averted my gaze.

“It's fine, you didn't have to get me lunch if you wanted to apologize...” still playing with my fork.

“I just think I owe you an apology...” he shrugged.

“Which you gave the second you spilled it on me,” I said, reminding him of how he repeatedly apologized even when the coffee stain had dried off.

He met my eyes,

“Well, since that's settled…. We can start off on a new page,” he said with a smile.

“New page?” I arched my brow slightly.

“Yeah, friends or you don't want…

“No, that sounds fine.”

“Great then, so since we are friends, I can tell you how pretty you look.”

By this time, he had stopped eating, and I wanted to eat, to bury my face in the food and escape whatever he was trying to bring up.

“Thank you”, giving him a stiff smile.

‘You might like it here, it's easy to work when you have so much passion," he said, glancing back at his unfinished food.

“I mean I guess," I said dismissively.

Then continued with my meal. Finn asked no more questions. If he had taken the cue that I didn't want to talk about anything, then he was indeed smart, like what everyone had presumed.

We spent the last 30 minutes together just chewing and sipping, and after lunch with him, I thought of ignoring him when next I saw him, since I couldn't risk having anyone trying to pry into my business.

I could not guess what he found intriguing about me and why exactly he wanted us to be friends, but I knew the lies I had told Fiona were more than enough.

On getting home, Fiona explained she had somewhere else to be so she could not be there at my interview, but was happy I got the job.

I settled onto the couch, sipping the cup of coffee I had brewed earlier before freshening up. I was happy I had gotten the job, happier that Fiona decided we had takeout tonight. She snuggled me onto the couch and made me watch her order the pizza and milk shakes.

It was fun to see her smiling and not in the mood her ex puts her in.

“Heard you're now into Finn," she teased as she interrupted my trail of thoughts.

I was taken aback by the accusation, though I didn't expect anything less.

“Finn?” I arched my brow slightly as I sipped down the milkshake.

“Yes Finn, the designer who designs the most explicit designs," she said again, and I rolled my eyes.

“You mean the guy who spilled coffee on me this morning.”

“In which you said he compensated with lunch,” she pointed out.

Laughing it off, she came over and sat beside me, taking a handful of popcorn.

“It's not what you think, it was just casual,” I pushed her away.

“ook it's not bad if you have something going on with Finn, he’s smart, and he's a bit handsome. I mean I don't employ boring people….”

“Can you quit it, we just had one lunch,” I almost scratched at her.

“Alright fine, I'll stop teasing you,” she rolled her eyes.

Reaching for the television controller and tuning it into a scene where there were kissing, she smiled and turned to me.

“How about a romantic movie night”, raising her brows at me, and I looked away from her before adding.

“You know, us not being in any sort of romantic entanglement makes this more ironic,” she laughed at my joke and I did as well, but there was something in her ex and the memories.

There was silence between us, as if she needed a moment to collect herself before forcing a smile,

I cleared my throat; Fiona had helped a lot and I couldn't watch her be disturbed by a guy who didn't deserve her.

“You could call the cops on him, you know," I broke the silence somehow and watched her fingers start to tremble, maybe she had, and it didn't work out.

“Would it do any good though?” She asked with a forced smile.

“It would help," I continued. Knowing well enough that perhaps she might not have any choice, just like I didn't have a choice with Alpha Thorne.

The memories of what I had gone through came fresh like open wounds. I simply composed myself and watched her instead.

“Right,” she said.

I looked away from her, trying not to act sympathetic or more awkward than it was.

“You don't have to put up with what he does." Just like Alpha Thorne, the little voice in my head rang.

But instead, she curved her lips upward once again, then rose up as if wanting to grab some milkshake but past it and checked the burgers.

I really don't want to talk about him, not tonight,” she sighed and took the milkshake.

“Sure, you do.”

Fiona sipped her drink then stretched it out to me.

“Cheers to making this awkward.”

I smiled and reached for my own glass cup and clinked it with hers.

“Unfair, because I didn't do anything, Fiona,” I argued.

“Yeah right,” she sneered; “We are watching a horror movie now, no kissing scenes," pouting as she changed the movie.

“Horror movie? On my I-just-got-job day?”

She made a face that said it was my fault and I just let her, but still worried about her ex and what he had intended for Fiona.

Yet even as the opening credits rolled, a cold shiver slid down my spine, because somewhere outside, in the deepening night, I could swear I felt the same watchful presence that once belonged to Alpha Thorne.