Chapter 189

Chapter 189
[Amelia's POV]

The aroma of ginger and soy sauce filled the intimate dining room as the server placed steaming plates before us. Alex's eyes lit up as he took in the spread of dishes - General Tso's chicken, beef and broccoli, lo mein noodles - each one perfectly arranged and familiar.

"This is incredible," he murmured, already reaching for his chopsticks with practiced ease. "I haven't had good food like this in months."

My heart did this weird little skip as I watched him. The way his face relaxed, how his amber eyes actually sparkled with genuine pleasure... it was like watching a completely different side of him emerge. Does he always look this happy when he eats Asian food?

"You really love this stuff, don't you?" I said, trying to keep my voice light while my mind raced.

Alex paused mid-bite, a piece of chicken halfway to his mouth. "Guilty as charged. There's something about the sweet and savory combinations, the way American Chinese places do their sauces..." He shrugged, looking almost embarrassed. "I probably eat Chinese takeout way too often."

"So about what we were discussing in the car," Alex said, setting down his chopsticks and leaning forward slightly. "About being more public. I meant what I said - maybe it's time we stop being so careful about everything."

My stomach clenched. "I don't know, Alex. Your father made it pretty clear how he feels about... us. About me."

"My father will come around." Alex's voice carried that Alpha certainty that usually made me feel safe. Tonight it just made me more anxious. "Besides, we could start small. Business dinners. Industry events. Maybe catch a movie premiere together."

He picked up his wine glass, gesturing with it as he spoke. "Hell, we could even take a weekend trip. Call it a business retreat. The mountains, maybe, or the coast..."

"That sounds..." I swallowed hard. "That sounds really nice."

Alex smiled, that warm, devastating smile that had first caught my attention in the park. The park. Where he'd given me money for my audition. Where everything had started.

I pushed some noodles around on my plate, trying to work up the courage for what I needed to ask. "Alex?"

"Mm?" He was already reaching for more kung pao chicken, clearly in his element.

"Do you... do you remember when we first met? I mean, really met?"

His hand stilled for just a moment before continuing to serve himself. "Of course. In the park near headquarters. "

"Right." I took a shaky breath. "You know, I still have that money you gave me. The bills you handed me that day."

Alex looked up, his expression unreadable. "You kept it?"

"I guess I thought it was... I don't know. Lucky, maybe? It got me to the audition that changed everything." I watched his face carefully. "It must have been quite a coincidence, you being there right when I needed help."

Alex shrugged, already turning his attention back to his food. "Not really. I walk through that park all the time. It's on my way to the office."

His casual tone hit me like a slap. Here I was, treating that moment like some kind of sacred memory, and to him it was just... routine.

"Oh." I tried to keep the disappointment out of my voice. "Right. Of course."

"You should spend that money, you know," Alex said, reaching for the bottle of sake the server had brought. "Buy yourself something cute. Something that makes you happy.

I watched him pour the sake, noting how he filled his cup to the brim and immediately knocked it back. Then poured another.

"Taking it easy there?" I asked, trying for a teasing tone.

"It's been a long week," Alex said, already on his third cup. "Hell, it's been a long month. And this stuff..." He held up the sake bottle, reading the label. "This is the good stuff. Real traditional brewing methods."

As the meal progressed, Alex continued working his way through the sake while I stuck to water. He became more animated, telling me stories about his early days learning the business, about deals that had gone wrong and risks that had paid off. But underneath his laughter, I could sense something tense, something wound tight that he was trying to loosen with alcohol.

"You know what I love about you?" he said suddenly, his words starting to slur just slightly. "You don't expect anything from me. You don't look at me and see dollar signs or connections or what I can do for your career."

"Alex..." I started, but he was already signaling the server for another bottle.

"I mean it," he continued, his amber eyes slightly unfocused now. "Everyone wants something. My father wants an heir who'll follow his rules. The pack wants an Alpha who never makes mistakes. But you..." He reached across the table to take my hand. "You just want me."

The words should have made me happy. Instead, they made me want to cry.

By the time we left the restaurant, Alex was definitely drunk. Not sloppy drunk, but that kind of alcohol-loosened state where his usual tight control had melted away. He kept one arm around my waist as we walked to the car, his Alpha scent mixed with sake and something that smelled like vulnerability.

"I should drive," I said, holding out my hand for his keys.

"Probably a good idea," Alex agreed with a lopsided grin. "Don't think Liam's in any state to take over either."

His wolf is drunk too? I almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

The drive back to his apartment was quiet except for Alex's occasional directions and the soft jazz playing from the radio. He leaned his head back against the seat, eyes closed, one hand resting on my thigh like he needed the contact to ground himself.

"I'm sorry," he said suddenly as we pulled into his building's parking garage.

"For what?"

"For drinking too much. For..." He gestured vaguely. "Everything, I guess."

I turned off the engine and looked at him - really looked at him. In the dim garage lighting, with his hair mussed and his usually perfect composure gone, he looked younger. More human. Less like the untouchable Alpha who might have planned our entire relationship.

"You don't have to apologize," I said softly. "We all need to let loose sometimes."

Alex opened his eyes and turned to face me. "Do we? Because sometimes I feel like if I let go for even a second, everything will fall apart."

"Come on," I said instead, getting out of the car. "Let's get you inside."