Chapter 75 75.Lunch
Tabitha’s POV
“What are the odds? Come on, let’s go say hi!”
“Uhm—”
Before I can respond, Evelyn’s hand tightens around my arm. I barely manage a startle grunt before she’s already tugging me forward, all bright smiles and bouncing energy. I stumble after her, caught between confusion and dread. My pulse races as we cross the open space, every step bringing me closer to Reed and Elsie.
Reed is saying something to her when he finally notices us. His smile quickly withers as if we’re some bad news marching towards him. Elsie follows his gaze and blinks in surprise, her laughter fading.
“El!” Evelyn calls out to her sister cheerfully, waving with her free hand. “Fancy seeing you here! I didn’t know you were coming to the mall today.”
Elsie straightens, her expression flickering from surprise to fond exasperation. “Evelyn, honestly—do you ever stop shopping? You were out just last weekend.”
“Guilty! But look at these finds, you’ll understand why.” Evelyn laughs while twirling her hair.
Elsie frowns as her gaze shifts to me, then to Jace, who stands a little behind us. She doesn’t say anything, but her eyes linger a moment longer than they should.
Evelyn beams and glances at us. “Oh, right! You remember Tabitha, don’t you? We just finished shopping. And Jace just happened to tag along to help us carry the bags.”
“Nice seeing you again, Elsie.” Jace gives her a curt nod.
Reed’s jaw tightens. His eyes flick to Jace, and for a heartbeat, something silent passes between them—there they go again with their silent communication shit.
Evelyn, as usual, misses it completely. She crosses her arms over her chest while looking alternately at her sister and Reed.
“Anyway, you two are on a date or something?” she asks, grinning playfully.
Elsie’s cheeks turn pink as she glances at Reed. “We are—”
“We just happened to bump into each other,” Reed interrupts quickly.
“Oh!” Evelyn purses her lips, taken aback. “I thought you two are—”
“No. I’m just here to meet some friends. Reed and I just ran into each other by coincidence.” Elsie cuts in before she can finish, her voice firmer this time.
Coincidence, huh? I fight the urge to look at Reed although I can already feel his heated gaze piercing through my skull.
“Really? You just bumped into each other here?” Evelyn tilts her head, unconvinced. “You sure you two haven’t gotten back together or something?”
Elsie blushes again, her eyes darting to Reed before she looks away.
Something twists inside me, something ugly and painful. Something I have no business feeling right now. I grit my teeth until I can practically feel a vein pulsing on my forehead. So what if they’re dating? It’s none of my concern. Still, my stomach churns as the thought repeats in my head. Reed looks at me, his gaze probing. I turn away, refusing to meet his eyes.
Don’t look at him… just don’t.
Evelyn claps her hands together. “You know what? We’re just about to grab lunch. Why don’t you two join us?”
Before Elsie can respond, Reed steps forward. “Actually, we’re going home.”
“What?” Elsie looks almost offended.
Now, it’s my turn to look at Reed. But this time, he doesn’t even glance my way. His hand just closes firmly around my arm as he starts leading me toward the exit.
What the…
“Wait! how about lunch?” Evelyn calls out after us, confused. “
“Sorry,” Reed says over his shoulder. “Pops texted me. We need to head back. Enjoy your lunch with your sister.”
What a lame excuse!
I want to protest, to ask what the hell he’s doing, but the words die in my throat. The last thing I want is to cause a scene in the middle of the mall. So I let him guide me toward the exit, still dazed and speechless.
Behind us, Jace gives Evelyn a faint smile. “I’ll drop your shopping bags off with your driver once we reach the parking lot. Thanks for letting me tag along today.”
Evelyn nods, still looking puzzled as she watches us walk away. “Yeah… sure. See you, I guess?”
Reed doesn’t slow down. His grip on my arm remains steady as we weave through the crowd. My thoughts are a mess, my pulse too loud in my ears. I don’t know what to say to him. I don’t even know what to feel.
Jace hands several of the shopping bags to Evelyn’s driver before heading toward the black Mercedes. He passes the remaining bags to Gerald, who loads them neatly into the trunk. Once everything is settled, Reed turns to me with that unreadable look on his face.
“Get in,” he orders.
His tone leaves no room for argument, but I’ve had enough. I yank my arm out of his grip and glare at him.
“What is your problem? You can’t just drag me away like some kid who broke curfew! We were supposed to have lunch with Evelyn but thanks to you, that’s not happening.”
Reed clenches his jaw, his hand twitching at his side. He doesn’t answer right away, as if reining in the words in his throat. He just looks at me for a long moment before gesturing toward the car.
“Get inside, Tabitha,” he says again in a firmer voice.
I cross my arms. “No.”
Jace steps forward and opens the car door. His expression is calm, almost gentle, as he smiles at me tentatively.
“Let’s go, baby. If you’re hungry, we can stop by a restaurant,” Jace offers.
I look at him, then at Reed. My frustration bubbles in my chest, but I swallow it down. There is no winning this argument. With a short sigh, I slide into the back seat.
The drive starts in silence. Gerald keeps his eyes on the road while Reed sits rigid in the front seat. Jace is beside me, his arm resting loosely against the door. He is uncharacteristically quiet which is good because I’m really not in the mood to chat with them. I turn my gaze to the window and watch the scenery blur past us.
My thoughts twist into knots. I don’t know what to feel, really. Seeing Reed and Elsie earlier had already soured my mood, and hearing they might be together only made it worse. Then he pulled me away like he had the right to decide where I should go, and Jace didn’t even question it. He just went along, like everything made perfect sense. I want to be angry, but I don’t even know who I’m angry at anymore—Reed, for acting like that, or myself, for caring about his dating life in the first place.
It feels like a cycle I can’t break—finding out that they’re with someone else, convincing myself it shouldn’t matter, and still feeling the sting anyway. No matter how I try to reason with my heart, it keeps betraying me. In the end, I know what’s right: I have to keep my distance. Because no matter what the mate bond says, they can never truly be mine when their hearts already belong to someone else. Not even fate can change that.
But then they always find a way to break my resolve, pulling me back into the same dangerous warmth I swore to stay away from, reminding me how fragile my self-control truly is.
“Stop here,” Reed barks at Gerald when we pass by a certain establishment.
Gerald slows down and parks in front of a quiet restaurant tucked between two boutique shops. My forehead creases, confused.
Jace gets out and walks around to my side. He opens the door and extends a hand toward me. “Let’s go,” he says softly.
I stare at his hand but refuse to take it. Instead, I push the door open wider and step out on my own. My glare shifts to Reed. “What are we doing here?”
Reed gestures toward the restaurant. “We’re eating lunch.”
I want to argue, but the words catch in my throat. My pulse races with annoyance and something else I can’t name. Without waiting for me to respond, the two of them start walking toward the entrance.
I stand there for a moment, clenching my fists. Should I make a run for it and head back home?
I am seriously considering it when my stomach grumbles in rebellion. Ah, damn it! Fine, but I will only follow them because I’m starving. I walk after them, feeling like the biggest fool alive.
The interior of the restaurant is bigger than its modest exterior. Huh, it actually looks nice. Like those classy Italian restaurants I see in 90s films. This one has the same relaxed and luxurious feel to it.
“Good day, Mr. Aldair. You’re here for your reservation?” the hostess beams at Reed as he leads the party.
“Yes. Are they here already?” Reed replies, glancing at me before shifting his eyes back at the employee.
“Yes, they’re waiting for you. This way please…”
The hostess ushers us into the restaurant’s VIP room, and I stop dead the moment the door opens. Sitting there like they own the place, casually sipping iced tea are Evren and Luca.