Page 110 of Chasing The Alpha's Son
“Let’s just say I know Clayton better than most.” Something zaps at the edge of my consciousness. “I’ve seen what’s under the pristine veneer and, dude, it’s nothing but rot.”
Aisha is focused on the toe of one of her combat boots. The fizzing at the front of my brain increases and I lean forward, studying Aisha, feeling like there’s more to the story—something dark and intense, screaming to be heard. For a second I wonder if it would be okay to let my guard down slightly. I almost want to, like the thought is calling to me.
But then Aisha stands, brushes her hands on her pants, and smiles.
“I gotta get back to warm-up.”
“Oh, okay. Are you alright?”
“I’m great!” she says almost convincingly.
“Okay, well if you have to go. Do you want to take a cupcake at least?”
She pushes the box back toward my chest. “Nah, those are yours, to celebrate.” Suddenly, she wraps both arms around me tight. “I’m so happy for you…really.”
When we pull apart Aisha is already moving.
“Have a safe trip home, dude.”
“See ya,” I say, waving back as she disappears through a door marked Stalls.
For a moment I sit in the foyer. Through the glass doors it looks cold and blustery. Usually when I’m not sure who to talk to I simply call Katie, but her lack of correspondence is giving me a weird vibe. Soon the evening crowd will start filing in, so I pull on my woolly hat and head out.
As I wander back uptown, I glance through the windows of restaurants, cafés, bars. My eyes catch on a table in this supercute, supertrendy coffee spot. I stop in the street and stare through the window at two guys sitting under a blackboard menu, smiling at each other over two steaming cups of coffee. Instinctively my hand reaches for my phone.
“Um hi!” Mason’s voice is bright and welcome. “Gosh, you’re obsessed with me!”
I burst out laughing. “Yeah I just couldn’t hold myself back any longer.”
“Well, it has been what, two and a half days?”
“A lifetime!”
I leave the cute couple to their coffee and continue walking toward the station.
“How are you?” I ask, and there’s a longer pause than I’d like.
A sigh. “I’m good.”
“Really?”
“Well, almost. It’s not like I’ve been face down on my bed, locked in my room, crying and overdosing on leftover Christmas chocolate since you left or anything.”
“Sure.”
“It has been quiet since you all went. Now that the fancy New York wolves have vacated the packhouse, it seems the whole pack has gotten bored of each other and disappeared back to their houses.”
“Packhouse dinners not quite doing it for you then?”
“Hardly.” He laughs a little bitterly. “Mia has basically disappeared into a lovesick void and barely notices anyone who isn’t the messaging app on her phone.”
“Mmm, I wonder who she’s talking to.”
“I blame you for this, by the way. It’s your fault she’s got a hot beta mate and her old beta best friend is rereading comics and almost excited to get back to school.”
I wait at a crosswalk for the light to change—not a very New York move, but for some reason traffic is whirring by this afternoon.
“Maybe I can come visit when it gets a little warmer, or you could come here?”
