We had an hour more to go before we'd land at the New Haven Airport, and I suddenly wished we'd had a longer journey.
I was in my 'happy place' right now and had been since a little after Xavier and I had left the house. We'd eaten our dinner at a quaint, cozy restaurant on our way to the airport and boarded the plane somewhere around midnight. Xavier and I had talked, and it hadn't been awkward – for the most part, at least. We'd talked like any two people who hadn't seen each other for a while would, with just a little hint of the familiarity we'd shared in the good old days. He'd told me about his life at college, and I had to say, I was intrigued. There were perks of being a student in one of the top colleges of the world. However, I was surprised to discover that Xavier had opted out of the on-campus programme and applied for an online degree after his first year. When I'd asked him why, he'd given me a vague-ass answer about how he had other stuff to do. I couldn't imagine what. But I didn't complain, because I'd been giving Xavier equally vague-ass answers about my life at home. Mostly because I didn't really have a life outside of school and he didn't know that.
Suffice to say I was in my own personal bubble of contentment right then. Adrian had once gone to visit his cousins in North Carolina for a month. When he'd come back, he'd described to me in very graphic detail how much he'd hated it there and how 'at home' and 'in his element' he'd felt when his pet dog had jumped him with a goofy, welcome-home grin and a wet tongue. I hadn't really understood then what he meant by that 'in his element' comment, but I did now. I felt...good, for the lack of a better word.
And I had a feeling that my bubble was going to burst with a loud pop once this plane landed and reality came crashing back.
Xavier was sleeping next to me but his face wasn't relaxed. His face was hard, as if he had trouble sleeping, and there was a small, barely discernable frown on his forehead. It bothered me. I doubted our relationship would ever be as intimate as is between mates, but I knew it would come back to being how it always had been, albeit slowly. And when it did come back to that, I was going to find out exactly what had happened to him in the past two years, because something had happened – and it had cut him deep.
I sighed. Life is such a maze, sometimes. One second you think the path is clear, the next you hit a dead end.
***
I looked around in amazement at Xavier's place. He wasn't living in an apartment, he was living in a house. And wasn't even paying rent for it, he'd bought it! The lobby was wide and spacious, floors were all white marble, plush wooden furniture, an LCD framed on a protruding section of the wall, a side staircase framed by a wooden banister, an open dining area...and the ceiling, god, the ceiling. It was glass – beautiful, thick glass – covered with such delicate, colourful patterns one could only hope of laying eyes on in a Museum painting.
Holy Mother of Jesus.
As I walked in dumbly, I noticed he had several photos hung on the left wall, some of him and me, some Mom and Dad, others with his friends. The inner walls were covered in Murals, intricate carvings that I couldn't begin making sense of. There were two bedrooms along a single inner corridor, both big and airy, with King-sized beds. A hallway extended along next to the stairs, that led to a wide double doorway opening onto a grand drawing room with tapestried walls.
Who knew what I would find if I went up that staircase. It wasn't a mansion, but it was damn near close.
This didn't look like a temporary arrangement, this looked like a home – a permanent one.
I came back out and stood in the middle of the lobby. Xavier was moving my suitcase and two bags in one of the bedrooms. When finished, he jerked his head towards the dining room. "Come on, I'll cook something up. I'm hungry."
I followed him silently into the kitchen and perched my hip onto the counter next to the fridge. For the next few minutes Xavier quietly worked on a 'meal' that constituted of omelettes and toasted bread, while I quietly watched him. When the meal was ready, we sat down at the dining table to eat.
"How long do you intend for me to stay here?" I asked him, just to hear him talk again.
"At least six months, maybe more." He said, without even looking up from his meal. I gaped. Was he mad?
"Uh...not be a spoilsport or anything, but you do know that I have my exams in a month, right? Finals. Senior year."
He spared me a glance. "You'll go back for your exam week, but before and after, you're staying here."
Whoa.
"What about my study material? My books, notes, they're all back home."
"I'll get you the books tomorrow, don't worry." He said, looking at me, "And stop playing with the food, eat it."
I complied and began eating, though I was fuming a little about his bossiness. Stupid arrogant Alpha. The worst part was, I liked his plan, despite his bossy attitude. I huffed, "Fine, whatever you say. Works for me."
Xavier suddenly went still — It was all the more noticeable because his fork was stilled halfway to his mouth — and stared at me.
"Whatever I say?" He repeated slowly. His eyes turned darker and his fingers curled around edge of the table. He looked...dangerous and very, very lethal. Power radiated from him, but it was restrained, like he was trying to hold it back.
I swallowed and tried to get my breathing back to normal. "Uh..."
"You're so lucky you're sitting across the table from me right now, Leah." He said, his voice thick with...oh fuck. My heartbeat accelerated. Xavier was...he was...turned on. Oh my god. "Don't submit to me so naturally, love. You might just get hurt."
***
A/N : Hi everyone! :)
So it's been a long time since I last updated but I haven't had a lot of time to spend writing on Wattpad.
I admit this chapter is only half complete and I promise to update the rest of it as soon as I'm done writing. Hope you guys enjoyed this!
💝 Nox.
