All This Time

DELETED SCENE: Wolf's POV from Chapter 3

I see the smile before I see the rest of her. I've always been an ass man, but the brilliance of her smile sends a jolt down the entire length of my body. My finger stops tapping impatiently against the steering wheel. Something niggles in the back of my mind—that smile, that hair, no, it can't be—begging me to remember.

Then Xander emerges from the airport's revolving exit door and my teeth set. Good god, was I just ogling—no, surely not.

Charlotte Wright.

My head begins to hurt. She looks so much better in person than she does in her pictures. Even though she's just come off a long flight, her smile is happy and bright. I frown. Even when she's just standing there she finds a way to lean into Xander, to aim that thousand-watt smile at him.

I've seen the signs before. The coy smile, the breathless laugh. The sharp claws itching to sink into some poor boy's trust fund.

I've suspected for a while. He has pictures of them together on his phone, in his apartment. It's weird - how can a girl and boy just be friends? He never listened to me when I tried to hint she could be using him for his wealth and connections. Not that kind of girl, he said. Everyone's that kind of girl. Even Diana Carnegie, who wants for nothing, is that kind of girl.

If I'm being honest with myself, I'll admit part of me is jealous.

But I'm not honest with myself.

I run a frustrated hand through my hair as I remember Graeme's warning: Be nice. I fold my arms across my chest and wait for them to notice me. To my horror, my best friend appears entranced by her. Oh, no. This has got to be nipped in the bud.

My conscience prickles. Xander may be my best friend, but I'm not his. She is.

I put the car into motion, sliding up in front of the revolving door. There's a sour taste in my mouth as I watch her - she's noticed the car, and I almost see the dollar signs popping from her head. Not here a minute and already sizing up my wealth, I think with bad grace.

Xander doesn't seem to notice. Poor guy. She's got him wound so tight around her little finger. No wonder she didn't trust him to be in the Netherlands alone. All those years invested in him down the drain if he fell for someone else, after all.

I know Graeme wants me to be nice to Charlotte, but part of me can't help but think if I act like a dick, it'll drive a wedge between her and Xander. And when he's done mourning the Charlotte-shaped loss in his life...no, I'm getting ahead of myself. But there'll be a best friend vacancy - as well as a girlfriend vacancy. Graeme will thank me for it if I just needle the situation a little bit, just enough to make this Ms. Wright realize just how wrong she is for people like us.

I get out of the car and lay my hand on the roof of the car. I don't smile back at her, and hers falters when she notices.

"This is my friend and colleague, Wolfram van der Waals." Xander gestures to me.

"Wolf," I say in a knee-jerk reaction. Wolfram is too stuffy. I immediately want to take it back. Better to let her call me Wolfram, maintain that formality between us, before she thinks we're going to be friends. The thought of befriending this snake in the grass sets my teeth on edge.

I spare a glance at Charlotte. There's a pucker in her forehead, like she's just starting to get the impression I'm being cool with her. "Is that all you have with you?" I ask, scowling at her luggage.

One bag. Who travels with just one bag? I think back to our family vacations - Graeme's always needed one bag for accessories and shoes, one for clothing, and one spare for her holiday shopping.

"Yep," she replies, and she sounds so Christmassy about it that her good cheer gives me a headache. Her smile is beatific. Well, of course she's happy. She thinks she's going to be snuggling up to Xander all week. Little does she know Graeme's not going to leave them to their own devices. The thought of my ferocious baby sister going up against this backwoods ladder-climber makes me smirk.

It also makes me pull the suitcase from her grasp a little harder than I intended, and she reels forward, coming perilously close to my face. I lean back at once, taking her bag with me.

"And this is Charlotte, my best friend," Xander says, perfectly oblivious.

I really don't get what he sees in her.

I open the trunk and dump her bag inside. Let her lotion and shampoo explode onto her clothes, I think. Again, my conscious rears it's ugly head. Okay, so maybe wishing her clothes to be ruined is a bit harsh.

But then I see her chipper smile again and it makes me remember that she's using Xander. Taking advantage of his guileless nature. Talking to him about her boyfriends and planning silly little Florida trips together. Telling him on Skype he needs a haircut. It's not decent, the way she's hooked her second-rate claws into him.

I stare at her from behind the open trunk door and change my mind.

I do hope things have leaked all over her clothes.

HI GUYS SO THIS WAS JUST A LITTLE BONUS CHAPTER. WOLF IS SO PETTY, OML. I've kind of had this scene in mind since Chapter 1, so I'm excited to finally write it now.

Are there any other "deleted scenes" you'd like to see? Any other questions you want answered? I'd love to sporadically post some bonus chapters with behind the scenes content into the lives of All This Time's characters! If you have a request, drop it here! If it inspires me, I'll write about it and dedicate the chap to you :)