I was thrown off balance by her presence and I began to stammer over my words. I thought her hangover was bad enough that she would sleep through the conversation but seeing her staring at me had me wondering how much of my conversation she heard. I opened my mouth to speak but no words would come out so I simply closed it and wrapped my arms around myself.
"Thank you," she said finally breaking the silence and I scrunched my brows in confusion. "First for the bath, it's hazy but I remember it, second for breakfast which I turned off by the way and third for Ian."
"You don't have to thank me for any of those," I brushed her off. "I was just trying to help but if it makes you feel any better then you're welcome."
She laughed but it proved to be a wrong move because she clutched her head in pain. I figured it was her hangover so I rushed into the bathroom where I had seen a first aid box and retrieved painkillers for her. I wasn't sure whether they would work for her the same way they did for me but I figured it was worth a try.
I handed it over to her and she muttered a quick thank you to me before throwing three tablets into her mouth without blinking. I stared in shock that she had taken so much and that she had taken it without a drop of water. I couldn't stop my face from twisting up into a grimace and when she saw me, I could see she was trying to hide her laughter.
"They don't affect us the way they do with you. It isn't strong enough and our bodies burn it faster. It might work for an hour tops before the pounding headache comes back. Hopefully, before then, I'll be able to function like a proper person."
"I was more concerned that you didn't use water."
"You have Darius to thank for that," she said casually as she leaned back against the couch to relax. "You know, he's not such a bad guy sometimes. If you take away his natural instinct to be obtuse and overbearing that is."
This time I laughed. The way she spoke about Darius wasn't much different from the way I would speak about Chris but I could tell that she loved him. I had always wanted an older brother and even though I didn't have one, from the way she spoke, I could tell that he was a good older brother.
"Are you ready for breakfast?" I asked and she nodded slowly. "Do you want to wake Serena or will I?"
"I think I'll leave that one to you. Good luck with it."
I didn't understand why she was telling me good luck until I tried to wake Serena. She slept like the dead and I was fairly certain she could sleep through a nuclear bomb with no problems. It took me almost twenty minutes to rouse her awake and even then, I had to drag her to her feet before she went back to sleep. She dragged her feet and mumbled a few incoherent words for another ten minutes which Amy referred to as 'booting'.
Amy said no words about what happened with Ian that morning. I couldn't help but feel that Amy's presence in town would throw a lot of things into disarray especially where Ian was concerned. The man I met at the door did not look like someone who was looking for his best friend. He looked like he was on the verge of going crazy if he didn't find her. She didn't want to accept it but he had feelings for her. I just felt bad for Serena because she was going to be caught in the crossfire.
"What are you thinking about?" Serena asked as we cleared the table together and I shrugged. "You've always been a terrible liar, don't start now."
"I plead the fifth."
She burst out laughing at that. She looked me over once more and I avoided her gaze for fear that she would see what I was hiding. When she didn't get what she wanted, she simply shrugged and walked away. I let out a sigh of relief but I knew I needed to
get out of the house as soon as possible or else she would figure it out.
I waited until we were done with the dishes before I cleared my throat. "I think I should start going now. My family will be looking for me."
"No problem," she pulled me into a hug. "Stay safe, I'll see you at work."
Amy was in the living room when I came and she pulled me into a hug when she saw I was leaving.
"Can you come over to Darius' around noon?â she whispered so low that I was sure Serena couldn't hear. "There's something I need to discuss with both of you and it cannot wait any longer."
She pulled away and smiled at me as if nothing happened. I couldn't trust myself to not ask any questions if I spoke so I simply nodded towards her and walked out of the house. As I got into my car, I couldn't help but think about what she wanted to talk to Darius and me about. Was it about us being mates? Was she trying to play matchmaker?
If you're loving the book, nel5s.com is where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you!
I wanted to believe that was it but whatever it was that was bothering her seemed to be more important than matchmaker. She sounded worried and a little anxious as she spoke. My curiosity knew no bounds. I glanced at the time and saw that it was a few minutes after ten. I had enough time to go home, change and leave again. Whatever it was that she wanted to tell me, I knew it was going to shake my world off its axis. When I got home, Grandma was waiting for me in the living room. She didn't look as worried as I knew she would have if I didn't tell her where I was going. She wasn't looking at me at first but when I shut the door behind me, she turned to me and let out a sigh of relief then hobbled over to pull me into a hug.
"Where is Chris?"
"He went out with a few of his friends," she pulled away from me and when she was sure I was fine, she pulled my ears. "I was just about ready to call the police. What happened? What was so important that you couldn't come home first then go to Serena's?"
"I can't tell you that. All I can say is that everything is fine now."
I loved my grandmother but Serena was my closest friend here and I wasn't going to betray her trust like that. Grandma seemed to understand because she nodded and took a step back. I was relieved that she didn't push but also very confused because I expected more of a struggle from her.
"There's breakfast for you in the microwave although I have a feeling you've already eaten."
"Why aren't you more worried?" I blurted out and she scrunched her brows in confusion. "If this was a few days ago, you would have lost your mind and shipped me off to a convent to learn time management skills."
"A few days ago there was a killer wolf on the loose," she deadpanned. "Besides,
Darius assured me that you were safe with his sister." "You're in contact with Darius?"
If you're loving the book, nel5s.com is where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you! She seemed to realize what she had said because she scrambled for words to save herself but it was too late. I should have expected it judging by how she always championed my relationship with Darius. I should have known because every time I was with Darius, she either glossed over my lateness or never asked.
My first instinct was to be furious. I wanted to yell and give her a breakdown of what privacy meant and how she and Darius needed to learn the word but I knew it was fruitless. I knew I couldn't win against both of them and I was tired of picking battles I was not going to win. Instead of doing all that, I simply hummed and made my way towards my room.
"Leindra, it is for your own safety," she tried to explain as she followed me. "Darius has men all over the city and he can always ensure that you are safe. I- we are just trying to keep you safe."
"Okay, Grandma."
I know you're upset and-" she trailed off and turned to me. "Did you just say okay? Are you alright? Do you feel a little sick?"
"Yes I did, I can never win with you so I'm not going to fight." She looked shocked and,
if I'm being honest, a little scared. "Since you're suddenly best friends with Darius, tell
him I'll be at his place in a little over an hour. His sister invited me."
"Leindra, don't do anything you would regret."
I smiled at her ruefully. "I would never dare."
Before she could respond, I slammed the door in her face.