AMELIA’S P.O.V

Thankfully, we didn’t end up getting in trouble for being late to class. It earned us some dirty looks from students that we were let off the hook for something the others would have been punished for but it was not my fault that the teachers chose to give me extra attention and privileges.


School ended relatively quickly much to my disappointment because it meant I was going to have to sit home alone and wait for Kaden. I wasn’t eager to leave and I wanted to follow Serena home but she had work to attend to and that meant I was well and truly alone. It was disappointing to say the least because although I was used to the silence, I had come to appreciate the company that my friends gave to me.

I made lunch for myself and some for Kaden although I knew he wouldn’t be back home in time to eat it before it got cold. It didn’t stop me from waiting up for him however. I did everything I knew to do, I did my home work and I even cleaned but it was almost as if time was taunting me by moving extra slow. It was around eight at night that he returned. It was a lot earlier than last night but still late compared to his usual standards. He looked even worse than he did yesterday and I felt my heart ache in protest for him.

He noticed me waiting on the couch and exhaled deeply. “You didn’t have to stay up waiting. I told you that I was going to be late.”


“I know, but I was alone and it felt like the best alternative,” I murmured as the silence stretched through us. There was still some tension from our discussion earlier and it seemed like neither of us was sure of how to bridge the gap between us. “Kaden-”

“I’m really tired right now,” he cut me off and everything I wanted to say vanished from my head. I watched with careful eyes as he walked over and placed the most fleeting of kisses on my forehead then walked away leaving me in the living room.


I blinked twice trying to realize if that had truly happened but I couldn’t reconcile my reality to the Kaden that I had in my head. He never treated me so dismissively before and there was that antiseptic smell all over him again. It took me almost half an hour to regain my bearings and finally leave the living room but I didn’t go to the bedroom. I couldn’t bear to be around him. I found the spare bedroom and that was where I slept.

Although slept was a loose term considering that I tossed and turned all through the night. I had gotten so used to Kaden’s presence and body heat that it felt almost impossible for me to do this without him. By the time morning came around, I was drop dead exhausted but I still found the energy to get out of bed and make a hearty breakfast of hash browns and bacon.

I was in the middle of cooking when I heard Kaden coming down the stairs. From his sluggish movements and the dragging of his feet, I could tell that he also had a bad night and despite how bad I felt, I didn’t turn to look at him. I knew the exact moment he saw me because I felt the heat of his gaze on my skin.

“Good morning,” he said slowly and all I did was hum in response. I felt him walk up to me and kiss my temple but instead of relaxing into him like I usually did, I was ramrod straight. “Amelia, please don’t do this.”

“Do what?” I asked still refusing to look him in the eye. “I’m just leaving you alone like you asked. Your breakfast is on the table if you’re hungry.”

“I didn’t mean it that way. Fuck, I can’t even remember if I actually said that or not. I was exhausted and I just wanted to pass out in bed, okay? It had nothing to do with you or how I felt, there is just a lot going on right now.”

“I don’t want to know anymore, it doesn’t matter,” I shrugged trying to side step him but Kaden wasn’t having any of it. He grabbed me by my shoulders and turned me so that I was looking directly at him.

“Stop with the attitude,” his voice was hard. “I need you to fucking look at me,” I still didn’t oblige so he grabbed my chin in his hands and tilted my head up. “Keep your eyes on me, okay? That is where they belong.”

I rolled my eyes and I could tell it pissed him off because his jaw ticked but he made no move to address that. There were more pressing things at hand and we both knew it.

“If you’re pissed off at me then yell at me. I treated you like shit last night and I shouldn’t have, I’m sorry. There is just a lot I am trying to fix with the pack and I cannot tell you about it until it is done. I don’t want you to worry about me because I am safe but I was exhausted. That isn’t an excuse to have shrugged you off like that and I know it.”

I was quiet for a second and when I spoke, my voice was barely over a whisper. “I made lunch for you.”

His eyes closed shut but before they did, I saw guilt flash through them. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to have lunch with you.”

“Why won’t you just tell me what it is?” I asked. “You didn’t even tell Caleb and he is your best friend.”

“Caleb is my Beta,” he corrected and I shot him a dry look. Whether he admitted it or not, we all knew what Caleb was to him. “I don’t want to speak about it until I am sure that it is going to work. If it does, it could be beneficial to everyone.”

I could tell if he was lying or not but I decided not to dwell so much on it. Kaden would never lie to me and if he did, it would definitely be for my betterment. I let out a heavy sigh and nodded. I saw the palpable relief on his face as he leaned down to kiss me properly.

“Let me take you out for lunch,” he mumbled against my lips. “To make up for missing lunch with you yesterday, what do you think?”

“Are you sure that you don’t have any work to do today?” I asked and he shook his head. I was a bit hesitant because I didn’t want us to get interrupted later.

“As at right now, my schedule is completely cleared for you.”

I couldn’t stop the smile that grew on my lips. “Okay then, we can do lunch.”

Kaden wouldn’t tell me where we were going, all he said was to dress nice but not black tie so I settled for a simple short black dress. It showed off my curves and I curled my hair into loose beach waves. When Kaden saw me, he ran his eyes down my body in such a predatory way that I couldn’t stop my cheeks from heating up.

As soon as I was within reach of him, he wrapped his arms around me so that he could squeeze my ass and I yelped in shock. He swallowed the sound with a deep kiss and by the time he pulled away, I had half a mind to just call of the dinner so we could stay in. As if he could tell exactly what I was thinking, he cursed and pulled back from me.

“I know what you’re thinking, baby and as good as that sounds, we have a reservation,” he mused aloud and I pouted. “I’ll make it up to you later though, that is a promise.”

He took me to a restaurant that I had never been to before. It was classy but not over the top and I liked the ambience of it. We were led to a private room and were given the seats beside the window. It overlooked a beautiful outdoor space and I couldn’t help but watch in awe. I asked Kaden to order for me and the service was impeccable because our food came within minutes.

Despite the fact that it made him eat with his less dominant hand, Kaden made sure that my hand was always in his. It was cute and it had my cheeks stained a permanent pink color. It was perfect and I couldn’t have asked for a better day until Kaden’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He tried to ignore it but it buzzed again and my face fell because I already knew what it was.

He shot me a sympathetic look as he took his phone out from his pocket and answered the incoming call. The waiter chose that exact moment to return with our desert and all he needed to do was take one look at my face to realize that the date was over.

“Do you want me to pack it up as takeout?” he asked but I shook my head.

“Just give it away to someone you think deserves it,” he shot me a sympathetic look as he left to do as I asked and I turned back to Kaden who had just finished his call. “You have to go, don’t you?”

“I am so sorry, baby, I thought that I would be free today.”

“It’s fine,” I waved him off despite the pit in my chest. “I can just call Clara to come pick me up. You should go.”

“Are you upset?” I shook my head but his eyes narrowed as if he didn’t believe me.

I squeezed his hand. “Really, it is fine, don’t worry about it.”

He leaned down to place a soft kiss on my lips. “I’ll handle the bill before I leave.”

I watched as he disappeared and I texted Clara to come pick me up. I sat there at the table in disappointment trying not to let the tears well up in my eyes. I shouldn’t have been disappointed, he was trying but I hated the fact that he was so easily pulled away from me.

I wiped at the tears in my eyes and stood to my feet. It was fine, there was nothing to be upset about. My eyes were still blurry with unshed tears and it was because of that I didn’t see where I was going until I bumped into a hard chest.

“I am so sorry,” I murmured trying to wipe at my eyes. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“I didn’t expect to see you here.”