by Lannah Smith
"It's his birthday tomorrow," Christopher whispered loudly to me.
"It's not my birthday tomorrow," Alec muttered darkly at Christopher.
I eyed the two. "Isn't it Christopher's birthday tomorrow?"
As soon as I said that, Christopher lifted his hand palm up towards Alec. Scowling, Alec pulled something out of his pocket and handed a smirking Christopher a hundred.
"What the hell?" I muttered, unable to keep the astonishment out of my voice. I couldn't believe what I had just seen.
Chuckling softly, Christopher pocketed the money.
"I have never felt so insulted in my - Did you just bet if I knew about your birthday?"
Unperturbed by my fury, Alec picked his glass up. "I was sure you didn't know since you also claimed you didn't think much of him," he muttered, taking a sip.
"I don't!" I snarled.
"But you know that it’s his birthday's tomorrow."
My gut clenched. "Is that supposed to be a big deal?"
Alec’s lip twitched and he looked carefully to the side. Christopher wasn't saying anything and was happily enjoying his meal. I huffed indignantly at the two of them. But glancing at me, a smile grew upon Christopher’s face and his dark eyes became soft. I couldn’t find it in me to be angry anymore.
I didn't like the feeling that was creeping up my chest so I dropped my gaze and shoved a piece of pork into my mouth.
“I like chocolate,” Christopher suddenly said after a while of silence.
I looked up and narrowed my eyes on him. Something told me he was planning something. They both were.
“And caramel.”
Another bolt of suspicion tore through me.
“No one asked,” I mumbled down at my plate.
“I think we have ingredients for cake here somewhere.”
“I’m sure the cook can bake one for you,” I heard Alec speak and when I glanced up, Christopher was giving him an annoyed frown.
Carefully avoiding both their eyes, I set about quickly finishing eating.
Then I silently prayed that tomorrow would be kind to me and my feelings.
I should have prayed harder.
Chapter 34
April slammed her book closed.
“No,” she said with finality, putting it down on the table. “The answer is a definite no.”
A long sigh came from the bed. “Come on, April,” Christopher cajoled, leaning forward, propping his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands loosely in front of him. “Won’t you do this for me?”
“I said no.”
Christopher groaned inwardly. They had been at this for almost two hours. It started when they were having breakfast and it continued up into her room where he followed her. She had then tried to pretend to be reading to get him off her back.
She wouldn’t budge.
He noted this with a tiny grin.
But then again, he already knew this. Nothing was ever easy with April Locke.
"It's my birthday," he reminded her.
She gave him a look of deep irritation. "I don't care if it's your birthday. Make Alec bake you a cake or something. You two can go celebrate it by yourselves."
"Alec is gone."
She blinked. "What?"
"He's gone. He went down to get some supplies."
He could see the disappointment in her form and wasn’t sure if she was aware that she was showing it.
"He should have told me," she mumbled, bending down to pick up the kitten on the floor.
"So that you can find a way to get into the car without him knowing?" he easily guessed.
She sighed as she started to stroke the kitten's fur. "You're extremely aggravating, do you know that?"
"You never fail to remind me every day, honey."
"Have I also told you that I hated you today?"
"Not yet," he shook his head. "I was hoping you wouldn't since it's my birthday."
She gave him a tight smile. "But I hate you though."
"Ah, but you've seriously wounded me, April."
"I wish I really did," he heard her mutter forlornly.
Christopher finally let out the grin he was holding. His amusement wasn’t because she was doing a bad job fending him off, no. Sitting on the chair, with the kitten in her arms, looking glum, she was just like a petulant child who didn’t manage to get her way and was now sulking.
He could honestly say that April was the most beautiful girl he knew. It wasn’t because of his feelings for her. It was quite true. No one could hold a candle to her beauty and he had seen a lot of beautiful women in his life. Her willfulness. Her temper. And a droll wit that was quite amusing at times. All those women would only come up short now and be a disappointment.
After all, why would he go look for another when he already knew she was best?
A relationship with April. It could be heaven. It could be hell.
Christopher was going to do everything he can to make sure it happened.
"So?" he prompted after a long moment of silence. "Are we going to cook dinner together and eat or should we go out?"
April was looking surprised when she looked at him. "Go out where?"
"To a restaurant, of course."
His answer might have seemed bizarre for her that it rendered her speechless for a long while.
"You're not joking right?" she asked suspiciously. Even the kitten was looking at him with almost the same expression.
He lifted his brows. "It's my birthday, April," he said in mock-disbelief. "I'm not going to joke about my plans for my birthday."
She still wouldn’t believe him. Giving him a narrowed-eyed look, she tried testing the waters.
"I prefer going out to eat," she slowly said.
He shrugged. "It's a date, then."
Swallowing the words that was going to say that this was definitely not a date, April kept quiet, trying not to make him change his mind about going out.
"Aren't you going to change?" he asked, glancing at her outfit. "I'm not saying you don't look beautiful but it's a fancy restaurant. You might want to wear something else."
She glanced down at her outfit. Then at him.
“I did have some pretty dresses stocked in your closet,” he went on. “Just in case.”
“Get out, Christopher.” She pointed at the door with an unreadable expression on her face and grinning, he stood up to leave. Because just like how she wasn’t taking any chances of him changing his mind, he wasn’t taking any chances either of changing hers.
When he left her bedroom, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and checked his messages. Birthday greetings from his friends filled his inbox. One from his grandmother. But none from his grandfather.
Leon had also sent him a message.
Happy birthday, you stubborn idiot, it said.
It made him chuckle.
He’d been worried he’d hurt Leon’s feelings after their phone call but apparently, there were no hard feelings. Still, he knew that someday, he’d be doing a lot of explaining to them.
There were a few missed calls from Hannah and Terry. He sent them messages, excuses as to why he couldn’t pick up the phone and told them that he’d see them soon. Then he went to his bedroom to get ready to go out with April.
A few hours later, Christopher was lounging in the doorway to her bedroom. April was glowering at him. But he let her anger bounce off him because the sight of her was so breath-taking, it drowned out all his other thoughts. Thunderstruck, he could only stare.
Silently praising the stylists, he had hired to fill her closet, Christopher once again dragged his eyes down April’s body. For someone who was reluctant to go out with him, she had really outdone herself. Dressed in a strapless silver dress that was not too tight or short but showed just enough to affect his control, her strawberry blonde hair was curled, cascading down her back with a few strands framing her face. The make-up she wore was minimal, enough to accentuate her face.
Defiant and angry,
she stood there, looking like a magnificent queen.
And Christopher had to use everything in his power to hold back from attacking her lips.
“You didn’t knock,” April growled at him.
“I knocked,” he answered, staring at her red, glossy lips. “For two minutes. Then to ascertain that you didn’t jump out of the window, I let myself in.”
“I was in the bathroom getting ready, you lughead.”
“And it’s well appreciated, honey,” he promised.
Looking at the ceiling, like she was asking the heavens why she had to suffer like this, she muttered, “And because you sneaked up on me, I haven’t finished getting ready yet.”
“I could stare at you for a decade,” he murmured. “You look like a dream.”
She gave an unladylike snort. "If that's supposed to be flattery, your score is zero. And stop staring at me."
“You only have yourself to blame, honey,” he grinned. “You can’t look the way you do and expect to be ignored.”
"You're incorrigible.”
"I'm in love," he countered. "And men in love are usually incorrigible."
"Are we leaving or not?" she demanded with a glare.
“You said you weren’t ready.”
“I just needed to put my shoes on.”
“I guess I messed up the opportunity to see the full show,” he said low.
Rolling her eyes, April went and got her shoes on. Then she turned to look at him again. Biting his knuckle, he groaned softly.
Utter perfection.
Realizing the effect she had on him, she, unfortunately, did not use it to her advantage and instead rolled her eyes again.
“Let’s just leave before I kill you, Christopher.”
It was a lie that Alec was gone.
It was a lie that Alec had went to get some supplies.
I looked out the window of the car, watching the snow and trees slide by.
But despite knowing that, I allowed Christopher to lie to me. And because an old piece of me had returned, I had managed to look like I believed him too.
It was just this morning when Alec and I had spoken to each other.
"Don't."
I put my hand down and turned. Alec was giving me a deep scowl from the doorway.
"Don't wake him up," he grunted.
"Why not?" I lifted a brow. Despite being caught in the study, a place I had never set foot in until now, I was more angry than embarrassed, seeing as my escape plan was foiled again.
"Sleep doesn’t come often for him,” Alec answered. “So just let him be."
Startled, I glanced at Christopher. He was leaning back in his chair with his head tilted back, sound asleep. Looking around the study, I saw that everything was straightened up except for the top of his desk. The sun was bright and shone through the windows, lighting the entire study. But it clearly didn’t bother him since he didn’t wake. He actually looked comfortably enough.
"What do you mean?" I asked Alec.
Alec tilted his head, regarding me thoughtfully. Another person might find his eyes frightening, a look that had seen it all and didn’t give a damn about any of it. But it wasn’t cold. Nor impersonal. Just cynical and wary.
Right now it was wary.
Then he opened his mouth to answer me, "He's insomniac, Miss Locke."
My eyes widened and my lips parted in shock.
“I take it you didn’t know,” he muttered.
“No,” I said tightly.
"You are aware that he watches over you every night, right?”
“Painfully so, yes.” Even if I lock the door the bastard would only pick it until it opened.
“Do you think he goes to bed in the morning?"
I hesitated, "Doesn’t he?"
"He doesn't," Alec said in a flat tone. “If there’s work, he goes straight to doing it.”
“That’s crazy.” My voice must have been too loud because he lifted a finger to his lips. In a hushed tone, I asked, "How long?"
"Since he was a child.”
It was as if the truth had been like a truck crashed into me, crushing the air from my chest, shattering all my bones into a million pieces.
I clenched my jaw. Why the hell didn’t I know of that?
Alec lifted his arm to the side to indicate the hall. “Now, if that answers all your questions, can you please let him rest and leave the study?”
The terse delivery of his words indicated that he was done with this topic. Jerking into action, I moved for the door, not wanting to disturb Christopher anymore, and Alec let me pass. The very moment he closed the door gently behind him, I whirled around to face him.
"Isn't he taking any medication for it?" I asked, worriedly. “If it’s that serious, hasn’t he seen a doctor… or a specialist?”
His eyes were once again studying me warily when he said, "He did take medication for a short while. But he took too much one night and overdosed. They had to pump his stomach, they kept him off the medicine after that."
My arms wrapped themselves around my body, trying to protect me from a surge of emotions washing over me like crashing waves of the sea. My body stiffened like a plank and for a moment, I could not move or speak or even breathe.
Overdosed.
Christopher overdosed.
I almost lost him.
Watching me, a change came over Alec’s expression. It softened his features, warming his eyes but still, I felt the tension in my body increase. I looked to the floor, swallowing painfully. I could not cry. I had to get away from this man before I could.
"So?" His voice was soft with inquiry and concern. "What exactly were you trying to do here?"
Until I was certain that I wasn’t going to bawl my eyes out, I looked at him again and answered truthfully, "I was going to borrow a phone."
And again, his expression changed. This time, it showed that he thought I was screwy in the head.
“Who were you going to call?”
I could no longer meet his gaze. Guilt had shot through me like a javelin. I thought I had been smart by waking up at dawn, around the time I knew that Christopher would leave my bedroom.
“Just… someone… to get me.”
"Really, Miss Locke?" His eyebrow arched. "And on his birthday?"
"I told you I don't give a damn about his birthday," I grumbled.
The corner of his lips twitched. "You're really full of shit. I'll be honest with you too. You see that?" He pointed at the corner of the hall where a tiny black box was. "You can't just move freely, Miss Locke. You're always being watched."
“Oh.”
“Oh,” he repeated flatly. “That’s all you have to say?”
His condescension was starting to grate on my nerves.
“I have to go feed Cow,” I mumbled, cautiously edging away from him.
I thought I heard him chuckling as I walked down the hall and I used everything I had to force myself to walk calmly to my bedroom.
Then I stiffened in realization and turned.
“Did you just say I am always being watched?” I asked, both astounded and enraged by this breach of my privacy.
But Alec had already gone. The last that I had seen of him was before Christopher and I had breakfast together. And knowing him, if he was truly out, he’d be back before the day was over.
I pulled in a breath at the recollection of my early morning activities.
Then on the exhale, I snuck a glance at the man behind the wheel.
Christopher was wearing a black suit and a crisp white shirt that had a few buttons unbuttoned. His hair was once again swept back from his face when this morning, it was quite messy. Admittedly, he was handsome. Admittedly, I had butterflies in my stomach when he came into my room to get me. And admittedly, I had taken great care as I dressed up while trying to convince myself I wasn’t doing this for him but for me since it had been far too long.
I could have been stubborn if I had wanted to.
Christopher had dealt w
ith so many of my rejections in the past, he was most likely going to get over this too if I tell him that I wasn’t celebrating his birthday with him. But the knowledge that he had insomnia fucking tugged at my heart. I knew I would lose the moment Christopher would ask me about his birthday. I knew I would eventually have to say yes to everything he'd ask me today.
