You Rejected Me. Remember?
In Love With My Best Friend Chapter 20

Leo

“So how is he?” I asked Sarah.

As soon as my parents left, I went to the infirmary to check on Sarah’s mate.

“Getting better,” she smiled as she looked at his face. She clasped her fingers around his motionless hand and rubbed her thumb on the back of his palm. When I saw how pleased she seemed to be, a smile curved on my lips.

It was blissful to meet the one meant for us. Smiling, I looked at his face, which now looked a little better than yesterday. The colour was slowly returning to his face and since the nurses had cleaned him up, he looked fresh.

“He does look better,” I commented and she nodded her head.

“I hope he wakes up soon,” she paused for some time.

“You must be excited to talk to him,” I commented.

Heaving a deep breath, “I am eager to meet him and anxious at the same time. What if he doesn’t want to be with me? He is a rogue. I mean, he still isn’t accepted into any pack. We don’t know if he truly would want to submit to the Queen yet. So I am nervous,” she confessed.

“I am sure whatever happens will be for the best,” I replied, hoping it would make her a bit comfortable.

Pulling her lips into a thin line, she nodded her head.

“Umm… where is Astrea? I thought they were here with you,” I asked.

“Yeah, she was. She just left to get some medicine the doctor asked us to buy. She will be back soon,” Sarah replied.

Shifting on my feet, “and the others?” I asked.

“I think they went back,” she shrugged her shoulders.

A few minutes later, Astrea came back with the medicine. She beamed when she saw me.

“Hey,” she greeted me and gave me a quick hug.

“Hey, will you go to a party with me tonight?” I asked, without stalling any further.

***

After wearing a pair of black jeans and a white shirt, I strolled towards Astrea’s room to fetch her. Thankfully, she agreed to accompany me to the party. At least, I wouldn’t be alone even if Xander and Danisha leave.

Thankfully, the Queen allowed us to join the party. We weren’t usually allowed to wander away from the palace premises. Yet she allowed it when she found out the venue was within a walking distance.

I knocked on her door and when she opened it, I felt as though the wind knocked out of my lungs.

She was simply dazzling. I never knew a simple, off shoulder dress could make her look amazing. Perhaps it was the makeup. I marveled as I gawked at her. Or maybe the hair that was cascading down her back in waves.

“Stop drooling, moron. She thinks you’re going crazy,” Zoro rolled his eyes, but before I could think of a smart comeback, he retreated to the back of my head.

“Well?” She raised an eyebrow. “Let’s go?” She said and tilted her head.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Her nose scrunched as she questioned.

I chuckled as my gaze shifted towards the moon pendant that went well with her navy blue outfit.

“You look beautiful. I mean you are always beautiful…but tonight… I don’t know… you…”

The mesmerizing sound of her soft giggles made me trail off. She leaned forward and pecked my cheek.

“You look handsome,” she winked as she slid her hand into mine.

“So, let’s go?”

I couldn’t take my eyes off her ever-smiling face. I smiled. No matter what arises, my heart will always belong to her.

***

I was glad neither the Queen nor Sir Elliot saw us leave. I was not ready to confront them when we were together. I just wanted to be able to spend some time with her.

I knew I was going to attend a birthday party, but ever since Astrea agreed to go with me, I wanted to treat it more like a date with her.

The party was at a diner, which I suppose they had prearranged for the night. Xander and his girlfriend were waiting for us outside the venue.

He smirked. I had told him that I was going to take someone with me and he had at once reckoned that it was Astrea.

“Hey, you guys look good together,” he chuckled as he fist bumped.

“You too,” I mumbled, flashing a lopsided grin.

Danish seemed to be thunderstruck when she saw Astrea with me. Nonetheless, she was quick to mask her emotions.

“I thought she was your best friend,” she said, offering a polite smile.

Nodding, “she is,” I looked at Astrea. Her deep brown eyes held a lot of emotions as she gazed deeply into my face.

Sighing in contempt, “she is my forever best friend,” I mumbled, my heart soaring as I squeezed her hand.

Oh, how I wished that I felt the sparks with her. But sadly, it wasn’t there.

“Ahem,” Xander was grinning at us. I rolled my eyes and tugged at Astrea’s hand.

“Come on,” I muttered, slightly smiling at him. I walked towards the entrance, holding her hand the whole time, and as soon as I entered, I realised that the place wasn’t crowded. Just a bunch of young people who were dancing to loud music. I glanced at the crowd and noticed a familiar girl who was swaying her body, while she was sandwiched between two guys. My eyes popped out a bit, but I quickly recovered. I guess I didn’t expect to see something like that.

Xander and Danisha followed us in. So I waited in the foyer since I wasn’t familiar with the place and the people in it. An older girl who looked similar to Natasha greeted us.

“Hey, Danisha! So glad you could come.”

“Happy birthday, Emma,” Danisha hugged her.

After all of us wished her, she led us inside.

These are the friends Nat has been telling me about, right?” She smiled. “Come. I’ll call Nat.

It wasn’t long before I felt her presence. Even in the dense atmosphere filled with the aroma of flavorful delicacies and wine, the smell of the perfume she wore was prominent. Perhaps she used a bit too much of it before approaching us. Maybe she wanted to mask the scent of the other males whom she pranced with. Honestly, I didn’t replace it appealing, but it wasn’t my concern, anyway. So I smiled politely, acknowledging her presence.

“Thank you for coming,” her smile faltered a little when she saw that Astrea was sitting beside me.

“Oh, you brought your bestie,” she said. I didn’t miss the lack of enthusiasm in her voice, but I didn’t care. Astrea was the reason why I was looking forward to tonight, ever since she agreed to come with me. An awkward silence followed.

“Umm, let’s have some food first?” Danisha broke the silence.

With Astrea beside me, Natasha didn’t attempt to come close or make weird comments. When Danisha and Xander went dancing together, I also asked Astrea to dance with me. I thought I had seen Natasha’s mood go sour, but I didn’t care. Wasn’t she grinding against some dude when we entered the place? She could go and dance with whoever she liked, anyway. I was sure that there would be many males who wouldn’t mind dancing with her.

Pushing those thoughts out of my mind, I focused on the beat as I held her h**s. I held her close to my body and closed my eyes, focusing on her alluring scent. I may not be able to have a relationship with her openly, but I just wanted to enjoy the night with her.

She hummed as she rested her chin on my shoulder.

“I love you,” I whispered into her ear. She chuckled.

“I thought we were on a break,” she whispered, as she leaned back to look at me.

“We are?” I whispered back.

Smiling sadly, “we have to wait until…”

“But tonight is different. Tonight you are my girl,” I smirked.

“But…”

“Shhh,” I chuckled. “Let’s ditch this party?” I suggested.

“Huh? But where?”

Scrunching my nose, “anywhere, but here,” I said. I would rather be alone with her than in the middle of a flock of strangers.

“How about a walk in the park nearby?” I suggested. She nodded, but then frowned.

“But Xander?”

“He will cover for us,” I winked at her and started to weave our way out of the crowd.

On our way out, I mentioned to Xander that we were leaving and thanked Natasha for inviting us. Natasha didn’t seem happy, but she didn’t say anything. Perhaps she will stop bothering me afterwards.

“I feel strange about that girl,” Astrea voiced her thoughts as we strolled towards the park.

“What girl?”

I asked, regardless of having a hunch that it was Natasha she was speaking of.

“The brunette,” she replied.

“Natasha?”

“Yeah,” Astrea glanced at me. “She was throwing dirty glances at me when we were eating and I think she wasn’t happy when we went to hit the dance floor together,” she said.

I scoffed and shrugged my shoulders.

“So what? I dont care what she thinks about us,” I told her.

“She might be interested in you,” Astrea mumbled, looking at me.

“She isn’t my type,” I told her, holding her waist. “You are.”

She giggled and snaked her arm around my waist as we entered the park. We sat on a bench and just remained seated, enjoying the silence of the night. It was a huge contrast to the active environment in the diner. It wasn’t that I didn’t like to enjoy myself and have fun, but tonight, I would rather spend time in silence beside the one I love.

“Isn’t the moon beautiful?” She sighed, breaking the hush. “I wonder when the next b***d moon is,” she added.

I guess she was concerned about the storm that was brewing.

“From what I have learnt, the b***d moon occurs twice this year. The first one is estimated to be in two months’ time. The other one is later this year,” I told her what I knew.

“Two months? Good Lord! There still are a lot of things we don’t know! But we can’t do anything right now. Sarah won’t leave until her mate recovers and there are a lot of things we need to implore,” she was tensed.

“Shhh, relax. I just want to enjoy the night with you,” leaning forward, I whispered into her hair and pulled her towards me.

She did loosen up a bit.

“So, are we a thing again?” She inquired, looking into my face.

My lips stretched slightly.

“When were we not a thing?” I smirked.

Her gently parted lips slowly stretched into a beautiful smile.

Snickering, “Going against the Queen’s suggestion feels so wrong, but yeah. I know what I want,” she whispered.

“Who said we were going against her suggestion? I won’t claim you as mine yet. But I just can’t see you as a friend anymore. Not when I am feeling like this.”

Tucking a hair strand, “be my valentine?” I asked softly.

Her eyes grew wide before her face glowed.

“You are so cheesy, Leo,” she giggled, hitting my chest playfully.

Grinning, “so is it a yes?” I asked.

Nodding, “yes,” she whispered right before I claimed her lips in mine.

We forced ourselves to go back to the Palace when we felt that the night had deepened and the streets had become too deserted. As we walked towards the Palace, a bothersome scent hit my nostrils. I scrunched my nose and preferred to ignore it. The stench wasn’t too intense to be unbearable, but it seemed that someone was burning rubber. Possibly in the woods in the west. That place wasn’t too remote.

I felt Astrea go rigid and hastily scan the area.

“Quick, let’s get out of here,” she whispered. I frowned, yet didn’t question her, and dashed towards the Palace. At least it wasn’t too far away. The guards let us in without any hesitation. We didn’t stop until we entered through the imperial door. When we were certain that we were safe, we halted to catch our breath.

“What happened?” I asked her in between my gasps of breath.

“Rogues…” she panted.