The Gift
Kieran’s POV
“Tell me you’re joking.” I said out loud. “Please tell me you’re joking.” I repeated again.
The string of laughter that slid past Sabrina’s lips wasn’t helping matters either. She had been laughing ever since I walked in here.
“Sabrina?” I called out and she grinned. From where I stood, it looked nothing less than her fighting to keep her laughter to herself, and from what I was seeing, she was failing miserably at it too. “Sabrina!”
“Yes, dear.” She looked up at me immediately and I watched as she pressed her lips into a thin line. From here, it was obvious what she was trying to do. She was trying her very best to stop herself from bursting into another round of laughter. “Did you want something?”
“Yes.” I huffed. “I refuse to believe you didn’t get me anything on your way back. Not even a souvenir from your trip?”
“I told you, Kieran.” Sabrina sighed, still fighting her laughter. “I was sent on an errand there. You could as well say I went to work.”
“Work?” I chorused and she nodded. “I don’t believe you. What kind of work would have made you so busy that you couldn’t even make out a little more time to get me something? It really isn’t fair, you know.” I pouted stubbornly.
“Well, you do know what they say about life right?” She shrugged, a huge grin on her face. “It’s not always fair.”NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.
“Sabrina!” I groaned as I walked over to where she stood on the other side of the counter. This time, she wasn’t trying to hide her laughter anymore. Her voice echoed in the kitchen as she doubled over in a loud guffaw, while I snatched the bag in front of her. “There’s no way you wouldn’t have gotten me anything. It’s just not possible…”
The rest of my words disappeared into thin air as I stumbled upon something. It was a small parcel, with a name tag on it. My name to be precise.
“I knew it.” I wrapped her in a side hug as she struggled to get her footing. “I knew there was no way you would have come back without getting me something.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever” Sabrina mirrored my expression as she slowly peeled me from off her body. ” I hope you like it.” she said warmly.
“I do.” I had already torn out the packaging even before she had responded, and in all honesty, I really liked the gift. It was a bracelet, a pretty black little thing that would go with anything I decided to pair it with. “Thank you so much Sabrina. I love it.”
“Of course, I was the one who got it, right?” Sabrina had a proud smile on her face. We relaxed at that moment for a couple more seconds before she added. ” So, any luck?”
“With what?” I asked absentmindedly. “What are you talking about?”
“Your job hunt, silly. You mentioned you wanted to work. Or are you not interested anymore?” She asked and I almost face palmed. How could I forget?
“I am.” If I was being honest, I’d totally forgotten all about it. With everything that had happened recently, I’m sure no one would blame me either. “It just slipped my mind, but I do have some ideas though.”
“I’m listening.” Sabrina nodded as she packed up the rest of the things she’d brought from the nearby pack. “Tell me everything ”
“I was thinking… maybe a stylist?” I shrugged. It wasn’t actually set in stone yet, but I just loved styling, whether it was someone or myself. I wasn’t perfect at it either, but for a beginner, I liked to think I would do well in the field. “It’s just one of the many options. I’m still trying to think and figure out which one works best and…”
“I think whichever one you choose would be perfect.” I froze as another voice reached my ears. Still reeling from the shock, I watched as the man in question casually strolled into our midst, comfortably taking a step at a time. “Kieran is very talented and would probably do well, no matter what she chooses, don’t you think?” he added and I swallowed.
“You took the words right out of my mouth.” Sabrina smiled as Xander walked in. “I think she doesn’t need to think about it too much. Just go for it. Right, Kieran?”
I froze up again. I was already getting more than enough attention from Sabrina, why did he have to come into the picture? I pressed my eyes shut as a particular memory made its way to the top of my mind. I’d been suppressing it for a while, but I guess all it needed to spike it up was the presence of the same person I was trying to avoid.
Alice’s words rang painfully in my head. The only reason why she knew we were mates was because he had told her, just moments after I’d told him not to tell anyone about it. He’d promised that he wasn’t going to tell anyone, and without blinking twice, he had broken it.
“Kieran?” Sabrina’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I nodded once. ” Excuse me though, I have something very important I have to do.”
“What?”Sabrina was shocked. Before she could mutter any more words, I was already heading out of the kitchen. “Kieran, wait!’
But I didn’t. Sabrina yelling and calling out to me was the last thing I heard as I made my way up the stairs. When I’d announced I was leaving, I could swear I saw a look of shock flicker across his face too, but I wasn’t sure. I didn’t hold eye contact long enough to figure that out.
I slammed my door shut the moment I was in my room. My heart thundered against my chest as I pressed my back against the door. If Xander had noticed that I had left because of him and I was ignoring him, then he deserved it. He deserved every single piece of it.
When I was sure my heartbeat had gone back to normal, I headed towards my bed. I had lied through my teeth downstairs. I really didn’t have anything I needed to do, I just wanted to be as far away from Alpha Xander as possible. I inhaled as I snuggled into my comfy duvet.
A memory replayed in my mind and I sighed. Just a couple of days ago, I was on this same bed, happy and literally over the moon that Xander was taking me out. He had and it was the most beautiful night ever, I had no idea who had told him I loved sunset picnics. Even after sharing a really crucial part of my life, he had still accepted me and made me feel special. I actually thought we were making progress and going somewhere with all of this, just for him to come ruin it at the end of the day.
Alice was cunning, and it didn’t sit well with me that she knew Xander and I were mates. I might have been able to shut her up the other day, but for how long would she be quiet for? I wouldn’t put it past her if she was already thinking and conniving of new ways to use that information to my detriment and her benefit. How could Xander be so nonchalant? It might not have meant anything for him, but it did for me? Why couldn’t he just have respected my boundaries and just kept his promise.
Three knocks at the door was all it took to pull me out of my thoughts. I stilled immediately, waiting to see what would happen next. After a couple more seconds, I heard the same knocks again.
“Who could that be?” I muttered underneath my breath. I wasn’t expecting anyone so who could it be? The rest of my thoughts went on hold as an idea popped into my mind.
Was it Xander? Or Sabrina? Perhaps one of them had come up to check if I was okay? But how would I know who it was, if I didn’t open up the door?
I shook my head immediately as another idea surfaced. Without thinking about it too much and before I could talk myself out of it, I tiptoed to my door. I never knew I could be this quiet until I walked to the front door with nothing but my toes. My heart hammered in my chest with each step I took and the moment I was at the door, I sniffed the air.
Surprise filled my senses when I realized who it was. It was none other than Xander and immediately I realized this, I dashed back to my bed. I felt conflicted after I’d sat on my bed. If Xander had come up to my room to check up on me, it meant that he had noticed I was ignoring him, right?
Right. But even at that, I wasn’t going to be swayed so easily. He had to realize that what he did was wrong and that I didn’t take betrayals lightly.