Chapter 83

[ 1,081 words ]

Arabella Toussaint

The music pulsed through the floor beneath my feet while colorful lights swept across the packed dance floor. I saw people laughing and dancing over the music, and then there were waiters who squeezed between the tables with trays full of drinks.

“Uh. I missed this place,” Mia sighed happily before throwing an arm around my shoulders. She had dragged all four of us to a club to celebrate another successful month.

“Missed this place? You were here last weekend!” Toby reminded her.

“I know,” She winked, “That’s why I missed it.”

Tessa suddenly slid a tiny shot glass across the table until it stopped right in front of me. I looked at the clear liquid and slowly pushed it back, “No!”

“Oh, come on. Don’t be a bummer!” She pushed it toward me again, but I kept shaking my head. I had already turned twenty-one, and there was still no sign of my period.

My gynecologist had strictly asked me to avoid using sugar and alcohol. She had been treating humans and werewolves both, and was a gentle soul.

“I can’t. Dr. Sienna will kill me!” I hissed, but Tessa didn’t back down.

“The doctor asked you to limit it. It’s just one shot!” She said with a pout.

Mia signaled a waiter to bring more shots, “Hey, best friend. Stop ruining the celebration.” She leaned over my chair and rested her chin on my shoulder. “One shot! Please!” she pleaded, batting those puppy eyes.

I tilted my head sideways to look at her face and then turned to Toby. They were staring at me with that hopeful, silly grin.

Goddess!

I let out a dramatic sigh, “Okay. Fine.”

My friends cheered loud enough to earn curious glances from nearby tables, but I quickly pointed a warning finger at them, “One!” and then picked up the shot.

Mia immediately clinked her glass against mine, “To new beginnings.”

“To YaRa Café!” Toby added.

“To money!” Tessa chimed in, making all of us laugh.

We emptied our glasses together. I squeezed my eyes shut when I felt tequila burning all the way down.

I coughed, earning a few amused glances from the neighboring table. Toby reached over and patted my back. “Still alive?”

“Barely!” I rested my forehead on the table for a second, trying to hold my laughter. When I straightened, Mia had already flagged down the waitress and was whispering something to her.

“Mia!” I tried to protest, but she was already flashing me the most innocent smile

“What?” She shrugged, “It’s Friday.”

Before I could argue, the waitress returned with a bottle of white wine, four glasses, and a bowl of fries. Toby suddenly leaned back in his chair and frowned at Tessa. “By the way… did that customer finally ask you out today?”

I turned to Tessa with a gasp. “Wow! Someone asked you out?”

She groaned and covered her face with both hands. “Urgh. Don’t remind me.”

Mia laughed, “Do we know him?”

She rolled her eyes. “You do. The guy with a walking stick. Today he came in, ordered his usual cappuccino, and then looked straight in the eye… “If I were thirty years younger, I’d marry you.”

Mia nearly spat out her drink, “And what did you say?”

“I told him,” She lifted her chin proudly, “If you were thirty years younger, I’d still say no.”

The four of us burst into laughter.

Tessa reached for her tequila before suddenly pointing at me. “I’ve noticed that every handsome man who walks through our café somehow ends up talking to you.”

“What!” I straightened in shock. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Exactly!” She slapped her hand on the table. “She does nothing ! They just magically appear, and then they still see her.”

“And suddenly,” Mia continued with a mischievous grin, “They order coffee they don’t want to drink.”

Before I could open my mouth to defend myself, Toby also spoke, “They come back three days later and tell me, ’I just happened to be in the neighborhood.’ I’m sick of them for crowding our neighborhood.”

“Guys!” I couldn’t help laughing. “Stop it. You people are exaggerating.”

Three years were more than enough for all the black dye to grow out. Now I carried my silver-white hair proudly. It always made me stand out wherever I went.

Out of nowhere, Tessa leaned forward. “Three o’clock,” she whispered.

We all frowned. “What?”

She subtly tilted her head toward the bar, “The handsome one. He’s looking at us.”

I followed her gaze and found a tall, dark-haired man with broad shoulders and a sharp jawline. As if sensing our eyes on him, he smiled and then started walking toward us.

“Oh, Goddess!” Tessa whispered excitedly, “He’s coming here.”

“Behave yourself,” Toby muttered.

The man stopped beside our table, “Hi.”

We all looked up and found him smiling, “Can I buy you a drink?”

Uh huh. He was asking me !

“That’s kind of you,” I returned the smile, “But no, thank you.”

He seemed to be taken aback. Maybe because he wasn’t used to rejection.

“Then maybe I could buy you coffee sometime?” Hope flickered in his blue eyes for a second, but I shook my head firmly.

“I’m sorry. I’m still not interested.”

With a polite smile, he walked away. The second he disappeared, Tessa slapped my arm, “Aria! Girl! Why? You rejected him in under thirty seconds!”

Mia dramatically dropped her head onto the table. “Aria. Do you know how difficult it is to find a handsome, single man these days? At least talk to them. Give them a chance.”

I shrugged but stayed quiet.

With a sigh, Toby leaned back in his chair, “You’re beautiful, smart, and successful, and every time a decent man approaches you…”

“… you scare him away.” Mia finished for him.

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear with a fake smile. “He … he was not my type.”

They all rolled their eyes and groaned. Because that was the same thing I had been telling them for the last three years.

“Then tell us,” Tessa folded her arms, “What is your type?”

The fake smile on my lips slowly faded. I didn’t have anything to say. Because none of them had golden eyes, none of them had ever looked at me as though I mattered. A voice still urged me to call him Lucien.

I swallowed hard and reached for a cold fry instead. “Can we please change the subject?”

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