Dating

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Chapter 117

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting to happen after Arthur made me that offer. I half expected the guy to break out into a fit of laughter and confess it all to being part of some joke. Yet, he didn’t. Arthur remained completely composed and silently waited for me to give him an answer.

An answer I didn’t have.

If I responded with anything other than ‘no‘, I knew I was going to have to deal with Liam and his bitterness toward Arthur. I did, after all, promise that I wouldn’t go out of my way to intentionally get involved with him.

Yes, but I also made the exception to that whole argument by purposely stating that should Arthur be the one to seek me out then I had a right to hear what he had to say…

I figured that opportunity would come like any other normal meeting–not a damn dinner date.

Truthfully, I wanted to speak with Arthur and finally have a real chance to get some answers. But at what price? Liam’s trust?

Even if I told him about Arthur’s suggestion, there was no way he was going to take it well. And I didn’t want to start another argument with him. Although I slightly enjoyed Liam’s bouts of jealousy, there was absolutely no way he was going to let something like this be negotiated.

I felt torn as I awkwardly straightened myself in my seat. “I don’t think that would be a good idea,” I said quietly.

He folded his arms over his chest and scowled. “Why? Because Liam controls you and doesn’t allow you to have your freedom?”

My heart slammed against my ribcage with seething shock. I nearly choked on the air that halted in my lungs. “What?! No!”

His features curled with disbelief. “Come on. You know I’m right,” he tsked.

“You’re wrong.”

He arched his brow. “Really? Tell me why you honestly think that Liam offered you that invasion to come here?”

“He wanted to spend time with me.”

“And exactly how much of that have the two of you been doing?”

I scoffed, “First of all, you of all people should know how crazy and time–consuming training has been.”

Arthur smirked. “You’re right. It is. But, unlike Liam, I know how to prioritize my time and manage the other important things in

my

life.”

“Such as what? Meddling in other people’s lives?” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Arthur let out a deep, honest laugh causing me to blush once more. He leaned forward.

“I only meddle when I care, Ella.”

But why does he care at all? Why would he care about someone like me?

It should have been clear that the only way I was going to get that answer would be if I were to agree to his offer. Amidst my silence, Arthur must have noticed how troubling this all was for me. Thankfully, he didn’t seem intent on pushing me for a legitimate answer at that very moment.

“Just think about it, yeah?” He got up from the table. “Oh, and I’m going to insist that you show me that story you’re writing

I tried to get past the lump in my throat. Damn, I was sort of hoping that he would’ve forgotten about that. I knew it was foolish for me to be so conscious about my work, considering so many other people were already actively reading it.

Yet, for some reason, Arthur taking the time to read through my story felt oddly more personal. It reminded me of the time when I had discovered it was Liam who’d been supporting me behind the scenes.

To give Arthur the chance to read my work, strangely felt like crossing into a whole new territory. It almost felt wrong? Sharing my work was what I would normally do with a friend. Arthur and I were nowhere near that sort of relationship–hell, I didn’t even consider us to be loose acquaintances.

For some reason, the words came tumbling out of my mouth before I had a real chance to stop them.

“I’ll send

you the link to it.”

A genuine smile formed across his face. “Perfect. Hand me your phone.

He placed his number into my phone and handed it back. The whole encounter caused me to feel numb. I wasn’t completely sure how I ended up back in my room, but when I finally came around I found myself back at that writing desk with my face in my hands. I wasn’t sure what to do.

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Chapter 117

Maybe if I call Monica, she’ll know what I should do.

I grabbed my phone and waited for her to pick up.

“Hey, Ella! How’s your trip been so far?” Monica asked.

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“It’s been interesting,” I muttered. “Liam and I have been trying to spend as much time together as we can, given his hectic training schedule. But, honestly, it feels like we’ve been arguing more than anything else.”

“But why?”

“It turns out that Arthur and his team were sent to train here as well. And…Well, let’s just say that he’s been wanting to get to know me.”

Over the next half hour, I briefly summed up the important points of the trip. By the end, I wasn’t sure if Monica was more excited or shocked by the fact that there were two Alphas who were interested in me.

“Oh my God, just imagine the look on everyone’s face when they make the discovery that there are technically two Winslow’s that want you,” she

said.

“No! Monica, that’s just it. I don’t want anyone to know that Arthur may be interested in me,” I stated. “Don’t you see, there’s absolutely no reason why he would want anything to do with me.”

“Surely you’re a little bit excited by all this,” Monica suggested.

Not really. If anything, it all left me confused as to why Arthur was all of a sudden showing a different side of himself to her out of nowhere.

But it wasn’t out of nowhere… It all started when we first accidentally touched and I felt that strange spark from our hands. What the hell did it

mean?

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Something in the back of my mind had me second–guessing my initial assumption of claiming that it was nothing more than a basic shock from passing electricity.

“Either way, Arthur invited me to join him for dinner one night and I’m not sure what I should do,” I told her.

“Mmm. I can see why you would be uncomfortable accepting his invite. I think, no matter what you decide, you should tell Liam about

“Honestly, I think I want to accept Arthur’s invitation…There are so many questions that I need answers to.”

“If you’re certain that he has the answers then I think you should accept his offer.”

1. it.

It felt good to have her support on this matter, but I already knew that Liam was going to be a challenge. I just needed him to understand my reasoning for wanting to meet with Arthur.

I don’t want him to think that I’m choosing Arthur over him. He should already know that there is no one that could ever take his place in my life.

My heart belonged to him. Only him.

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