April's POV
8 months later
Dropping my hands from behind my back, I knocked on the door. After a few moments, it opened, revealing Antonio.
"Antonio," I grinned. "You don't look a day over 50."
Opening his arms, he hugged me. "I appreciate that, April. But I might dye my hair back to brown – make me feel youthful again." He brushed his hand over his peppered hair self-consciously. I smiled again and returned his hug – it didn't feel as awkward anymore considering I looked towards him as a father-figure now.
As we walked inside, I craned my neck upwards, examining the planetary phenomena's decorating the ceiling; my eyes caught glimpses of detail so intricate, I had missed them whilst examining them countless times before. I was at Antonio's house – the one where the major pack meetings happened – for Antonio's belated 50th.
"Am I the last one here?"
"Most of us are here already. Carlos has just gone to buy some more wine – you know how I like my Chateau Petrus – I think Daniel and the boys wanted vodka though," he scowled.
We approached the French doors, lace curtains fluttering in the wind. I shut my eyes and savoured the fresh air. I'd only finished up my packing before coming here – I was going to England for the summer. As soon as I stepped out into the garden, my eyes riveted to the one face that seemed to be etched into my memory; a tattoo on my brain. Aiden Knight.
He hadn't noticed me yet, his attention on a conversation between him, Diego, Nina and Emma. I saw a glass in his hands, but it was filled with coke rather than alcohol, thank god. Antonio had been amazing about Aiden's recovery, going as far as removing all alcohol from the house - I think his sons definitely had more respect for him now that his fatherly instincts were less hidden beneath his Alpha status. My eyes traced his features, right from the sharp angle of his nose, to the way the sunlight reflected into his eyes, to his now neatly-cut hair. University had served him well – his mind was wondrous. I'd never known he was so clever – he tended to hide it with his cockiness.
A sharp tap on my shoulder made me jump out of my trance. Beau glared down at me. "God, April, if you're going to stare, at least be conspicuous about it, woman!"
"You idiot, Beau. How have you been. I've missed you!"
He shook his head. "I'm great. College is great. Barbara's great. And I've missed you too munchkin. Who do I annoy when you're not here?"
Firstly, I scowled and punched him lightly. Then, I grinned. "I see you're still in the honeymoon phase."
"No. I'm just –" he sighed, leaning back on his heels so he was facing the sunlight and opened his arms out like they were wings. "I'm happy."
"Oh, and congratulations on the upcoming graduation, Little A."
Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, I replied. "I only just finished exams. Hopefully I've done enough to pass. God knows it's long overdue." My eyes scanned the yard again – well, I was only really waiting for Aiden to stop talking and look up – when a flash of blonde caught my eye.
"Is that – is that Daniel? Who is that – there, next to him?" I pointed with my finger.
Beau nodded proudly. "Danny boy found a mate."
A small, excited squeal – well, more of a snort – escaped my lips. "Ah!" I clasped my hands together. "When? And why didn't he ring me?"
But I understood his predicament – everyone had been so busy – Emma and Carlos were working, the rest of the gang were all in colleges or travelling. Everyone was all grown up now.
"He met Leila 4 months ago. We know her from before anyway. She's part of a pack near Atlanta. I knew I recognised her from somewhere. I guess it explained where Danny boy had been disappearing to every weekend." Beau explained.
I let out a little noise of approval. Just then, Daniel spun around, as though we'd yelled his name aloud. Catching sight of us, a grin erupted on his face and he bounded over to us in 5 whole steps, Leila following close behind him. She was tall with a long sheet of sleek, anthracite-coloured hair, sharp features and a noise that was slightly upturned in a cute way. They looked like the sun and moon next to each other, but it was strangely complimentary.
Daniel enveloped me into a crushing hug. "Ap, oh, how I've missed you."
"How you've missed me?" I repeated. "I've missed you so much more Dan my man."
"Aw," he cooed. "Anyway, April, this is Leila." She smiled at me tentatively and I smiled back warmly.
"Hi." She produced a slender hand from behind her back. I took it and introduced myself, trying my best not to mumble.
"Daniel.." I began, giving him the stink eye, silently ordering him to tell me everything later on. Daniel nodded and shot his gaze at Leila, smiling. My eyes rested on him for a few moments, my heart squeezing at how content he looked. No longer was the boy who was constantly on the lookout for a new conquest or a good time. No longer was the angry boy yelling at the Universe for taking his best friend away for a girl.
He looked a new man. With the same pervy-Daniel tendencies, like the way he stretched out, yawning, only to rest his arm around Leila's shoulders. Or the way he did that small, one-sided smile he knew crept us out.
Gentle pressure on my shoulder made me freeze. A hand. Resting upon it. Instantly, a familiar sensation coursed through my body as a familiar voice whispered in my ear: "You know it's very rude to not look at someone when you're talking to them."
I struggled to stop myself from grinning like a Cheshire cat. I remained where I was. Leila, Daniel and Beau had immersed themselves in conversation and Barbara had joined them. She flashed me a pretty smile and winked to Aiden over my head.
Aiden's arm was still leaning on my shoulder. "Yes, because you know an awful lot about common courtesy, don't you, Knight?"
He pretended to gasp. "That is so rude, Evans. God, you don't see me for a month and this is the reception I get?"
I don't think he realized how much of an effect he had on me – the feelings I felt were still very surreal to me; the way my breathing became considerably shallower, the way my heart began to race, the way my mark sparked under the material of my t-shirt. But I was slowly learning to control these sensations to a level that did not make me feel like I wanted to crawl up in a hole from embarrassment.
"Geez, your heart is pounding loudly."
I turned slowly on the spot, attempting to mask my expression. As soon as I had turned, his lips were on mine. He pulled away too soon, his eyes sparkling.
"Don't want people to stare and talk about the scandalousness of it all." I punched him lightly, stomach knotting. "Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah. Your heart's embarrassingly loud."
"Shut up. I'm – "I thought for a moment. "It's a long walk from the front of the house to the garden, okay?"
He flashed a grin at me. Noticing how tanned his skin was, I frowned. "I didn't know you spend a lot of time outside in your Astrophysics course."
He raised an eyebrow at me and straightened up. "We've been doing loads of outdoor astronomy this past month. Practical and observational work."
Nodding, I let out a little noise of surprise. Despite Aiden's commitments to his college course and my time being consumed by my last year of high school, we still tried to meet up regularly. The last time we met up was last month for my 18th birthday, but since then, we were both busy with finishing up finals before summer break.
