Alpha Luna

16. Midnight Snacking and Truths

As usual, Kayleigh made sure she was asleep or at least pretending to be asleep by the time Sky came back. She now ate her dinner by 7 sharp-something she never did before then then faked a yawn to escape Cherry and her offer of a house tour. She didn't have anything against her but she wanted to avoid Sky as much as possible.

Tonight. She remembered the whispered word and chills ran down her spine as she went up

She had to admire the taste of whoever had set up her current wardrobe. They had a nice taste in clothes. She pulled on a nightwear top and short shorts and without bothering to bathe, settled down in bed.

Two hours later, an hour and a half since she heard Sky come in, she was still awake. Tossing and turning. "Dang it." She growled lowly and sat up turning on her bedside lamp. She looked around the room for something to entertain herself. Her eyes landed on the almost empty bookshelf and she groaned.

She wasn't big on reading. In fact, she could go her entire life without reading a single book. But at that moment, she'd have done anything to overcome the boredom overwhelming her. She wasn't used to going to sleep before 11 p.m. which was why she ate her dinner around 9.

Climbing out of bed, she reached the shelf in 5 quiet steps and looked through the books, reading the genre of each one. Romance...nope. Crime....nah. World history? Yuk. Horror...she had seen worse in real life. Paranormal thriller romance...that could work considering her current state. She pulled it out and settled in bed again. At the very least, she hoped that the book would help her sleep off.

Two hours, 700 pages later, her stomach growled. She shut the book with a snap as if it was the cause of all her misery. She needed food. Stat.

Though she wasn't sure she'd find it, she went out of her room on a quest to find the kitchen and hopefully some leftovers or fruit juice. She knew it was downstairs so she descended the stairs as quietly as she could. Going by pure instinct, she went right and passed the dining they'd eaten. Kitchens were usually near the dining room. Next, she took a door on the west side of the room....and came face to face with the largest dining hall she had ever seen. It could easily host a hundred people. Her jaw dropped slightly at the sight of it.

It had violet and wine-colored walls. The walls rose into pretty arches consecutively, forming an almost curtained appearance. The table was bare except for 6 vases that were on different parts of the table housing a vibrant bouquet of flowers. All in all, it was a pretty room. Probably for meetings or something.

Turning around, she almost didn't notice the door occupying the left side of the wall behind her. Separated only by a 10-inch wall from the door she'd come through. Opening it quietly, she peeked her head in and was again mesmerized by the room beyond it.

Cream walls, light brown cupboards, neat marble counters, and a shiny steel sink. It was complete with 2 cookers housing four cooking units each along with ovens. A medium sized microwave, a freezer, a fridge that could almost match her height, a deep fryer, a television and a wall clock. There was a small table that could host four people in the middle. The room itself was quaint in size maybe about 12 ft 14. But despite its size and array of equipment, it wasn't crowded.

After closing her jaw for the second time in 5 minutes, she found her way to the fridge and opened. Her eyes scanned its excessive contents until they landed on a tall carton of apple juice. "Bingo." She whispered under her breath and pulled it out. She also found a packaged set of microwavable cookies and pulled them out.

Popping the cookies in the microwave, she set the time for two minutes and proceeded to gulp the juice directly from the carton. It was half way up her lips when she heard her mom mentally querying her. She was going to ignore it but gave up just as the carton reached her lips and instead took a cup and filled it to the brim. She drank it all without pausing for air and poured herself another cup. Drowning that one too.

She peeked at the microwave and made a dive for the stop button as she realised she had 4 seconds before the machine made the annoying beeping sound that was sure to call unnecessary not to talk of unwanted attention to her midnight hunger. After carrying the cookies, she settled down on one of the seats with her orange juice and bit into one. She hummed in appreciation as it all but melted in her mouth. She ate 5 more before returning to her apple juice. 2 glasses...3...4....

"I now see why you thought downing it from the bottle was a better option." A deep voice said and she choked on the fifth glass causing her to cough violently.

He was beside her in a second. And patting her back lightly. When the cough passed, he withdrew his hand and went to sit opposite her on the table. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to startle you"

"Oh yeah? Could have fooled me." She retorted as she finished her juice partially because her heart was still half way up her throat. She wasn't sure if it was the shock or the sight of Sky in nothing but sweat pants after successfully avoiding him but she convinced herself it was the former. She could not deny that he looked mouth-watering at the moment. He had a clean six pack and incredible biceps. She wondered how he fit into his suit. His stomach was flat and the only hair on his exposed body was a light sprinkle on his stomach that disappeared into his pants.

"How did you know I was here?" She asked him.

"Your tossing and turning and moving around made it a little difficult to fall back to sleep after I woke up about thirty minutes ago." HHHe answered sincerely, "You like apple juice?" He asked.

"How did you know?" Her reply dripped sarcasm as she poured herself another glass. It did not fill completely as the bottle was out.

"Is this a habit of yours?" He asked after moments of silence and when she quirked a brow at him in question, he continued "Waking up in the midnight to eat."

She thought about lying but she wasn't the type who was comfortable with lies. She would rather not say anything but she answered. "Not really. I usually have my dinner by 8 or 9."

"So, you quickened your schedule In an attempt to avoid me." It was not a question "You know it won't work."

"What won't work?" She asked taking another cookie.

"You avoiding me in an attempt not to like me."

"Now you're just tooting your own horn." She rolled her eyes.

"You can't really deny it. Your eyes are more expressive than you think," he explained "I can see that you're attracted to me."

"I'm also attracted to that hot Indian guy, Hrithik Roshan. So what?"

He had to suppress a growl at that. The idea of her being attracted to anyone else but him made his temper flare.

"It's not the same thing and you know it." His voice was not as calm as he would have liked.

"You can think whatever you want." She informed him "I honestly don't care," with that she stood up and threw the empty carton in the bin along with the ziplock that had held the cookies. "Good night."

"Can I ask you something?" He questioned just as she reached him. His eyes on the table.

"Even if I say no, you'll ask anyway."

"I need an honest reply so I won't ask if you don't want me to." She turned around to stare at him.

"Okay." What could it hurt?

He stood up so he could look her in the eye and Kayleigh held her breath. Hrithik Roshan could not compare to this totally gorgeous male specimen that was currently using his brown eyes to stare into her soul.

"Will it be so bad? To love me?"

If not for the fact that she was in a half trance, she wouldn't have said the words that tumbled out of her mouth "No." She replied softly.

Her heart felt like 50 band drummers had set up equipment and were practicing on it. She could feel his body heat on her skin. She wanted to wrap her hands around him. Or maybe let him press his lips on hers again.

That train of thought brought her out of her trance immediately. She took two steps back and cleared her throat. "What I meant to say was I do not like my life being controlled by some unknown force in the wind. I want to fall in love with a guy on my terms not because some ancient fate or something decided I would be tied to a mate I barely know." Perhaps she was still in a trance because that was her honest truth.

"Then let's get to know each other. Will you go on a date with me?" He asked.