Heir Reigns

✘ [ TWENTY ONE ] ✘

ATALIA

    I woke up alone once again, but this time I couldn't tell if Kaito had slept here with me or not. Where he lay when I fell asleep in his arms didn't even look wrinkled, it was almost untouched. The thought of him leaving me in here as soon as I drifted off into sleep made me feel very sad and defeated.
    Wesley had left me another box of Plan B on the nightstand and I thought about getting on birth control to stop this heavy embarrassment of continuous pill drop-offs.
    I was wrestling with my wet hair after using Kaito's shower and found my bag gently placed on one of the benches in his closet. I didn't look around the last time as much as I wanted to and decided that I wanted to find where he kept the outfit that he wore to French Vanilla, specifically the mask. I start my search at his drawers but get interrupted by a knock on the bedroom door.
    I jump at the sudden noise, but I know it's Wesley.
    "Yes?" I ask, almost impatient.
    "Can you give me an ETA til you're ready, Miss Hester?"
    "God, Wesley. I barely got out of the shower and I still have to eat breakfast. Instead of rushing me, why don't you talk to Kaito about not making you watch me?" I rolled my eyes as if he could see me.
    I hear his scuffle in the hallway, "Are you dressed?"
    "As a matter of fact, NO!" I yell.
    "My, Miss Hester," He says, sounding like he might've laughed, still kind of muffled. "You're very grumpy this morning."
    "Blame Kaito," I scoffed. "Can you go away?"
    "Give me a time estimate so I know if I have time to buy Kaito coffee or not," He orders, any hint of playfulness diminished.
    I roll my eyes once more, getting impatient, "I don't know, 15 minutes?"
    "Alright," He replies. "I'll meet you downstairs."
    "Yeah," I sigh. "You should've been doing that in the first place."
    I couldn't tell if he laughed or not, but I felt impatient and annoyed with the interaction, feeling more frustrated than anything.
    It hits me that I have K's phone number now. I rush to my phone and text him, telling him that Wesley is pissing me off and that he doesn't fall short on that list either. I had already asked him why he didn't tell me that he would leave me in his apartment alone last night and then he did it once again. I shake my head in annoyance once more.
    Once I'm dressed and have eaten the breakfast that Vince left for me, I collect my things and soon enough I'm in the back of Wesley's SUV, listening to his classical music. I slouch down into the seat with my arms crossed over my chest and stare out the window, watching the buildings pass me by.
    "Is there something bothering you, Miss Hester?" Wesley asks, interrupting my thoughts.
    "Why would I tell you if there was?" I say in a monotone.
    Just take me home, dammit.
    "Because I can tell Kaito if you don't want to," He says. "Like a mediator."
    I still don't take my eyes away from the window, annoyed with his attempt to talk lightly with me after the last time he took me home. I'm still uneasy with the fact that he knows what his boss, who he could be the father of in age, is into sexually.
    I checked my phone and still haven't heard back from Kaito, which only makes me more upset.
    "I'd prefer not to, thanks."
    "It's been a while since Mr. Sins has had a sub," Wesley continues to probe. "He'll adjust his schedule accordingly after he learns the balance of it again, is that what you're upset about?"
    "God, Wesley, what the hell are you talking about?" I snap. "Can't I just feel what I'm feeling without getting the third degree for it? Can I be mad in peace?"
    We reach a red light and he stops abruptly, turning around to face me as I almost slip out of the seat since I hadn't bothered to put my seatbelt on, "Isn't this what you agreed to?"
    "What the fuck are you talking about?!" I glare at him, wanting to stomp my foot.
    He glares at me and shakes his head, almost stunned by my response.
    "I think Kaito made a mistake picking you."
    "Well, that's not for you to decide and your opinion doesn't even matter," I roll my eyes at his harsh words. "I think you should keep those thoughts to yourself."
    The light turns green and he turns around, continuing our drive, "Got it."
    I shake my head, once again speaking in fucking tongues or something. Never direct, just side-swept conversations.
    "You are so frustrating to talk to," I mumble.
    "I'm not the one you're upset with," He says and I'm surprised he heard me. "You'll understand what I mean."
    We reach the front of my building and I don't bother to say another word as I start getting out of the car, he must've disabled the child lock to get rid of me quicker. I don't bother trying to decipher what the hell he was just trying to tell me either, too frustrated to look at him.
    "Miss Hester," Wesley says before I can close the door. "Next time, don't take one of Kaito's hoodies."
    I glare at him and slam the door before heading into my apartment tower.

    I closed the door to my apartment behind me, surprised that Valerie had not only let herself in but made herself comfortable on my couch. She was in her pajamas and had even ordered food. She was watching a movie from the looks of it on my TV.
    "Well! Where the hell have you been?" She gets up and walks to me, "What are you wearing?"
    "Kaito's clothes," I sighed in defeat as I put my bag down on the floor. "Valerie, I have so much to tell you but legally I'm not allowed to."
    "Tell me," She shrugs. "Who am I going to tell? You're the only person I heavily interact with."
    "I know, but I can't," I sighed again. "Kaito is so severe with his life, I feel exhausted and I've only been in his life for a week. There's so much to talk about."
    "Does it have something to do with those folders on your nightstand?" She asked, trying to assume so I told her faster.
    I give her a tense stare, "Valerie."
    "Atalia, seriously, it's me," She lets out a small laugh.
    "I know, but this is my life on the line. I don't think I can just yet."
    She looks saddened by not being able to get anything else from me but quickly shrugs it off, "Okay, whenever you're ready. You know you can trust me."
    I walk over to her on the couch and lay my head on her lap.
    "It must be intense since I haven't seen you since the day that strange man whisked you away," She whispers, starting to play with my hair.
    "Yeah, that's not even the beginning of it," I close my eyes to try to escape what I'm feeling.
    "Is he good to you?" Valerie asks, and her question makes me open my eyes.
    I pause to think about it.
    Is he?
    "I can't answer that," I mumble.
    "Lia, what do you mean? It's a yes or no question," She lets out a light laugh.
    "Yeah, but I don't know. Maybe we just need more time together."
    "Okay, if you're saying that, then the answer is no. You've seen him 3 times, what is there to question? It should be obvious," She says, trying to piece it together for me.
    "But it's so complicated," I sigh.
    "Lia-,"
    "No, Val," I interrupt her getting up from her lap. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. Let's hit the Pilates studio without having Kaito cloud my head. Please."
    She nods and tells me we should change and then head out. I watch her head into my kitchen to prepare our pre-workout drinks as I head into my room to get my pilates gear, but the thoughts find me anyway.
    What did Wesley mean? Why does Kaito deliberately not talk to me? Why haven't we had a chance to talk about our agreement again? Should I be worried that this is all he wants of me?
    I feel drained from thinking about it and what it could all possibly mean. I wanted to feel connected to him emotionally and so far it felt like he was miles away from me, yet his physical body was just at arm's length. I don't know if I was reading into it too much or maybe Wesley was right and he just needed to readjust himself to a new balance in his schedule, but something was telling me that it was more than that.
    I didn't want to think about it anymore as I finished tying my last shoe and met up with Valerie in the kitchen who was already somehow dressed.

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