“When Dad said you’d prepared something for Lars, I didn’t think he meant something this big. This is more than a dinner, Mother.”
“I know. I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have tricked you. But we knew you wouldn’t have come otherwise. This is a celebration of your recovery and Lars’s hard work. Please allow us to do that,” she said, staring him in the eyes. Adew nodded, unable to deny her anything. He kissed her cheek and moved to the other side of the room where his trainer was with Lars. Xylo lifted his drink in greeting. Adew nodded as he came to a stop in front of them.
“You look better than the last time I saw you,” he said, looking him up and down. “Your mother told me she’d kill me if I didn’t come. Since she’s scarier than you, I couldn’t refuse,” he said with a laugh.
“You? Scared?” Adew said, taking in the burly alpha. He was bigger than him. “I doubt that. Something else is going on. Are you here to torment me for firing you?”
Xylo stepped close to him and pulled him into a hug. “We missed you, you dumb fool. Your mother gave us an excuse to come and see you. Believe it or not, we understand where you were coming from. You needed a minute to breathe. You’ll call us back when you’re ready.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah,” he said, pulling him close to whisper in his ear. “I know how your mind works, remember? I trained you. Ria and Wan got jobs with other fighters. I wonder who did that?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Adew said, stepping back. Xylo gave him a knowing look and stepped away.
The others came and gave him hugs too. Adew’s heart clenched, making him feel terrible. They exchanged pleasantries and made small talk. And for a few minutes, it felt like old times. They laughed and teased each other like they used to. Adew felt great being amongst them. They ate his mother’s scrumptious dinner. The night would have been perfect, except that Urim cornered him as he made his way out of the washroom.
He took his hand and dragged him to his father’s office. Adew let him take him there because he didn’t want to cause any drama. The media was right there, waiting for a juicier scoop than his recovery dinner. Adew pulled out of his grasp and walked to the desk. He leaned against it, taking his weight off his feet.
Urim stared at him as he closed the door. He leaned against it for a second and then he walked towards him. He didn’t stop until his arms slid over his chest to hook at the back of his neck and he pulled himself up to lay his head on his shoulder and lean against him.
“Urim, please don’t do this,” Adew begged softly. He gripped the edge of the table, willing himself not to push him away as Urim froze against him, clearly feeling the straps of the WAB. He wore bigger long shirts and pants, so it was hard to see through his clothes. Adew gripped Urim’s arms as he sent his hands to the back of his neck. “Enough,” he said shoving him gently off him.
“Don’t push me away, please,” Urim begged.
“I meant what I said last night. I can’t be your alpha. Please find someone else,” Adew said, walking to the door.
Urim huffed. “And you? Will you find someone else? Do you think you’ll find someone who’d love you the way I do?”
“No. I’m not interested in bonding with anyone. I’m not going to burden anyone with this.”
“Damn your pride, Adew. You’re killing us.”
“I have to, so you can live.”
Urim stared at him as if he’d gone insane.
“Go and be happy, Urim.”
He shook his head, tears streaming down his face. “No. I don’t care what happened to you. I don’t care that you can’t walk. I’ll be there for you. I’ve always been there for you. I won’t give up on you. Never.”
“Then I’ll make you,” Adew said. He walked out of the office not stopping until he was outside. He got into the pod and drifted away. He went to the one place he never thought he would go until he was ready… until he could walk on his own. He drifted to a stop just outside the building. Spotlights hit the glass planes in a spectacular way, illuminating its beauty.
Adew heard the roar of the crowd in his ears and felt the thrill of walking down the aisle to the octagonal fighting sphere that the whole building was named after. He missed it so much.
I’ll be back soon, Adew told himself.
He brought the pod to life and joined the airway again, making his way home. He arrived thirty minutes later. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found no one waiting for him. He thought Lars might follow him, but for once he was listening to his plea to be alone.
“Calla?” he called as he walked into the house. Adew paused when he didn’t hear any sound. “Calla?” he called again walking down the hallway, checking every room as he went. He came to a sudden stop a few paces from the back door.
Oh, shit… He was dead.
What used to be the door leaned precariously against the wall, barely hanging on its hinges. The bottom was ripped apart, leaving a gaping hole.
Calla came sauntering through the door, his bushy tail swishing from side to side as if he’d done nothing wrong. His coat had bits and pieces of vegetation and soil clinging to it. He walked to him and rubbed his body against his leg, before walking to the exercise room.
“Calla, what have you been up to?” he asked, pulling out his connector and pressing Lars’s code. He winced at the tongue lashing he received for stealing Lars’s hover pod and leaving him to deal with a very distraught Urim. “I need a new door,” he said, rendering Lars mute. “Lars?”