Chapter 89: The Interrupted Date
[A/N: Please re-read previous Chapters, I edited them. Also, drop reviews and powerstones!]
"ASHER!"
The sharp voice cut through the peaceful afternoon, instantly shattering the comfortable silence that had settled between Asher and Tracy as they made their way toward the teleportation zone. Both of them turned in unison, their eyes landing on a girl sitting rigidly in a wheelchair.
"Natalia," Asher replied, his voice carrying a note of ’surprise’ as he offered her a gentle smile. But the smile faltered slightly when he noticed she wasn’t looking at his face at all. Her gaze was fixed firmly on their interlaced fingers, her eyes narrowing as she took in the sight of their joined hands.
It had been Tracy who had initiated the contact, her fingers sliding between his as they walked, but that detail seemed irrelevant now. What mattered to Natalia was the obvious intimacy of the gesture, the kind of public display that typically meant only one thing.
"Oh, it’s that junior," Tracy murmured under her breath, recognition dawning in her voice. She remembered their first meeting clearly—how Natalia had been with Asher when Tracy had practically thrown herself at him in what she now realized was an embarrassingly obvious attempt to get his attention.
Asher’s hand slipped away from Tracy’s as he stepped forward, and she couldn’t help the frustrated click of her tongue that escaped her lips. Her arms folded across her chest as she watched him approach the younger girl. Of course, something had to interrupt, she thought bitterly.
"What are you doing here alone?" Asher asked, crouching down so he was at eye level with Natalia. His voice carried genuine concern as he glanced around the area. "Where’s Nora?"
Natalia’s lips pressed into a thin line before she answered. "She’s... not here."
Asher’s brow furrowed with ’worry’ as he continued scanning their surroundings, as if expecting Nora to materialize from behind one of the nearby buildings. "I see," he said finally, his voice soft with ’understanding’. After a moment of ’contemplation’, he asked, "Where were you headed?"