Chapter 27
1
Chapter 27
Zachary heard the noise from the room. “Are you okay in there, Sapphire? Who are you talking to?”
Luther and I locked eyes by the door. He shoved me toward it, clearly expecting me to answer Zachary.
I could tell he was trying to see how close I was with Zachary. I had done nothing wrong, so I had nothing to worry about.
I replied to Zachary through the door. “I’m fine. What brings you here this late?”
Zachary’s voice came right through the door, sounding nervous and diffident. “Open the door first, Sapphire. We’ll talk inside.”
Luther glanced over, eyes sharp and threatening. He was waiting for me to speak.
I responded, “It’s already late. We’ll talk in the morning.”
“Hold on, Sapphire,” Zachary called out urgently, knocking on the door again. “Please open up, Sapphire.”
I noticed Luther’s face had gotten even darker than before. “It’s really late, Zachary. I need to sleep. Let’s talk tomorrow.”
Zachary muttered, “Come on, Sapphire. Can you open the door? I’ll leave right after I see you.”
I turned him down. “No. Now is really not a good time.”
“Just open the door. I won’t come in. I’ll just look at you from here.” He tried to turn the doorknob. “When I saw you at the airport, it took me right back. You were always the prettiest girl in our class. That hasn’t changed for me.”
I frowned in disgust, and Luther cleared his throat loudly on purpose.
Suddenly, it went quiet outside the door. I said, “Whatever you have to say, save it for tomorrow, Zachary.”
Zachary responded, “Alright then. I just dropped by to let you know that the venue is ready.”
I could hear the awkwardness in his voice, but I still chose to be courteous. “Got it. Thanks.”
I heard Zachary’s footsteps fading away outside. As I turned to head inside, Luther grabbed my wrist. “Has he been bothering you?”
I replied. “No.”
Luther pulled me back into his arms, his hand running sinoothly along my back, as if to soothe me. “You’re still lying, huh?”
He sounded like he was scolding me,
but I could tell he cared. Honestly, I felt a little touched at that moment.
I lowered my gaze and eased my tone. “Should I say sorry?”
Luther was too frustrated to speak for a moment. He gently spanked my bottom. “You just love testing me, don’t you?”
If that wasn’t flirting, I didn’t know what was.
I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned into his chest, my voice soft and sweet. “Of course not. I wouldn’t dare. I know how important the airshow is to the company and you.
“Zachary is a pain to deal with from the start, but I know how to play dumb and brush him off. Who knew he would be so clingy and even show up in front of my room?”
Luther picked me up and walked to the bed. “You’re being awfully sweet all of a sudden. Who put you up to this?”
I stood on my toes and wrapped my arms around his neck. “That’s you. You’re the one who taught me.”
Luther spent the night with me. Adeline rang him late at night, but he just hung up on her without hesitation.
I realized something at that moment. The harder I held on, the faster he slipped away.
It was late at night. He slept peacefully beside me, breathing evenly. But I knew there was someone else who couldn’t sleep just like me–Adeline.
Adeline had her moments in the spotlight. But, Luther was the one sleeping beside me every night. Thinking about her, I couldn’t help but see a glimpse of my future.
I decided to change my mind. When our relationship ended, I would leave Northstrike Air. The last thing I wanted was to see him with someone else all day.
