Page 109 of Crystal Luna
She shrugged her shoulders. “True. Would you still like us to leave? Don’t want you to regret anything that could’ve happened when we leave here.” She could see the wheels turning in his head. “Either way I don’t care what you do and who you fuck. This little game you’re playing won’t work.”
“Ash, don’t.”
“Don’t what?” Asher snapped at his brother.
“Listen to your brother because if you don’t, your feelings might get hurt.”
“You can’t fucking tell me you wouldn’t mind if I got up and fucked that girl in the bathroom.”
“Go on, then. I don’t do mind games.”
Anger flickered in his eyes as he stared at her, but then it faded, leaving sad, forest green puppy eyes. “Okay.”
“Are we leaving or staying?”
“Staying,” he groused.
“Well, that’s my date ruined,” Isaiah joked, though Velora could hear a pang of disappointment.
The girl came back, visibly upset when Asher no longer paid her any attention. She tried a few times, but Asher gave her the cold shoulder, and she barely reappeared at the table. When it was time to pay, Velora took the check, both men reaching out to protest.
“Shut up you two. I’m not paying.” Instead, she wrote down a large tip for the girl and handed it over for one of them to sign. “You messed with her feelings and made her feel like an idiot. She deserves to be compensated.”
“Fair enough,” Isaiah agreed.
Afterwards, Velora followed the twins to the store. They all grabbed a few snacks and drinks for the way and used the opportunity to stretch their legs. One of them stayed near her the whole way, almost as if they were afraid she’d run…
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Isaiah
After loading up on snacks for the journey, Isaiah took the wheel so Ash could rest. Vel was exhausted, but of course she didn’t say it out loud. There was hardly any traffic and within an hour of the low hum of the highway beneath the tires, Vel was fast asleep.
Ash had been quiet ever since Vel had set him straight in the restaurant. He knew he’d messed up, his impatience clouding his clear thoughts.
‘What were you thinking, Ash?’
‘I guess I hoped she’d get jealous.’
Isaiah sighed in the link. ‘She feels the bond, but she’s fighting it. We’ve only been with her for a few days and I know you don’t want to hear this-’
‘I have to give her time. Yeah… I know.’
Hours flew by with Vel in and out of sleep. In the time she spent awake she stayed silent, munching on her snacks and watching the landscape pass by.
“Vel,” Isaiah softly started.
She turned to look at him, eyes void of any emotion.
“I’d like to ask you about something.”
“I assumed you would.”
“You used to sketch and read a lot, but I haven’t seen you do either.”
She returned her gaze to the window. “I lost my sketch book when I ran away. It got wet in the rain and all my drawings got ruined. I tried to dry it but it didn’t work.”
“And you haven’t drawn since?”