Chapter 77 - What Someone Would Wear To A Dinner Date

Time stopped. It felt like it, at least. 

Those split-seconds Madeline spent looking at Indiana seemed to last an eternity. 

"Oh."

"It's you," Madeline spoke, biting her lower lip. 

"What are you doing here, Indiana?" 

Indiana shook her head, "I'm not here to cause any trouble, I promise."

"I just came here to thank you."

A look of surprise crossed Madeline's beautiful face. 

"T-thank me? For whatever reason?" She asked, curious as to what Indiana could've possibly been thanking for.

Madeline subconsciously took a step away from her. Her gut instinct was telling her to run, although her mind told her to stay. 

'I should listen to what she has to say,' she told herself. 

'Maybe it's not what I think she's going to do.' 

Indiana didn't want to admit it, but it was at the tip of her tongue. 

'Why don't I just get it over with?' Indiana asked herself, wondering why she couldn't simply tell Madeline already. 

She had the right to hear this from her. 

Madeline waved her hand in front of Indiana's face, wondering if she was daydreaming or in some kind of trance. Why was she staying silent?

The silence was concerning. 

"To thank you for speaking to Xavier."

Playing dumb, Madeline asked, "About what, you?" 

Indiana was rendered puzzled. 

"You were the one who talked to him to lighten my punishment, no?"

Madeline cursed under her breath, 'Oh shoot, did Xavier tell her?'

'What am I supposed to tell her, that I actually did it?'

"Maybe," she answered. 

Indiana bowed, managing to catch Madeline by surprise for the second time in a span of a few minutes. 

"Well, if you did, then thank you so much." 

She looked Madeline in the eye, genuine with her apology, "I didn't mean to hurt you or anything with what I said, and if I did I sincerely apologize." 

"It may seem faked and non-genuine but I promise you, I'm learning from my mistake and I won't ever repeat it," Indiana promised.

A small smile grew on Madeline's face. 

'Am I crazy? Why am I smiling at her all of a sudden?' Madeline wondered to herself. 

Stumped, Madeline deliberated over what to say to Indiana.

On one hand, she could accept Indiana's apology.

On the other, she could deny it and tell her that she hadn't yet forgiven her for what she said.

Whilst she had quickly gotten over what Indiana had told her, she wondered if that was the impression she gave other people.

If it seemed like she was using Xavier. 

That was what hurt her, not anything Indiana had told her.

Madeline reassured her, "It's fine." 

"Really, there's no need to bow or anything."

She exhaled, "But, thanks for apologizing."

Indiana nodded, feeling guilt well up inside her.

Madeline had been part of why she had been let off the hook when it should've been her that wanted justice for what a stranger she never met before told her and accused her of. 

And instead of being treated rudely, Madeline treated her kindly. She was classy about such inelegant matters. 

An alarm went off in Indiana's head.

Something was behind her.

No, not something.

Someone. 

She turned around to see Xavier in all his glory. 

By then, the evening had come. 

Indiana quickly came to realize she had never actually noticed how spectacular Xavier looked. 

Donning a pair of straight-leg jeans and a slim button-down shirt, Xavier looked amazing. 

Madeline said to Indiana, "I should probably leave now." 

Indiana nodded, a look of understanding plastered on her face. 

She and Xavier had plans.

Jealousy welled up in her, but she pushed it down the best she could. 

Exchanging goodbyes, Indiana walked away, trying not to look back at the two of them.

What plans did they have? 

Were they going on a date? Was it just dinner? 

Indiana forced herself to walk away. 

She had done what she had planned to, Madeline had accepted her apology - or at least, that was what she hoped. 

Madeline didn't seem too upset by neither her apology nor presence, so Indiana hoped for the best.

Perhaps they could forget about this in the future - after all, Madeline did seem like a sweet person.

"If only I didn't jump to insulting her and took time to get to know her first," Indiana whispered. 

Her heart felt like it'd crack into two right then and there, although she tried to get as far away as possible before… 

Thump! 

Indiana's knees buckled, and she fell to the ground.

Picking herself up, she shook her head. 

'It's time to get over this silly crush of mine,' Indiana thought to herself, knowing she should've tried to rid of her crush on Xavier a long time ago. 

And yet, her feelings were still in bloom. 

She doubted they'd vanish any time now, but she thought herself clearly undeserving of Xavier. 

He had a mate already - Madeline. 

Indiana knew this entire time she was pining over a man that she couldn't possibly have, although she never expected it to sting this much when she had to walk away from him. She wondered why when in reality, she never got to know Xavier much after all. 

He and her were acquaintances at most.

And Xavier must've resented her for what she said to Madeline - Indiana was sure of it.

Just by the way he looked at her in his office, she could tell.

She could also tell something else - something she doubted Madeline knew - that Xavier deeply cared for her.

It was obvious - everyone could tell how Xavier was enamoured in his mate - despite his efforts to hide it. 

And on that very day, Indiana got to witness it with her very eyes. 

The alpha never spent time with anyone.

Not even with his friend. Singular. That one friend being his trusty advisor, Beta Adrian. 

And in truth, they didn't seem too close. 

Yet, there she had seen Xavier, waiting for Madeline dressed in clothing one would easily mistake as… what someone would wear to a dinner date.