Chapter 137 - Indiana's Love Life Arc?!

"And where are you going, all dressed up like that?" Madeline asked, feeling drained after practice with Xavier. 

"Madeline," Indiana said, her eyes going round as she whirled around. 

"Hey," Madeline greeted, waving as she inquired, "So, care to tell me why, or are you going to let me guess?" 

Indiana straightened her shirt and brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face. 

"Uh, before I answer that, I should probably apologize to you for keeping you know..."

Madeline dismissed it.

"It's alright, you choose to tell me what you want to tell me and what you don't want to. Just, next time, know that I wouldn't be upset," Madeline told her. 

Indiana had always wondered why Madeline was like this towards her. She was constantly going easy on her and treating her so compassionately.

Unaware of what true friendship looked and sounded like until she had started talking to Briar and Madeline more frequently, these things and these words always managed to surprise her still. That, and the fact that she knew that someone out there was looking for her. 

"Oh," Indiana said, feeling grateful Madeline wasn't upset at her. 

If she was in Madeline's place, she would feel hurt. It was strange Madeline wasn't. 

"Uhm, okay. And answering your previous question, I invited a guy out for dinner."

Madeline gasped. 

"A guy? Out for dinner?" 

Her cheeks turning red, Indiana told Madeline, "It's not what it sounds like, I swear! I just figured dinner was appropriate between the two of us and--"

Madeline shook her head, "Yeah, no need to tell me all of that. Just make sure to enjoy your dinner. Oh! And tell me all about it later."

Indiana pouted, "But there isn't much to tell you."

"I'm going to need more convincing," Madeline said to her.

Indiana laughed softly. 

In a blink of an eye, she was at the door, reaching for the doorknob, "Goodbye Madeline."

Shooing Madeline out of her room, Madeline mouthed, 'I want all the details. All of them.'

Indiana repeated, "Goodbye Madeline, I'll see you after dinner." 

"Bye Indiana," Madeline said cheekily.

She mumbled just as she left Indiana's room, 'Have fun, Indiana.' 

Briar knocked at Adrian's office's door, waiting for him to open it for her. 

"Briar?" 

"Hello there," Briar greeted, entering his office and closing the door behind her as she surprised him.

"You know you're not allowed to just walk in my office whenever you please, right?" Adrian asked. 

"We're friends, aren't we?" Briar asked.

Adrian gave her a dirty look, "That doesn't give you permission to waltz in my room, Briar. Doesn't matter how good of friends we are."

Briar took a step back, "Alright then, I'll just leave."

Irritated he was falling for her trick, he muttered, "I never told you I wanted you to leave though."

After Briar insisted she'd try not to barge in his office, he asked what she was here for. 

"News," Briar answered nonchalantly. 

"News?" 

"Yeah." 

Adrian sat down, "This better be good." 

"It is," Briar insisted.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Adrian asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Does this have something to do with Xavier?"

Adrian placed a hand on his mouth, "Did he hide something from me?"

Briar wondered what he was talking about. 

She answered, "That depends. Do you know about Madeline's powers?"

Blinking, Adrian demanded, "Since when did Madeline have powers?!"

"Is this common knowledge? Does everyone know this? Or am I one of the first to know?" Adrian said, asking Briar question after question. 

Briar stared at him, wondering what she had just started by telling him that. Madeline had specifically told her not to tell anyone... But she never told her not to tell Adrian. He was excluded from just 'anyone'. 

He was one of her closest friends, she considered him family. Even though they hadn't been friends for the longest time. She felt safe around him, like she was wrapped in a warm blanket whenever he was around her. 

Perhaps that was another reason why she had visited him. He was one of the first to come to mind. 

Being around him made her feel a different way. And whenever there wasn't a smile on her face, it felt like something was missing. Especially since Adrian usually had a smile on her face. 

Compared to Xavier, who didn't show much emotion, Adrian was pleasant to be around since he had usually had a glowing aura to him. 

Briar couldn't help but wonder how someone like him - who had been through his fair share of dealings in the past - could always be so… happy. 

She had heard that Adrian had lost someone. Someone that was of the utmost importance to him. Of course, it was all gossip and scuttlebutt so Briar wasn't sure whether it was true. 

Unaware what she had heard was true, Briar was left to wonder, had Adrian actually lost someone? 

Was his happy demeanour a facade to hide his true emotions? 

'I shouldn't think like this. What if it was all gossip?' Briar told herself. 

"It isn't common knowledge, definitely not," Briar corrected, adding, "However, Xavier does now. So does Indiana." 

"Rosalynn?" 

"No."

"Emilio?"

"Oh right, he knows too," Briar nodded. 

"So you're telling me I was told even after Emilio was told about her powers," Adrian pointed out.

Briar reasoned, "Well, he is her father and they've gotten quite closer lately."

Feeling like he had been left out by everyone else, Adrian pouted. He couldn't have cared less if Emilio knew before him. He simply wondered why Xavier hadn't told him.

Of course, he was unaware that Madeline had told him not to tell anyone, including Adrian… But that was only until she told Briar and everyone else about it. Then, he could tell Adrian.

Not that he told him anyway. 

'Why would Xavier keep something from me… Why, Xavier, why…'

Adrian frowned, "Did Xavier have a reason to keep this from me?"

"Why ask me that?" Briar asked, telling him to go ask Xavier.

She looked at him, wondering how someone like Adrian could have become Eudora's very own beta. 

Not that she was doubting him, of course. Briar was simply wondering how Xavier and him managed to be friends and work together. They were polar opposites. 

Adrian was hardworking, and he could be serious at times. However, he had a sunny disposition. Meanwhile, Xavier was rarely ever happy and was constantly thinking about work - excluding the past couple of days where he had been prioritising spending time with Madeline. 

Was that why? Because she had learnt she had powers?

Adrian had thought they were finally…

He sighed, making a mental note to tell Xavier he knew about it. 

Now, moving on from Briar and Adrian and on to Indiana…

"You sure we're allowed to be here, just the two of us?" Jonathan asked, looking around.

He had never been in the private dining room, having gotten used to eating alone in his room. He'd whip himself something up and then eat all by himself. 

Jonathan was much of a loner. Not because he wasn't social… It was simply because he never liked the other members of the pack. Hence why he chose not to talk to them. 

Indiana's friend group was known throughout Eudora for the wrong reasons. However, he had still developed feelings for her. 

Jonathan was never able to understand how it worked. He didn't know Indiana personally, he had only heard a bit about her. And yet, he developed feelings for her. 

Obviously, he knew about what she did to Madeline. 

But did he judge her? No. He reckoned she had her reasons for doing so and didn't want to pry into anything. 

Perhaps Indiana was worried for Alpha Xavier. Or perhaps, Madeline do something to her? Jonathan knew nothing. 

"It's my first time I've ever had dinner here," Jonathan admitted to Indiana, who seemed surprised by it.

"Oh?" 

"Then we have to make it special," Indiana said to him. 

Jonathan chuckled nervously, unsure how he managed to score dinner with Indiana. Then again, it was her who had invited him out to dinner.

Why? He was unsure.

But it was a great idea. After all… 

A part of him loved it. He got to have dinner with her. A scenario he had been imagining in his head for practically weeks now. 

He never imagined what first started from a couple of words would end up like this.

"I have one question."

"Shoot."

"Do you invite everyone who tells you anything out to dinner?"

Indiana laughed, "No, of course not."

"Then why was I the exception?"

Indiana chuckled, "Well, because you seem like a genuinely sweet person and I don't know actually. And… here we are, about to have dinner with each other."

"So, tell me about yourself," she said to him, asking, "Jonathan, you don't happen to bake, do you?" 

Jonathan stared at her like she was a crazy person, only to answer, "I do."