Wolf in sheep's clothing || There was a girl, and there was a wolf ~

8. Sheila

These two have been begging me for a few good minutes now to hang out with them at this pub that they like so much, but I don't want to hear it.
I have a lot of things to think about and I really need some time for myself right now.
"What are you planning?" Tristan joins the conversation and I couldn't be happier.

I am thanking whatever celestial force for sending him.
"We want Sheila to come with us to this really nice pub, but she's stubborn and doesn't want to." Tells him Gaia sounding so sad about it, as if we were actually friends.
"Maybe she doesn't want to go, then." Tristan's statement is so serious that Jayden's face drops. The girl next to him is speechless too and I am holding back a laugh.
"She never does anything with us, she's like that in campus too..." explains Jayden and the detective's tempest grey eyes set on me.

"Are you an introvert, Sheila?" I can hear him pronounce my name somewhat more accentuated and I can't stop my eyes from wondering on his figure.
"She is." Jayden says.
"I asked 𝘩𝘦𝘳," Tristan says seriously.
Everyone is silent.
I look at Gaia, Jayden, Tristan and finally nod.
"Maybe I am, I don't know. I just don't like pubs."
"There, now you two have an explanation to her refusal." The young detective indicated to the two that share a look and seem to accept my reluctance towards going out with them.

The girl with black, wavy hair sighs. "Sometimes I feel like you don't want us to be your friends."
𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴.
My phone rings and I check who it is.
I excuse myself and go out of the station to take my call aside from curious ears.
"Hello?" I ask on my end with the phone brought up to my ear.
"Hi baby, missed me?"
I roll my eyes when I hear the way he calls me, I'd kick him if he was here with me.
"Harper, stop it. What is it?" I ask, clearly not in the mood for games.
"Can I not call you because I miss your voice?" He says with a short chuckle at the end and a sigh, I imagine he's just made it home as I hear the sound of keys and a door lock.
"This is not the time, I'm at the station."
"I know you are. You've got a nice apartment, by the way." He says with such non-chalance and I can't believe my ears.
"What the- how did you get in there? Get out!" I try to keep my voice down but it's quite hard to.

"Relax, I'm not going to steal anything. I'm just exploring a little..." another chuckle follows and I grow intensely agitated.
"Harper! How did you get in?" I am demanding an answer and he hums, as if to think of a good response when he's clearly just playing with my patience.
"I have a copy of the keys." His short answer makes me want to go back to the apartment and throw him out by force.
"I passed by this morning, your roommates said you were gone and I was so sad..." his tone changes, he's pretending to be sad and lowering his voice to sound like it.
"You could have called me, or texted."
"You would have ignored me." He says seriously and I know he's right.

I go silent.
"You only ever call me when it's for our common reason to hear each other." Harper adds and I sigh, starting to feel guilty.
"I'm sorry, it's just not been the best these days and you already know why."
"Yes, so I asked that boy with brown hair to land me his keys so I could have a copy and surprise you later..." he's statement makes me blink.
"There's no way he actually trusted you."
"Oh, but he did. That chick with him was suspicious and started questioning me, so I showed them a picture of us."
"Not the garden one..."
"Precisely."

I already know that he's smiling without having to see him face to face.
"They didn't say anything to m-"
"I asked them to. I wanted to surprise you and give you a late birthday present but I missed you too much and called you in advance."
Besides interrupting me rudely, I am not sure if he's being serious right now.
"Is this why you called?" I ask still skeptical.
"Yes...no... there's something else I have to tell you but it can wait." He responds and I feel my heart beat faster.
I know this relates to what we have been planning for years, but it scares me every time.

"Fine, we'll talk when I finish here." I add.
"See you later, baby." His voice resonates in my brain like a metal bar being hit and echoing incessantly.
I get startled when I feel a warm hand on my shoulder and meeting Tristan's gaze I take a deep breath.
"Is everything alright?"
"Yes, yes... I was thinking..." I tell him as I smile softly.
He brings his cigarette to his mouth and gently deposits it between his lips.
I watch the flame from his lighter burn the tip and let smoke gently fly up as he inhales and then exhales in a careful, relaxed motion.

"Do you often lose yourself in thoughts?" His question makes me furrow my brows, uncertain of what to tell him.
The cigarette resting in his hand gives me an excuse to outline his fingers, the hand, up to his wrist.
My eyes trail up to his lips as he blows out smoke and I'm taken by their perfect shade and shape.
"You're doing it again," when he says that I realise I was silently staring at him and I smile nervously.
"Sorry, it does happen quite often, recently" my hands fold over my own arms as the chilly weather makes me shiver.

I forgot my coat inside.
"Only recently? Can I ask the reason?" Tristan talks with a gentle tone that makes me feel comfortable and almost open to share with him what has been haunting me for years, but I hesitate and look away.
"It's complicated, but it's nothing to worry about."