Alphas and Angels

Alphas and Angels - Chapter 13

When Jeremy gets back later that evening, Caleb and I are in the middle of building a tower of blocks as tall as we can.

Being outside lasted about five minutes longer after we left Jeremy. Caleb had reached his max, so we went inside and grabbed him a snack. I still haven't quite mastered the art of making meals, and someone usually makes Caleb's and brings it to him, but I know he likes the little packages of fruit snacks they keep in the cabinet.

Jeremy enters the room slowly, like he's entering the den of a beast and is trying to be cautious. I'm on my tiptoes, trying to place a block at the very top of the tower when he makes his presence known.

I turn my head to smile at him, but in doing so I lose sight of where my hand is and just barely bump the stacked blocks with it, sending the whole tower falling to the ground.

Caleb and I both let out similar cries of despair as we watch it crash and scatter across the floor. I fall to my knees at the sight.

"Emmy!" Caleb whines, kicking at a stray block. "You ruined it."

"I'm sorry, it was an accident!" I exclaim.

"Now we gotta start over." He dutifully begins picking up blocks from around and starts once again on the base. "You can help if you want Jeremy."

Jeremy is standing in the doorway now, leaning against the frame as he looks at the both of us. I feel the air become thick with whatever emotion he is feeling, something warm and fuzzy and whole and distantly familiar. He smiles at Caleb and I, his eyes gleaming with that same emotion I can feel. It makes my own heart skip a beat, even if I can't quite name it.

"I would love to," he says, coming to sit next to me. We form a circle around the base of the blocks and carefully stack them, listening to Caleb give his instructions. We have to make each layer a specific color. Red first, then yellow, then green, and so on.

When he goes to collect more of the scattered blocks, I turn to Jeremy. "So, how was training?"

He seems apprehensive to speak of it but answers me nonetheless. "It was fine, nothing unusual," he shrugs.

"Are you still worried I'm upset with you?" I ask outright.

He doesn't look at me for a minute, instead, focusing on making sure the blocks are perfectly lined up.

"A bit," he mutters without looking at me. I wonder why he's so concerned, and why he seems so suddenly...self-conscious? Worried? I can't quite put a finger on it.

"Jeremy," I say, commanding him to look at me. When he doesn't, I grab his hand and squeeze it. Finally, he looks over, those eyes of his quick to search my face for any sign of emotion. I smile softly. "You're worrying an awful lot about this, is something wrong?"

He shakes his head but doesn't elaborate on his current state. Instead, he lifts my hand to his lips and kisses along the knuckles, making me blush at the gesture. Sure, neck kisses don't cause me to blush but this does. I mentally tell myself to get it together.

"I promise I'm not upset. At all," I stress, though he seemed content enough already. The idea of upsetting him, or being upset with him, makes me feel unpleasant. "I shouldn't have gotten snappy. It was just...interesting to see a different side of you."

"A different side of me?" he questions. The mini-tower he was building off to the side tumbles as he looks at me questioningly. Caleb spins around, blocks in his arms at the sound of falling towers. Jeremy smiles sheepishly at him, and Caleb gives him a warning look before collecting more blocks and continuing to place them on a blanket.

"I guess I've never really seen you as Alpha Jeremy, just regular old Jeremy trying to shove a whole burrito in your mouth," I admit. "It was a strange turn of events."