All This Time

23 ⦿ in which we talk

"Yeah, a year. Could it be that you've been avoiding me?" Wolf's gaze sharpens. "But apparently not Levi."

His accusation is plain - he's aggravated that I've stayed in touch with his brother. So what? Levi's the only sibling who didn't totally insult me either to my face or behind my back.

"Anyway," he says, his voice slinky soft. "You can't avoid me anymore." Then, deliberately, he adds, "Wife."

"Not now, and possibly not ever if you keep that up," I flare, hands on my hips, chest heaving with outrage. Even as we're fighting, I remember why I liked him so much. It's this, this moment of passion. Him getting under my skin like a burr, clinging to me with uncomfortable pin-pricks. I'd rather fight with him than anyone else.

"You should get back in there," Wolf says, breaking the spell.

My chest heaves and I frown. I wasn't expecting him to just leave. Maybe I've misjudged him. He still looks like the same Wolf, but five years is a long time.

"I didn't come here to brag," he adds, looking almost insulted at the thought. "But I did want to tell him that you agreed."

"It's not like he wants the company anyway. He's an artist. A pretty good one, too, which you'd know if you ever bothered to turn up to any of his viewings."

"If I want to look at art, I would go to the Met," he responds.

Silence descends. For a moment, I think about what our relationship would be like if we had given us a real chance five years - would we be together still? Would our personalities have inevitably driven us apart? The what-if spun in my head like an annoying lyric from a female pop star.

"So," he states, breaking the silence. "I'll just go." He glances at me from under lowered lashes.

I wish I could tell him to stay, but instead I just nod. "Okay."

"You'll be in touch?"

"Yeah. Drive safe, Wolf."

"You too," he responds in a knee-jerk reaction.

We look at each other and start to laugh - his embarrassed, mine tickled. "I do that all the time!" I exclaim, unable to wipe the doofy grin off my face. "When my mom called to say 'Happy Birthday' last year, I just replied, 'Thanks, you too!'."

"Maybe I'm just nervous around you."

"Ha ha," I scoff. "Very funny." The idea of Wolfram van der Waals being nervous around anyone, least of all me, is laughable.

"I mean it."

I don't reply, which he takes for his cue to leave. I watch as he pushes himself away from the wall. Up close, he looks a little tired, a little haggard, but no worse for wear.

"Are you okay, Wolf?" Up late partying, I expect. Drinking, maybe. There was probably a woman involved.

"Not really." He shoves his hands in his pockets. "Just stuff at the office. Things aren't going so well with the board."

I feel a little rocked at his admission. It turns out he's more responsible than I've given him credit for. He's stressed about work, not because he's still living like a wild child. "What do you mean?" I ask, curious.

He exhales in aggravation, his nostrils flaring. "Dad just left a lot on my plate. Our stock price hasn't recovered since the market found out about his death. The board of directors doesn't really have a lot of faith in me. There's talk about the CFO taking over."

"But it's your father's company! He can't just replace you as the CEO," I say, frowning. As much as the man can frustrate me, the second I sense him being threatened, I get a ridiculous mama bear urge to protect him. "They can't do that, can they?"

"Oh, they can." Wolf's eyes darken. "And they will, unless I turn things around."

"Don't you have friends on the board? People who are on your side?"

"Sure, because they knew my dad. Because they liked and respected him. Hell, they probably like and respect me. But they know me as his son, the lawyer. Not his son the CEO. They don't want me in that role. They're watching me pretty closely, looking for any reason to give me the boot." At my worried look, he adds, "I mean, I won't be fired, exactly. They'll probably just assign me back to Legal. I'll still be the majority shareholder." His shoulders slump. "But that's a big step down from CEO."

"Don't give them a reason to push you out," I respond fiercely. "Give 'em hell, Wolf."

It's something so uncharacteristic of me to say that he jerks his head up, startled, a smile tugging at his lips. "Thanks for the support." He clears his throat. "I'll get going. Talk to you soon, Charlotte."

"Goodnight, Wolf," I say, watching his back recede as he heads towards the elevator. He turns to look at me, the smile still on his lips, even as the doors close.

As impossible as it seems, Wolf and I just had a decent conversation. One in which we weren't trying to get under each other's skin or goad the other into losing their temper. It was, dare I say it, nice. "Calm before the storm, more likely," I mutter under my breath. If it's one thing I've learned, it's that life tends to throw you nasty curveballs at the exact moment you think everything is going well.

Squaring my shoulders, I turn and head back into the apartment, where the smell of teriyaki wraps around me like a comforting shawl the moment I cross the threshold. "Smells great," I say, forcing a smile when I see Levi sitting at the table. The food's all laid out, and he's popped open two bottles of beer to accompany our meal.

I slide into the chair next to him and grab my bottle, putting it to my lips and taking a generous swig. Crisp, gingery flavor fills my mouth. Imported beer, not the swill most people drink. "Sorry about the wait."

"Is everything okay?" His thin, artistic fingers drum on the neck of his bottle as he peers worriedly at me. "You were out there a while."

He doesn't say it accusingly, but I can hear the note of censure in his voice. Like he thinks I'm making a big mistake and he wants to save me from it.

"All good," I chirp, taking another guzzle. "How's everything taste?"

Levi glances distractedly down at the food. "I haven't eaten yet. I was waiting for you."

"Well, let's dig in before it gets cold!"

"Are you trying to avoid talking about it?"

"Yup."

"Are you going to tell Xander and Brett?"

"Eventually."

He groans. "Fine, I'll back off. Just don't come crying to me when he proves himself not to be the white knight you think he is."

"I don't think he's a white knight," I protest, slicing into the beef. "And I'm not looking for him to save me." I pop the food into my mouth, chewing slowly. With a victorious smile, I swallow the last morsel down and raise my beer bottle in the air. "I'm his white knight, Levi. I'm the one saving him."

Author's Note: Hmm, a different side to Wolf. He's still no tame puppy, but he's actually a quite ok guy when he's not baring his teeth, right? :) At least, that's my hope! I hope you guys liked this chapter. There will be another later in the week as well!

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