Lola tucked a strand of her pale-blonde hair behind her ear and curled up a sweet smile as she stared at Zacharias. She was wearing a tight top and skirt under a faux fur leopard print coat, and King felt his body tingle and his heart get stuck in his throat.
"What are you doing here, Zach?" Lola asked, not bothering to address him as alpha. Her eyes moved towards King. "You rarely go out for a stroll— Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were with someone."
Zach raised his brows. He turned to look at King, then back at Lola before resting an arm above the car. "Right. Lola, this is King. King, Lola. She's a member of our pack."
King brought a hand on his nape. "I know... We've met before."
Zach and Lola's eyes widened. "We did?" Lola asked. That was a major blow for King. She didn't even remembered him. Lola scrunched her brows before it unfolded and lifted up. She pointed at King. "Oh. Are you the one from the party?"
King lit up a bit. At least she did now. "That's right."
"You are acquainted with each other?" Zach crossed his arms.
"Uh, yes," Lola fidgeted. "We happened to bump into each other during the ascension party. My apologies for not remembering earlier, uh... K-Ken?"
King was just about to open his mouth when Zach said, "King."
King widened his eyes at Zach.
"R-right! King!" Lola was taken a bit aback by his tone. She rubbed her arm and shyly moved her hair away from her face. "Sorry. I have a bad memory."
"No... No problem," replied King.
Lola cleared her throat. "What are you doing here in Brașov?"
Zacharias rolled his right shoulder a bit and held it with a hand. "Just strolling around.
"Oh." a pinch of nosy suspicion started to season Lola. Her eyes moved past Zach and she discreetly inspected King. Relief washed over her as she realized it wasn't a woman Zach was strolling with.
"And what about you?"
"Oh," Lola slightly shook her head. "I was just going out for a shopping."
"Shopping?" Zach stared around. "Why not Bucharest? It's closer to our pack."
"I, uh, well, I just wanted to be in a new surrounding." She stopped a strand of her hair from falling on her face and tucked it back.
"Are you with someone?"
"No!" Lola expressed rather highly. She noticed it and cleared her throat. "Um, I'm on my own."
Zach scrunched his brows a bit. "You're on your own?"
Lola nodded, said, "Yes," and then rubbed her arm.
There was a pause before Zach slightly nodded back. "Very well," he said and turned towards his car. "We'll have to take our leave then, Lola."
"Wait! Um, well..." Lola stopped Zach from slipping inside the metallic coupe car. "If it isn't going to trouble you," she said, pushing her hair back again, "is it all right... if I ask for your company?"
Zach's brows rose and King's eyes widened. King wasn't sure if "your company" was a plural suggestion pointing to inviting them two. Or if it's just Lola hitting on Zach!
Zach did not bat an eyelash. "I apologize but my companion is already tired. Perhaps another time."
A look of disappointment crawled on Lola's face. She looked down and uttered, "Oh... It's all right."
Well, shit.
"No. Don't mind me. I'm all right," King replied. He twitched and felt a boulder suddenly weigh down on his throat when he caught Zach's eyes. There was a contradictory ominous aura seeping out of the emotionless face of the man.
"... If he says so, then I'm all right with it," Zach said while still looking at him.
Lola beamed like a newly replaced lightbulb. "Really?" she said, jaded eyes twinkling.
And that's how they ended inside Coresi Shopping Resort, a strip mall also located inside Brașov.
The large commercial and retail complex, standing as one of the tourist attractions of the city, has large open spaces, sunny in daylight atmosphere contemporary in architecture, clean and welcoming. Not too mention, a portal to modern regeneration.
Zacharias and King were sitting on an off-white tufted bench from one of the luxurious clothing retailers, Zach crossed legged, King with partly parted legs, as they waited for Lola to get out of the female dressing rooms. The shop was of cream walls, elegant and inhabiting modernity from the blend of black and whites. On the background was a soft jazz music and bare, quiet, and low sounds made of social etiquettes. From the corner of his eyes, King could see the staff around them, from cashier women to sales clerks, dressed in navy blue blazers and skirts and clean buns, looking at them. His eyes moved to the other corner, and King gulped again. Zach was silent. Awfully silent.
What did I do?
"Do you like her?" Zach suddenly asked.
King jumped a little and looked at him with bulging eyes. "W-What's with the question?"
Zach sighed. "Your face is quite an open book."
"Ngh!" King's mind was a jumble of thoughts. First, his crush, Lola, obviously has the hots for Zach. Second, why was he getting oddly guilty and troubled about Zach being troubled?!
King then flinched, snapping out of his thoughts when Zacharias then stood. His eyes discreetly followed the alpha as the man slowly moved through the men aisle, looking, raking, and running his fingers through suits of luxurious blends like silk, cashmere wool, royal Qivuik, and Ambassador. King then diverted his eyes away, propped his arms on his legs and planted his face on his hands.
Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Holy macaroons, he finally lost it.
A few seconds later, soles of shoes tapping at the tigerwood flooring neared back to him. King peeked from the crack between his fingers when the footsteps stopped in front of him and his eyes widened when something pleasantly soft and comfortably cozy curled around his neck. He pulled his head away from his palms and looked back up, seeing those familiar blue eyes on him again.
"The fabric is quite nice, right?" Zach said, gently wrapping the black Cashmere scarf around King's neck. He smiled at King and King... felt his heart skipped a beat. And then another.
———
"Hmph. Looking good as ever," Lola hummed. She took angles in front of the fitting room's mirror with the dress that showed off her curves in the right places with the wrong purpose. If this wasn't going to seduce her alpha, then she'd be damned.
He must be gay of this won't get him to fantasize.
She huffed through her nose when she remembered that boy with him. King could be an excellent addition to her list of petty admirers. Not too mention, he also has a pretty face, and The lad obviously fancies her. For all she knew, there's always potential and even a single benefit behind everything if you know how to play it correctly. And Lola was an expert player.
Suddenly, a buzz rang from inside her bag and she rolled her eyes. She dug her hand on the quilted bag, barely looked at the name on the screen, furiously swiped answer, and brought the phone on her ear. She picked on her acrylic nail. "What do you want?"
"Where are you? What the hell, you totally ditched me!"
"I told you, James. Go home," she hissed and then dropped the call.
Lola threw her phone back in the bag and fixed her outfit. Confident with the current dress she was wearing, she went out of the fitting compartment to show it off to the two. She was excited, prideful, and egoistic, and when she did get out, pleasantry drained out of her face. Her sweet face was now of utter sourness.
Why was Zach... looking at him like that?
Lola did not like the stare one bit.
───── ❝ TO BE CONTINUED❞ ─────
Survey: How did Lola affect you?
Random:
I was asking a friend about a term less aggressive than "cockblocker" or "someone who gets into the way of romance or couples," and she got me this. The "crotch nazi" got me dead.