Finding You, Again
Us 5 - First and Not

'Morning...'

I stopped typing, thinking for a moment. I'm trying to send a simple message to Bee.

But after the short message I sent, to just tell her the identity of this number, I couldn't think of anything.

A few minutes ago, that was the only word I could think of. I'm not used to communicating with Bee through text.

But I don't want to make him awkward and suspicious, if I suddenly call him right now.

Anyway, according to Bee, we just got acquainted two days ago.

"What are you doing?" El who had just walked into the lounge Lykos asked me. "I heard your irritated sigh from the dining room"

"I just realized, I'm not in a normal relationship with Bee. We never even sent each other messages" I complained with a heavy heart.

I leaned my head against the black sofa and looked at the ceiling decorated with crystal chandeliers.

"Discover!" El snatches the new phones with more advanced features, according to Roan--from my hands. He took a picture of the coffee I had just had half a drink and then typed something on my phone.

"It!!" he said he handed my phone back with a bored face.

He sent me a picture of my coffee to Bee with the caption

'The my morning cup..N you?'

Not bad!

"Since when have you been an expert at something like this?" my many.

"I spent 8 years at the University. Try to do it, inevitably you will become an expert in sending messages" he replied.

I forgot about that.

Between the two of us, El is living a more normal life as a human.

I have always struggled with music and songs. My social skills only ranged between my relationship with Justin, Hugo and fans. Besides, I'm more or less the same as Bee, we have no life other than our job.

I saw a shadow of a gray wolf with a white circle around its neck.

That's Roan, he just got back from his night patrol. He, El and several werewolves in London took turns patrolling around Lycos.

This action was taken by Uncle Rex after hearing Abel's explanation. Uncle Rex called out to the Blackmoon werewolf pack around London, ordering them to stay at Lykos.

There are 2 new werewolves in Lycos, they set the patrolling schedule in pairs. With Roan, El as well as Id and Tita, there were 6 werewolves on a routine patrol. Their smells mixed into one. This atmosphere reminds me of the days I spent in Pack.

Especially now that there are only werewolves in Lycos. Id has laid off all the humans who work here. It can be dangerous if they are involved with the inhumane world.

I recognized one new werewolf, he entered the academy on the pack in the same year as me, but for the others I didn't know him, but Uncle Rex convinced me he could be trusted.

My phone vibrated the incoming new notification sign. I grabbed him off the table. Bee replied to my message. He sent me a picture of a car window, with a green view of the tree behind it.

With the caption 'Stuck!!'. He left for the office this early. I'm not surprised, the distance of their house is indeed too far with Delmor Tower.

I smiled a little, it's so weird, I was so excited to just get a message like that from Bee. The world of messaging is strange.

"You are two so weird!!" El ruined my smile with his speech. "Why?" my many.

"You're acting like a teenager who's just fallen in love, confused and very awkward. And since I know Lui well, I know for a fact that her current state will be more or less the same as yours" she grinned with a slight smile.

I closed my mouth tightly, for El was right. We were very awkward. "It wouldn't be weird if I took her to dinner, would it?" my many.

El shook his head, "You promised to treat him, it would be very strange if you didn't take him".

It's now or never Duke, my inner self.

I don't have the luxury of free time right now. Especially with the news from Abel yesterday. The news required me to speed up all the processes I planned to get the Bee.

'Dinner tonne? My treatment:)'

I sent the message with a thumping heart waiting for his reply.

"Do you know any good restaurants around London?" I asked El.

"of course! But you should have died. I think it's a bad idea, if you have to go to a restaurant for dinner. For other places, you can disguise it by wearing sunglasses. But you can't wear it in a restaurant. They'll tell you to open it"

El's words immediately threw my happiness at the bottom of the abyss.

The swearing I made made El cringe. I forgot I should have been dead. I can't just show up in a public place.

"You really suck at stuff like this. I salute your skills in music but..." El shook his head in disbelief to see me panic. I glanced at him, I don't need any criticism right now. He doesn't have to be Roan with an evil tongue.

Looking at my wide eyes, El gave a small smile and continued. He was silent for a moment, before typing a message on his phone.

"What are you doing?" my many. He just gave a wave of his hand as a signal to calm down.

Footsteps approached accompanied by the aroma of charcoal and rosemary. That scent belongs to Dey, though,

Deyanish Campbell, he's a werewolf I know. He came to us wondering.

"Duke needs a private place for dinner, you can arrange it, right?" In a friendly tone, El asked Dey..

Dey smiled as he looked at me "Of course, I'll get it ready soon. How many guests did you invite Scion?" tanyakanya.

"Just one Dey" I was a little surprised to see his spirit.

"alright. Do you want a guest or not?" ask again.

"There's no general guest, Dey. Just Duke and his friend" said El quickly.

"alright. Since this is personal, I will provide a place in the Aviary. You won't be bothered by people passing by there" Dey plotted deftly.

"The aviary? Where's it?" my many. Dey looked at me with a dumbfounded face, upon hearing my question.

El shook his hand, a sign that Dey didn't have to explain. "I'll explain it" he said.

Dey then nodded, after he got the answer to the type of dish I wanted, he bailed away.

"Did he work in a restaurant?" I asked, after believing Dey could no longer hear our conversation.

"Yes, Monath has 3 restaurants in London. And since Dey was a great Chef, Alpha Owen gave him the responsibility to manage all three"

I nodded in understanding. "I didn't know Monath had a restaurant chain" I said.

"I also found out when Uncle Rex was choking me with all sorts of networks that Monath had. I just realized, if it turns out that the company is much bigger than I imagined" El sighed heavily, while massaging his head.

He already knew, the responsibility that was about to move onto his shoulders was not light. Hundreds of thousands of people rely on Monath, both human and inhumane.

"Well.. congratulations!!" I said as I grabbed the phone, which shook again.

The answer from Bee came. I ignored an angry plot from El after hearing my congratulations.

'Sure, I'm free at 5 p.m'

If I didn't remember El next to me, I would've jumped in joy. For now I have to be content with just a big smile.

'I'll pick you up at 5:30' My reply.

"Floor 10 of the Montcalm Royal London House Hotel, it is a rooftop restaurant, there will be no people passing by unless it is a guest restaurant. But you have to be careful when you enter, the hotel is never quiet" he explained, at length.

I'll handle it easily with sunglasses. Nobody's going to stop you from wearing sunglasses inside the hotel.

---------- *0o0*----------------

I nearly spilled Charlie's hot chocolate while reading two messages from Duke.

After 2 days - not that I was waiting for him - he finally called me.

I've reread many times Duke's messages. It was short, but enough to make my stomach tingle.

I put a tumbler filled with chocolate on the car door, to prevent a worse accident, because my hand feels a little limp now. What do I have to pay back?.

I stole a glance at Oscar who was busy with the tablet in his hand. I couldn't have asked him about this. The jovi? He might help, but Jovi will also tease me all out afterwards.

Taking a deep breath, I looked out of the window, which was now dominated by the green color of the tree flashed with great speed.

I smiled, then raised my phone towards the window, and photographed the scene outside. I don't have to think hard about something like this.

Relax a little Lui, my mind whispered.

'Stuck!!' type me for the caption of the picture.

A few seconds later, a sign that my message had been read appeared. My heart danced with happiness because of it. He's waiting for a reply from me.

'Dinner tonne? My treatment :)'.

My heart just plunged free into the sea reading it.

Dinner??!! Just the two of us?

I'm not ready for this. My last dinner ended in crying and fainting. But, it is certain that I cannot refuse Duke's invitation. That would be very disrespectful.

Some of my mind laughed at that thought.

You don't have to find excuses just to deny your joy Lui!

"Where are you going today?" Oscar suddenly asked me, breaking out the quarrel that was going on between the two sides of my brain.

"Oh.. Wapping, Tyneside and one more I haven't decided yet. Jovi will tell me later" I replied in a hurry in surprise.

Oscar looked at me "Be careful, Tyneside is not a friendly area" he said.

I nodded excitedly. Hope this conversation is over and I can reply to Duke's message.

"I'll have Mark accompany you and take you home later. I need Alex till night" he said again.

"Ehmm.. ladaacaramini!!" I said, much faster than my answer.

Oscar scrunched his forehead "What way? And why are you so nervous" he asked, after finally understanding. He looked at me suspiciously.

"Dinner" I answered briefly, hoping that he wouldn't ask who I was going with.

"Who with? Jovi?" That question swept away my hope of finishing this conversation immediately.

I shook my head honestly, Oscar would know for sure if I lied.

Oscar looked at me more closely, in a gesture he was expecting a clearer answer as to who I was going to dinner for.

"Duke" I answered softly. Soon Oscar sighed when he heard my answer.

"You only knew him a few days ago, and now you're going to have dinner with him? Isn't that too soon?"

His face twisted in annoyance, but he turned his attention back to the tablet PC that was on his lap.

"Perhaps, but he just wanted to return my lunch treaty a few days ago, that's all"

My answer sounds like a weak excuse. But that's the truth.

Oscar smiled sinisterly from the corner of his mouth. "You sure about that? After what happened with Zeno, you want to do the same?"

"No!! Of course not. I only felt it would be very rude if I rejected his good intentions. He's new to London, I don't want to leave a bad impression" I'm probably overzealous, looking for excuses.

Oscar's cynical smile grew sharper. "You care so much about the situation" he said.

Maybe I was wrong but Oscar sounded really cold when he said it.

"Of course I care, he's your friend isn't he? Duke says you've been friends for the past 3 years. But you don't seem to like it"

Oscar closed his eyes as if holding something back after I said it. Then he looked back at his work without answering my questions.

"Do you mind if I have dinner with him?" ask me with doubt.

I did want -- really wanted - to have dinner with Duke, but I also didn't like it if it turned out to upset Oscar.

"No!! You can do what you love, and I know you want it so much. But if I have to choose between Zeno and Duke, then I will choose Zeno. She's safer for you" Oscar now looks right into my eyes. He's very serious.

"Eh..." I didn't expect Oscar to say that.

I'm not considering going back to try anything with Zeno. And I don't think Zeno is interested in that either.

I rejected him outright and after that Zeno clearly said, he just wanted to be friends with me.

But what does Oscar mean that Zeno is safer for me? I don't get it.

"What do you mean safer? Is Duke someone who would make me insecure? Is he a criminal or a gangster?" I asked with a lot of luck.

I suddenly remembered what Jovi said a few days ago, after that lunch.

Oscar now laughed out loud. I caught an ironic tone in that laugh.

"Of course not, I'll never let you go to lunch with a villain" Oscar's voice was heavy and steady.

I look at him questioningly now. What made him say that?

"Oh, forget my words. You can do whatever you want, Lui".

Oscar ended the conversation, leaving me in a big question mark. I know Oscar won't say anything else, unless I whine.

But I'm not going to do it now, because Oscar more or less has given permission for this dinner. I'm not gonna waste it.

'Sure, I'm free at 5 p.m'

'I'll pick you up at 5:30' Duke's answer appears in the very bottom row.

I smiled and almost giggled. But I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to make Oscar wonder again.