Suddenly warmth wrapped around me as Xavier embraced me.He was soaked through,but he pulled me aside.“Are you all right?I’m sorry I left you like that.Just go inside and obey.”
“See,Vanessa is terribly ill,”he continued in a softer voice.“She came because I invited her;I couldn’t leave her like that.You should learn from her.”
“Mom has been trying to call you;she even messaged you to come inside.Why can’t you stop being stubborn for a moment?”he sighed,his tone almost reproachful before he noticed my pale face.
He then took me to a nearby shop so I could change into dry clothes and avoid getting sick.
“Are you all right,Mia?I’ll call a taxi to take you home.”I shook my head and asked,“Are you not coming back with me?”
“I have work—”
“Are you going to drop Vanessa at her place now?”
“What?”Xavier looked taken aback that I saw through his excuse.
His expression shifted from indulgent to guilty and angry as he answered carefully,“I’ll be home right after that.Please understand—Vanessa is a single mother and she’s really ill.What if something happens on her way home?”