Chapter Seventy-One
Robin
My lack of sleep catches up to me by making me sleep late, on the day of my first official shift at my new job in the academy. I’m jolted awake by a loud knocking that I realize is coming from the front door to my suite.
I throw the covers back and rush out of the room.
Smoothing my hair down with my hands, I dart over to the door.
It’s probably Lana. It’s always Lana.
Oh God, I hope I’m not fired!
I unlock the door and haul it open, ready to start apologising.
Then I see Katie smiling back at me, with glittery pink lips.
She’s dressed for work, and I’m still in my PJs.
“Hey, work-bestie! I thought I’d come and walk you to the kitchens.”
“Um, I think I slept in a little bit,” I tell her, motioning to what I’m wearing.
She laughs. “That’s okay. I’m early. We’ve got like fifteen minutes so you’re good.
And honestly, even if you were late, no one’s going to notice or care.
We’re only doing laundry. It’s not life or death, or whatever, you know.
Want me to do your hair? You’re gonna want to put it up. It’s just easier when we’re working.”
“Uh, sure. Just give me a few minutes to get dressed.”
I let her in, and she looks around. “Wow. I forgot how my suite looked when I first moved in, but this is basically it. I bet you can’t wait to go shopping for stuff to make it look more you.”
“Um, yeah,” I mutter, not completely sure what she means.
She goes to the table and puts her purse down. “Go get ready. I’ll find my box of hair clips.”
I go back to my bedroom, and I let myself relax.
I’m not late. There’s nothing to worry about.
I pick out my clothes and put them on the bed, then I go into the bathroom.
In less than five minutes I’m cleaned up and dressed, and feeling much better.
I slip into my flat shoes, and I walk back out into the main room of the suite.
Katie’s waiting for me at the table.
“Take a seat,” she says, pulling a chair out for me. “We’ll have your hair up in no time, and don’t worry about breakfast. Pierre works the dayshift, and he’ll take our breakfast orders when we get hungry.”
I sit down, and she starts to style my hair.
“Pierre?” I ask, wondering if that’s the guy she was talking about having a crush on.
“Chef Pierre Forgeron. I should warn you his accent is so sexy you might find it hard to concentrate. He’s the hottest guy in this place, and that includes all the Alphas who come for parties.” She sighs softly, and I can’t help but smile.
“I don’t know about that,” I blurt, feeling my skin warm as I realize what I’m about to admit to.
“Huh?” Katie asks, as if I just snapped her out of a daydream.
Am I really doing this?
I chew on my lower lip while I try to decide.
I know, if anyone would understand, it would be Katie.
Still, some part of me is hesitant to reveal that I’m thinking about becoming mated.
The decision is so personal, but it would be nice to have someone I trust to talk to about it.
“You have a crush?” Katie asks, gasping lightly.
She pauses what she’s doing, and my teeth let go of my lip.
“It’s a little bit more than a crush.”
Now, she gasps loudly. “No! No way. You have to tell me everything. And I mean everything! Every last detail. Starting now would be good.”
“Well,” I start. “It’s kind of crazy …”
“Oh my God! I’m getting chills. This is gonna be so good.”
She really has no idea how good it gets, and I think I’ll keep some of the crazier details to myself.
Some things are supposed to stay private.
“It all started the night of the social …”