Caspian woke up first, a miracle really.
Asher was still fast asleep right beside him, the Alpha’s arms had wrapped around his waist possessively sometime during the course of the night.
He needed to use the bathroom but he stayed put so that he wouldn’t wake Asher.
His phone ringing shattered his plans, however, because he had to pry himself free of Asher’s hold to get it.
Caspian frowned as he picked up the vibrating device, he hadn’t been expecting to get a call this early, as a matter of fact, he hadn’t been expecting to get a call at all.
Jael’s contact on the lit screen didn’t give him any answers so he had no choice but to pick it up to find out himself.
"Hey..." The Beta trailed off, "Are you..."
"Still at the mansion?" Caspian completed for him, slowly walking away from the bed so he wouldn’t rouse Asher. "Yes."
The thought that Jael had called him first thing in the morning to ask that made him smile.
"I needed to know," Jael said in a wry voice, "I hope I didn’t wake you up."
Caspian glanced at a sleeping Asher, "You didn’t, surprisingly, Asher’s the one still asleep."
"I’m not surprised. He looked a hot mess." He said fondly.
"Are you okay though?" Caspian asked quietly, wrapping an arm around himself.
"No. Want to watch the sunrise with me?"
"Yeah, I can do that," Caspian accepted without hesitation, making his way to the other side of the bedroom.
All through this, Asher slept peacefully, and Caspian made a mental note to ask Jael if the Mafia King could sleep in today.
Gingerly, he moved one of the many curtains to the side, careful not to bother Asher with the light.
He had honestly not been expecting an honest response from Jael, and he was willing to watch as many sunrises with him as he wanted.
The horizon was already beginning to brighten, the phone call silent for a few minutes.
"You know, my dad hadn’t wanted me to be part of the Mafia," Jael began unprompted.
Caspian held his breath, Jael rarely expressed himself to begin with so talking about his father was a really big deal.
"He wanted me to leave the country for schooling, and stay there to get a job and build a proper family..."
"And I couldn’t understand why until he was dead but at that point, Gage and Asher had already become my family..."
"I didn’t want to put another’s life in danger, and that was why I didn’t deal feelings..."
"...but Lucy... Lucy seemed larger than life. It’s stupid now that I’m saying it out loud but deep down I always felt like she was immortal, like nothing could touch her-"
Jael made an anguished sound at this point, a noise between a sob and a pained groan.
Caspian wished he could alleviate some of Jael’s pain but all he could do was watch the already risen sun and listen.
"I mean, we just got together but I was already thinking of leaving the Mafia for her..."
Jael went quiet again, seeming to be lost in thought.
Caspian knew that Jael played an important role but if it would have kept Lucy he would have been a hundred percent in Discover more novels on NovelHub - your gateway to endless stories.
"She had a younger brother, and I’m sure she saw him in you," Jael started again without warning, his tone much lighter.
"I’m honored," Caspian said softly.
"You shouldn’t be," Jael snorted, "He didn’t know how to stay out of trouble."
Caspian pressed his lips together, he supposed that could be said about him as well.
"Thanks for listening to me," Jael went right on.
"That’s why we’re friends," He said lightly.
"Friends... yeah." The Beta absently accepted. "Don’t tell Asher but I’ll be back tomorrow."
"We can go on a morning drive when you do," He offered.
"Oh wait," Caspian said in a hurry before Jael could hang up.
"Is something wrong?"
"Well, no..." He dragged out, hesitating. "Can Asher sleep in? Would that affect his workday?"
Jael snorted again, "He can sleep in every day, he doesn’t even have to go in to work as a matter of fact."
That was more than what Caspian needed to hear, "Got it. Make sure to eat-"
Jael hung up at that point making him shake his head with a knowing smile.
The Beta would be back soon and then he could make sure he ate in person, it was the least he could do to keep the memory of Lucy alive.
Asher was still knocked out, and after getting the go-ahead to leave the Alpha asleep, he finally got to use the restroom.
He brushed his teeth and splashed some water on his face before getting back in bed, sleeping in with Asher was well deserved after a week apart from him.
Caspian wasn’t sleepy but lying down next to Asher felt like falling into a cloud of his scent.
And it made him realize that the reason he always slept in was because of the Alpha’s calming scent.
He woke up a couple hours later to find Asher stepping out of the bathroom while drying his hair.
Caspian initially planned to ask Asher if he could accompany him to work but he had to scrap his plans.
The air around them was still so fragile, he didn’t want to upset the temporary balance they had found.
He also wanted to take bed rest and putting on more weight seriously, results to back up his claims would be very effective in convincing Asher.
So he stayed in bed while Asher dressed up, closing his eyes briefly when the Alpha kissed his hair before leaving.
He only got out of bed after Asher was gone, taking a shower so he could eat breakfast. He would need to get up earlier so that he could fit in three meals every day.
Caspian contemplated calling Jael after breakfast but he didn’t want to encroach on the other’s personal space.