One Night With My Alpha Professor

Chapter 260

Audrey

By the time we finished grocery shopping for the impromptu party, the afternoon sun was hanging high in the sky and the air was even hotter than I had anticipated. Edwin and I hefted the grocery bags out of the trunk of the car, Edwin pausing to raise his eyebrows at the sheer amount of food we had bought.

“Did we really need this much?” he asked as he lifted another bag out of the trunk.

I glanced over at the haul that was spread out on the ground–burgers, hot dogs, chips, drinks, and an almost comically large assortment of condiments. “Have you seen how much Gavin eats?” I laughed. “Plus, if Tina gets a hold of the chips, we might not have enough for everyone.”

Edwin chuckled as a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You make a fair point.”

With that, we carried the bags inside and got to work. Edwin fired up the grill and filled the cooler with ice and drinks while I prepared various side dishes, everything from sliced fruit to pasta salad to coleslaw. We laid everything out on a long table on the back porch and turned on the speakers, blasting music.

We barely had time to finish setting up for the party before the familiar sound of gravel crunching under tires echoed up the driveway. Betty’s expensive convertible pulled in first, with Tina sitting shotgun and Gavin and Avis crammed into the back, all of them looking far too cheerful for what was supposed to be a lazy Sunday afternoon barbecue.

I quickly realized why.

“We brought booze!” Tina called out as she lifted several bottles of alcohol above her head like a trophy.

Edwin shook his head bemusedly. “Betty, I hope you’re planning on being Tina’s designated driver tonight.”

Betty just smirked. “What, no sleepover tonight?” she teased before beelining for the snacks.

Edwin and I just looked at each other with matching expressions; we’d already laid out piles upon piles of pillows and blankets, knowing fully well that half the people here would try to weasel their way into staying for the night.

Charles and Peter rolled up in Charles’s pickup truck not long after, followed by Eliza’s car. I felt a slight pang when I spotted Joseph peeking out from the backseat. He was half–hidden behind Eliza’s legs as they approached, his wide eyes looking around curiously.

When he saw me, he shrank a little.

I felt my heart break just a bit more, despite the nudge of reassurance that Edwin sent down the bond. “He’s a kid,” he said gently. “They hold onto things sometimes. It doesn’t mean you did anything bad.”

I didn’t know how much I believed that. But I managed to plaster a smile on my face, turning to the lake instead. Maybe the best thing to do was to just give Joseph some space on his own.

“The water’s perfect!” I called, waving over to the guests as I pulled off my bathing suit coverup. “Last chance before it’s freezing!”

It didn’t take long for everyone to change and gather by the water’s edge. Laughter and chatter filled the air as they waded into the water, and I was halfway through filling up water guns when I felt a shadow looming behind me.

“Don’t even think about it,” Peter’s voice warned, but before he could react, I whirled around and sprayed him directly in the face.

The look of pure, wide–eyed shock on his face was absolutely priceless. He stood there, frozen for a second, before grabbing me around the waist and hurling me off the dock like a sack of potatoes.

I hit the water with a shriek and a splash, sputtering and gasping as I resurfaced, only to find myself immediately being pelted with water from all sides as Betty and Tina cannonballed in after me.

“That’s what you get!” Peter shouted before jumping in himself. I nearly had to dive out of the way to avoid getting body

slammed.

The rest of the afternoon melted away into easy laughter, music, and conversation as we swam and enjoyed the sun. Edwin lounged on the dock, tanning as he chatted with Eliza. Meanwhile, Tina and Gavin argued over who had the right to the last

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hot dog, and Peter, Betty, Avis and I swam circles around each other,

I carefully nudged Peter and Betty closer together without them even realizing it, and soon they were talking a little. But only a little–and Peter’s look of chagrin when he’d realized what I had done wasn’t lost on me.

But even as I laughed and dodged the occasional water gun stream, my eyes kept drifting over to Joseph. He stayed dose to Eliza on the dock, watching from her shadow, half–hidden behind her legs as he observed the chaos from a safe distance.

But then something shifted. It was small, almost imperceptible, but I caught it–a slight twitch of his lips when Peter dramatically dodged one of Tina’s splashes, flailing backward like he had just been hit with a cannonball And when Aaris, in her usual clumsy glory, dunked Gavin by accident, I saw Joseph take a small, tentative step forward

“Here.” Eliza said softly, and I glanced over just in time to see her crouching beside him, prewing a bright green water gun into his hands. “Why don’t you try, honey?” Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

Joseph hesitated, his small fingers wrapping around the toy. He glanced up at Eliza, then back at the lake where we all splashed and played, still unsure. But something must have clicked in him, because with a quiet determination, he lifted the water gun, aimed carefully at Peter….

And squeezed the trigger.

Peter’s reaction was nothing short of theatrical. He clutched his chest as if he had just been mortally wounded. “I’ve been hit!” he cried, staggering backward toward the edge of the dock. “The mighty warrior has defeated me!*

With an exaggerated groan, Peter toppled backward into the lake, sending water flying everywhere. And then, the most magical sound filled the air–Joseph’s laugh. It was soft, barely louder than a whisper, but it was there. Real and pure, like the tiny tinkling of a bell.

I felt my heart stutter in my chest, and when my gaze flicked to Edwin, I saw him watching Joseph with the same expression on his face. Through our bond, I felt the joy swelling inside of him at seeing the little boy finally emerge from his shell, even if it was just for the briefest of moments.

Eliza’s shoulders shook slightly, and when I looked closer, I saw her hastily wiping at the tears welling up in her eyes.

As the sun began its descent behind the trees, the party began to wind down. Everyone was full of grilled food and content in that lazy, post–meal way. Eventually, anyone who wasn’t staying the night–Peter, Charles, Eliza and of course Joseph–started gathering their things, preparing to leave, and I found myself standing at the edge of the lake, watching the golden light dance across the water one last time.

Suddenly, a gentle tug on my sleeve brought me out of my reverie. I turned to find Joseph standing behind me, his face half- hidden beneath his mop of damp hair. He was clutching something in one hand.

Eliza stood a few feet away, grinning. “Go ahead, Joey,” she said gently. “Show Aunt Audrey what you made_”

Joseph shifted from foot to foot, hesitating for a moment before he extended the piece of paper toward me.

My heart lodged itself in my throat. The last time I had been this close to him, I had terrified him by trying to read his mind. But now, he was here, standing in front of me, holding out a drawing like a peace offering.

With a smile, I took it gently, carefully unfolding the paper. But my smile faded as I stared down at the image in my hands.

It was just like his other drawings–dark, stark lines, the same unsettling red and blacks–but this one was different. It wasn’t just a vague scene. It was a face.

A man’s face, drawn in heavy black strokes. Dark eyes, a cruel mouth. And beneath it, in the wobbly handwriting of a child, was

a name.

“Mr. B.”

FT