The Alpha's Favorite

Chapter 3

“Lily?”

I did not have many people in my life.

Aside from the fact that I wasn’t that friendly, I had kept everyone at arm’s length for the majority of my life. I had only thought about myself and prioritized reaching my dreams over everything. The few ballet friends that I did have were quick to forget my existence when I got injured.

So there was no one.

At least… that’s what I thought.

Looking up to meet the eyes of the voice that called my name, it felt like I was suddenly pulled back in time. A time when life was simpler. A time when dreams were exhilarating and not the only thing keeping me going.

A time when laughing and talking about the future was exciting.

Because these days it only gives me hives and a severe panic attack.

Staring at him, after all these years, my breath actually catches.

It’s him.

The boy who used to chase me through the neighborhood streets. The boy that used to gorge on my mother’s pastries whenever he came over to bother me. The boy who knew all my dreams before I even dared to speak of them, whispering it in his ear as if it was some scary secret that only he could know. But then he's not a boy anymore.

Not at all.

He’s a grown man now.

“Henry…”

My voice was but a whisper, a gasp of a breath.

I should have felt excited to see him for it’s been years and in someway I was, but seeing him, particularly in this part of town, wearing my nightclub uniform that had too much leather and skin, and my tear stained cheeks… I felt embarrassed. More than that, I felt ashamed.

The last he heard from me, it wasn’t even from me directly but from my mother. He was checking up on us as he’s done every year since we last saw each other, but I was too preoccupied to even answer a call from him. I was always too preoccupied. Even in failure.

For my only friend.

“I can’t believe it.” I whispered, stunned at the sight of him.

It must have been nearly ten years since we last saw each other.

We were both quitting school then. I was going to train full time, and he was just accepted to this very exclusive music school abroad. It wasn’t hard to find updates on his life after that. He was everywhere. Just last week, I saw his picture in the newspaper of one of the houses I cleaned. He’s supposed to be in Europe for a fancy tour.

My heart twisted.

At least one of us made it in the end.

He’s changed so much that I wouldn’t have been able to recognize him if I didn’t know him so well. He really has changed so much… just like I did, but in his case, it looked like it was for the better.

No more was the little boy with messy hair that was always tearing through sweets at every given moment. In his place was a successful man who had reached his dreams and managed to keep it.

Time had sharpened his features, erasing the chubby kid from my past, the fine lines at the corners of his eyes lending him an air of distinguished authority.

Standing at about six feet tall, the golden boy of our small poor neighborhood was now a stark contrast to his old self. He is polished, refined, his movements had the effortless grace of a man attuned to the music around him.

He is lean but athletic. His light brown hair, though styled, was still a little messy, which is how he always liked it. And then there’s his warm hazel eyes that continue to hold a familiar and comforting glow from all those years ago.

He is dressed impeccably, just like how I saw him in the headlines of the newspaper, his dark suit tailored to perfection, his posture as unyielding as ever, the quiet elegance of his movements erasing the past filled with hardships.

Blinking up at him, noting all the changes, the way he carried himself— it all screamed success.

And at that moment, I wish I could lie and say I don’t remember him.

Just to save face. Just to preserve the little pride that I still hold.

But I do remember him.

And he knows it.

He has known me for a very long time.

He knew me before everything.

And then he smiled at me, and he still had his boyish grin that could light up a room. “It really is you, Lily.”

He didn’t have to say it, but just like how he knew me, I knew him as well. And I know that he almost didn’t recognize me.

How could he?

These days I can barely recognize myself.

“Henry, I…” I meant to say more. I should say more, but the sight of him had completely upended my train of thought, leaving only shock.

And shame.

Lots of shame.

“Hey stranger. I’m glad you remember who I am. I thought I had to reintroduce myself.” He teased, grinning and, despite how different he looked from all those years ago, it was still him.

Old friends like us should be hugging each other… or at the very least be closer together, yet I was standing away like Silas had come out of the nightclub. “It’s been years.”

He tipped his head forward, his eyes gleaming with words unsaid. “Too many.”

I couldn’t help but swallow in apprehension. “So what are you doing here?”

Henry shrugs and grins widely but doesn’t attempt to come closer. “I came home.”

“Why?” I asked, knowing he hadn’t been home in nearly ten years despite how his parents were still our neighbors. “I thought you had this big fancy tour coming up.”

“I do, but I missed home.” This time, he takes a step closer. Only a step. “And I missed you.”

My eyes widened, flickering towards the back entrance of the nightclub. I suddenly felt like we were being watched, and I remember clearly how Silas had told me that he knew everything. “Henry… I don't think,”

Unbeknownst and unbothered by the danger that was lurking, Henry only continued. “I’ve been trying to get in contact with you. For years.”

I couldn’t stop myself from looking around like a crazy person, utterly paranoid. “We’ve been busy.”

But that wasn't true.

He was never busy for us.

I was always out of reach.

“I know. You were always busy chasing your dreams.” Surprisingly, he didn’t sound mocking. He sounded understanding and proud. He sounded like the chubby boy from my past who I shared all my secrets with, asking me for more details. “You knew what you wanted to do and never stopped chasing it. I always admired you for that.”

As scared as I was of Silas and the fact that he might be listening to us, Henry’s words left a bitter taste in my mouth.

He was pointedly only looking at my face, avoiding everything else.

Even the alley he found me in.

“And you know I didn’t make it.” I gestured to my outfit, giving up on saving face and embracing reality.

“But you did.” His smile was as bright as the neon lights around us. “I was there.”

Taken aback, my lips parted. “What do you mean? Where?”

“Did you think I would miss your first professional principal role?” He playfully questioned. “I was there. Granted, I was all the way in the back because you sold out so quickly.”

The shame that I felt only seemed to double with every word he said. “You saw it.”

He saw me fail.

He saw me break.

He saw me lose it all.

“I saw you perform beautifully.” He insisted, but I knew that he knew what I meant. We always knew.

“Stop,” I said through gritted teeth and began to walk away from him, unable to take it any longer. "I can't,"

But he stopped me by saying more. “Yes, I saw it. I took you to the hospital and stayed with you as long as I could, but I knew you didn’t want me to be there when you woke up.”

“How did you know where to find me?” I asked, glancing towards the nightclub and changing the topic.

Thankfully, he allows the change and doesn’t push. “One of my friends that was visiting the city… he recognized you. I always look at your social media, to check on you, and he says he saw you. So I came to see.”

“To see how far I’ve fallen?” I said with a laugh, but there was no humor in it.

It must be weird for him.

I was always louder about my dreams than he was. He would always watch me dance around in the street, pretending to be performing on a stage. He would always sit with me as I talked his ear off about ballet. He would even watch movies about ballet with me.

He fumbled through his words. “No. Not that. You’re not— Lily, I didn’t mean,”

“I should go, Henry.” I took another step back from him and, knowing this time, someone really was watching us. I could almost feel the shadows moving, the dangers of earlier coming back to me.

It was only an added bonus that getting away from Henry would also help with my embarrassment of what I had become.

Because despite being so proud of him, for him reaching his dreams, for achieving what he sought to do, I truly could not stand myself at the moment.

Not with the threat of death looming over me, reminding me of my recent failure.

And not when someone who supported my hopes and dreams— my first supporter, saw the worst of me.