Chapter Ninety-Nine

The next day, as Mrs. Snow began searching for a safe location to keep Ikarus and the others, Edward prepared to meet with his brother. He wore a simple outfit that didn't speak of his current wealth. Alongside his outfit, he also wore a dark cap and sunglasses. He didn't want to appear with his game appearance as soon as he met with Brandon— otherwise, his brother may react badly. Instead, Edward hoped that he could break the news slowly. He would remove his cap and glasses only after he and Brandon talked for a moment to reveal his current appearance.

He couldn't do anything about the scar on his lip, but he wasn't too worried about it anyway. His scar was a small detail that could easily be overlooked. A few minutes after his outfit was assembled, Edward looked at his phone to check the time.

'There's another few hours until he's supposed to land, so I should try to find a good place to meet up,' Edward said. He considered a public location, as Brandon wouldn't find it suspicious, but Edward didn't want his conversation to be picked up by anybody nearby. Edward had to assume his brother would react loudly, so any location with other people was immediately out of the question. However, meeting him in a completely private location wouldn't be a good choice, either, as it would immediately appear suspicious.

In the end, Edward decided on a public location that didn't have that many people, such as a small bowling alley half an hour from the airport. It was still early in the morning, so there wouldn't be that many people already there. If everything went well, only the staffers would be in the same room.

He quickly sent Brandon the location and requested that he meet there. Then, he left his room and began to walk down the hallway. As soon as he did so, Leila opened the door to her own room and turned to look at Edward.

"Where are you going?" She asked, curious.

"I'm meeting with Brandon," Edward quickly answered as he turned around. As he turned to her, his eyes were met with her outfit and widened with surprise. Unlike her usual relaxed attire, Leila was dressed up well. She wore a dark green shirt that complemented her eyes perfectly and a black skirt that hung to an inch above her knees. Her makeup was done, stunning Edward as he turned to her face. The sides of her black hair were pulled back and tied in a low braided ponytail reminiscent of old Viking styles that left low bangs hanging over her forehead. She carried a small black purse over her shoulders and stepped gracefully as she left her room.

"Whoa," Edward stammered as he looked at her. Leila appeared bashful as she saw his reaction, then smiled as she stepped forward. The addition to her height delivered by her heels almost let her be as tall as Edward, so their eyes were nearly at the same level. As Leila drew closer to him, Edward began to feel the rhythm of his heartbeat from within his ribcage quicken. He swallowed a ball of saliva as he felt a pit of nervousness open within his stomach.

"Good morning," Leila smiled. Edward quickly nodded, his mind barely free from the shocked state that Leila's outfit had sent him in. 

"You look nice," Edward told her with a smile. The corners of Leila's mouth raised with glee as a flush of red appeared on her face.

"Thanks, I'm glad you like it. I'm meeting with my roommates and decided to dress better than usual," Leila smiled. For a moment, Edward wondered if she was actually going on a date with somebody— and his heart clenched in fear as soon as the thought crossed his mind. He couldn't understand why, but the idea of Leila being with a man annoyed him.

Still, without showing the strange emotions within his heart, Edward turned to look at Leila and smiled once more, "Oh? I hope you have fun."

"Will you have the time to join me? I was going to knock on your door and ask if you were available today. I think it would be fun if you were there, too," Leila asked as she held her hands with interlocking fingers. Edward smiled, a strange sense of glee rising in his chest. However, as soon as he remembered that he was to meet with Brandon, he sighed and shook his head.

"I want to, truly, but I have to meet with Brandon today," Edward told her. Leila's smile dropped for a moment as a sad frown appeared on her face. Edward felt his chest tighten as he saw her expression, so he quickly tried to raise her spirits, "How long will you be out? I might not be able to be there in the beginning, but I want to be there with you once my conversation with Brandon is done."

Leila smiled once more, then nodded, "Then it's a date. I'll be waiting!"

Soon after, like an excited bunny, she skipped down the hallway with a wide grin on her face. Edward watched her as she neared the hallway and felt a similar smile spread upon his face. He looked down and gazed at his lazily put-together outfit. He thought it was utterly inadequate compared to Leila's outfit, so he turned around and walked back into his room— intent on putting on something nicer.

—

A few hours later, Edward found himself waiting in the reception area of a small and empty bowling alley. Other than him and two of the bowling alley's staff members, nobody else was in the building. Edward wore a better outfit than he had initially chosen when he planned to meet up with Brandon, as promised for when he met with Leila. Unlike before, when he only wore black jeans and a gray coat, Edward now chose to put on something similar to a suit. His jeans had been replaced with slacks of the same color but infinitely better quality, while his coat had been replaced with a thin black jacket and a silky black shirt. He chose not to wear a tie, as he believed it would be too formal, and instead relaxed by undoing the top button of his shirt just enough to hide the black scales on his collarbone. 

Edward also wore a pair of leather gloves to cover the scales on his knuckles.

He made sure everything he wore matched his naturally dark features, such as his eyes and hair, but he was surprised to find his dark suit contrasting nicely with his pale skin. Of course, he still wore his sunglasses and cap to keep his features concealed— for now— as he waited for Brandon to arrive.