Married To The Billionaire Alpha King Chapter 57 - you’ll survive

57

~Elara’s POV

We tried the arcade gas next, and honestly, the whole place felt too bright and too cheerful for anything but laughter. Janae made the first loud noise, jumping in front of the racing ga with unnecessary determination. But the mont the car on the screen began to move, she started panicking.

"Why is the car not stopping?!" she shouted, pressing every button like she was fighting the machine.

David almost fell to the floor laughing. "Because you’re pressing the accelerator, not the brake."

She paused. Looked at the buttons. Then looked at him. "Oh."

He imitated her voice dramatically. "Yeah. Oh."

I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. The two of them bickered a little more before the car crashed on screen, and Janae threw her hands up in surrender.

Darlon tugged gently on my hand. "Co challenge ."

I raised a brow. "Challenge you in what?"

He pointed at the basketball arcade machine with a little smirk. "This."

I shook my head imdiately. "You’ll win. It’s not even a contest."

"Maybe," he teased, stepping closer. "Or maybe you’ll surprise ."

There was sothing playful in his eyes that made narrow mine. "Fine. Let’s play."

We took our places at the machine, and the buzzer beeped. The balls started rolling out. I grabbed one quickly and threw it. It hit the side of the rim and bounced away. Then I missed another. And another. And another.

"I suck," I groaned loudly, dragging a hand down my face.

"No," he said, laughing softly, his voice warm and annoyingly charming. "You’re adorable."

I shot him a look. "Stop distracting ."

He leaned in slightly. "But that’s my job."

"Darlon!" I said sharply, though I couldn’t stop the smile creeping up on .

He laughed and picked up another ball, holding it out to . "Try again."

I took it, threw it, and watched it bounce uselessly off the backboard.

I sighed loudly. "See? Useless."

He walked behind , his presence wrapping around before he even touched . Then his hands slid over mine, steady and warm. His chest pressed against my back, slow and firm, like he was trying not to overwhelm . My breath caught a little without warning.

"Like this," he murmured near my ear. "Aim a little higher."

I swallowed slowly. His voice was low and soft, and my hands trembled just a bit under his. He adjusted my wrists gently, taking his ti, moving like he wasn’t in a hurry at all.

"Now throw," he whispered.

I did. The ball went up. It dropped in cleanly through the net.

I gasped happily and turned my head toward him. "I did it!"

He smiled, and then he leaned in to kiss my cheek, slow and soft. "Good girl."

My knees almost gave up on right there. I held the machine for support, trying not to lt into the floor.

Behind us, I heard clapping.

"Awwwwwwww," David and Janae sang together like two annoying parrots.

I spun around and glared at them. "Shut up."

Janae giggled loudly. "No."

David grinned. "Never."

Even though I rolled my eyes, I couldn’t stop smiling. Sothing about the whole mont felt warm, like a blanket wrapped around a cold evening.

We kept playing after that. Sotis I would win a round surprisingly, and Darlon would act like I had just achieved the greatest victory on earth. Other tis, I lost terribly, and he would tease gently, telling to focus or asking if he should guide again. I pretended to be annoyed, but the truth was that I liked every second of his attention.

Janae and David argued over every tiny thing, from who cheated to who missed the easiest shot. Their bickering made everything louder and funnier. Sotis I laughed too much to even throw the ball properly. Darlon kept smiling at like he enjoyed seeing so free, and every ti our eyes t, sothing warm flickered between us.

I settled deeper into the couch cushions, trying to catch my breath. My legs felt like jelly from all the running around, and the back of my neck was damp with sweat. I didn’t even care. I just pressed my cheek against Darlon’s shoulder, letting myself lt a little.

"I’m tired," I murmured. My voice ca out soft and tiny, like the words were slipping out without permission.

"Then co here," he said, almost like he’d been waiting for to admit it. He tugged closer with that quiet confidence he always carried. His arm slid around my waist, warm and firm, and I settled into him before I even thought about it. My head rested on his chest, and I could hear the steady thump of his heart. It made feel... safe, in a way I hadn’t felt in a long ti.

Janae stretched dramatically, her toes pointing out like a tired ballerina. "This place is heaven. I’m never leaving," she announced, flopping back into the couch opposite us.

David gave her this amused, slightly confused look. "You live here now?"

"Maybe," she said with a lazy grin, closing her eyes like she was already imagining the idea. "I’ll just move in. I’ll take the room with the big mirror and the soft pillows."

He chuckled, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "Then I guess I’ll stay too."

Janae’s eyes flew open. She turned to him so fast her curls bounced. "Really?"

The way she asked it... almost scared, almost excited. Like she wasn’t sure she heard him right.

David nodded once, serious but gentle. "Sure."

And sothing changed in the air. Subtle, but real.

Janae blinked. Then blinked again. Then let out this tiny, awkward laugh. "You...you can’t just decide that. You don’t even know if I snore."

David shrugged. "I don’t mind."

"You don’t mind snoring?" she asked, pointing at herself like she was the biggest trouble he could ever take on.

"I don’t mind you," he corrected.

Her face softened. Just lted. I swear, I saw her lips tremble a little before she quickly tucked them in.

I didn’t say a word. Neither did Darlon. We just watched quietly, like we were witnessing sothing neither of them was ready to na yet.

Janae cleared her throat, trying to act normal. "Well... you can’t stay in my room for free. I’ll charge you rent."

David’s mouth lifted. "Fine. What’s the price?"

"One at pie a day."

"Deal."

They sat there staring at each other in this strange, warm silence.

I nudged Darlon with my shoulder, whispering, "They’re so gone."

"They’re finished," he murmured back, and I felt the quiet laugh rumble through his chest against my cheek.

Janae caught us looking and wrinkled her nose. "What? Why are you smiling like that?"

"Nothing," I said quickly, though I couldn’t stop my smile. "Absolutely nothing."

But we all knew sothing had shifted. Sothing soft. Sothing sweet.

And maybe, just maybe... sothing real.

"Just make sure you use protection," I scread.

It ca out louder than I intended, sharp enough that even Darlon’s chest jerked beneath . Janae’s eyes widened so much I thought they might pop out. David’s mouth fell open like he hadn’t expected to have lungs that strong.

"ELARA!" Janae practically choked. "Why would you say that out loud?"

I lifted my head from Darlon’s chest, blinking innocently. "What? I’m just being a responsible friend."

"You’re being a nace," she fired back, covering her face with both hands.

David coughed, trying so hard not to laugh that his shoulders shook. "She’s... not wrong."

"DAVID!" Janae hit him with a pillow so hard the poor boy gasped.

I couldn’t help laughing. Maybe I should’ve felt bad, but honestly? No. The mont was too sweet, too ridiculous.

Darlon wrapped his arm tighter around and whispered near my ear, "You enjoy chaos."

"Not all the ti," I whispered back. "Just when Janae starts acting like she’s in a romance movie."

"I am not acting," Janae shot back, glaring at through her fingers. "You embarrassed ."

I smiled. "You love ."

"I don’t love that statent."

David raised his hands slowly. "For what it’s worth... I appreciate the advice, your majesty."

She groaned again. "Can soone drag out of this room?"

"No," I said sweetly. "You’ll survive."

Janae buried her face into the pillow, kicking her legs like a frustrated child. "I hate all of you."

"You don’t," David murmured, leaning closer to her.

She froze. Completely still.