Were-Reader

4

Reese was an utter mass of nerves as she sat in the centre of the back seat, squished between Harley and another of their roommates. She'd texted Nathan that he could come, but instead of going with them, he requested directions to meet them there since apparently something unavoidable at work had come up.

The wait was not making her less nervous.

But really, Reese wasn't just nervous about seeing Nathan again. The idea of even talking with him again actually sounded amazing, and getting another look into those green eyes seemed like a worthy life goal. She'd never been this excited to see anyone before, except maybe Santa Claus at the mall when she was little, or that one time she got a book signed by her favourite author.

But even more than seeing him again, she was nervous about all the things that could go wrong. Maybe she'd do something embarrassing, or he'd take one look at her again and wonder why he'd even spoken to her in the first place, or worse, maybe the whole unavoidable work thing was a lie so he could just stand her up. 

If he didn't show, she'd be left overdressed in a cute black skirt her mother had talked her into buying just in case she needed something better than her usual jeans and sweaters, and a slinky sparkly blue top she had been forced to borrow from Irene, the same roommate who was driving them following Siri's instructions.

If he didn't show, she didn't know how she'd cope with the disappointment.

Or then there was absolutely the most distressing thought of all, that he might take one look at Harley and realize just how much Reese paled in comparison. She was afraid she might cry if that happened.

It was silly to be so emotionally invested in someone she had just met, and not at all like her to care about something so clearly uncertain, but for some reason she just couldn't help herself.

Maybe she should have never agreed to come out to this party tonight. She should have stayed home and spent the night hibernating with Alpha Raiden. It would have been so much easier on her stress level.

But then she wouldn't see those intriguing eyes again, and she didn't want to miss out on that.

Her throat was horribly constricted by the time they pulled up at the house where the party was being held. It wasn't hugely extravagant, but the size was more than adequate for hosting a party of people who probably should have been studying instead of drinking and trying to get laid. The building did seem to be a bit big for something the average student would be able to afford, but from what Harley said, there were a few guys living there together including the one that had caught her attention, so Reese assumed that they were splitting the costs.

There was no way that he would be there yet, but that didn't stop her heart from pounding frantically just in case. As a group, they move towards the door, Irene bringing up the rear after having locked her car. It was immediately obvious that they were in the right place by the pounding music leaking from the house along with the chatter of multiple conversations.

At the door, they were met by the guy who had invited Harley, Chris. He was half a head taller than her friend, which meant something because Harley was quite tall herself, and he had brown eyes that softened when they landed on the her friend. As Reese had expected, he was cute, and from one look at Harley's uncharacteristically blushing face, she was as excited to see him as he was to see her. Normally Harley kept her cool around guys with a composure that Reese could only envy.

Reese shrugged. Well, if nothing else, she could be entertained by watching Harley act weirdly out of character.

Harley introduced the members of their group with an easy smile, and then Chris gave them a quick tour. The main floor would have appeared spacious if people weren't scattered around everywhere, moving to the beat or holding loud conversations over the music. The basement had a games room, which was as crowded as the main floor. The upstairs was more deserted. Reese held back a smile when Chris pseudo-casually mentioned which was his room to Harley.