Destined

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

"Les? Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He's spitting out questions faster than my brain can keep up. He looks more shaken up than I've ever seen him. Eyes wide and frantically checking the rearview mirror as if something is following us.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. Are you?" I try to catch his eye but his gaze is firmly on the road, or the mirrors.

"Physically, yeah I'm fine. Did I just have a heart attack watching that wolf so close to you? Yes." He takes a left on the main road, heading towards town.

I can't get my mind away from the memory of the wolf standing before me. Its eyes were bright and hyper focused on mine. It almost looked like there was a spark of familiarity there. It reminds me of those goldendoodles that people joke about having human eyes, "What the hell just happened?" I question more to myself than to Enzo.

He answers faster than I had expected when I wasn't even expecting a response, "We were at the wrong place at the wrong time during a wolf fight. Don't overthink it." I'm caught off guard by his response but my thoughts are racing too fast to really consider his words.

"Those were really big wolves though, right? I didn't think wolves were so big." I think back to middle school science and our field trip to the zoo. The wolves there were definitely much smaller. Are these just a different kind?

He lets out a huff of what sounds like annoyance, " Maybe to you. They seemed average sized to me."

We sit in silence for a while before turning into a gas station on the outskirts of town. Enzo quickly hops out and begins pumping gas into the car. Without a word, I make my way inside beelining straight to the energy drinks. I haven't needed caffeine this desperately since my first finals season. I can see Enzo entering the store from the corner of my eye making his way to the coffee that has no doubt been sitting out for hours at this point.

Drink in hand, I turn around to assess the snack options when I notice a familiar face walking towards the drink cooler. It's the guy from the bathrooms. Even more stunning in this lighting, "Hey, it's you?" I catch him off guard as he turns quickly in my direction.

"Oh, funny running into you here," he closes the door with two waters in hand.

"Did you leave because of the wolf fight too? They were so close to our camp we barely got away."

His brows shoot up as I finish my sentence, "Oh really? Wow, no. I didn't see anything at all."

"You didn't? The howling was so loud I-" We're interrupted by Enzo dashing around the corner with two hotdogs and a classic black coffee.

"Les, you good to go? I grabbed us some hotdogs for the road and- oh." Matteo takes a step back, face hardening as Enzo comes to my side.

"Matteo." Enzo acknowledges the man in front of me as if he is a long-lost acquaintance, like business partners at the company Christmas party.

"Always a pleasure, Enzo." Matteo's response confirmed my suspicion that there's familiarity there.

"Wait. Do you two know each other?" I look back and forth between the pair. Enzo's jaw is tight while Matteo's is calm. There's what looks to be humor gleaming in his eyes.

Matteo answers first, "Oh yes, we've known each other for quite some time haven't we?" I can't pinpoint his tone. Do they not get along?

"Sure, you could call it something like that. But more importantly, how do you two know each other?" Enzo is staring Matteo down with his 'I'm in charge and you will listen to me' face I've come to know over the years.