Reading Between the Lines

Chapter 15: You Can Learn Anywhere

I'm surprised that I didn't burn them yet. I know that they were $60, but in situations like these, feelings beat money.

Whatever, I'm just gonna wear something else. I can wear clothes without being reminded of the attack, right? I can! And I'm gonna prove it to myself and to these jeans.

God, I can't believe that I'm trying to assert myself to a piece of clothing.

I first grab a random top, but I surprisingly picked out a good one. It's a cropped dark brown sweater that falls slightly above my belly button, which will definitely help bring out the eyes. To combine with that, I grab a pair of high-waisted white straight jeans.

I quickly put them on, and then I grab my brush to get the tangles out of my hair. Whenever I brush my hair, I like to stare out the window at the beautiful view I have of the neighborhood. You would think that a neighborhood with sky-high mansions would lack a bit in the nature sector, but it couldn't be further from the truth here. There is a giant crescent moon out in the night sky, the stars twinkling along with it. The lake in the middle of the neighborhood glows a cobalt blue, the trees glowing the same color due to the water's reflection.

This entire place is like a giant painting, and I'm not complaining. I could stare at this view all night long.

I brush my hair until all the possible tangles are gone, and then I tie it into a loose braid that I put at the front. I then quickly dash to the bathroom to put on some quick powder and a nude lip gloss.

And one quick check in the mirror later, I'm ready!

While I check myself out in the mirror, I hear the door being knocked on. Tushi's husky voice blasts through the door as she asks me if I'm ready.

"I'll be right there, sorry!" I shout frantically from my room as I grab my phone and last-minute stuff.

I step out of my room, where I smell an amazing coffee smell from behind me. I turn around to see Tusharika, looking stylish as always. Her ears are covered in gold piercings, and her gold nose ring shines in the light and compliments her crooked nose. Like always, her full lips are adorned with the slightest hint of maroon-tinted lip balm.

"Nice top!" I compliment her as she gives me a full spin to show off her green and white cropped sweatshirt. "Thank you!" she chuckles slightly before she sees my outfit. "I like yours too! The brown brings out your eyes."

Yay, she noticed!

"Finally, someone understands the color wheel," I respond jokingly while we both go down the stairs. Everyone else is sitting downstairs, each person doing different things. Sam is drinking water, Vinnie is munching on cereal, Vaibhav and Prashanth are watching TV, and then Tusharika is with me. Naishal went to work after giving Tushi a giant hug and telling her how much he appreciates her, Divya is at swim practice, and Abhi is upstairs doing his homework.

I know that this isn't a coincidence, but I notice that Prashanth's posture stiffens as I come to the living room. He takes a pretty big breath and starts fidgeting with his hair anxiously, which makes me really concerned. He grabs a maroon throw blanket from the bright pink couch they're sitting on and puts it on top of his jeans, not looking away from the TV for a second. 

...SHIT, IS THAT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH HIM?

Yeah, no one needs to tell me that what that's supposed to be.

Is this his wolf reacting to me? Wow, that looks like the most agonizing thing ever. I heard that male wolves even get frequent... hard-ons when they're around their mate initially, and it's super painful.

Wow, Naish wasn't kidding. Wolves are horny ass creatures.

Is he trying to hide it from me? Is that why he's been keeping his distance from me like that?