JARED'S POV
Anna gazed at me through teary eyes, cocking her head, wiping at her nose.
"What do you mean?" she questioned, knitting her brows together, looking confused.
"I mean, I have no problem with you coming to live with me," I told her, the words coming out like word-vomit before I had really thought about them.
Was that too soon? Would Anna think my offer was strange?
I couldn't take it back now. I had said what I had said, but, if I brought her back to the pack, I knew Clara and Dylan would most definitely pull me aside and say she couldn't stay.
It was far too risky to have Anna around the pack. She didn't know what we were, and people would have to pretend to be human with her around.
She would probably think I lived in some kind of cult.
"Jared, be realistic," Anna sniffled, laughing a little. "I can't afford to pay rent for your house. I mean, it's incredible and I could only dream of living there, but, I don't expect you to allow me to stay there for free."
I hummed in confusion, knitting my brows together.
She hadn't seen my house?
Oh.
The party.
She thought that was my house.
"Oh, no, that was just a house Gia was renting. I don't live there," I told her, wanting her to know that I didn't live in a grand old mansion like she thought.
"Oh, you don't?" asked Anna, and I shook my head, wheeling myself over to her coffee table and grabbing her a box of tissues, passing it to her.
She thanked me, wiping her nose, looking embarrassed.
"No, I live in my own house," I told her.
It wasn't a lie, but, there was no way I could allow Anna to actually come into my house. If Anna was going to stay with me, I would need to rent somewhere around here quickly away from the pack.
I swallowed, not enjoying the idea of lying to my mate, but, I wanted her to like me for me, and not because of our bond.
I didn't want to spring the fact that we were mates on her and make her think that she was expected to be with me. It didn't work like that, and I wanted her to make the decision for herself.
"I don't know," muttered Anna, shuffling away from me, and I nodded, exhaling.
"I know, it's a lot," I told her, offering her a small smile. "It's a big decision and it's a hard one to make. You don't have to let me know straight away, but I just want you to know that the offer is always on the table."
"Thank you so much," Anna said, getting up to throw her soggy tissue in the trash, lingering in the open kitchen for a while, fiddling with her drying towel, tracing around the circular pattern. "Would you like something to eat? I was going to heat up some pie for dinner?"
Anna's voice was hesitant, and she dropped her head and stared at the countertop, dragging her bottom lip into her mouth.
She looked adorable when she was embarrassed.
I had already eaten, and definitely wasn't hungry, but, I wasn't going to let Anna know that.
"Yes, of course, that sounds great," I told her, a smile making its way to her face before she nodded, turning to her fridge and bringing out a huge crispy golden pie, my mouth watering at the sight.
"My neighbour made it for me," Anna said, opening up her oven and turning the knob, throwing the pie in and slamming the door shut, causing me to furrow my brows at her.
"Sorry, I have to slam the door or it doesn't close. The bolts are loose."
I chuckled, peering around the room again, focusing on the small television located in the corner of the room, the left side of it cracked.
Anna noticed my staring, shuffling over to me and sighing.
"Did you want to turn it on?" Anna asked, and I shook my head at her.
I didn't want her to think I was bored here. I most definitely wasn't.
"No, no. I was just looking," I assured her, swallowing harshly as I balled up my fists, feeling upset and angry that my mate was living in these conditions, the crumbling ceiling also catching my attention. It looked as if it was going to cave in any day now.
It was dangerous here.
She couldn't stay here any longer.
"I can put it on for some background noise," Anna told me, grabbing the remote from the side table and flicking on the television, the news channel coming on.
Anna looked at me sheepishly, shrugging. "I don't have many channels."
I shook my head at her, letting her know that it didn't bother me. I wasn't a big TV watcher anyway, and I would much rather focus on her.
Widening my eyes, I noticed Anna had a small picture frame propped up next to the TV, the photo showing a younger version of herself smiling with an older woman. The dark haired woman had her arms wrapped around Anna and was laughing into the top of her head.
I smiled at the photo, moving over to it and picking it up, causing Anna to visibly stiffen next to me.
"Who's this?" I questioned, putting the photo back down, Anna humming.
"Um, my Mother," she said, picking the frame up off the table and holding it behind her. "I thought I had put that away."
I didn't understand why she was so nervous, but it concerned me. I didn't want to pry, but Anna's reaction was worrying.
"No, I shouldn't have asked, sorry."
Anna scowled, looking frustrated. "You should be able to ask, Jared. We're friends."
My heart sunk at the use of 'friends', and my mouth became dry at the thought of Anna only seeing me platonically.
I couldn't help but shake, pushing the thoughts away.
What else did I expect Anna to refer to me as? We weren't dating.
But maybe I needed to make it a little clearer that I was interested in being more than friends.
Anna cleared her throat as she made her way over to the oven, peering through the grey looking window of it and cursing, shaking her head.
"This stupid thing," she growled to herself, opening up the oven door and taking a look at the pie, slamming the door shut again. "My oven is crap and sometimes just stops working. I think the pie will have to wait."
I waved away her concern, offering her a smile. "That's no problem, let's go out to eat."
Anna widened her eyes at me, cocking her head before chewing on her bottom lip, causing me to chuckle.
"Your choice," I told her, moving to make my way over to the front door, Anna scrambling along after me.
"Jared, wait," she said quietly. "Are you sure? I don't really have the money to spend on dining out."
"Anna, I don't care," I told her, sending her a wink. "Take the pie out of the oven and let's get going."
I opened up the front door, wheeling myself out of Anna's apartment and making my way down the ramp, tapping on my chin as I waited for my mate at the bottom of it.
I smiled as she eventually emerged, having taken her hair down and poofed it up a little bit, giving me the impression that she was feeling self conscious about the way she looked and wanted to ensure she made some sort of effort.
She had also changed out of her work clothes, slipping on a pair of jeans and a grey cardigan instead, looking much more comfortable.
"Sorry, I tried to be as quick as I could," she told me, and I nodded, following her as we made our way down the path.
"Where do you want to go? I'm down for anything," I told her, causing my mate to blush.
"Do I really have to choose?"
"Yep," I said, smiling. "Lead the way."
"Okay, fine," Anna huffed with fake attitude, beginning to walk faster, gesturing for me to cross the road with her, leading me in the direction of a restaurant she told me was a 'cheap' one.
It dawned on me that money was clearly a big issue for Anna, and she didn't like people spending it on her, especially when she couldn't afford to pay them back. I really didn't care though. Money didn't mean anything to me, and I wouldn't have liked her anymore than I already did if she was blessed enough to have more of the stuff.
We spoke about her work, her letting me in on some secrets about Sophia, some of them making me laugh out loud, unable to wipe the smile from my mouth.
This girl really knew how to make me chuckle.
I found myself wondering about Anna's Mother. She seemed awkward when mentioning her, and I considered the fact that maybe she had passed and it was a sensitive subject for my mate.
I wouldn't bring it up again unless it was something that she seemed to want to speak about. I wouldn't push her out of her comfort zone.
"There's a diner up here," Anna said, turning to me, snapping me from my daydream, and I hadn't realised my arms had been working on auto-pilot, pushing me along the sidewalk.
"It looks good," I said, making my way down the gravel footpath leading towards the front door, looking up at the small and intimate looking building. Despite looking a little run down, it was cute and quaint.
"Hi, would you like a table for two?" asked the host as we made our way in, Anna nodding and smiling as we were led over to a table, and I parked myself up and pushed the chair aside.
It wasn't busy, with just a few tables full, but, the food looked good, and I was willing to order a large meal just to put Anna at ease. She didn't need to worry about how much her meal cost.
I would make sure that mine cost more than whatever she ordered.
"Any drinks?" asked the waitress as she smiled at me for a little too long, causing Anna to shuffle uncomfortably in her seat opposite me.
"I'll just have a soda, thanks," I told her, giving her a quick smile before turning my attention back to Anna who was gripping her menu a little too tightly, her hands turning white.
"Any ice with that?" the waitress asked me, cocking her head and scribbling down on her notepad as I shook my head.
It seemed that she was just being friendly, but, Anna didn't seem to appreciate it, clearing her throat loudly as she looked at the waitress with narrowed eyes, nearly making me laugh out loud.
"The same for me please," Anna spoke quietly, and the waitress nodded, shifting her weight from foot to foot as she looked at me again from over her notepad, causing me to furrow my brows.
Maybe she was being more than friendly...
"You can stop staring at him," Anna mumbled, her eyes going wide as she gazed up at the waitress, and I gathered that she hadn't meant to say that out loud.
I could tell she was more than embarrassed, and she clicked her tongue awkwardly as her face went red, the waitress turning on her heels and striding away from us, unsure of how to respond.
"I don't think she'll be coming over to our table again," I chuckled, causing Anna to join in sheepishly, shaking her head as she dragged her hand down her face, releasing a cute little groan.
I laughed. Anna had fire, and I loved that about her.
•••
Anna is jelly.
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