They were curled up on the couch, something that had become their routine over the past few weeks, watching old movies on the television. They were cuddled up in a blanket that was so tightly wrapped around them that Lola hardly knew where her body ended and Aaron's began, and although they were a little too warm at times, neither of them had any intention of moving away from the other.
It was really nice, and Lola sometimes doubted that her old self would believe her if she told her that she lately enjoyed her time on this couch as much as she used to enjoy the spotlight at every party. Although the blue-haired girl was a social butterfly, spending time alone with Aaron was something special to her. She always felt so relaxed and safe in his presence that she couldn't imagine anything better. It would almost be a frightening thought if she wasn't so sure about their relationship.
They were both young and Lola had seen firsthand how quickly a relationship like this could end, but at the same time, she saw the way Evan looked at his boyfriend and she was sure that her gaze, as she looked at the boy next to her, contained the same warmth.
"Would you like a snack?" Aaron asked her, looking up from the screen to meet her eyes. Lola thought about his words for a moment and then began to clumsily untangle herself from the blanket.
Aaron started to do the same, but she stopped him immediately. "Stay. I'll go. Don't worry, I won't burn down your kitchen." Finally finding a way to get off the couch without her red blanket becoming lethal, she planted a small kiss on his lips. She knew that her boyfriend was much more into this movie than she was, and she didn't want to interrupt his enjoyment.
She had been to his house so many times that she knew exactly where everything was in the kitchen. It only took her a few seconds to find the popcorn, and while she was putting it in the microwave, she decided to look for Aaron's secret box of sweets in the bottom cupboard.
Her shuffling in the cupboard was barely audible, however, as the sounds of the storm came from outside and the raindrops hitting the kitchen door leading outside sounded as loud as someone knocking next to her head.
There hadn't been a storm like this in Alnwick for a long time and Lola was glad to be safely inside.
Her sense of security was short-lived, however, as the door, which she couldn't see through the cupboard door, slammed open and hit the wall next to it.
Lola jumped to her feet and stood up instantly, coming face to face with the intruder. He looked at her as frightened as she looked at him, if not more so, and Lola immediately understood why as a wolf snuck inside close to his feet, but it didn't stay a wolf for long.
Lola watched in silence as the wolf in front of her quickly transformed into a female figure and if she had blinked even once she would have missed the process completely. It all happened so quickly and neither of them made a sound until a thunderclap from outside broke the silence, indicating that the door was still open.
"Fuck," was the first thing the woman in front of her said, not breaking eye contact with her.
She was naked, but that was obviously the last thing on anyone's mind in the kitchen. Eventually, Ethan, Aaron's older brother, decided to resolve the situation and pulled a wet sweatshirt over his head and handed it to the woman in front of him. She silently accepted the garment and quickly put it on, even though it was wet, still keeping an eye on Lola. She was like a predator stalking her prey, and in a way it was true. Lola was a danger to her right now, even if she wasn't the one with the claws and fangs.
"What happened?"
The blue-haired girl, who had been frozen in place until then, finally regained her senses and turned her head towards Aaron, who appeared in the kitchen doorway. He looked confused, but one look was enough for him to understand the situation, and he, like the others, remained silent.
Lola had no trouble deducing from his demeanour that, just like her, he knew the secret of the werewolves. For a moment she wondered if he was one of them too, but then she pushed the thought away, sure that one of her best friends would have told her if he was.
"So you're a werewolf. Cool." She decided to break the silence when it seemed that no one else would. Her tone was surprisingly calm, so it was no wonder that it brought a confused grimace to everyone else's face.
"You're not..." Ethan looked as if he was searching for the right word. "Shocked?" Judging by the way the unknown woman was glaring at her, she probably had the same question. And maybe she was just planning how to make Lola forget.
To avoid any further misunderstandings, the blue-haired girl decided to address her answer directly to the she-wolf in front of her. "You're not the first werewolf I've met."
"Oh, thank God." This time it was Aaron who broke the silence and judging by the way he went straight to Lola's side, her words were obviously exactly what he had been waiting for. His shoulders lost their stiffness and the moment he was next to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"You know about werewolves?" The woman in front of her, however, did not seem to be convinced by her words, quite the opposite. Lola was not surprised, as she had been warned that it was a closely guarded secret.
The blue-haired girl nodded silently before adding, "I'm friends with a few." She decided to keep her answers neutral, knowing that she was taking a risk by talking about it at all, but she didn't know what else to do in this situation.
"And yet you are not a wolf's mate," the woman said as she looked her over from head to toe. Her tone was still unwelcoming, and she was clearly not happy that a human knew her secret.
"I'm not," she confirmed her words. She didn't know what she could say to avoid getting her friends in trouble, but she also didn't want to be unwelcome at her boyfriend's house.
Ethan cleared his throat and, like Aaron had just done, walked closer to the unknown woman and wrapped his arms around her waist. This made her look more relaxed, and Lola finally didn't feel like she was about to become prey.
"I think now would be a good time to introduce myself," Ethan said, and when no one responded, he continued, "Mia, this is Aaron's girlfriend Lola. Lola, this is my girlfriend, Mia."
Before Lola had a chance to speak, a growl echoed through the room.
"I'm sorry," Ethan spoke up again, obviously understanding immediately what was going on. "Mia is my mate."
"Aah," Lola sighed, realising at once. Then she regained her composure and added in a calm voice, "Nice to meet you."
Mia still didn't speak, even though she had been officially introduced, and continued to stare at Lola with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Don't you want to go get changed?" Aaron asked suddenly, rejoining the awkward conversation. "You're soaking wet."
Ethan cleared his throat. "That's a good idea." He then tilted his head to look into his girlfriend's face and gently lifted her chin with his hand to get her attention. "Come dry yourself off so you don't get cold, precious."
Mia didn't look like she was paying any attention to him, or even considering his suggestion, but then she nodded and silently let herself be led out of the kitchen.
Once Lola and Aaron were alone in the kitchen, Aaron took a step back from the blue-haired girl and looked at her worriedly. "Are you all right?" he asked her.
Lola was about to reply that she was fine but changed her mind at the last minute. "I will be. This is not what I had in mind for today." Despite the seriousness of the situation, she managed to crack a smile.
"Believe me, neither did I," Aaron assured her as he returned her smile and gently pulled her for a kiss with a hand on her cheek. He then planted a kiss on her forehead before moving away from her, causing Lola to automatically rest her forehead on his shoulder as he pulled her into a hug afterwards.
"Do you think this is going to be a problem?" Lola murmured her question into his shoulder. He didn't answer for a while, and she hoped it was because he was thinking about her question and not because he didn't want to tell her the truth. "I think it will be fine. Ethan will make sure of it."
"I hope so," she replied honestly.
It wasn't until she allowed herself to close her eyes in her boyfriend's embrace that she finally realised the whole situation. Suddenly, she pulled away from his embrace, holding his forearms and smiling at his face.
"What?" he asked, confused, but smiling as well.
"I just realised that we don't have to keep secrets from each other. We both know about the supernatural world," she explained.
Aaron laughed at her enthusiasm, but then answered just as happily. "That sounds cool, although I really don't know much about it."
"Neither do I," Lola admitted. "But we can definitely share our knowledge. Do you know anything about vampires and witches?"
"Witches and vampires exist?" Aaron looked genuinely astonished at this realisation and Lola couldn't help but laugh at his expression.
"You know what we should do?" she asked, and before he could answer, she did it herself. "Rent all the old fantasy films and comment on them based on what we know," she suggested, and Aaron immediately began to nod his head.
"I'm in."
The two lovers were so lost in their bubble that they didn't even notice the other two had returned to the kitchen. Ethan was standing in the doorway, just like Aaron before, with a towel around his neck. It wasn't until Lola leaned over that she noticed a brunette standing behind him, wearing a jumper that was a few sizes too big. Although she still didn't look enthusiastic, her posture was definitely less hostile.
"Are we cool?" Lola asked cautiously, leaning over so that her eyes met the other woman's. She looked surprised that the blue-haired girl was talking to her at all, but the emotion quickly disappeared from her face.
"We'll see," she said, crossing her arms over her chest again.
"I think you need to get to know each other better," Ethan said before turning to his younger brother. "Aaron, do you have any fantasy movies?"
It was a useless question as Aaron was a big fan of films, especially in physical form as he liked to collect DVDs, and so he immediately disappeared from the kitchen with a nod, bypassing the couple in the doorway. Of course, he was holding Lola's hand and taking her with him, not leaving her behind.
A few moments later, Lola found herself on the couch with Aaron's brother and his mate, watching a werewolf film and wondering if she would ever be able to tell her friends about this whole situation.